Cirrus chute deployment -- an incredible story

Jose writes:

FWIW, I couldn't agree less. The underlying attitude is that "I'm a
hero, I'm THE RIGHT STUFF, I know better, I can handle everything
thrown at me, and damn the torpedoes".

What underlying attitude? One has a blackout, wakes up to find
themselves in a high speed unusual attitude, recovers from it, and
decides to get ou the ground. No hero stuff here.

The question is, under pilot control or under a canopy.

Once the pilot had recovered, the =emergency= was over. It was still
a crisis situation, but time was no longer of the essence. One should
consider all available options, including looking out the window
before pulling the chute if there's time to do so (which there was).

You are writing off the possibiliy of the blackout repeating, possibly
for a longer period the next time.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, , http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/
RKBA: http://noguns-nomoney.com/ http://www.dd-b.net/carry/
Pics: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/ http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/
Dragaera/Steven Brust: http://dragaera.info/

Jose wrote:
In any case, he had recovered from the unusual attitude....

this isn't only about the unusual attitude. This is about
an unusual blackout, loss of control of a limb and the
pilot facing 204 knots at 1900 feet AGL. If he blacks
out again he has as little as 5-6 seconds to auger it into
the ground (if pointed straight down). That ain't much.
Acro training won't help if he unexplicably blacks out again.
Even if trained in acro, which would you rather do...acro
at below 1900 AGL and already above VNE with a severely compromised
physiologic state and then shoot an approach in low VFR and
possibly IMC or use all available resources and pop the chute.
Now make that decision in seconds when the ground is coming
at you quickly.



Gerald Sylvester

Peter R. wrote:
The only health-related concern he mentioned was the weakness in his right
leg.

I'm not a trained MD but I'd consider blacking out as a solo PIC as
a health concern.

Gerald Sylvester

Thomas Borchert wrote:

Interestingly the author didn't mention that particular concern in his
account of events as one of the factors that led him to launch the
parachute.


Well, consider his situation when writing that, and you might begin to
understand.

Tom, if you followed the thread, you would have discovered that I am
completely on the side of the pilot. I was merely pointing out that the
author did not mention the fact that he blacked out as a deciding factor in
pulling the chute. That's all.

--
Peter
























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"G. Sylvester" wrote:

The only health-related concern he mentioned was the weakness in his right
leg.

I'm not a trained MD but I'd consider blacking out as a solo PIC as
a health concern.

So would I. However, it is a fact that the author didn't mention this in
his account of the event.

--
Peter
























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Peter,

Tom, if you followed the thread, you would have discovered that I am
completely on the side of the pilot.


I know. No attack meant at all.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Thomas Borchert wrote:

Tom, if you followed the thread, you would have discovered that I am
completely on the side of the pilot.


I know. No attack meant at all.

It's been a rough couple of days from this side of the newsreader.

--
Peter
























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Bull****. Pilots have to weigh the relative risks when they decide what to
do in an emergency. Often the choice is between two risky options.
Deploying a BRS above the max deployment speed carries risk, as a recent
fatal Cirrus crash shows.

The pilot would be a fool not to weigh that risk against the risk of a
blackout recurrence. We would all be fools not to look at ALL the facts and
consider all possible pilot actions, so as to be better prepared were
something similar to happen to us.

This is a forum for analysis and learning, not a group hug. If the pilot
wants affirmation, he can buy a dog or go to church.


"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...


Again, what you recommend is typical pilot machismo. The kind of pilot
machismo
that clearly shows in the statistics.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

wrote in message
oups.com...

(from a medical standpoint, he is right, his flying days are
over...

His flying days are not over unless he wants them to be. What are over
are his days as PIC. He can still fly with medically qualified and
rated pilots and CFIs. Sure, it's not the same, but it's not chopped
liver, either.


A few years ago, I could not drive for two weeks due to surgery on my leg.
As a result, my wife had to drive me everywhere I needed to go.

Believe me: IT IS chopped liver. :~)

My thinking tends towards yours - pilot machismo or not, I'm wired to
keep flying the thing and would *probably* choose to do as you are
suggesting.

However, having spent some time with an epileptic and having witnessed a
few seizures, it's clear to me that recovery from a big epileptic
seizure is not instant. The senses return slowly, particularly the
sense of where you are and what you were doing (note when caring for a
person coming out of a seizure that they may not know where they are,
time of day, etc - telling them where they are, the time, etc is very
reassuring and helpful).

Don't know if a tumor induced seizure is similar or not. I'd be a fool
to second guess but there is a lot to think about here.

Ed wrote:
Bull****. Pilots have to weigh the relative risks when they decide what to
do in an emergency. Often the choice is between two risky options.
Deploying a BRS above the max deployment speed carries risk, as a recent
fatal Cirrus crash shows.

The pilot would be a fool not to weigh that risk against the risk of a
blackout recurrence. We would all be fools not to look at ALL the facts and
consider all possible pilot actions, so as to be better prepared were
something similar to happen to us.

This is a forum for analysis and learning, not a group hug. If the pilot
wants affirmation, he can buy a dog or go to church.


"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...


Again, what you recommend is typical pilot machismo. The kind of pilot
machismo
that clearly shows in the statistics.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)