Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) aircraft recovery parachutes now are available as an option on the Sport Cruiser light port aircraft (LSA) built by Czech Aircraft Works, BRS CEO Larry Williams announced at Sun ‘n Fun on Friday. “Now that we’ve had some experience working within the LSA rules, we have a process and procedures in place to quickly develop more systems,” he said. “We expect to announce five more BRS systems for LSAs very soon.” BRS chutes already are standard on the Flight Design CT light sport aircraft. Also, he announced that the new Diamond DA50 Super Star will offer a BRS chute as an option. The chute for the single-engine Diamond D-Jet is also well along in testing. “We completed some drop tests about six weeks ago, and the chute deployed properly,” Williams said. “The canopy is stable and the descent rates are better than expected. We will start more drop tests on May 8, and if all goes well, as we expect, we’ll move into the certification phase of testing soon after that.”
He also added that a recent Service Bulletin for the Cirrus BRS system is a minor adjustment, and Cirrus already is making the changes. “There was one incident in Australia when the rocket deployed and behaved erratically,” Williams said. Engineers were able to diagnose the problem and Cirrus is paying for minor changes to be made. “The modification is required, but the system is still functional,” Williams said. “If any owner needed to use the system before complying with the SB, they shouldn’t hesitate to use it.”
