Early Airplane Parachute Tests: Video 2

Here is another airplane/parachute demonstration from the early 1930s. Lowering an airplane by parachute is really not a new concept. Recently popularized by Cirrus Design and BRS (Ballistic Recovery Systems) and used in some ultralights and other aircraft, this life saving technology has been around for many years -- as this video from the 1930's demonstrates! From the archives of HistoricAviation.com.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Cirrus
• BRC
• airplane
• parachute
• Balistic
• Recovery
• Systems
• SR22
• SR20
• ultralight

[jacwy]

Good question!

[Mbaxtron]

How come if in the 1930's, this idea of an winged aircraft fitted with a parachute was already conceived. Cirrius still replied me that winged aircraft fitted with a parachute wasn't practical when I wrote to them in 1976 with an idea of a parachute that can be deployed to safely float its passengers down to the ground in case of engine failure that shall be housed inside a compartment in the roof?

[jwboll]

@bill0718

well... Cirrus are the only ones who mass produce a plane that is impossible to recover from a spin... so they had to either start designing from scratch, or follow the ultralight and homebuilt trend, and add a parachute.

In any other model of aircraft, the addition of a parachute is considered a "safety upgrade" in the Cirrus, it's mandatory.

[Lowerlighter]

Minor damage?  Better than nothing I suppose.

[Luvcupramen]

@johnmkrs83 hmmm I wonder how big a chute you would need? Airliners are really heavy!

[johnmkrs83]

they should be doing for all planes, including commerical airlines!

[kamikaze1dw]

i agree

[bill0718]

I love these old newsreels. It's interesting to see this idea has been around for a long time. Before seeing this, I thought the Cirrus with its parachute recovery system was ahead of its time. Who knew?