Quote:
Originally Posted by Butch
Build it authentically as possible. You can always fly a Cessna.
Pete
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Hi Pete. I can't fly Cessna's too well, the gyro's keep breaking
I picked out the Fokker D.VII as a candidate build a number of years ago because the steel tube frame had the potential for providing a good load path for a BRS chute. The wing center section appears to have enough room for the BRS chute pack and deployment rocket without disrupting the aircraft external lines. The most pertinent question is where to stow the deployment handle without making it attractive to the curious. So why the emphasis on the BRS type chute?
When I first started flying military jets, it was explained to me that I would be sitting on a cannon that would throw me out of the airplane if I simply pulled a handle, and if you pulled the handle at the wrong time while on the ground, well too bad. I was a little chary about sitting on this potentially dangerous device but I did want to fly the jets, so, knowing what a klutz I could be, I resolved to be extra careful and respectful of the seat.
After a while in aviation, I began to see some saves first hand: My wingman escaping an unrecovered inverted spin, an inadvertent throttle retard during a cat shot, a catapult tow hook failure on launch, an ejection from a burning plane as a result of anti-aircraft fire. Not all these situations were 100% saves. Some were injured, some were lost, but in general one's odds of surviving severe aviation adversity were significantly improved by ejection seats.
I am not advocating ejection seats for replica aircraft. The systems are too large, too expensive and too demanding to maintain effectively in most private aircraft situations. I do advocate the BRS chute because it has many of the same advantages as an ejection seat, can be inobtrusively installed, and is maintainable, and while not inexpensive, it is not prohibitively expensive. Is it a perfect solution? NO. As Joe pointed out, it won't help you much in a fire. I'm not quite so concerned as John about arriving "dressed to kill" at Aunt Minnie's party. The odds are fairly long on that scenario, or on the park bench scenario. Besides, with a plane under a chute, people have time to get out of the way. Go to the BRS website and look at some of the saves. Those could be you!
Sid