AeroHT shows how a ballistic parachute saved an air taxi from crashing after engines stopped at low altitude
Many companies pay attention to the development of air taxis. One of the important requirements for flying transport is safety. AeroHT showed what would happen if the engines failed.
AeroHT proposes to use ballistic parachutes to rescue an air taxi in the event of engine failure. Xpeng’s subsidiary has already demonstrated how well its solution works.
A Chinese company has been able to integrate ballistic parachutes into an air taxi. A pyrotechnic shot makes it possible to quickly open the canopy of a parachute at low altitude. In the AeroHT test, it took one and a half seconds to fire and the same amount of time to open.
The ballistic parachute was deployed at an altitude of 50 meters above the ground after the flying vehicle’s engines stopped. Without the protection system, the air taxi would have fallen at a speed of at least 30 m/s. Four parachutes lowered the aircraft at a speed of 5.2 m/s.
This speed is equivalent to a jump from a height of 1.4 meters. Yes, the landing is hardly pleasant, but the almost sixfold reduction in speed helps to avoid severe injuries.
