This detachable plane cabin could be the future of airplane safety

Fear of flying is one of the most common phobias, despite the overwhelming evidence that your chances of dying in an airplane crash are infinitesimally small.

While air travel is an extremely safe form of transportation, innovations to make it even safer are always welcome. Which is why the idea of a detachable cabin, designed by former aviation engineer and crash investigator Vladimir Tatarenko, is so intriguing.

Detach With The Push of a Button

Tatarenko proposes a new airplane design in which the cabin is a separately contained section of the plane, with the ability to detach from the cockpit and wings at the push of a button.

The roof of the detachable cabin contains two parachutes that can carry the cabin to the ground safely after it has detached from the rest of the plane. Inflatable cushions are built into the bottom of the cabin to allow for a (theoretically) soft, survivable landing on water or land.

Streamline Boarding

Interestingly enough, Tatarenko says his design would not only improve plane safety, it would also streamline the arduous boarding process as well. The detachable cabin would allow travelers to board in a separate area, then be delivered to the tarmac and connected to the cockpit and wing section.

This could speed up the boarding process and cut down on congestion in airport terminals as large groups all board in the same area.

Will The Design Come To Life?

It’s a fascinating and ingenious concept, to be sure, but as CNN Travel points out, Tatarenko’s vision wouldn’t have an easy transition from a dream to reality.

It would be incredibly costly to manufacture and test the new design, and there are some major issues with the concept itself, such as how the cabin would safely land in a mountainous or urban area (and also, what about the pilots’ safety?).

Still, it’s a creative new way to think about the innovative safety features we might see in planes of the future.

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Thanks to Tatarenko, we have a new concept to daydream about, and a potential (if slightly far-fetched) blueprint for what planes might look like a few decades from now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvArUn0EKsY

One company released an updated airplane seat design last year that gained some attention. A Colorado-based company called Molon Labe Seating created an ingenious “side-slip” airplane seat design that would improve the boarding process. It would also make flying a bit more comfortable, thanks to the addition of a slightly wider middle seat.

As shown in the video below, in a typical three-seat arrangement, the side-slip design would allow the aisle seat to slide toward the window seat to create a wider aisle. I’m guessing this would mean everyone with window seats would board first.

In order to make room for the aisle seat to slide over, the middle seat is slightly recessed behind the aisle and window seats. And — bonus !— the middle seat is designed to be two inches wider than traditional airplane seating.

Do you think the airplane industry needs to do more to update airplane design and improve flight safety?

Additional reporting by Genevieve Lill.