Prehaps, having a ballistic chute may just save your life when the wings depart the airframe when you accidentally enter a cell.
Perhaps, but I'm fairly certain that a CB strong enough to cause structural failure would also suck you up to 35,000 feet or more. If a Cirrus wing fails at around 9G, it could turn the chute into hankies.
As for the chute pull over Vne, I'm not sure. It seems like pulling the handle converts the pilot to a passenger, and it may or may not be the lesser of two evils. We know a BRS is not a panacea. It's a great idea on low weight/speed aircraft, that's for sure. And there's no doubt that the 135kt max-deploy speed is a tad conservative. But I get the impression, which could easily be wrong, that in some cases it was deployed because the pilot left himself with no way out. I'd guess it was designed for these situations:
1. Inadvertant spins
2. Structural failure
That's it. As far as I'm aware, Cirrus and Columbia both wanted aircraft that were either spin-proof or spin resistant. Cirrus convinced the FAA that the BRS counted as spin-proof, while Columbia went with being aerodynamically spin resistant. No point in going over the old Cirrus spin debate. It wasn't designed to get you out of jail free. It's been used for all sorts since, beyond its intended design brief. But that's not the aircraft's fault - it's a stunning design, fast, powerful and efficient.
However, claiming 'sour grapes' is not such a good idea - many simply don't need or want a Cirrus. Depending on the Cirrus, cruise is between 140 - 180kts depending on power setting. GA pilots in general rarely fly with more than one passenger, more often solo. And if you have the money to buy one, that's fine too, and I applaud you for it. But realise this: there are PFA aircraft out there that will almost match the Cirrus for speed and range, and do it at the price that makes the Cirrus look a tad silly. What's 10kts here and there?
If I had £200k to play with, a Cirrus would not be a priority - an Escapade and a Pitts S1S, with fuel, maintenance, insurance and hangarage (not to mention training) for 5 years would. Or maybe an MCR-01 with expenses for 10 years. I know a millionaire who'd go for the latter without a second's thought.
Like I said, don't bother trying to claim sour grapes
EnglishAl: Did you hear that she gave her instructor a present of her bra when she passed her PPL test?