"Whilst a BRS will be a big plus for a Moller type
vehicle, it's something I'm also skeptical about for
regular GA aircraft."

Welllllll..........I don't know about that.

To my eyeball thinking experience, ANY kind of BRS
system is suited for ANY kind of aircraft and it
certainly would be an asset NOT a deficit to equip your
aircraft with it.

Here's some points which are enough to convince me that a BRS isn't the
answer for me:

1. A BRS will wreck your plane if you ever have the misfortune to land
under it. They come down very quickly. As such it will save your ass at
the cost of the plane (a fair bargain, I guess). You will probably
receive fairly serious injuries though. Is it better to be dead or to
have a broken back (and no airplane)?

2. If the wind is blowing 20kts, you'll land at 20kts, with *zero*
control.

3. If the wind is blowing 20kts, and your stall speed is 40kts, you'll
land at 20kts, in control, whereever you choose. Of course, if your
stall speed is 100kts or more and you have a poor glide ratio (as I
imagine a Moller skycar would be), then you'd be landing at 80kts and
not have a lot of choice of landing site.

4. A BRS isn't deployable below 500ft (IIRC).

5. If you've had some kind of inflight structural failure, why wouldn't
the shock of the BRS opening pull itself out of the airframe? Leaving
you with *less* structure to try and land the plane.

6. Most engine failures are caused by running out of fuel. Therefore it
would be a lot more sensible to carry an extra fuel tank than a BRS. Or
learn to do a proper pre-flight and flight plan.

Frank.

 
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