TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada has issued a patent for a futuristic commercial jet design that would protect passengers in an emergency by breaking apart and letting the sections parachute gently to the ground.
But industry experts said on Tuesday that the scheme -- which sounds like something out of a James Bond movie -- had little chance of success. A parachute-equipped plane would be too heavy and would cost too much.
"For a big airliner, it's just not feasible," said David Greatrix, associate professor of aerospace engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto.
"It's just such a wacky idea. If you talk to anyone in the aerospace industry, you'd see that this is pretty far fetched."
The proposal, which received a patent last month, calls for aircraft to be built in separate parts, then sealed together. In an emergency -- anything from mechanical failure to a missile attack -- the pilot could push a button to sever the parts with controlled explosions or by using a "laser cutting" device.
Each section would be equipped with parachutes, shock absorbers, inflatable rafts, and propulsion jets that would guide it to the ground, the patent said. The Toronto-based inventor, Chui Wen Chiu, could not be reached for comment.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=4487650§ion=news
But industry experts said on Tuesday that the scheme -- which sounds like something out of a James Bond movie -- had little chance of success. A parachute-equipped plane would be too heavy and would cost too much.
"For a big airliner, it's just not feasible," said David Greatrix, associate professor of aerospace engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto.
"It's just such a wacky idea. If you talk to anyone in the aerospace industry, you'd see that this is pretty far fetched."
The proposal, which received a patent last month, calls for aircraft to be built in separate parts, then sealed together. In an emergency -- anything from mechanical failure to a missile attack -- the pilot could push a button to sever the parts with controlled explosions or by using a "laser cutting" device.
Each section would be equipped with parachutes, shock absorbers, inflatable rafts, and propulsion jets that would guide it to the ground, the patent said. The Toronto-based inventor, Chui Wen Chiu, could not be reached for comment.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=4487650§ion=news