3 ms·

Let's be honest here. How many times is this really a concern? Why would the FAA approve use of something like this and why would I install it when the chance o

• mhb 16y ago
  He's counting on the few sales made when people are willing to pay $50,000 for the app.
• spitfire 16y ago
  Have you seen the cirrus aircraft? Unskilled, but rich people are willing to pay > $500K for a plane with a parachute and a button that auto-rights them. The result is a 6x fatality rate compared with the average for general aviation. That's including some horribly twitchy aircraft in that average.
  • aaroneous 16y ago
    The envelope that ballistic parachutes provide a life-saving emergency resolution vs a well executed power-off glide is pretty narrow. The studies show that far too often it is abused by providing a false sense of security, encouraging pilots to take risks they otherwise wouldn't have.
    • spitfire 16y ago
      Yup. It doesn't help that they use the parachute to sell to nervous but status conscious celebrities/generic-rich-guys. The cirrus is a terrifying plane[1], whenever I see one coming I run for my life. You should too. 1. In the hands of a trained pilot, flown for the long range missions it's designed for it's a fine plane. But 90% of the people buying these things aren't well trained, don't have the experience and don't do the sort of flying appropriate to the Cirrus.
• aaroneous 16y ago
  If the pilot of a small airplane experiences a medical emergency that leaves him incapacitated, this sort of device could mean the difference between life and death for anyone else onboard the plane (assuming their not pilots as well).