Do you really think you're safe on an aircraft that only provides oxygen.?

Question

...Most of the time always no survivers- unless the plane reaches ground level. Do you think other proceedures should be implemented for your safety, parachutes etc...

Are the provided oxygen to make sure we are unfocus as well as disoriented?? is it safe and clean O2 we breathe.

Goddzilla, you said it loud and clear...
The Helmsman sometimes not at fault. Ways of preventing lost of lives is another subject matter/ you can never know what can go wrong, eh buddy.

Parachute etc, figure of spreeh, nimrods

Answer 1

So, go ride a bus, what do we care

Answer 2

The oxygen is provided in case of rapid decompression. At high altitudes, your time of usefull conciousness is only a few minutes and you can die from oxygen deprivation. The oxygen gives you time for the aircraft to make an emergency descent to 10,000 feet where you can breathe without pressurization.

Personal parahutes would be impractical since they weigh too much (think 300 or so parachutes) and jumping out of a plane at high speed is suicide since the wind would knock you unconcious or thow you against the plane.

Aircraft parachutes are in use on some light aircraft (like the Cirrus) and there are plans for using them on commuter aircraft. But large airliners would require a larger parachute than has ever been contstructed to float down safely, and this still wouldn't guarantee total safety.

Todays planes, even with terrorist attacks, are the safest method of traveling. New safety features (like seatbelt mounted airbags) and method are always being invented and implemented on passenger aircraft.

The most dangerous part of flying is the cab ride to the airport.

Answer 3

The purpose of oxygen is only so that people can breathe if the cabin loses pressure. It's not meant to be a crash-prevention measure. No, airplanes aren't completely safe, neither are cars or trains.

There is some talk about implenting a huge parachute for the whole plane. Which is a great idea, surprisingly effective, and a much better plan than personal parachutes. Unfortunately it's also extremely expensive, and passengers aren't willing to see the cost of such devices reflected on ticket prices when there's such a small chance of crashing anyway. Flying is a risk analysis like every part of life, you weigh up the risk and benefits, for most people the benefits outweigh the risks.

Answer 4

The oxygen is there in case of decompression at altitude. It rarely happens, and seldom results in a crash. Without the oxygen, many passengers would be dead in the time it takes to get down below 14,000 feet where supplemental oxygen is no longer needed.

Parachutes would be totally useless. I've posted this many times before, and here we go again:

1. At altitude, you'd freeze to death instantly upon exiting the aircraft. The temp is typically -40F to -70F. At normal cruise of 500 - 650 MPH, every bone in your body would be shattered when you hit the slipstream; most people's arms and legs would be ripped off by flailing injuries. Think of all of the crushed and frozen arms, legs, and bodies with unopened parachutes attached hitting the ground at terminal velocity -- about 125 MPH.

2. Most accidents happen during the transition period of takeoff and landing. You're too close to the ground for parachutes to be effective and there isn't enough time to get everyone out anyway.

3. There are no doors on an airliner that can be opened in flight, so there is no way to get out anyway.

4. Parachutes need to be donned before getting on the airplane. You'd need to show up 5 hours before departure to get everyone suited up. Connections would be 5 - 7 hours.

5. The bulk of the parachutes would require the airlines to remove half of the seats to make room. Add the cost of parachute riggers and staff to help passengers put them on, and airfares would quadruple at least.

6. The typical airline passenger isn't trained in the use of a parachute; it would be akin to handing a 5-year-old a loaded AK-47.

Answer 5

Bostonian is correct, also, there are plenty of survivors. In 1986, a damaged 737 with all engines out was landed on a levy in new orleans in the middle of a storm.

Aircraft are incredibly safe. If you think planes are unsafe, I dont want you on my plane. take the bus, or drive a car for several time the price and time.

We are professionals. The only people on earth that are trained more are United States Marines.
I have seen people land at airports the middle of the night with no lights while they were on their first night solo. I have seen people spin an aircraft during there first solo and come home safely. I have see engines explode and the pilots land safely. Ive seen pilots land on treetops safely.
I have seen aircraft spew oil all over the windshield and land safely. I have seen flaps come completely off and the aircraft land safely. Ive even seen a pliot get shot in the eye by guerillas and still evacuate civilians safely.
I have seen people land an aircraft using trim only.
Pilots know what the hell they are doing.

Answer 6

Hi,
I feel that you may have missed a few things here.
1st of the air that you generally breath here on the planet is about16% oxygen, and around 70 odd % nitrogen
Thats why F1 cars fill the tyres with nitrogen.
2nd, try flying at 10, 000 ft up with the doors open on an old military flight. Most refreshing, and no harm done,
3rd, yup, i agree, you need oxygen for combustion, but it is not the cause of flaming dodgy aircraft, You also need a fuel, and heat,That is why things aloft can blow up in a sad fashion.
4th There are problems with supplying parachutes.
It may lead to paranoia, folks are generally not trained in their use,
and it's bad enough getting 15 folks out of a a small aircraft all at once, without hundreds of panic-stricken people & their children on a big commercial jobby.

I suppose I could rant on here for a while, but suffice to say that my philosophy is roughly > if it's going down, then it is going down, and there is B all I can do about it.
Millions of sky miles, still breathing a bit of oxygen.

(Don't worry), and try Helium or Heli-Ox for that weird high pitched voice thing. Great fun on an aircraft, and no harm done.

Bob

Answer 7

Maybe they should provide nitrous oxide so passengers don't care what's going on.

Seriously, your chances of dying in a plane crash are far lower than being struck by lightning.

You mentioned parachutes. By the time the plane gets down to a level where parachutes are a safe option, it is headed for the ground anyway. It will either be going too fast for a safe jump or is going to land safely anyway.

Answer 8

You are safer on an airplane then in a car and especially a train. The air actually come from outdide the plane not from oxygen tanks. That is only whe the pressure is messed up. The plane is always pressurized to 5000 feet even at 37,000 feet

Answer 9

They have propssed a really big parachute to float the cabin safely to earth but like all other propositions they are taken with a grain of salt, but it's nice to know I'll have a clear head when I hit the ground...

Answer 10

No, the fact is, you're not safe! These masks do not prevent you from breathing air in the cabin, which may be toxic, especially if something is burning. However, there are chemical oxygen producing hoods that go over your head that airlines could put in every seat back. They would thoroughly protect you from toxic gases in the aircraft. Military transport airplanes have them for every seat. Airlines could do this, however, according to financial models, every person that dies on board one of their airplanes is worth about $250,000. It would cost them more to equip their airplanes with such systems than it would to pay families when a plane crashes, killing everyone on board.

Basically, in the eyes of the airlines, your life isn't worth the amount of money it would cost them to put one of these oxygen hoods in each seatback, even though they could easily do it without breaking their bank! How's that for spreading the love?

Answer 11

Air travel may statistically be the safest form of travel but I would still rather take my chances of surviving 20 car accidents over surviving 1 plane crash