History
The first aircraft evacuation slide was developed and produced by Air Cruisers, founded by James F. Boyle, inventor of the World War II life vest, the "Mae West". Prior to inflateables, some passenger aircraft utilized canvas type slides which required the crew to undertake an extensive rigging procedure. Canvas type slides are still found on some Russian aircraft. Australian aviation pioneer Jack Grant (Qantas) developed the first inflatable evacuation slide/raft for aircraft in 1965. Grant's design introduced technology based on the science of pressure and revolutionized air travel safety which is still standard equipment on all major world airlines. The patent for the "Inflatable Escape Chute Assembly" was submitted by Boyle in 1954 and the designs was patented in 1956 under patent number 2,765,131. Today Air Cruisers provides slides for over 65% of the aircraft slide market.
Read more about this topic: Evacuation Slide
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