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Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:35:56 -0400
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Subject: The Cirrus, the Farmers Daughter, and the BS
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1)? You are absolutely right that starting in a Cirrus is not a good idea.? The 150/172 approach is much better.

2)? You are absolutely wrong, however, in your characterization of the BRS.? They are not designed to lower the airplane at 1500 fpm, looking for a steep slope in order to survive.? The weight?rating on those puppies is that weight resulting in a 25 foot-per-second descent rate at an altitude of 5000 feet.? I know this because last month I was in a telephone conference with the two senior engineers at BRS.? We were asking whether a light sport amphibious airplane (1430 pounds) could use their chute intended for land-based light sport airplanes (1320 pounds).? This is when they described how they rate the chutes.? With our higher weight, we would have a descent rate of 25.7 fps, which might be acceptable if other impact-attenuation devices were used (such as crushable seats) but we'd have to convince them of the survivability at this higher descent rate first.? 

3)? You are absolutely correct that a last-ditch parachute system which depends on having enough controllability to slow to 165 KIAS is a pretty foolish and useless concept -- unusable unless maybe you're on fire over the mountains.? Myself, I don't believe in BRS's at all, but then I didn't believe in air bags either until I head-on collision with a teenager driving on the wrong side of the road last year.? (70 mph rate of closure and me in a Miata.? I walked away.? Maybe them things are useful after all...)

And no, there's no farmer's daughter in this story either...sorry!

- Rob Wolf
________________________________________________________________________
AOL now offers free email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com.

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1)&nbsp; You are absolutely right that starting in a Cirrus is not a good idea.&nbsp; The 150/172 approach is much better.<br>
<br>
2)&nbsp; You are absolutely wrong, however, in your characterization of the BRS.&nbsp; They are not designed to lower the airplane at 1500 fpm, looking for a steep slope in order to survive.&nbsp; The weight&nbsp;rating on those puppies is that weight resulting in a 25 foot-per-second descent rate at an altitude of 5000 feet.&nbsp; I know this because last month I was in a telephone conference with the two senior engineers at BRS.&nbsp; We were asking whether a light sport amphibious airplane (1430 pounds) could use their chute intended for land-based light sport airplanes (1320 pounds).&nbsp; This is when they described how they rate the chutes.&nbsp; With our higher weight, we would have a descent rate of 25.7 fps, which might be acceptable if other impact-attenuation devices were used (such as crushable seats) but we'd have to convince them of the survivability at this higher descent rate first.&nbsp; <br>
<br>
3)&nbsp; You are absolutely correct that a last-ditch parachute system which depends on having enough controllability to slow to 165 KIAS is a pretty foolish and useless concept -- unusable unless maybe you're on fire over the mountains.&nbsp; Myself, I don't believe in BRS's at all, but then I didn't believe in air bags either until I head-on collision with a teenager driving on the wrong side of the road last year.&nbsp; (70 mph rate of closure and me in a Miata.&nbsp; I walked away.&nbsp; Maybe them things are useful after all...)<br>
<br>
And no, there's no farmer's daughter in this story either...sorry!<br>
<br>
- Rob Wolf<div class="AOLPromoFooter">
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AOL now offers free email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at <a href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000437" target="_blank"><b>AOL.com</b></a>.<br />
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