Just wondering

[Dax_Brandy]

why is it that life jackets are placed instead of parachutes on commercial airplanes?


if you think i asked a silly question please don't reply...

[ClubMed]

Because the probability of being able to use a parachute (i.e. while flying) is close to 0.

The probability of landing in water and surviving is higher.

[RustyGT]

Guys, I wont get smart here. It's not a silly question.

When did you last see a modern commercial airliner ditch at sea?
A. They dont.

The thing that brings down late model large aircraft is catastrophic failure.

If you are flying a light plane over water, and have an engine failure, then you might put it down in the drink.

As for parachutes. I doubt you would get out of a plane, going faster than 80 Knots.
Which is way below the stall speed of any thing big.

Late jets are more rockets than gliders, the wings dont so much hold them aloft, but rather, contol the trajectory.

Chrs R.

btw: I stand to be corrected here.

eddet= speeling

[sharder8]

It is a good question.

Another thing to realize, is you can safely use a life jacket with a short class/reminder and if you don't do it right, no one else is endangered. But, it takes much, much longer to learn how to correctly put on a chute, let alone get the person out the door. Then, if there is a problem, more lives are endangered by the person "streamering in" or free falling to impact.

Harder

[Knothead]

Huh? I can't say as I have ever seen a life preserver on a commercial plane; what I HAVE seen is the deal with the oxygen mask that will drop-down...

Oh, and the sublime comfort of the little flotation pillow under the seat. You know, just in case you actually survive a 30,000 foot fiery plunge into the ocean...

The life preserver is generally the top part of the seat or in some cases kept below the seat. They don't show it like the oxygen mask but announce it.

[LabbaLabba]

"The probability of landing in water and surviving is higher."

70% surface area = water............yep

[fatal xception]

No, it's not a silly question. Also, could you imagine the speech the steward/ess would have to give explaining parachute use?

Speech:

"...when you reach the necessary altitude, you will need to pull the designated cord..."

[TonTo]

yeah, in case of a water landing the liWAIT A MINUTE!


water landing? no, it's called crashing the freakin plane into an ocean. either way, no lil life preserver like they have is gonna help you.... 1)impact = sticky mess 2)water = freezing(ever seen titanic?) 3) ocean = BIG by the time that they could get rescuers out to where a plane would "land" in the water... it'll have been several hours... and by that time, despite the aid of those tiny lil floatation devices... you'll still have went under....


It's all just to pacify the people.... like hiding under a desk if there's a nuclear bomb dropped.....


If i'm on a plane, and we start goin down, if there's time, do NOT get in my way of the lil cart with all those nice lil bottles of booze..... and don't complain about the smoking, cuz, well, if i'm gonna die a firey death in an airplane... i'm gonna make it as comfortable as I can...

[CujoRbd]

Knothead-
Do you know the real reason for the oxygen masks? It's not so that if you lose cabin pressure there is air to breathe, because there's gonna be air outside the plane that's breatheable. It's so that the people who breathe it in become euphoric (they get high) and so they're calm and don't scream as much.

So yeah, TonTo: forget the booze. Instead go for the oxygen mask; you'll enjoy it far more.