quote:

Originally posted by Krypton It's impossible to open the doors in mid-flight. I'v got a better idea. A gigantic parachute for the plane itself! Kind of like the space shuttle but much bigger.

Lol. And when the big parachute deploys...

I'm picturing that scene from Spaceballs, where Dark Helmet goes flying towards the front of the ship

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This thread is fucking funny.

First off, a lot of airline crashes involve catastrophic failure of any number of systems including the body of the aircraft.

At 35,000 feet traveling at over 500MPH you would more than likely lose consciousness very very quickly if there was rapid and massive de-pressurization.

Also Krypton, the Space Shuttle doesn't have a parachute...

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Originally posted by Theresa Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't the emergency exit doors behind the engines? Therefore pushing you away and not sucking you in? Infinity, there have been crashes where the pilot knew there was a problem before the plane lost control. Yes, odds are very low that you would survive or that conditions would work for it... but it seems like you would have at least a teeny tiny percentage more of a chance of survival than just sitting there waiting to crash. EDIT: The emergency exit doors in the middle of the plane is what I am referencing, not the ones in the front.

Yes, and hitting a vertical or horizontal stabilizer on the way back is perfectly harmless.

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Originally posted by Theresa Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't the emergency exit doors behind the engines? Therefore pushing you away and not sucking you in?

many emergency exit doors are above the wings, and right near the engines. in a situation where a plane was unstable or flailing about, i reckon getting sucked into the engine would be a possibilitiy.

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Originally posted by Theresa Yes, odds are very low that you would survive or that conditions would work for it... but it seems like you would have at least a teeny tiny percentage more of a chance of survival than just sitting there waiting to crash.

but that "tiny" chance isn't big enough to justify all the modifications it would take to make planes jumpable, and even then its probably even smaller than "tiny".

for instance, where is my parachute located?

leg room > parachute.

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Originally posted by Joss Weatherby Also Krypton, the Space Shuttle doesn't have a parachute...

Yea it does. It deploys when it lands back on earth.

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Originally posted by Krypton Yea it does. It deploys when it lands back on earth.

Thats not a parachute.

That is a drag chute. It would not stop it from falling to a horrible demise.

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Originally posted by Joss Weatherby This thread is fucking funny. First off, a lot of airline crashes involve catastrophic failure of any number of systems including the body of the aircraft. At 35,000 feet traveling at over 500MPH you would more than likely lose consciousness very very quickly if there was rapid and massive de-pressurization. Also Krypton, the Space Shuttle doesn't have a parachute...

Again, no expert on plane crashes, but I was under the impression that they depressurized during a fall no matter what...?

Obviously people wouldn't be jumping out at max height. The plane is falling... therefore you're likely to be several thousand feet lower by the time you even know to get out.

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Originally posted by Sushipunk Lol. And when the big parachute deploys... I'm picturing that scene from Spaceballs, where Dark Helmet goes flying towards the front of the ship

It would be one hell of a ride!

If this were an accepted procedure(which would never happen), what do you think the ratio of false warnings/actual crashes would be?This would surely cause the death of many many more lives(through improper exit) than the process could potentially save. Not to mention bankrupting the already struggling industry.

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Originally posted by Joss Weatherby Thats not a parachute. That is a drag chute. It would not stop it from falling to a horrible demise.

Well, you know what I mean. A specially designed airplane parachute!

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Originally posted by Theresa Infinity, there have been crashes where the pilot knew there was a problem before the plane lost control.

Those are usually just warning signs and not a 100% confirmation that it's the end. It would be too late by the time the pilot decided to tell everyone to jump out the doors. This isn't like a boat sinking. Once you know you're fucked it's too late to do anything about it. Not to mention false warnings.

A better idea would be that the tail breaks off and everyone is sucked out in their seats. All the seats have parachutes that automatically deploy once a certain height is reached.