"Bill Denton" wrote
So, the Cirrus and the BRS system are not inherently less safe than a
conventional aircraft, but you do have to break some old habits and develop
a good understaning of how the aircraft works. "That's broke, pull the
handle", "that's broke, pull the handle", that has to become your mantra.
Then you'll be OK...

Nothing about this is new. Skydivers have been carrying backup
parachutes for decades. There are some skydivers I know who have
thousands of jumps and have yet to see their backup parachute. On the
other hand, I have a bit under 700 jumps and 8 reserve parachute
deployments that I can think of just now. That's significantly higher
than average (I believe the average is something like 1 in 300-600)
and I can honestly say that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE DEPLOYMENTS WAS
AVOIDABLE. In fact, very few deployments are unavoidable. BASE
jumpers generally do not carry backup parachutes - and don't need
them. They do things differently, and avoid the situations that would
require a reserve deployment.

There is absolutely no question that the ubiquitous backup parachute
in skydiving affects the way people practice that particular
aeronautical activity. Pack your parachute in 5 minutes in a dimly
lit area while chugging a beer? Let some total uncertified stranger
pack it for $5 (quick - how many does he have to do to make a decent
income?) and jump it without inspecting it? Fly your parachute with
lots of other people in formation so tight that you are literally
holding on to other parachutes and other jumpers are holding on to
yours? These are not aberrations - these are normal events at most
drop zones on most weekends. They would be unthinkable without a
backup parachute.

Yet the practice of deploying the reserve parachute is not without
cost or risk. Main parachutes that are jettisoned are sometimes lost,
and they are expensive. Repacks cost money. Freebags/pilot chutes
are often lost, and that means money and downtime. What's more, none
of these costs are covered by insurance. The jumper has to pay these
out of pocket, and jumpers are often college kids who have a hard time
coming up with the money.

What this will mean for the Cirrus is as yet unknown, but not every
safety innovation actually winds up making things safer. ABS is a
perfect example. The one point in favor of the Cirrus parachute -
since it will likely destroy the airframe, there should not be a
tendency to use it for no reason.

Michael