Airplane safety is a hot topic these days Federal Aviation Administration investigators Looking into door seals on Boeing aircraft Slides that fly away in mid-air And Engine failures on several aircraft in the last few months. But what happens if the power actually goes out on your plane? It’s a topic no one really wants to think about, but you can rest assured that you’ll be safe thanks to this nifty little fan.
As well as Engines on their wings Airplanes have a third power generation system that can be used in an emergency.
The device in question is affectionately called a RAT, which stands for Ram Air Turbine, and it is a small wind turbine that can pop out of the fuselage of an aircraft when a small electrical boost is actually needed. As Simply Flying explains:
An aircraft’s ram air turbine is a small auxiliary propeller that can be used in the event of a power outage. It works by generating electricity from the airflow that passes over the aircraft during flight, causing the turbine to rotate. The turbine can be connected to a generator or a hydraulic pump. In this way, it can help power an aircraft’s electrical systems or control systems.
According to Skybrary, these devices are typically located in compartments in the wings or fuselage of an aircraft. The amount of energy a RAT produces depends on the speed of the aircraft at the time of its use. They work on the concept of dynamic pressure. The higher the speed of the aircraft, the more power the RAT produces.
It’s a nifty little creation that you might not know existed since it’s only ever requested in one Emergency scenario such as power outage. And she does it quite well, as the RAT has actually been able to save up to 1,700 lives through her efforts over the years.
Provisioning the device with the highest profile came on an Air Canada flight which ran out of fuel between Montreal and Edmonton in 1983. In this scenario, the RAT kept the aircraft’s hydraulic pumps running, meaning the crew could glide the aircraft back to earth in a safe and controlled manner.
Did you know about this important backup power supply on Boeing and Airbus aircraft, or have you heard about another interesting safety measure that we may not be familiar with? Let us know in the comments section below.