Parachute System For Ga Aircraft

[SilentWarrior]

Cirrus has included these in it's line of small private planes. There are however still questions of the Ballistic Recovery Systems reliability (note bottom of article). Overall I think it is a good idea. I wonder how this would affect the bane of all GA operators... Insurance. Hopefully once all the kinks have been worked out this might be akin to having air-bags in a motor vehicle. As a pilot I would never soley rely on this type system, but it would be nice to have in an "all-else-has-failed" scenario.

CNN Article

 

[B.E.]

It may be fancy and worth bragging about, but it totals the airplane (opening the chute that is)...

It seems like such a last last last resort that it really isnt worth buying "the plane with the parachute" over another, safer plane. Just seems like something too fancy, like, do I really trust this new manufactorer who's first plane has a freaking built in parachute??


The SR22 still is quite a sexy airplane, though.

 

[SilentWarrior]

It may be fancy and worth bragging about, but it totals the airplane (opening the chute that is)...

It seems like such a last last last resort that it really isnt worth buying "the plane with the parachute" over another, safer plane. Just seems like something too fancy, like, do I really trust this new manufactorer who's first plane has a freaking built in parachute??
The SR22 still is quite a sexy airplane, though.

[post="242273"][/post]​

I do agree, but I think this needs to be shed in a different light. Airbags in vehicles are along the same line. They don’t help slow you down, they don’t provide better traction through bad weather, they don’t even defrost your windshield in the morning. What they do however is offer protection IF the situation arises. Yes, the airbag will destroy the steering wheel, and yes they will most likely add some colorful features to any affected area. In the end though, they keep you alive so you can complain about the money you have to shelve out to get it replaced, and relive your brush with death to your mates. It did its job.

No pilot in his or her right mind will ever step aboard an airplane thinking “I’m going to pop the ‘chute todayâ€. Because of the training and experience there shouldn’t be a situation a pilot cannot recover from. However, IF one gets into a situation (most likely dependant on experience/training) where recovery is not possible, then it would be good at the end of the day to recount your brush with death to your mates. Again, it has done its job.