PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - THE Ultimate Safety System - Recovery Parachute?
Old 14th October 2006 | 15:35
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slowrotor
 
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 440
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From: Port Townsend,WA. USA
Composite
The late Paul Schweizer said that Europian fiberglass gliders did not have the crash absorbing quality of a metal Schweizer glider. They refused to switch to glass and ended production of gliders. The demand for increased performance dictated the switch to fiberglass with a loss in crash safety.
Schweizer builds helicopters now instead of gliders.
Some glass airplanes have a steel tube cockpit cage for crashes, but I don't think the Cirrus has a metal cage.
Carbon fiber is even more brittle than glass and leaves sharp needles when it breaks. Glass doesn't absorb the impact like metal. Metal bends and actually gets warm to the touch (try it), this absorbs the impact energy. Glass will hold the energy and then rebound, which is not good for the occupant.
I want metal around me. Just like race cars.
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