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Wear a parachute?

Wear a parachute?

  • Wear the parachute

    Votes: 9 14.3%
  • No need for a parachute

    Votes: 20 31.7%
  • Stop overthinking this and just build the plane

    Votes: 34 54.0%

  • Total voters
    63

hamblin10

Active Member
I'm currently building an RV-12iS and would have liked to install a BRS system for additional peace of mind but unfortunately the company has no intention how marketing for this aircraft. My only worry is in flight fire or structural failure. Having said that, I am considering the softie parachute. Would a tip up canopy open enough for this? Also is there enough room to wear something like this? Anybody with experience in these systems? Thanks!

http://www.softieparachutes.com/seat-softie/
 
Whatever makes you feel good

Eric, this question has been around a long time, and doesn't need to be personally justified to the crowd by the individual pilot IMO.

Yes, you could fit a seat pack in your airplane, although you would need to take the bulk of the container into account when designing your cushion system. A slim pack container might even be a better option. No problem there.

Regarding the tip up. I don't see how you could ever get the canopy open enough in controlled flight to exit properly. Once the canopy opens, the center of lift changes and many people have reported significant nose pitch. If you could get someone to stay behind while you jump, then may be that would work. ;)

If you could somehow successfully jettison the canopy, there's no proof or demonstration that it would clear the aircraft during the event. or how the aircraft would handle with the canopy off. And then there's the issue of you clearing the tail on the way out, although done correctly this could managed.

Another side concern would be that having that 'chute would lead you to believe that it would save you in the case of a bad situation.

BRS has a whole other set of issues, but since you can't get it on a -12, there ya go.

I've jumped out of aircraft hundreds of times in a controlled skydiving environment, and I personally wouldn't consider using a parachute in a tip up RV as an option.

All my personal opinion, hope it helps...

Cheers
 
Thank you Bill for a great response! Threads like these usually fall apart real quick but you got in there with a good answer, thanks!
 
When you say wear a parachute you did not say how much.

When I do aerobatics solo, yes.
When I do aerobatics with passenger, yes. (Required and not required read below*)
Flying locally often, but not always.
Cross country yes and no, but often no due comfort and W&B (Pax, Can mp Gear, Full Fuel)

A parachute in a sport plane with canopy you can jettison is a good idea. I still have in the back of my mind a RV-8 with catastrophic engine failure and an oil and fuel fed fire which was consuming the plane inflight. The pilot was so overwhelmed by the flames, heat and smoke he bailed out. He was not wearing a chute and did not make it. A chute in this case would make a difference. A RV-7 in cruise apparently hit a bird causing horizontal stab failure and the plane crashed, resulting in fatality. A Chute would have saved the day. Cirrus is the most notable production plane with a BRS and has saved many pilots and passengers (not always but a factor in saves). These systems have been on hang gliders, ultralights etc. saving lives.


* Reg's require parachutes when doing aerobatics with two people. There is an exception if CFI is giving instructions. Don't want to open the can of worms about teaching in EAB planes. To be safe when doing aerobatics solo or dual both should have chutes. Planes like RV-6's which have lower aerobatic weight two full sized men bumps up against maximum aerobatic gross weight limit without parachutes. This applies to RV's with fat empty weights (so build light). Modern Emergency Pilot Chutes are a marvel of compactness and only weigh about 16lbs. Two chutes are about 30 lbs. Not much weight but still a factor. Comfort. Not bad, back pack style is recommended for RV's. The small hassle is dealing with extra straps.
 
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I personally wouldn't consider using a parachute in a tip up RV as an option.
The tip up (RV6/RV7) has a jettisonable canopy. The RV9 and RV12 I don't know. An RV9 is basically a RV6/7 fuselage and a jettison hinge could be added if not standard. RV12 don't know.

The bigger question is should you consider a Personal Emergency Parachute? Yes you should consider it. Almost all of my aerobatic buddies flying aerobatic planes wear chutes.

I always wear it doing aerobatics. Since the RV9 and RV12 are not aerobatic a chute may be less important?
 
I suspect a sufficiently motivated person could get out of a tip up.

There is an old joke about a guy in bed with his best friend’s wife. They hear the front door open and are panic stricken. He says where is your back door? She says we don’t have one. He says where would you like one?
 
I suspect a sufficiently motivated person could get out of a tip up.

There is an old joke about a guy in bed with his best friend’s wife. They hear the front door open and are panic stricken. He says where is your back door? She says we don’t have one. He says where would you like one?


That's funny.


I agree, amazing things can happen when one gets really scared.

I've heard of skydivers ripping stitching from parachute harnesses pulling on what they thought was the ripcord. And that is 6 thousand pound webbing stitched together.


And gmcjetpilot is spot-on. Nothing like the comfortable feeling of having an option whilst wearing a PEP.
 
* Reg's require parachutes when doing aerobatics with two people. There is an exception if CFI is giving instructions. Don't want to open the can of worms about teaching in EAB planes.

Note the cfi exception is limited to maneuvers required by the regulations for a certificate. So spins are okay (required for a cfi certificate) but for other aerobatics this exception generally does not apply.
 
I'm currently building an RV-12iS and would have liked to install a BRS system for additional peace of mind but unfortunately the company has no intention how marketing for this aircraft. My only worry is in flight fire or structural failure. Having said that, I am considering the softie parachute. Would a tip up canopy open enough for this? Also is there enough room to wear something like this? Anybody with experience in these systems? Thanks!

http://www.softieparachutes.com/seat-softie/

I wonder if the RV12 tipup canopy can be retrofitted to be jetison like the RV7 and RV14. This is probably easier to retrofit than to design whole airplane parachute system. There are plenty of Eastern European LSA that have some types of BRS so you can probably copy them for the RV12.
 
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