Bill Daniels wrote:
I still have reservations about BRS, not because of the philosophy, but I'm
not sure the engineers have all the bugs out of it. Any system that will
lower a disabled aircraft and its occupant(s) to the ground safely is a very
good thing. The short history of the Cirrus BRS is very encouraging, at
least I haven't heard of any injuries to the passengers.

I know BRS has a long and exemplary record with ultralights but they are
slow and light and usually flown by the young and able. The idea of hitting
the ground in a seated position at 20 FPS is disturbing to a 60 something
glider pilot. I know using a personal 'chute is just as problematic but I
would land with my legs under me. A broken leg is vastly better than a
broken back.

I believe the current designs lower the glider nose down, and the
cockpit has to be properly designed to avoid injury to the pilot, as it
must absorb the impact. It's not a simple problem, and gliders that
aren't designed for it from the start almost surely won't be suitable
for retrofitting.


For now, personal 'chutes with egress aids like DG's NOAH look better to me.
At least this idea could be retrofitted to an older glider.

Certainly a much more practical addition!

The 35 pounds
or so the BRS adds to the non-flying part of the glider bothers me too.

It would likely reduce the allowable cockpit load.

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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA