Stuck the landing!
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@Mik said in Stuck the landing!:
Beats crashing I guess.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_Airframe_Parachute_System
The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) is a whole-plane ballistic parachute recovery system designed specifically for Cirrus Aircraft's line of general aviation light aircraft including the SR20, SR22 and SF50. The design became the first of its kind to become certified with the FAA, achieving certification in October 1998, and as of 2022 was the only aircraft ballistic parachute used as standard equipment by an aviation company.[N 1][2][3]
Developed as a collaboration between Cirrus and Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS),[3] it was adapted from the GARD (General Aviation Recovery Device) initially released for the Cessna 150.[4] As in other BRS systems, a small solid-fuel rocket housed in the aft fuselage is used to pull the parachute out from its housing and deploy the canopy full within seconds. The goal of employing this system is the survival of the crew and passengers and not necessarily the prevention of damage to the airframe.
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It beats crashing.
If your engine stops working, you are probably better off gliding to a landing. Under the parachute you have no control and can still be injured.
But it does beat crashing and it is nice to have the option.
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Yes, the pilot should have a complete briefing on when to deploy the parachute. I have flown these planes and received the briefing.
The best reason to open the chute is if you are out of control. If some control surface breaks or get jammed and you can't fly the plane then the parachute is a good option. If you can control the plane and have a place where you can land that is probably a better option than the chute.
A few years back there was a mid-air collision over in Frederick MD. That was close to where I was working as an instructor at the time. The collision took place in the pattern meaning the 2 airplanes involved were only about 1,000 feet above the ground.
One of the planes was equipped with a parachute. Somehow the pilot got the chute deployed quickly enough to save himself. He must have had lightning reflexes because after the collision he was only a few seconds from a crash. The parachute is launched by rocket, so once you pull the handle it is deployed quickly. The passengers of the other plane, not equipped with a chute, were killed.
