Parachute anyone?

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 04:24:10 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
wrote:

The pyrotechnics may present a safety hazard (rember flares? they caused
more hangar fires than lives saved -- I even know of two lives LOST
because the flare hung up on a wing strut.)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please state the details of the lives lost.

A rep of the BRS company, Jeff Peltier, is currently online
with the RV List hyping the use of ballistic parachutes.
If I understood correctly, he claims that lives have NOT
been lost in the use of ballistic chutes.


Here's Jeff's entry into the RV List....

"Hello RV owners,
Due to the very high interest exhibited by Vans owners
over the years, we've currently entered into the design
phase regarding the installation of BRS ballistic emergency
parachute systems to Vans RV-6,-7 and -9. We have
purchased a new fuselage for the purpose of static structural
pull tests, and may be interested in acquiring other fuselages
or parts for the various tests required of this effort. We are
also open to any questions or comments that you may have
regarding parachute installation on Vans aircraft. Any input
will be appreciated. We would really like to hear from you."


Here's Mr. Peltier's statement concerning NO DEATHS...

Message: #117851
Date: Dec 26, 2003
Subject: Chutes for RVs

"In business for 22 years, over 17,000 units delivered. Nearly 1%
of all units delivered have been used in real, life-saving events!
In comparison, airbags in cars have saved (?) 1 person for every
50,000 units. These government mandated safety devices have
killed at least 80 children under the age of 12. Ballistic parachutes
have never actually KILLED anyone, that we are aware of.


Jeff Peltier
Design Engineer
BRS INC.
(651)457-7491


You might want to search/visit the forum at.....
http://www.matronics.com/search


Barnyard BOb --

Bob,
I think that Orval is talking about flares not the ballistic portion of
the BRS. As I read it he does not claim that a BRS has cost any lives.

Good Morning !
Sean

RU ok wrote:
On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 04:24:10 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
wrote:


The pyrotechnics may present a safety hazard (rember flares? they caused
more hangar fires than lives saved -- I even know of two lives LOST
because the flare hung up on a wing strut.)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please state the details of the lives lost.

A rep of the BRS company, Jeff Peltier, is currently online
with the RV List hyping the use of ballistic parachutes.
If I understood correctly, he claims that lives have NOT
been lost in the use of ballistic chutes.


Here's Jeff's entry into the RV List....

"Hello RV owners,
Due to the very high interest exhibited by Vans owners
over the years, we've currently entered into the design
phase regarding the installation of BRS ballistic emergency
parachute systems to Vans RV-6,-7 and -9. We have
purchased a new fuselage for the purpose of static structural
pull tests, and may be interested in acquiring other fuselages
or parts for the various tests required of this effort. We are
also open to any questions or comments that you may have
regarding parachute installation on Vans aircraft. Any input
will be appreciated. We would really like to hear from you."


Here's Mr. Peltier's statement concerning NO DEATHS...

Message: #117851
Date: Dec 26, 2003
Subject: Chutes for RVs

"In business for 22 years, over 17,000 units delivered. Nearly 1%
of all units delivered have been used in real, life-saving events!
In comparison, airbags in cars have saved (?) 1 person for every
50,000 units. These government mandated safety devices have
killed at least 80 children under the age of 12. Ballistic parachutes
have never actually KILLED anyone, that we are aware of.


Jeff Peltier
Design Engineer
BRS INC.
(651)457-7491


You might want to search/visit the forum at.....
http://www.matronics.com/search


Barnyard BOb --

In article ,
RU ok wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 04:24:10 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
wrote:

The pyrotechnics may present a safety hazard (rember flares? they caused
more hangar fires than lives saved -- I even know of two lives LOST
because the flare hung up on a wing strut.)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please state the details of the lives lost.

I didn't blame parachutes for lives lost. The incicent involved two
pilots at the University of Illinois about 1958 or '59, where they fired
a parachute flare out the window of a Cessna 140, practicing night
emergencies. The flare hung up on the wing strut. They crashed and were
killed.




A rep of the BRS company, Jeff Peltier, is currently online
with the RV List hyping the use of ballistic parachutes.
If I understood correctly, he claims that lives have NOT
been lost in the use of ballistic chutes.


Here's Jeff's entry into the RV List....

"Hello RV owners,
Due to the very high interest exhibited by Vans owners
over the years, we've currently entered into the design
phase regarding the installation of BRS ballistic emergency
parachute systems to Vans RV-6,-7 and -9. We have
purchased a new fuselage for the purpose of static structural
pull tests, and may be interested in acquiring other fuselages
or parts for the various tests required of this effort. We are
also open to any questions or comments that you may have
regarding parachute installation on Vans aircraft. Any input
will be appreciated. We would really like to hear from you."


Here's Mr. Peltier's statement concerning NO DEATHS...

Message: #117851
Date: Dec 26, 2003
Subject: Chutes for RVs

"In business for 22 years, over 17,000 units delivered. Nearly 1%
of all units delivered have been used in real, life-saving events!
In comparison, airbags in cars have saved (?) 1 person for every
50,000 units. These government mandated safety devices have
killed at least 80 children under the age of 12. Ballistic parachutes
have never actually KILLED anyone, that we are aware of.


I actually witnessed one of the saves -- it was at the Salinas (CA)
airshow, where an ultralight was demonstrating steep maneuvers. The
outboard wing structure broke and the pilot deployed the chute, lowering
all to the ground.



Jeff Peltier
Design Engineer
BRS INC.
(651)457-7491


You might want to search/visit the forum at.....
http://www.matronics.com/search


Barnyard BOb --


Mr. Peltier makes no mention of payload penalties or deployment
airspeeds beyond which either the parachute will shred or tear itself
away from the structure.

I still see no justification for a BRS on a regular airplane. It is far
easier, cheaper and lighter to beef up critical parts of the structure
than to install a BRS, with its pyrotechnic maintenance requirements
thrown in.

I would challenge Mr. Peltier's assertion that there is a great interest.
How many Van's owners do you know that are really interested? If he starts
with a lie, how do you trust his company or product claims at all?

I would think that a better solution for a Van's would be a personal chute
if you felt you needed one. But unless you are doing aerobatics, why?
Maybe for hard IMC? If you feel that threatened about what you are about to
do, maybe you shouldn't do it!

Seriously, a Cirrus is meant to be flown as a traveling machine that may see
a lot of Hard IFR. Also, the stall characteristics are rumored to be
quirky, so I see the plus of the chute there. Some homebuilts are
incredibly lightly built which increases the likely need, as well as the
ability to land softly under the canopy.

Van's are solid machines, and are not that light.

IMnotsoHO the main value of a chute is the reassurance that it seems to give
non pilots.

OUT


"RU ok" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 04:24:10 GMT, Orval Fairbairn
wrote:

The pyrotechnics may present a safety hazard (rember flares? they caused
more hangar fires than lives saved -- I even know of two lives LOST
because the flare hung up on a wing strut.)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Please state the details of the lives lost.

A rep of the BRS company, Jeff Peltier, is currently online
with the RV List hyping the use of ballistic parachutes.
If I understood correctly, he claims that lives have NOT
been lost in the use of ballistic chutes.


Here's Jeff's entry into the RV List....

"Hello RV owners,
Due to the very high interest exhibited by Vans owners
over the years, we've currently entered into the design
phase regarding the installation of BRS ballistic emergency
parachute systems to Vans RV-6,-7 and -9. We have
purchased a new fuselage for the purpose of static structural
pull tests, and may be interested in acquiring other fuselages
or parts for the various tests required of this effort. We are
also open to any questions or comments that you may have
regarding parachute installation on Vans aircraft. Any input
will be appreciated. We would really like to hear from you."


Here's Mr. Peltier's statement concerning NO DEATHS...

Message: #117851
Date: Dec 26, 2003
Subject: Chutes for RVs

"In business for 22 years, over 17,000 units delivered. Nearly 1%
of all units delivered have been used in real, life-saving events!
In comparison, airbags in cars have saved (?) 1 person for every
50,000 units. These government mandated safety devices have
killed at least 80 children under the age of 12. Ballistic parachutes
have never actually KILLED anyone, that we are aware of.


Jeff Peltier
Design Engineer
BRS INC.
(651)457-7491


You might want to search/visit the forum at.....
http://www.matronics.com/search


Barnyard BOb --

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 06:41:00 GMT, "Dude" wrote:

I would challenge Mr. Peltier's assertion that there is a great interest.
How many Van's owners do you know that are really interested? If he starts
with a lie, how do you trust his company or product claims at all?

I would think that a better solution for a Van's would be a personal chute
if you felt you needed one. But unless you are doing aerobatics, why?

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...12X19358&key=1

Ron Wanttaja

Ron,

If I had a fire, would I want a personal chute or a chute for the plane?
I think I would want out of the plane.

Even if I didn't have a personal chute I think I would try to land as
soon as possible, immediately comes to mind. I don't think a descent
rate of 2-5000' (or more) per minute would be unreasonable. The last
thing I would want to do is sit around in a burning plane that is slowly
(500 fpm) settling down to the ground.

I think the main reason for a ballistic chute is a major structural
failure. So I guess it comes down to what the odds of a major
structural failure are. I think you are our resident odds maker so
what do you think?

How about no power over inhospitale terrain? Trees, large rocks, lot of
water, mountains, valleys. Would you rather fly in to these or settle down
on top of them? I try to avoid these areas, but there are a lot of people
that couldn't fly at all without relocating or taking a chance.

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 08:38:29 -0700, Legrande Harris
wrote:

I think the main reason for a ballistic chute is a major structural
failure. So I guess it comes down to what the odds of a major
structural failure are. I think you are our resident odds maker so
what do you think?

In my analysis of the homebuilt accidents from 1998 through 2000, I count
about 30 cases of either structural damage or control failure on fixed-wing
homebuilts. That's out of about 606 total fixed-wing homebuilt
accidents...about 4.5% of the accidents. There was one additional accident
where the witnesses indicated the wing had failed, but the NTSB could not
verify it from the wreckage (happened at low altitude over a lake).

Of the 30 cases, 11 resulted in fatalities. One had a ballistic chute
(fouled on the structure during deployment). Three involved aerobatics.
One resulted from VFR flight into IFR conditions.

So, if the criteria is limited to fixed-wing structural or control failures
in non-aerobatic VFR flight, there were six accidents in the 1998-2000 time
period where fatalities might have been prevented with either a personal or
ballistic parachute. That's about 1% of total fixed-wing homebuilt
accidents.

This doesn't include the cases of in-flight fires (at least three, during
1998-2000), other common reasons for ballistic-chute use (engine failures
over hostile terrain, etc.), or those accidents which were not included in
the NTSB databases (ultralights, non-reported accidents, etc.).

Ron Wanttaja

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 22:58:15 GMT, I wrote:

In my analysis of the homebuilt accidents from 1998 through 2000, I count
about 30 cases of either structural damage or control failure on fixed-wing
homebuilts. That's out of about 606 total fixed-wing homebuilt
accidents...about 4.5% of the accidents. There was one additional accident
where the witnesses indicated the wing had failed, but the NTSB could not
verify it from the wreckage (happened at low altitude over a lake).

Of the 30 cases, 11 resulted in fatalities. One had a ballistic chute
(fouled on the structure during deployment). Three involved aerobatics.
One resulted from VFR flight into IFR conditions.

After re-reading this, I realized I should have provided more information
on use of "floatation devices." Of the 30 cases, three pilots bailed out,
and one successfully used a ballistic chute. Two of the bailout pilots
suffered minor injuries, and the third was uninjured. One of the three
(Fly Baby) was a failure of the primary structure, the other two were
control failures.

Thus, half the structural and control failure accidents were either fatal
or dire enough that the pilot opted for a recovery device.

Ron Wanttaja

Mid-airs are another case. A chute may still work with the structure
partially disintegrated or the control system jammed.

- Holger

Ron Wanttaja wrote:
...
This doesn't include the cases of in-flight fires (at least three, during
1998-2000), other common reasons for ballistic-chute use (engine failures
over hostile terrain, etc.), or those accidents which were not included in
the NTSB databases (ultralights, non-reported accidents, etc.).

Ron Wanttaja