"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)?

** Why?.....I'll still take the BRS on my head than the ground up my ---.
   and I can always get another airplane. But a dead ---, is impossible to replace.

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

** You are assuming that you have full control of the aircraft, but if you DON'T, what speed
   will you land at without a BRS? :-)

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.

** Same as 2.

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

** It's pretty tough, nerve wracking and expensive to do prolonged x-country flying
   bellow 500ft AGL.

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.

** There are no guarantees in any scenarios in life, but........How many
   airplanes have you heard off that has had "structural failures" in the
   portion of the main spar that's internal of the fuselage?
   THIS is where the BRS requires MAIN attach points.

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.

** The CAPACITY of fuel onboard has no bearing on "fuel depletion" the pilot does,
   he's either flying with an occupied head, not familiar in type, dare devil or just
   plain suicidal.....This type of pilot will DEPLETE his fuel wether it's 20 or 40 gals.

Frank.

Frank this could be argued till Kingdom come, but the fact is.........When ALL else FAILS,
It sure is nice to have a BRS instead of the provervial decal "Panick Button"

BTW....I've ALWAYS flown with a parachute and helmet, owned 3 of them and rotated them in use.
    "Cheapest SYA insurance available"

                                 Butch

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