Chris said, > "if nothing else, the peace of mind would seem worth it."
It sure wouldn't contribute to _my_ peace of mind. I would be annoyed every time I got in the plane and noted I had devoted valuable space to something fairly bulky that requires repacking and inspection periodically and costs quite a bit of money to buy and maintain. That money would, in my case, be a lot better spent on something like an autopilot or some other luxury. There's also that lurking thought in the back of my mind that the thing wouldn't work if I ever _did_ try and use it. Which I wouldn't. Pushing the button would make me feel like a big weenie. I've gotta admit a BRS, if it wasn't iced up like the rest of the plane, might have saved Ken Rand's life in the predicament he was in but how often does that happen? I think only Ken would fly into an ice storm with no fuel left - 'course he wasn't expecting the ice. There was no salvaging that situation other than with a BRS so clearly, in such an extreme situation, a BRS might have saved the day (again, if it wasn't frozen up like a popsicle). The best argument against carrying a "plane chute" though is simply looking at the record of Langford's forced landings. My math is probably off, but a quick search of the records shows Mark has had 27 forced landings and never gotten a scratch. He usually doesn't even mess up the plane. With a parachute, once you push the button you're liable to land in a lake or on top of someone's roof. In case of engine failure, if you fly the plane down instead of turning it over to the fickle finger of wherever the wind is blowing that day, the records show you almost always make it to a runway or a road or a golf course. Catastrophic structural failure is another matter, but those don't seem to happen with KR's (seats breaking don't count). So, as a practical matter a plane parachute for a KR isn't a good idea. As a "peace of mind" issue, that may work for some people but it wouldn't work for me. I wouldn't trust the thing to actually work, plus I wouldn't be able to bring myself to push the button (or yank the lanyard or however those things work). KR flyers are not weenies. We'd rather die than suffer the ignominy of helplessly floating down to earth under a canopy of shame. But who am I to speak for all KR flyers? Let's take a poll. Big Weenie Not a Big Weenie Mike KSEE ____________________________________________________________ Old School Yearbook Pics View Class Yearbooks Online Free. Search by School & Year. Look Now! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/55b950343f1f050345a67st02vuc
