The current realities of air travel – barreling Mach 1 through the sky at 30,000 feet above the ground in a metal tube – essentially guarantees death in the event of an accident.
Now, over a century after the Wright Brothers launched the world’s first plane, one inventor may have finally found a way to make surviving a plane crash possible.
Vladimir Tatarenko of the Ukraine has been working on a detachable cabin concept that would see the passenger-carrying part of the plane disengage from most of its mechanical gear in the event of a malfunction. It then uses a series of parachutes, boosters, and rubber tubes to navigate earthward and safely land on the ground or water. It even has space for luggage so passengers can escape the ordeal with their favourite swim shorts along with their lives.
Here’s how it looks in action:
“Surviving a plane crash is possible. While aircraft engineers all over the world are trying to make planes safer, they can do nothing about the human factor,” he told LiveLeak.
Tatarenko’s design will consist of Kevlar and carbon composites for the fuselage, wings, flaps, spoilers, ailerons, and tail. Unfortunately, these materials are more expensive than the industry standard, plastic and styrofoam.
“It doesn’t make sense from a cost benefit analysis, from both mechanical, economic and operational reasons,” remarked one critic.
Tatarenko has been working on the concept for three years – whether it will take flight remains to be seen.
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