A SPACE-AGE solution to the problem of rescuing people from burning
skyscrapers has been designed by an aeroscape engineer. It鈥檚 a vertical take-off
platform that zooms up tall buildings so people can escape through the windows
onto the comparative safety of the platform.
Horrified by NASA鈥檚 Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986, David
Metreveli鈥攚ho was then working at the Moscow Aviation
Institute鈥攄esigned a rocket-powered escape pod for the Soviet Union鈥檚
space shuttle the Buran. But the Buran project was abandoned and in 1993
Metreveli emigrated to Israel, where his company DM Aerosafe Group is developing
new aeronautical escape technologies.
The problem of rescuing people from skyscraper fires, says Bob McCarthy, a
fire research analyst with the US Fire Administration in Emmitsburg, Maryland,
is that firefighters鈥� ladders can only reach up to the eighth floor of tall
buildings. But parked cars can often make it difficult for the ladder to reach
even this high.
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Above the eighth floor, says Metrevelli, the only way to get people out is to
use an escape basket slung beneath a helicopter. But on very tall buildings, the
tethers supporting the baskets cannot reach every floor鈥攂ecause they
become unstable when they鈥檙e too long. The downdraught from the rotor blades
also creates problems, fanning flames and making debris鈥攁nd maybe even
people鈥攆ly through the air.
Metreveli鈥檚 answer is a propeller-powered vertical take-off platform. The
platform can hover outside windows and as many as eight to ten people can walk
onto it and strap themselves into either seats or stretchers. The pilot in a
central cockpit will bring them safely back to the ground. Metreveli says the
platform is more manoeuvrable than a helicopter and can fly closer to obstacles,
such as aerial walkways. And Metreveli reckons his idea could be realised for
just $5 million, which is less than a third of the cost of a
helicopter.
The rescue platform, called the Eagle, has a lightweight graphite composite
fuselage. A fender made of heat-resistant rubber surrounds the craft, protecting
it when it comes into contact with the side of a building. The pilot is shielded
from flying debris by a shatter-proof glass cockpit, while the fuselage helps to
shield people on the ground, who have already been rescued, from falling
debris.
Four horizontal fans provide the lift for the platform, while tough Kevlar
ducts and metal grills prevent debris damaging the fans. Metreveli envisages the
fans being driven by two turbojet engines inside the fuselage. The fans will be
linked to the engines through a central gearbox, with a clutch that will keep
the craft airborne even if one engine fails, Metreveli says.
The platform can adjust its height simply by feeding more or less power to
the fans. But steering the craft will be more of a challenge. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to
control it by changing the pitch of the fan blades. For instance, to go forward
we increase the thrust from the aft ducts,鈥� says Metreveli. He is confident that
today鈥檚 fast-acting flight software makes this idea practical.
Metreveli will soon finish a one-tenth scale model to test out his idea, and
he is now attempting to raise money to build a half-scale prototype. But
McCarthy is cautious about the idea. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a fire and you need to
evacuate people, these things need to be there and ready. Would you need one in
each large metropolitan area?鈥�
