Parachutes for small planes -- so many lives saved....

[berkeman]

I had no idea this technology existed, and was so effective. Very nice! Lots of documented saves over the past few years...

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/03/08/new-york-parachute-plane-crash-orig-vstan.cnn

 

[Student100]

I had no idea this technology existed, and was so effective. Very nice! Lots of documented saves over the past few years...

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/03/08/new-york-parachute-plane-crash-orig-vstan.cnn

http://whycirrus.com/engineering/stall-spin.aspx pretty cool stuff

 

[NTW]

Most accidents in small planes are of the stall/spin type, and -in those cases- a parachute is of little use. If the engine stops because of a mechanical failure (or lack of fuel, something not at all unusual...) you can always glide the plane and land it, if more or less roughly... A parachute is useful in the case of an structural failure, if you lose a wing, for example. It's rare, but does sometimes happen...

 

[Student100]

Most accidents in small planes are of the stall/spin type, and -in those cases- a parachute is of little use. If the engine stops because of a mechanical failure (or lack of fuel, something not at all unusual...) you can always glide the plane and land it, if more or less roughly... A parachute is useful in the case of an structural failure, if you lose a wing, for example. It's rare, but does sometimes happen...

Actually, according to cirrus their chutes work in both spins and stalls, here's a cool video:

 

[Student100]

Here's an unfortunate video of a midair collision with chute deployment. The occupants jumped from the burning plane to their deaths. and were doomed regardless it seemed. What's interesting is that chute still functioned with a destroyed and burning air frame:

 

[anorlunda]

I had no idea this technology existed, and was so effective. Very nice! Lots of documented saves over the past few years...

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/03/08/new-york-parachute-plane-crash-orig-vstan.cnn

You owe it to yourself to watch the movie "The God's Must be Crazy II" It was hilarious.

 

[NTW]

Fatal accidents related to stall/spin use to happen at low altitude. If you have enough altitude for the deployment of a parachute, that altitude is also sufficient for a standard recovery maneuver. No need for a parachute...

 

[Student100]

Fatal accidents related to stall/spin use to happen at low altitude. If you have enough altitude for the deployment of a parachute, that altitude is also sufficient for a standard recovery maneuver. No need for a parachute...

Except recovering from spins is nearly impossible in aircraft not designed to do them in the first place.

 

[NTW]

That's not correct. On the contrary, almost all planes, specially light ones, can easily exit from a spin. It is a procedure covered in the pilot operating handbook. It usually consists in easing the stick forward and pushing right pedal for left spin or vice-versa.

 

[cjl]

Fatal accidents related to stall/spin use to happen at low altitude. If you have enough altitude for the deployment of a parachute, that altitude is also sufficient for a standard recovery maneuver. No need for a parachute...

That isn't necessarily true, depending on the parachute design. Parachutes can be designed for deployment in a few hundred feet or less, while spin/stall recovery can take several thousand.

 

[NTW]

That isn't necessarily true, depending on the parachute design. Parachutes can be designed for deployment in a few hundred feet or less, while spin/stall recovery can take several thousand.

If you know of a single case of a plane saved by the parachute after a low-level stall/spin, you should mention it... Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence...

 

[cjl]

Claiming that parachute deployment can be done in a few hundred feet is hardly an extraordinary claim.

If you need a source though, according to BRS Aviation, who makes parachutes for this kind of thing:

Q. How low can the parachute work?
A. The altitude required is a function of speed more than height. FAA certified tests have shown that full parachute inflation could occur as low as 260-290 feet above the ground.

I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't want to try a spin recovery from <500 feet AGL.

 

[OCR]

according to BRS Aviation

Did you mean BRS Aerospace ? .. ?

 

[cjl]

Eh, sure. Their webpage had the header "BRS Aviation", but that must be a subset of their overall company.

(it was taken from here: http://www.brsaerospace.com/faq.aspx )

 

[OCR]

Their webpage had the header "BRS Aviation"

Right you are...

In fact, there are two Home pages...
http://www.brsaerospace.com/brs_aviation_home.aspx
http://www.brsaerospace.com/default.aspx

But, they seem to call themselves... ?[/PLAIN]
Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.

 

[NTW]

Claiming that parachute deployment can be done in a few hundred feet is hardly an extraordinary claim.

If you need a source though, according to BRS Aviation, who makes parachutes for this kind of thing:

I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't want to try a spin recovery from <500 feet AGL.

Well, you haven't provided a single case of a plane saved by the parachute after a low-level stall/spin. No wonder you didn't... Once you enter a spin below -say- 500 ft, you are doomed, parachute or no parachute. Not even the manufacturers of those systems dare to make that claim, because they know that it's impossible. Thus, they mention other causes, but never the low-level stall/spin, a well-known killer...

 

[cjl]

I don't need to provide a specific case - if you enter a spin at 400ft, but the chute can deploy in <300, you could still in theory save the plane (well, the people in it at least - the airframe is often pretty heavily damaged). What's your basis for claiming this is impossible, besides your own personal incredulity (which really doesn't mean anything at all as far as evidence is concerned).

 

[berkeman]

Whelp, it's my thread, and I'll close it on that positive note. I still think it's a great technology.