Tue, Jan 19, 2010
Early in his flying career, Alan Klapmeier survived a mid-air
collision; the event inspired Klapmeier to find a viable safety
solution for other pilots in similar emergency situations.
After thorough research and development, Cirrus premiered the
Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS).
Today, CAPS comes as standard equipment on every Cirrus
aircraft, continuing the company’s commitment to general
aviation safety. In the event of an in-flight emergency,
pilots can activate CAPS from within the cockpit, deploying a
solid-fuel rocket out a rear hatch. Within seconds, the
rocket carries the parachute rearward, allowing the 55’
canopy to unfurl and slowing the aircraft rate of descent.
Since implementation, Cirrus states that there has been 18 CAPS
deployments resulting in 35 lives saved.
Since introducing the system, Cirrus has continued its efforts
to reduce any anxiety over CAPS deployment, including extensive
simulation training. Recently, however, some insurance
companies have aided Cirrus’ efforts by eliminating
deductibles in the case of damage caused by CAPS
deployment.
Greg Sterling, Vice President and Division Manager of LAD, one
of the companies to change their insurance policy, explained the
decision by stating, “In the interest of aviation safety, we
want to eliminate any chance that a pilot might hesitate in
deploying the recovery parachute in an emergency because of
insurance or financial implications.” Join Aero-TV as
we talk with Dale Klapmeier about the importance of these policy
changes.
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