Alan Minyard wrote:

Of course now you can buy a chute for your AIRPLANE! I don't know if
any of you have seen them, but they mount on top of the wing, and are
controlled from the cockpit. They were originally designed for Cessna
drivers going over the Sierra, where the "margin for error" is about
zero. If used by someone flying over water they would allow for a zero
airspeed ditching.

We've been flying with Ballistic Recovery Systems (BR$) on light
sport aircraft for many years. The Cessna 172, -152, Cirrus, etc. BR$
chutes for GA aircraft are relatively new:

http://www.airplaneparachutes.com/BRS29.htm

Lots of pros/cons to the BR$ issue. The priceless value of human life
aside, any chute large enough to lower a Cessna 172 plus
humans/baggage, etc. to earth is probably worth more $$$ than the 172
itself (unless it's a brand new '03 $kyhawk Millenium). Backpack
parachutes are essentially worthless in my line of business (due to
the low altitudes and inability free yourself the debris of the
aircraft crumpling around you) however, I'm comfortable flying with
or without a ballistic chute on my bird. I've owned two of them and to
me they're 1) pricy 2) heavy and, 3) dangerous (folks have survived
the crash only to die screaming in the treetops while being burned by
the pyrotechnics). An ACES, Martin Baker even a Weber or Yankee
extraction system would sure be nice to have, tho.