Aviation FIRST: Cirrus' ballistic chute design saves life

[Squawk7777]

Here's the preliminary report from the NTSB (http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20021008X05290&key=1)

7 7 7 7

[Fly Stimulator]

And there's an interview with the pilot here (http://www.aero-news.net/news/sport.cfm?ContentBlockID=5996)

[QDMQDMQDM]

Nice gadget (produced by BRS), which saved the fellow's life. Would have been better if the aileron (produced by Cirrus) hadn't fallen off in the first place.

QDM

[sennadog]

Well, it saved his a*se didn't it.

A few thoughts....

Presumably, you need some altitude before deploying the thing and I guess that there is no directional control which is why you have to find a sparsely populated area?

Does anyone know the procedure for deploying one? I'm guessing that you'd want to have a relatvely low airspeed before pressing the button.

Where is the parachute mounted? I suppose that it can't be in a box/container as it would create too much drag.

Is there a reason why they aren't certified in the UK?

Ignore the first 3 questions as I've found their site.

http://www.airplaneparachutes.com/

[Aussie Andy]

QDM - to be fair mate, the NTSB report indicates that the most likely reason the aileron departed the aircraft was not due to Cirrus, but to the engineer who had just done the work on the aircraft...