Why don't aircraft drop the cats out before crashing?

Posted by Sunsetgloam@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 42 comments

So I've read about the infeasibility of carrying parachutes for every passenger on board, but statistics show cats will survive 90% of falls off aircraft with only ~37% needing medical attention.

If an aircraft is crashing say past a certain degree and / or speed and the situation is truly hopeless, why not add a "save the cats" (STC) switch which would open all the cages of the cats in the cargo compartment and just drop them out? Perhaps add some minor source of propulsion or push to force them out of the cage.

It can even be controlled by say autopilot / automatic systems.

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SeaHawkGaming@reddit

I suppose you’re being sarcastic but just in case you aren’t.

Most cats on aircraft are being carried in the passenger cabin as PETC, it’s incredibly rare that they’re carried in the hold as AVIH. When they are they are in normal hardshell crates and not some fancy specific-for-cats permanently installed coop in the cargo compartment. To accomplish what you’re suggesting would require the installation of heavy and expensive equipment, adding another potential point of failure to the pressure hull of the aircraft, to give the chance of saving a cat that may be carried in 1 in 100 flights, the economics just don’t play out.

Plus I somewhat doubt that statistic applies to airliners since I cannot imagine a cat surviving a 400mph impact.

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NotCook59@reddit

I’m not sure where the “400mph impact” comes from. As a skydiver, our human body terminal velocity ranges around 120mph. Cats, on the other hand, may have a significantly lowered terminal velocity. YMMV.

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SeaHawkGaming@reddit

It was an absolute crapshot at a figure to illustrate the kinds of impact you could expect if the cat launcher fired seconds before impact (the only point where you could reliably make that assessment) without sufficient time to stabilize into a terminal velocity

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NotCook59@reddit

I’ve been head down at 23,000 feet and was able to register 212mph. I’ve heard of people in really slick suits reaching 300mph. Don’t think anyone is going to catch on fire. Maybe sell a cat-chute option for the cat carriers. Still, not sure how big of a problem this is. Maybe if cats get loose in the cockpit, but all these cat transport crashes just haven’t been making the evening news.

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Sunsetgloam@reddit (OP)

It's a half joke half dumb idea but I appreciate the information. I was aware they'd probably need a specific cargo component for this but not aware of an addition pressure point of failure, which would not be worth risking human life if I am to be fully serious.

And actually, the speed downward would decrease if the plane is falling past terminal velocity, but what I am concerned about is the horizontal velocity killing the cats. So maybe this is completely dumb and you're correct about this not applying at higher speed flight.

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torsten_dev@reddit

Sounds like time for an experiment.

^^(That's a joke, PETA leave me alone)

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Denninosyos@reddit

Imagine it malfunctioning and yeeting cats all over the place...

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NotCook59@reddit

And I always wondered where the “raining cats and dogs” reference came from.

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Sunsetgloam@reddit (OP)

Then it would help calm people down, which would result in a more effective evacuation once the plane is on the ground in whatever shape.

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kussian@reddit

Icao needs to implement it in it's rules 😁

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quickblur@reddit

If we release all the cats, then who is left to fly the plane??

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NotCook59@reddit

I think the premise was that the plane was crashing…

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NotCook59@reddit

Do we have a lot of cat transport crashes going on? Might have to look for the root cause.

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gogybo@reddit

I will literally propose this to Airbus tomorrow.

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ventus1b@reddit

I'll quit my job and apply to work on the team that implements this.

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Sunsetgloam@reddit (OP)

Good luck, don't let Boeing find it first or it might fix their issues with public trust and perception of safety.

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Kcolb3@reddit

Lolololololol quirky quirky quirky hahahahha

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cambajamba@reddit

Small dogs in the cargo hold like "chuckle, I'm in danger."

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kussian@reddit

Small dogs need to learn technique "Im a cat"😁

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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N314ER@reddit

As venture capitalist I’m more interested in spending my billions on emerging green technologies that use puréed cats as zero emission Jet fuel. Something about all the birds they eat making them beneficial to air travel. Initial studies have also shown that cat fueled aircraft survive 90% of off-field landings.

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EliteEthos@reddit

This is one of the stupidest things I’ve seen on Reddit much less this sub.

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Uniqueisha@reddit

Have it automated for any time there is a Cat-a-strophic engine failure.

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Latter-Bar-8927@reddit

I’m envisioning an inadvertent deployment of the STC switch dumping a bunch of frozen cats over downtown Des Moines…

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amber_room@reddit

Not crashing but still unexpected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_8mdH20qTQ

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Sunsetgloam@reddit (OP)

Good it's not crashing:) That's such a cool and cute video despite it being dangerous and probably scaring that poor kitty, I'm glad they made it to the ground

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Jetblast787@reddit

High, how are you?

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ixlr8360@reddit

kite.

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ProudlyWearingThe8@reddit

ISS.

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leonderbaertige_II@reddit

FL420

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Sunsetgloam@reddit (OP)

Imagine the pilot going "Going down. STC STC STC" to the first officer. Although I really don't believe they need to be overwhelmed with anything more in such high stress situations which is why I propose automated systems for this.

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ixlr8360@reddit

ejectalation. gotta hun.. ah i mean punch out.

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ANITIX87@reddit

The answer must just be "yes".

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ixlr8360@reddit

CUK THA FATS.

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DCS_Sport@reddit

I envy you. You must have had time to think about every other topic known to humanity, process it, and move on before coming to this. Amazing, to be honest, and I think we need to fund this idea!

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Nun-Taken@reddit

Let’s move on a tad here, there is a nugget of an idea, what if every passenger had their own cat? STC ejects the cat, with its human, who is saved by the cat. Further development obviously needed but it’s quite a seed of an idea for humanity (and catmanity)

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Sunsetgloam@reddit (OP)

this seems like a well thought through idea to address the idea of needing to create an additional cargo component and adding additional pressure points. I like it. 150+ years ago nobody thought was flight was possible, so like the Wright Brothers, we must keep our heads up even if we must refine the idea.

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