On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:06:45 +0200, Thomas Borchert
wrote in
:

Larry,

But if the aircraft is below 1,000', the CAPS system is probably not
an option.


IF you are in a fully developed spin (1 full turn, as certification
requires and the handbook says), traditional spin recovery isn't an
option either at 1000 feet. There is a limit to altitude loss during
recovery to meet certification. The chute obviously qualifies.

Obviously.

However, if you have, for example, an engine failure at 400' on
departure, the CAPS is not an option.

My point is, that CAPS is not an option at the times it's needed most:
below 920'. So to characterize the SR22 CAPS as a safety enhancement
(for other than spin recovery, and possibly a MAC, structural failure,
loss of control, and landing in inhospitable terrain, *if* they occur
above 920') is inappropriate. (And CAPS use for recovery in the event
of pilot incapacitation is a judgment call specific to the incident.)

Personally, I would characterize the SR22 CAPS solely as a
certification requirement for spin recovery, with limited utility in a
few other emergency situations, and certainly not as a "panic-button"
capable of rescuing the flight from all perils.