What Happened
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that, in the event of an emergency, all airplane passengers must be able to evacuate any aircraft within a 90-second window.
Why It Matters
But is that a realistic requirement, particularly given the increasing number of elderly passengers who might need more time and assistance?
Key Details
- According to a new paper published in the journal AIP Advances, it is not.
- Various simulated scenarios showed evacuation times significantly higher than the 90-second requirement.
- This isn't the first time scientists have puzzled over this kind of optimization problem.
- Back in 2011, Jason Steffen, now a physicist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, became intrigued by the question of the most efficient boarding method; he applied the same optimization routine used to solve the famous traveling salesman problem to airline boarding strategies. Steffen fully expected that boarding from the back to the front would be the most efficient strategy and was surprised when his results showed that strategy was actually the least efficient.
Background Context
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that, in the event of an emergency, all airplane passengers must be able to evacuate any aircraft within a 90-second window. But is that a realistic requirement, particularly given the increasing number of elderly passengers who might need more time and assistance? According to a new paper published in the journal AIP Advances, it is not. Various simulated scenarios showed evacuation times significantly higher than the 90-second requirement. This isn't the first time scientists have puzzled over this kind of optimization problem. Back in 2011, Jason Steffen, now a physicist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, became intrigued by the ques
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Source: Ars Technica – All content – Original Link
Source: Ars Technica – All content
