"Jose" wrote in message
. ..
But the guy woke up from an unexplained blackout (later found to
be from a brain tumor) to find his plane diving to the ground above Vne
and
with weakness in one of his legs

But he recovered first. Then he pulled the chute.

Had he pulled it before recovery, I wouldn't have the same questions.

Why not? Assume for a moment that you wake up, find yourself in an airplane
that's diving at above Vne. What's your VERY first reaction? Do your
piloting instincts kick in and cause you to try to recover from the dive?
Or do you sit there and think, "oh, right...I've got a BRS...I'll deploy
that". Assuming the latter, do you also pause to recall at what speed the
BRS can be deployed safely?

For most pilots, I suspect the answer is the former. But once you've
recovered, what's the next thing you think about? I know what I'd think
about: how did I get here? I had no warning I was about the lose
consciousness. It might happen again. I still won't have any warning.
What if it happens while I'm landing? The result would probably be fatal.
Wouldn't it make more sense to deploy the BRS while I am still conscious? I
don't trust myself to try to land the plane; for all I know, I'll be
unconscious in a matter of seconds, and I need to use those seconds in the
most productive way I can think of.

Frankly, it's this kind of second-guessing of pilots who use the BRS that
really irks me. The people second-guessing weren't there. They weren't in
the situation, they have no idea what the event was like.

Is it possible there was a different way to address the issue? Sure,
anything's possible. But "pilot in command" means just that. If you expect
others to respect your right and obligation as PIC to take whatever actions
you deem necessary for the safety of the flight, you need to offer that same
respect to other pilots as well. The pilot used an installed safety device,
in the manner in which it was designed to be used, and there was a
successful outcome in terms of saving the life of the occupant of the
airplane. What more can you ask? (That's a rhetorical question, by the
way...I know all you other Usenetters out there are just chomping at the bit
to post all your other questions...don't bother).

Pete