Originally Posted by
Aeronut
Spinning touchdown
An inventor from Bangkok is patenting an outlandish emergency landing system for aeroplanes.
Normally, when a crash landing is inevitable and no runway is in sight, a pilot would make a controlled belly flop to prevent the plane from ploughing into any buildings nearby.
But Polchai Phanumphai's idea is for aircraft to spin their way down instead. As a suitably fitted-out plane prepares to crash down, an altimeter would trigger explosive charges to make one wing break away from the fuselage and kick the one-winged plane into a horizontal spin.
Phanumphai says the spinning motion would produce lift in the same way as a helicopter's blades, while the centrifugal force should keep the body level. So, the inventor says, the falling plane ought to hit the ground relatively slowly.
The result, in theory at least, is a "reduced loss of life". But the inventor gives no clue whether the rapid spin might do more harm to the passengers than the crash landing itself. Any volunteers for a test flight?
Back in the late 80's we had a Macchi lose a wing in flight, the Pilot ejected and the remaining wing came around and "tennis Served" him, that's how violent the spin is on an Aircraft with only one wing ! let alone an Airliner that isn't stressed to take anywhere near as many G's as a Jet Trainer, the thing would litteraly revert to Kit Form on the way down, and I have the feeling that the safest place to be would be on the wing that got blown off. The guy is obviously some form of Nutter and should be placed in a large rubber room somewhere and not alowed sharps or string lest he injure himself with another Brilliant idea.
Gary