Just sitting in this position, the airbags on the plane can turn out to save your life

Few people suspect that there are also "small but martial" small air bags.

When it comes to airbags, you will immediately think of equipment that is equipped with a car to ensure safety for people sitting inside when a strong collision occurs.

Are you good, also on airplanes equipped with airbags? But the special point is that they are only equipped in the business class.

Airbag on the aircraft and how it works

Are you curious to know where these airbags are hidden on the cabin?

Unlike in a car where an airbag is installed in front of the seats, on an airplane, they are "hidden" in your safety belt.

Each device is fitted with an accelerometer to measure the force and energy level when the passenger signs a sudden reclining.

The front airbags in the car bulge when an accident occurs to limit the level of impact causing injury to the user. However, due to some factors, they can also cause minor injuries to people in the car.

With airbags on the aircraft, because they are designed in safety belts, they will be launched from the passenger thighs, inserted into the gap between you and the obstacle. The reason is because the bigger the distance between you and the obstacle, the stronger the impact force will be.

When the sensor senses enough force that can cause an accident, it will transmit a signal to the air discharge valve unit to inflate the airbag. All processes will take place for a maximum of 10 seconds.

The type of gas pumped in to inflate the bag is Helium gas - an inert non-explosive gas that is often pumped into balloons or balloons.

The airbag is designed with two different thickness sections for the head and shoulders to help unstuck when striking with an obstacle in front, alert enough to escape if the aircraft has smoke or fire .

The image reproduces the scene of an airbag that pops up to help the victim.

Researched and developed since 2001 by many engineers, aviation safety and car safety experts, after years of improvement, these airbags are increasingly being equipped with airplanes by many airlines. they.

Reportedly, airbags on aircraft were first installed on more than 2000 civilian aircraft in 2003 by Amsafe of Phoenix - the only manufacturer with standard safety belts.

. but why only for first class passengers and merchants?

One thing in particular is that not all seats are equipped with airbags. It is only for first class passengers, business class, rows of seats near the wall and front row.

Because the price for installing each insurance belt has an airbag of $ 2,000, compared to $ 50 for a traditional insurance belt, not every airline or aircraft is equipped with this airbag.

A number of airlines in the world such as Air France, British Airways, American Airlines, Singapore Airliens, Emirates . have equipped airbags for business class passengers on modern aircraft Boeing 777, 787 and Airbus A330, A321 aims to give passengers the most comfort.

Even Vietnam Airlines has equipped airbags for business class seats in its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The seat belt is covered with soft leather, and equipped with airbags with business class seats on Boeing 787 Dreamliners (Photo: Cafebiz)

However, as mentioned above, because the price is quite expensive, most airlines focus on customer care.

Chris Muklevicz, deputy director of sales and marketing at AmSafe, said that installing airbags on airplanes is expensive, but firms should install them to fit the Aviation Management Association's standards. 2009.

Accordingly, the seats must be able to withstand shocks at impact 16 times the gravitational acceleration .

And the airbags in fact have proved its effectiveness in aircraft crashing.

Ricki Halling, a 37-year-old doctor who survived and recounted his story while driving a private plane suddenly encountered extreme weather that caused her plane to run straight from a height of nearly 1,000 meters to the ground and fell a pin like an empty beer can. However, she survived with only a few scratches on her knees with the help of airbags on the plane.

However, according to the US National Traffic Safety Administration, more than 80% of aircraft accidents have survivors because the actual air transport is very safe. Accidents often occur when aircraft are in the process of taking off or flying at low altitudes.

It can be said that the supply of additional airbags in the first class and business class service package is sometimes just a mental dose for passengers to feel safer on their flights.