A thought on BRS

New Scientist just picked up on two cases where Cirrus SR-20 drivers
pulled the BRS trick and 5 people came down safely and walked away
without injuries. Four in one aircraft and one in another. BRS works:
good. That was about the limit of that story.

However, I took a look at the Cirrus website,
http://www.cirrusdesign.com/, and a slightly different story emerges:
in the first case the pilot lost control during a night-time flight
over the Canadian Rockies in turbulent conditions and popped the BRS.
In the second case the pilot took off solo from a Florida airfield
with a 400 foot cloud base, lost it on IFR at about 1000 ft and also
pulled the BRS release. These guys could have both been highly
experienced pilots or low-timers - the Cirrus press release doesn't
say. But, looking at the report makes me wonder if the BRS is an
unmixed blessing: In both cases it sounds as if having the BRS could
have tempted pilots to fly in conditions when they maybe shouldn't
have. As I said above, its good that the BRS got them out of trouble,
I hope we don't see a rash of similar stories as low-timers do silly
things 'knowing' that the BRS can save their bacon.

Comments?


--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :