Thu, Jul 31, 2003
On July 24th, just days before the opening of the EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh airshow, BRS performed a Touchdown Condition Test on a OMF
Symphony 160 2-place Part 23 certified aircraft. The test is a
challenging proof of an airframe's ability to withstand the forces
of contact with the ground after descending under parachute
canopy.
"The OMF Symphony performed excellently" said Engineer Brent
Torgerson. His positive remarks were echoed by Jeff Peltier, the
lead technician executing the test along with other engineering
staff members at BRS, the South St. Paul company which has made its
name by designing and marketing whole-aircraft parachute
systems.
In the test, a conforming fuselage was lifted aloft to 8.5 feet
(wheels above the ground) and dropped by releasing the tow cable.
No parachute is involved but the test creates a descent rate
calculated for a 5,000 foot density altitude. The Symphony was sand
bagged to simulate full gross weight of 2,150 pounds.
"What we're mainly concerned about are spine loads for the
occupants of the Symphony" said Torgerson. The results were far
below what the human body can withstand showing that the parachute
system should allow occupants to escape a troubled aircraft after a
parachute deployment without serious injury. FAA specifies "serious
injury" but the reality of the recent OMF test shows injuries are
likely to be none or minor.
OMF and BRS have agreed that the German-based manufacturer of
certified aircraft will install BRS parachutes on the Symphony as
an option while both companies continue testing that will allow the
four-place Symphony 4 in development to have a whole-airplane
parachute system as standard equipment, only the second Part 23
certified aircraft to take this dramatic step toward enhanced
aviation safety.
Since the early 1980s BRS has delivered over 18,000 parachute
systems to aircraft owners around the world including FAA-certified
production models like the Cessna 150, Cessna 172, Cirrus SR20 and
Cirrus SR22, and hundreds of non-certified recreational aircraft.
Actual documented uses of these systems are credited with saving
the lives of 157 persons through the end of July 2003. BRS is a
publicly-traded company based in South St. Paul, Minnesota.
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