Prevent catastrophe from falling by aircraft

The founder of an aerospace company said that technology, despite rescuing airplanes, could protect aircraft and in the future prevent disasters like Germanwings.

Install parachutes for aircraft to prevent accidents

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) guarantees that air travel is the safest mode of transportation today . Large airframe manufacturers are required to ensure standard operating equipment to minimize accidents such as pilots losing the ability to control, collide in mid-air, engine failure or damage. .

However, after a series of incidents in recent years, most recently the case of Germanwings, experts believe that the application of whether to protect commercial aircraft should be carefully considered. This not only ensures safety for passengers, but also limits the possibility of damage to aircraft.

" The sky will become more crowded, and there will be more accidents," said Boris Popov, who founded and operated aerospace company BRS Aerospace.

Although rescuing the BRS airframe was introduced in an air show in Argentina.(Photo: BRS Aerospace)

The smart though design

Since 1993, Popov's company has provided options whether to rescue airframe for some aircraft and airlines. The certification tests of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) show that although it can be released at an altitude of 80 m, the aircraft using this system can save the lives of 300 people .

According to Popov, the system's secret is the time of opening though almost immediately . The parachutes are propelled by rocket engines deployed from behind the aircraft and accelerated to 160 km / h. In less than a second, they open up the canopy section attached to the airframe. Immediately, the plane stabilized at a speed of about 6 m / s, allowing it to land with the same force as when jumping to the ground from a height of approximately 2 m.

Currently, Cirrus maker or Flight Design has applied BRS products and considered it a standard device. Popov's company also tested the system that could deploy parachutes and ensure safety when landing aircraft carrying 12 passengers.

The next phase of this technology is the production of smart umbrellas that can "steer" the ground , avoid hazards on the ground and determine where to land safely with a GPS navigation system. They can be used with disabled vehicles, flying at night in mountainous or overcrowded areas.

For high-altitude patrol aircraft, Popov intends to design a smart umbrella that can extract about 20% of the full opening, maintaining this state until the speed is reduced enough to open. wide without separation from the plane.

BRS has discussed internally about the possibility of developing complex algorithms that help perceive when an aircraft is at risk of trouble, approaching terrain, speeding or malfunctioning when communicating with the checkpoint. On the ground. If the danger is imminent, the safety algorithms will trigger automatic deployment despite the protection of the airframe.

Cirrus manufacturer deployed the system even for the airframe.(Photo: Cirrus)

Barriers

Popov thinks this is within their technology. It is difficult to ask the pilot to accept this self-processing system, but when artificial intelligence is recognized more commonly, everything will be different.

For aircraft such as Airbus or Boeing with propeller propulsion engines, materials must have a large coverage area. To equip even though a Boeing 757 weighs approximately 227,000 kg, the required number of parachutes is 46,400 m2.

One of the biggest barriers to using this system for commercial airplanes is to reduce the volume of parachutes enough to make it economically feasible . According to Popov, the use on larger aircraft will have to wait until nanotechnology can produce artificial silk 10 times stronger than steel, and weighs one tenth of the ripstock nylon (nylon) material. Anti-tear).

" If our aircraft exceeds 15% of the value of the aircraft, the carriers will withdraw quickly , " Popov said.