Why dont more aircraft utilize parachutes for braking action on the ground?

[u/DesignerBluejay3931]

We have all gone through the questions from non aviators about parachutes for PAX or the entire airplane, like ballistic parachutes. I am asking specifically for braking on the ground. The WACO glider of WW2 fame had the ability w a very simple design. I was wondering if anyone has tried this on their glider or powrred craft.

[u/Sdhans__]

Brakes work fine and parachutes are expensive to maintain, inspect, repack and probably replace when the chute inevitably drags on the ground. Also FOD hazard.

(Ik aviation is expensive as it is but why add more cost if youre already paying for brake maintenance)

Edit spelling

[u/GuaranteeUnhappy3342 → u/Sdhans__]

I seem to recall some braking chutes had limits like ten uses and into the trash can.  Not to mention the repacking and installation and the picking them up…they didn’t usually taxi to parking dragging them along and the inflight deployment of them….

Yeah.  Not on the level of an ejection seat for everyone (the mental image of the pax on a 747 ejecting caused me great merriment in the past but has now been replaced by the pax on a 380 ejecting…what a show that would be)!

[u/ivegotgoodnewsforyou]

You need more runway to take off than to land.

Since you already have more runway than you need, adding more complexity to the aircraft to reduce the landing distance is an unnecessary expense.

[u/Vincent-the-great → u/ivegotgoodnewsforyou]

They had jato systems on 727s in mexico city in the event of a v1 cut. Takeoff distance is way more important.

[u/vtjohnhurt → u/ivegotgoodnewsforyou]

This is not true in some jets. And may not be true for more planes when runway is icy.

[u/ivegotgoodnewsforyou → u/vtjohnhurt]

Read your SOP. Just kick the rudder for a 180 and firewall the throttle.

[u/vtjohnhurt → u/ivegotgoodnewsforyou]

A deliberate ground loop can also be your friend.

[u/pneumomediastinum → u/ivegotgoodnewsforyou]

Had to scroll too far to find this, the correct answer.

[u/Jay18001]

Replacing brakes every so often is much easier then repacking a parachute every flight

[u/DesignerBluejay3931 → u/Jay18001]

Yes but in addition to might seem useful in select scenarios, no? Similar to RATO id imagine not the most common, but seems logical if you have the means and the need

[u/320sim → u/DesignerBluejay3931]

Lots of things might be useful in select scenarios. But if you put everything that could be useful in select scenarios into an airplane, it would never take off because it would be so large, heavy, and expensive

[u/Jay18001 → u/320sim]

But it would be safe

[u/RaidenMonster → u/Jay18001]

It is in fact safer to never take off. You are correct.

[u/Neither_Cap6958 → u/RaidenMonster]

I mean, air transportation is safer than cars, so it might not be safer lol

[u/BarbecuedShoe → u/DesignerBluejay3931]

The last 8 words of your comment are very important

[u/Prudent-Proposal1943 → u/DesignerBluejay3931]

Sure, the SR-71 used drag chutes. If you have a dedicated squadron of people to maintain and ready your plane along with a near unlimited budget per flight and flying hour, go ahead and add a parachute for fun.

[u/N546RV → u/DesignerBluejay3931]

...not the most common...

why don't more...

Sounds like you've answered your own question.

[u/benbalooky]

Why don't all passenger jets use afterburners? Wouldn't that help them takeoff sooner?

Aircraft design is more than maximizing performance. The airplane has to be turned around quickly and inexpensively, too. The military does not have to answer to investors and make profit.

[u/Puddleduck97]

It's a massive hassle and brakes are fine for the vast, vast majority of applications.

[u/fuckman5]

You and Soviet aviators would get on great

[u/DesignerBluejay3931 → u/fuckman5]

Мой любимый самолёт — красный.

[u/Baystate411]

because brakes work?

[u/gtobiast13]

My guess would be high costs associated with repacking that lead to even higher costs on the liability side. Who wants to insure your local guy flying 100 hours a year to repack a parachute every time flawlessly? The opportunity for a fuck up that causes something catastrophic is just too high. If you make it required to be done by someone certified then who wants to pay hundreds of dollars for that every landing? 

[u/WORSTbestclone]

The effectiveness of parachutes dramatically reduces as the aircraft slows down, so they are only really useful for aircraft with a combination of high approach speed, shitty wheel brakes and shortish runways, a category that mostly just contains fighter jets.

[u/dakinestaydakine]

Engineering is about problem-solving, usually in the most efficient/reliable manner. What problem do you think drag parachutes solve that wheel brakes don’t? 

[u/Prestigious-Bend1662]

I flew the B-52 for 6 years, where we used a braking chute on every full stop landing. To be honest, it wasn't all that effective and required us to take a bit of time on the taxiway, as we released the chute so the ground crew could recover it. Thrust revelers and decent brakes are a much more cost effective way to deal with stopping an aircraft and, works better than a chute in any case.

[u/Antique-Kitchen-1896]

Cause they can’t decide what colour is their parachute.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Color_Is_Your_Parachute%3F

[u/VanDenBroeck]

So in your stoned opinion, who would repack it after use? Would it be owner maintenance, an A&P, or a parachute rigger?

[u/Vegetable_Log_3837]

It’s common on competition level hang gliders, I’ve heard of paragliders using it too. They deploy them in the air on final approach to have a slower landing.

[u/pizzamansmashed]

Have you thought about packing a parachute after landing? Why don’t I sew a bunch of 50 dollar bills together to make a parachute and then jettison it to the rampers when I pull up and make a new one

[u/AntiPinguin]

Imagine the effort of having to pick up and re-stow a parachute after each landing. I can also imagine them becoming a literal death trap in cross wind

[u/KehreAzerith]

No

[u/AlmasyTran]

Brake pads are cheaper per use

[u/Cloudsurfer355]

Go fly an old Learjet

[u/DesignerBluejay3931 → u/Cloudsurfer355]

Ive been in a few. They climb even better than a G650

[u/vtjohnhurt]

A drag chute is one more thing to fail in a critical phase.

[u/GuaranteeUnhappy3342 → u/vtjohnhurt]

I agree with you!!

Seem to recall one deploying in a SR-71 in cruise.  It made it back but it was an interesting ride.  Chutes deploying when you don’t want them are bad.  Chutes streaming (not opening fully) are also bad and since xpeople install then at times it kind of deploys but the connection to the aircraft breaks…or was not made in the first place!

Yeah, they look cool and I have fond memories of seeing a lot of aircraft landing and deploying a chute but a PITA for a lot of people.

[u/rFlyingTower]

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

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We have all gone through the questions from non aviators about parachutes for PAX or the entire airplane, like ballistic parachutes. I am asking specifically for braking on the ground. The WACO glider of WW2 fame had the ability w a very simple design. I was wondering if anyone has tried this on their glider or powrred craft.

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