Why Don’t Planes Have Parachutes?
Parachutes are important pieces of equipment for fighter jets and other military-style planes because they are used by professional pilots in cases of extreme emergencies. This leads many people to question why commercial planes do not have these pieces of equipment when they sometimes experience emergency situations with their passengers, which could mean the difference between life and death. As one of the most experienced aircraft dispatching schools available, Sheffield School of Aeronautics is here to explain why parachutes are not found on commercial aircraft. Why don’t planes have parachutes? Our experts explain more below.
Do Commercial Planes Have Parachutes?
As opposed to other kinds of aircraft like fighter jets, commercial planes do not carry parachutes because using parachutes requires extensive training that most people on a commercial aircraft do not have. Using a parachute is not as easy as it looks in popular media. It is not as simple as jumping out of a moving airplane and pulling a chord while you gently float to safety. In fact, the most basic kind of skydiving requires first-timers to be strapped to a trained professional after undergoing about 30 minutes of basic training. These skydives are pre-planned and mapped out so that they only occur during the most perfect conditions, which are rarely found across commercial flights since they are not planned to accommodate skydiving.
Aside from these reasons, commercial flights are extraordinarily safe, which means that there will be little reason to use a parachute in the first place.
Why Don’t Pilots Have Parachutes?
Pilots do not usually carry parachutes because the kind of aviation that they plan is very different from what usually goes into a regular skydive. A commercial pilot flies at a much higher altitude than a planned skydive, with a planned skydive occurring at no more than 15,000 to 16,000 feet. This is much lower than the regular cruising altitude that a commercial flight has at 35,000 feet. When a flight flies so high, there will be much lower temperatures and breathable air, making skydiving an extremely dangerous and even deadly affair. People skydiving at such an altitude have a much higher risk of hypoxia, requiring oxygen cylinders for maximum safety. Lastly, commercial flights are not designed for people to skydive from, making this feat extremely dangerous.
Can You Bring a Parachute on a Plane?
Passengers are allowed to bring parachutes on airplanes, in both carry-on and checked bags. However, they must be packed separately from your other baggage and must be ready to be inspected.
More About Sheffield School of Aeronautics
Why don’t planes have parachutes? Can you bring a parachute on an airplane? These are questions that our experienced flight dispatcher school helps prospective FAA dispatchers answer regularly. Aside from useful resources like this one, our airline dispatcher school is dedicated to providing our students with some of the most advanced flight dispatch courses available. Contact us today to learn more about our flight weather planning, international flight planning, and dispatch courses.
