Garfly

Meanwhile, back at birds, it's a lot of fun when our fellow flyers are friends not foes:

You're young enough to wait for universal ADSB to become a thing. ;- ) BTW, how's that anti-collision app of yours coming along?

And, just to be sure, the BRS as well. ;- )

Unfortunately, I've never had cause to think that one through. Do you have both an AP and BRS, CC? What are your current strategies?

Yeah, I also have a small placard in front of the pax seat with very simple reminders of the 2 step chute procedure. Red switches OFF. Red handle PULL. But I'd also make sure they know how to call for help and certainly how to operate the PLB. And, yes, I'd expect them to be able to keep the blue side up until they're ready to pull.

Yeah, they might be. But any pax aboard a non-certified with a senior(for)captain does well to be a bit more prepared and capable than otherwise. Even RPTs have extra briefings for Exit Row pax which could frighten the faint hearted.

Yes, given recreational aviation's demographics, that's probably important for many of us. For me it'd include: Try to get straight and level, steer away from immediate hazards; As needed use the radio (like this); and when ready, the BRS parachute - first step: these ignition switches OFF, hold her straight then pull red handle - hard, then operate the PLB (like this). Also, use the Emergency app on your phone to call in your lat long (or What3words) position. BTW my own phone's access code is XXXX.

Yes, I suppose it's a fight or flight thing. And many territorial raptors seem ready for the fight even against way bigger intruders. My guess, going frame by frame in this video (around 01:45) is that it's some kind of hawk on a frontal attack intercept (talons first). In any case, impact resistant eyewear for pilots might be the go. It looks like the mode you often see in drone/RC attacks. or against paragliders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGzzSIZvA40

Yeah, you've gotta hope they don't decide to zig just as you do. Or that the wedgie hasn't got you in its sights - the rival who must be repelled. It was a miracle that Mike Greenwood (story previous page) survived his encounter. Good on him for not giving up. What an epic struggle! He didn't know at the time that, in fact, he had no serious structural damage. But his (temporary) loss of all vision must have seemed just as bad at the time. Everyone (who has the option) has to balance out the airframe parachute pros and cons for themselves. And for some it might be the fear of birds that tips the scales.

Anyone who agrees with you, Skip, is clearly in that 'most drivers' category. ;- ) Lake Wobegon effect WWW.OXFORDREFERENCE.COM A tendency for most people to believe that they are above average in intelligence, sense of humour, diving ability, and similar traits. Although the effect arises from a self-serving bias, the widespread belief that it... "Lake Wobegon effect [Alluding to Lake Wobegon, ‘a place where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average’ in a radio show entitled A Prairie Home Companion, created and hosted by the US writer Garrison Keillor (born 1942) and described in his novel Lake Wobegon Days (1985)] QUICK REFERENCE A tendency for most people to believe that they are above average in intelligence, sense of humour, diving ability, and similar traits. Although the effect arises from a self-serving bias, the widespread belief that it is mathematically impossible for a majority to be above average is itself a fallacy. If four people score 8/10 on a test and one scores 3/10, then the average or mean score in that five-person group is 7/10, and a majority are above average. The term was introduced by the US physician John Jacob Cannell (born 1948) in privately published reports in 1987 and 1988, commenting on the fact that all 50 US states reported elementary school results above the national average. "

When it comes to big bird strikes in the Aussie skies, this story is right up there. Mike Greenwood survives a bird strike & lands safely MERITAVIATION.COM.AU Mike relives his amazing bird strike story for us and shares how he managed and survived, and how his dog Bobby kept him calm. https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2016/aair/ao-2016-001 And in this episode of the RV7 trip video series "Australian Adventure" they tell of hearing Mike's Mayday call on Melbourne Centre while airborne near the SA/VIC border (around 450NM from the action between Mudgee and Bathurst).

Jerry, I don't think Onetrack was suggesting otherwise; only that the daily news can be trusted to get the "Cessna" part of the story right this time.

I gather it's because as a practical working (or playing) aircraft it's not much use ... built just to break a record (like Campbell's Bluebird), to experiment with the tech and to attract publicity. As the guy in the film says those battery cells have already been superseded.

Built just to break the record, it's now destined for the Science Museum. (Its batteries are already last gen.) YT description: "Recording an eye watering 345 mph, the Accel Plane is officially the fastest electric vehicle on the planet! Before it retires to the Science Museum, Imogen and Robert wanted to meet the team from Rolls Royce, Evolito, Yasa and Electroflight to find out how they've made electric flight take off! From axial flux motors, advanced cooling and packing staggering amounts of torque - this plane is choc-a-bloc with astounding technologies that are paving the way to mainstream electric aviation."

Then there were the also-rans, like the Miles M35

Ian, I'd like to add my thanks for all your efforts in making the site work as well as it does. One small problem I'm having (and it may be just my ignorance) occurs when I want to quote a post from a previous page in a reply I'm working on in the current page. If I hit the "Quote" button on that earlier page it opens up a new text box for me at the bottom of that page. Whereas I'm wanting the quote to appear in my new post on the current page. I have tried, in the past, to use work-arounds, such as linking to that earlier post instead or just making my own copy-and-paste quote with due attribution. But these solutions sacrifice some of the best aspects of the "Quote" feature. Any ideas?

That'd be Mark Kyle. ("Kyle Communications" on the forum.)

Yeah, that's an argument that probably has some merit but I reckon "strong tendency" is too strong. Still, we do tend to clutch at any and every straw to confirm our biases. On the other hand, there are also perfectly rational reasons for taking available safety gear into account when making a general risk assessment for any operation. That being said, I doubt that having dual magnetos (and 4-point harnesses, to boot!) makes anyone feel indestructible in the air (who didn't already feel so). Probably not even a parachute.

No, I don't think that was meant to suggest any kind of linkage between the chute handle and engine controls; only that it's generally a part of the BRS procedure to stop the engine (if it's still going) before deploying - to prevent the prop chopping the risers. Keep in mind that that list of counter arguments is aimed at prospective Robin DR400 buyers - to persuade them that it's no biggie that you can't have one. Also, that's a 4 seat aircraft, thus the 30Kg figure. Plus those CoG implications only refer to installation in that aircraft. Interestingly, on that point about having no control under canopy since the engine is stopped, I've read that if the motor still works (e.g, after structural failure) it's feasible to try a re-start on the way down and drag the canopy in the direction of a more convenient landing site. Seems a long shot, especially if you were suspended seriously nose first ... and, anyway, how to point the prop in the right direction? Still, it might be worth a try if, say, you were drifting helplessly down just seawards of the coast. Hmmm ... any volunteers willing to give it a go and report? ;- )

Yes, it seems it's a bit of a lottery when it comes to arrival survival. This guy lands spinner first on a hard road but appears none too worse for wear. (It might have been better for his spine this way, given that seatbelts are designed for straight ahead impacts.) Actually the nose down arrival is by design in that DynAéro as explained in this promo vid:

Yeah, if you still have control you still face that choice. But if a bin-chicken kamikaze rips your wing open, things get a lot simpler. As to those quoted speeds, I'm thinking they'd be km/hr, no? As far as I know there have not been a lot of serious injuries from landing under canopy though there must have been some. The bigger problem with Cirrus used to be the reluctance of pilots to pull the handle in the hope of saving the aircraft - and/or face (as Laurent alludes to in the vid). Interestingly, the guy also reckons he was in more danger from the second arrival - when the re-inflated 'chute dislodged him from his first tree-top perch. He urged the manufacturers to invent a quick release mechanism for such cases.

I've been looking into a couple of fairly recent bird-strike accidents involving light aircraft in France. In 2022, in the south, a Zenair CH650 ran into a flock of geese and the single pilot's life was only spared thanks to his Junkers-Profly ballistic parachute. And, about a year earlier, north of Paris, there was an awful tragedy when a Robin DR400 with an instructor and three students - all sharing the one Navex flight - were killed after hitting a Cormorant. (BEA report below). Actually, I've been noticing, myself, more than the usual number of slow, low, large birds in the sky lately and I'm beginning to think that the chance of hitting some of them might just add a point to the pro-side of hauling a BRS around the sky - if and where feasible. The BEA report on the Robin accident suggests that rag covered and/or wooden winged craft are especially susceptible to bird collisions. In that case, it looks like the relative wind was able to penetrate the tear made by the bird and distort the wing shape so much that the aircraft was impossible to control. That had me wondering if it was even possible to have a BRS installed on a wooden DR400 and apparently the answer is non. That's according to Mistral Aviation in the UK who outline the arguments against in an FAQ on their website (below). Even if it were possible, I suppose it'd reduce it to, effectively, a three seater. The video below of the lucky survivor of the Zenair is in French but a rough translation is available via CC and Auto-translate on YouTube. It's tough work to interpret the Googlish - and it doesn't help that the subtitles drop out for a crucial minute from 01:16. Even the printed pilot testimony available on the Junkers-Profly site (below) takes some interpretation, due auto-translate, but in the end we get the picture. (Although I'm still not quite clear whether it was damage done to the tailplane by the birds or a LOC situation brought on by the pilot's heroic avoidance manoeuvres that was the worst of it. Either way ... ) 3 May 2022 Report and photos of a successful save of a ZEN AIR ZODIAC CH650EI in France https://www.junkers-profly.de/web/ulm-rettung-zen-air-zodiac-ch650ei-frankreich-05-03-2022/ [Google should automatically offer an English translation of the page.] YouTube Description: "Following a mid-air collision with geese, Laurent had no choice but to pull the parachute! His empennage being damaged, he lost control of his aircraft, his parachute saved his life. Here is his testimony, his feedback is an educational nugget, it should be included in the training manuals... Thank you Laurent for this fascinating sharing!" 18 April 2021 www.bea.aero INVESTIGATION REPORT Accident to ROBIN - DR400 - 140B registered F-GNNE Bird strike, loss of control and collision with the ground, in instruction Operator Aéroclub Paris.Aero Type of flight Instruction Persons on board Instructor and three student pilots Consequences and damage Instructor and student pilots fatally injured, aeroplane destroyed BEA2021-0165.en.pdf https://www.mistralaviation.co.uk/FAQs-for-Robin-aircraft/ EXCERPT: Can Robin aircraft be fitted with an airframe parachute? Of the several systems available, Robin Aircraft have considered the BRS (ballistic recovery system), similar to that fitted by Cirrus, to offer as an option. The characteristics of the system are: Rocket extraction; Controlled deployment by means of a ring that descends on the lines; 17 m diameter canopy; Descent at 25 feet per second. In common with every other manufacturer of certified aircraft (except Cirrus) Robin Aircraft do not intend to offer a parachute as standard because the Robin DR401 does not need a parachute to meet its certification requirements and there are many disadvantages to having such a system installed: BRS shortcomings are: The BRS unit and mountings weigh around 30 kg. It has to be placed in the tail section (thus moving the C of G aft) and requires parts of the airframe to be strengthened to withstand the forces associated with deployment, adding another 7 Kg. Combine weight and balance considerations and at least one passenger seat has been sacrificed for the same endurance. There is no control once the system is activated because the engine stops before deployment; and the descent speed is 25 feet per second… The system is airspeed limited: the aircraft must not exceed a set speed before deployment; if the aircraft is in free fall for a short time the parachute may not be able to withstand the load when it opens; if the structure breaks then there is virtually no chance of survival; If the system is deployed below 900 feet AGL it is unlikely that the aircraft will decelerate sufficiently for the subsequent impact to be survivable; The airframe will be written off; Costs increase: Increased purchase cost; Increased maintenance costs; Increased insurance premiums. The leading causes of fatalities involving certified aircraft in GA are loss of control in flight (LoC-I; such as engine failure on take-off and low-level stalls), where, as with collisions in the circuit, height may be too low for the parachute to help, and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) where a parachute is useless. The main circumstance where a parachute has been deployed successfully in certified aircraft in UK airspace has been loss of control in IMC (conditions that, allegedly, the pilot was not qualified or competent to fly in) after the autopilot became disconnected. Loss of control in IMC is relatively rare; lying in 8th place in the list of causes of fatalities in general aviation. It is notable that the Cirrus had one of the worst accident records in GA soon after it was launched and that only improved to around average following the introduction by Cirrus of a training program for purchasers of new and used aircraft. The fact that the safety record of the Cirrus is only around average despite its parachute may be one reason why no other manufacturer of certified civilian aircraft offers a parachute installation. Flying a heavy aircraft with relatively small wheels and a high stall speed into a field is quite likely to result in inversion and a poor outcome. In contrast, the DR401 with its relatively light weight, appropriate wheel size, low stall speed and excellent low speed handling is well suited to safely execute a forced landing. As with many features in aircraft there is a balance to be struck in considering this one. The CDI engine is the most reliable piston engine in GA so even people who fly extensively at night, for example, may not consider the downsides of a BRS in a Robin worth accepting.

Ha, ha ... like Fitzcarraldo! ;- )