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BRS Emergency parachute
Have any of you RV builders put BRS chutes in your RVs? I wonder if it will be possible to put one in the 12 when it becomes available.
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Heres a link to someone who installed one on a -7A
http://rvparachutes.com/index.html A search for "ballistic" comes up with a few threads including this one http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ight=ballistic |
This subject touches a nerve with many pilots and I've seen heated discussions arise because of it. I believe the -12 should at least have a BRS as optional equipement. I brought up the subject of ballistic parachutes on another forum already so instead of formulating a new paragraph I'll just cut and paste if you guys dont mind....
"I first heard of the use of BRS several years ago but it was one of my pilgramages to Mecca (Oshkosh) in 2003 that my wife and I watched a demonstration film in the BRS tent that I decided to consider using one on my homebuilt. Though I `considered' it, my wife decided in her mind that `if' I was going to do something as `crazy' as build and fly my own airplane that it would not leave the ground without a BRS installed. So, in order to enjoy the rest of my (ok, our) stay at Osh, I promised to install one on my homebuilt even though at the time I wasn't convinced I really wanted the extra weight penalty. Like I said, that was years ago. Any mention of installing a BRS on a homebuilt back then was usually met with critisism's such as, `if you plan on building a `real' airplane and not an Ultralight then you obviously intend to be a `real' pilot so your not going to need one'or `if you plan on crashing why are you building a plane?', ect, ect. However nowadays BRS units are becoming commonplace and in fact standard equipement on some aircraft. I think there is good reason for this. One of the past critisisms of having a ballistic parachute onboard was that many felt (from what I had read on various Forums) that by having a `quick way out' should a pilot `percieve' he/she is in dire circumstances, that pilot would be more likely to just pull the `panic' handle (to the BRS) as opposed to use the skill they `should' have to fly and recover the aircraft. I agree with this. I've read of BRS deployments occuring at the hands of novice or paniced pilots that probably were not in actual non-recoverable situations (and had that deployment chalked up as a `save'). And I agree that having a ballistic recovery system at hand is absolutely no excuse for good piloting skills. A BRS is simply a safety tool and tools can fail. You cannot depend on anyone or anything else to get you out of trouble. Your PIC and it's up to you to have the skills to keep yourself (and others) out of trouble. However, I also know s**t happens and that at least some of those over 200 documented (I bring up `documented' because I wouldn't be surprised if there were non-reported deployments in which a panicked pilot was too embarrased to report their mistake) `saves' were indeed legit and it only takes one, and only one, letigimate catastrophic occurance to make you wish you had ignored the machismo in you long enough to have installed a recovery system. I believe many pilots that wear parachutes do so for the same letigimate reasons. I know keeping your skills up and being the best pilot you can `should' keep you out of trouble. You never stop learning nor should you get to the point where you think you `know it all'. I'm sure 99.9% of pilots will never find themselves in a catastrophic situation in which a ballistic recovery system would have saved their lives and therefore what are the chances any of us will ever need such a device. Unfortunately, some have found out too late and lost their lives for it. One of those was known to be one of the best pilots in history, a legend in aviation and a pilot possesing more skill and aeronautical knowledge than anyone of us will ever have. Scott Crossfield's Cessna had a catastrophic failure while attempting to circumvent inclimate weather. The tail section departed the fuselage from 8,000ft. and left one of the most skilled aviators in the world with no option but to ride his wreck to his death. "It was an incongruous end for such an accomplished aviator, a death akin to a NASCAR driver being killed in a minivan on the way to the supermarket. This was a pilot who had flown supersonic rocket planes, broke Mach 2 and helped design the X- 15, a rocket plane that touched the edge of space. He made the cover of Life magazine in 1958 and was profiled in Tom Wolfe's bestseller "The Right Stuff." Unlike his many years as a record breaking test pilot where he had a safety system on board supersonic aircraft that saved his life during catastrophic events in the past, in his subsonic civilian recreational aircraft he had no parachute or ejection seat to count on. Had his aircraft been equiped with a ballistic recovery system would he be alive? I don't know, but I'm certain what happened without it. Scott Crossfield's death is a rather `dramatic'example given who he was but none the less, an aircraft had a catastrophic structural failure and the pilot, without any other option, was killed. What it comes down to is personal choice. I have no problem with someone that disagree's with me on this, that's their own opinion and I'm sure they have their own good reason for it. I figure out of the $45,000 or so dollars I'm going to spend building my aircraft, $5,000 for a proven `last chance' safety device is worth it to me (and keeps the wife off my back :)." Mike |
Yes you can put a BRS in an RV-12, BRS would be happy to give some help in that department and I suspect VAN's would give some pointers for the install as well. I have been a party to the design/install on a few new designs over the years it is time consuming but not difficult. Honestly, trying to make it "look good" is the single biggest problem. Weight penalty in this design is not a big issue. Having been an automotive technition for 2 decades i have seen my share of negative attitudes towards saftey devices, air bags, Antilock brakes, traction control, stability management, tire pressure monitoring systems, "On-Star", etc.... They would ask me to disable the systems because it hampered the saftey of the car. Then thier daughter or son would get into and accident and walk away with minor injuries and they would talk about how they chose that car because it was safe....
A BRS is no excuse for bad pilotage and it should never be used unless the aircraft is not controlable, EVER. But like and Airbag, it will save more than it kills. Make your wife happy. If you need help installing it, call me. Be glad to help. I will be putting one in mine, because my wife will be flying it by herself. Also why my wife has a car with all the "evil technology". Thier are old pilots and bold pilots, but NO old bold pilots.... |
The BRS is standard in the CT. It's nice to know it's there, but the rule of thumb is that you pull the BRS only if you think your chances of making a survivable landing are poor. And once you pull it, the airplane belongs to the insurance company.
TODR |
I'm putting one in my 10 too!
I'm putting one in my RV-10 too!
I'll post some pic in the coming weeks!:) |
I have heard the debate pro and con for the BRS.
A pilot may push the envelope a bit more knowing he has a 'get outta death card' to play. I guess if I thought it was that big a deal I would be wearing a chute on all my flights......hmmmm maybe not so bad a idea?? |
Good luck with installing a BRS in your aircraft. By all means, please post pictures on your solution.
For most installations, including the Cirrus, there is a minimum deployment speed for the BRS systems. Check this site for some numbers. Should you have a structural failure, such as Scott Crossfield did, the aircraft would accelerate so fast that deploying the BRS may not save your life. It is also very possible that the quick onset of high G forces after losing a wing may inhibit one's ability to reach up and activate a BRS. (However, it would be nice to have that option in such a situation.) There have been three fatal Cirrus accidents in the Charlotte area over the past few years. All have been on approach, two in IFR conditions and one landing in very windy conditions. None of these accidents involved the deployment of the BRS systems. What I'm trying to point out is that if a BRS system makes you and your family feel more comfortable flying, then by all means install one. However, please keep current and manage the risks of flying as though you didn't a "magic out". |
oh, dear...
Moderators, perhaps we could move this thread to the "Never ending debates" section?
Regards, Martin |
Quote:
Speaking of specific issues with respect to the 12: one "obvious" place is somewhere in the baggage area, but of course that is where the fuel tank is. I'd want to be sure that any rocket exhaust doesn't ignite any possibly leaked avgas (as say after a midair where some damage might take place - on the other hand, if a collision has caused the tank to spring a leak in that area there may not be any survivors anyway.) |
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