Emergency buoy and line system

摘要

An emergency buoy and line system comprises a line of buoys connected together by rope or wire lines to form a floating barrier. In use the lines of buoys would extend from the shore at the end of a runway that has a body of water at its end. Passengers escaping an aircraft fuselage suspended in water as the result of a crash would swim or drift with the current to the highly visible buoys. The lines of buoys may be placed slightly wider as the distance from the runway end increases. The system can be placed out into the body of water to a distance of 100 metres from the shore, depending on the sea state and rescue resources available. The system can be used by escaping passengers as a buoyancy aid until the arrival of the professional maritime emergency services. The system also allows passengers who are able to move along the suspended wire stretched between the buoys back to the shore. The suspended wire between the buoys may be kept afloat by a series of smaller floats. The buoys may be illuminated as a warning to shipping. Furthermore, illuminated buoys also make the system visible in poor weather and night time dark conditions.