That is an excellent idea for any first flight experimental aircraft.
I'll propose it to the pilot when he gets back.
Rancher Bob
I'll contribute the 1st $500. It's only money --the test pilot is
putting his butt on the line.There's a company in the Slovak/Czech
Republic, if I remember correctly, who have a proven product and at a
better price than the BRS people. Perhaps we could get a special deal
considering that this is an exciting and newsworthy project and could
get them a bunch of good publicity.
Bob Ripley
I'll put in $100 my self.
I'll get back to you Bob. I'll check with the boss.
Paul Lamar
I believe it is called MAGNUM BALLISTIC PARACHUTES
Vern Taylor
This is a wonderful idea for all home builts. IMHO it will significantly
make home building safer.
Paul Lamar
Something for everyone to remember is typically the ballistic chute
saves the pilot but writes off the plane. On a Cirrus the plane is junk
after using the chute it's only a last resort.
Bill Jepson
What fails on the airplane Bill?
Would a bigger chute help?
Paul Lamar
A bigger chute would likely help. The ballistic chute saves ultra
lights. But full size aircraft are descending at speeds that cause 20 g
impacts. If you look at the specs you will note that the gear will be
sure to fold and the bottom of the fuselage will get crumpled and the
stresses involved can effect the whole airframe. The pilot will be saved
which is the point of course, but BPs aren't going to save you with no
damage. If you want the plane back you will probably need to land it.
Bill Jepson
You can buy a chute for a 4,000 pound airplane from Magnum.
I suspect that would let our 1000 pound Harmon Rocket with the 650 HP
under 200 pound engine down lightly.
Paul Lamar
Writing off planes is only a matter of money. Writing off humans is
something else!
Bob Ripley
Hi Paul:
I second the call to add a Ballistic Parachute to the TTC Project ..........
If the engine ever quit for whatever reason (MOTEC switching to
"limp-home" mode),
...........at idle RPM, the 80-inch prop would become a BRICK WALL!
And the airplane could not glide to a landing.
Keith Moore
I think what might be possible would be to convert what velocity he had to
add a bit of altitude and slow it down before firing the chute.
Paul Lamar
Perhaps I missed a post but all I know about this guy is that he is an
experienced commercial pilot who made a decision to not fly an
experimental aircraft. I could be described the same way, and the times
I have decided to not fly have been respected and have born out to be
the right move.
It has been pointed out that the mission for this aircraft is to set a
new world record and showcase the amazing potential of the rotary
engine. As such I would imagine all reading this would like to see sucess.
Our regulations here in Canada require flight testing when major changes
to an airframe are made. In one case we changed a push rod in an anti
servo tab circuit to an adjustable rod and then changed it back to the
original, TC wanted an additional 10 hours. Of course we had some
discussion over that but I would think that TC would be right if we had
hotrodded the plane to the extent this one has been. This is not your
Grannies ride to church on Sundays.
IMHO if I was the test pilot on this one, there would be a complete
publication ban on all activities till such time as the record had been
set. I am just as excited about this as the next guy, but it is not
about me. I would also want enough time in the air to get a feel for the
airplane in regular flight modes, including emergency procedures, before
exploring the edges of the performance envelope. There is a lot of
"stuff" with this engine that is not yet proven, as evidenced by the
fixes, chronicled over the last few months. I personally don't think one
or two quick hops and then an attempt at a world record is necessarily
very prudent.
Further opinion, this a/c is purpose designed and built, its holy grail
is its power to weight ratio. The base model of this design has good
engine out performance and good low speed abilities thus in the event of
engine failure a sucessful emergency landing should be reasonably
realistic if the flights are conducted in an area conducive to such
operations. If they are not, then the operations need to be moved elsewhere.
There is an area of high risk in the event of an engine failure, low and
slow. Fortunately with this a/c that is a very small area and not one
where ballistic chute will help and where good pilotage is the only
option. Out side that area almost any emergency is most likely far
better off being flown to a landing. With a ballistic chute you lose all
control over your landing and thus you are more likely to have a bad out
come. Structural failure or unrecoverable spin, ballistic chute for
sure. Fire, pilot chute for sure. All other emergencies good pilotage
for sure, after all this is why we choose a good pilot. The chances of
the need for a ballistic chute occurring are very very small indeed and
so adding the weight to
/this/ particular aircraft are unnecessary and
counter productive to the mission.
John Rogi
You have some good points but a 747 pilot is not necessarily a good home
built test pilot.
A 747 pilot crashed a rotary powered tail dragger I did a lot of work on.
I had a 747 pilot friend tell me how to land a 747. Keep it on the glide
slope
and have the co pilot call out 50 feet on the radar and then pull back
on the stick.
I know some airline pilots that never ever slip. Slipping is a good way
to land when your are directly over the runway or a field. I always slip
the C182 just to
stay in practice. When people learn how how to fly they are never taught
how to slip.
Paul Lamar
Too true, it always surprised me how much work it could be typing a
heavy tin
jockey into something you have to fly.
John Rogi
I had a instructor freq out on a bi annual when I slipped it in :-)
I was awarded my Oz pilot Licenses right after I took off and got half
way down wind :-)
Paul Lamar
Why in the world would a CFI not teach how to slip? Maybe it's because
of all that land y'all got out west. Where I grew up and when I grew up
in the central Carolinas if you didn't learn how to slip then you
couldn't enjoy the wide variety of hillside and pea patch airstrips that
were all over the place back then, and some of them still are. Slipping,
and coming out of it just in time, is FUN.
Bob Ansley
Once you learn how to do it gives you confidence that you can land
almost anywhere.
Takes out the distance/altitude requirements with a conventional pattern
approach.
IMHO it makes landing easier as it eliminates the altitude requirements.
You can be 100 feet to infinity altitude with a dead engine over the
field you want to land in.
Get it pointed into the wind and drop it down to the field. You can
slip to the right or
slip to the left.
Paul Lamar
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