Browse Blog Posts by Tags
-
SR20 C-GYPJ crashed into a building and two people died last 25 May, 2010. The accident was extensively discussed on the COPA forums in two threads: Cirrus Fatal #61 in SR20 C-GYPJ near Buttonville Airport, Toronto, Canada Transport Canada report on Buttonville SR20 accident The SR20 departed Buttonville...
-
The Vegas CPPP is coming in just a few weeks and we're starting to book our Full Motion Simulator for the days before and after the event. If you'd like to come to Vegas a little early or stay a little later, let us know and we'll get you on the schedule. We still have some room left but...
-
At the CPPP in Van Nuys in 2010, we had the good fortune to have two Cirrus pilots who have pulled the CAPS parachute handle and survived. That prompted me to spend a bit of time with each of them to inquire about their experiences. This is the second of a few blog entries that describe aspects of their...
-
During a post-event discussion thread about CAPS pull #30 near Kiowa, CO , I was prompted to prepare a frequency graph that showed the number of CAPS saves over time. I already had a graph that showed the frequency of fatal Cirrus accidents by quarter, and had color-coded that graph to distinguish the...
-
Note: as a sponsor of the recent KANE CPPP, BRS Aerospace was invited to speak to the group of assembled Cirrus pilots and instructors. Boris Popov, founder and VP of BRS Aerospace and inventor of the ballistic parachute system, spoke during our lunch break and held an extensive Q&A session. He provided...
-
What do you plan to do when bad things happen on departure? Have a loss of engine power on take off? Hit a bird that damages the airplane sufficiently to make it hard to control? In a Cirrus, with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, pilots have a unique opportunity to use this last-resort safety option...
-
Recently an off-airport fatal accident happened in Morton, WA when the engine lost power during cruise. Another incident occurred not long ago in Buttonville, Ontario during which loss of engine power on departure caused the pilot to attempt a return to the airport. If your airplane loses power, you’re...
-
Here's the third in our video series about what you could do if your engine fails shortly after takeoff. In the last videos (found here and here) we first looked at what would happen if the pilot attempted to return to the airport, with disastrous results. Next we tried to land straight ahead in...
-
When invited to Germany to speak at the Baden-Baden CPPP, I took a pilgrimage to the site of the fatal Cirrus accident at Zurich Airport. It wasn't a planned trip. But it was an impactful one. Coming almost half-way around the world for this CPPP motivated me to spend some extra time here. And Baden...
-
It was a day not unlike any other... early summer of 2006 if memory serves. The air was warm but not oppressive and I was well rested and healthy. I climbed into the cockpit with Brock sitting next to me in the left seat even though I was going to be the PIC for this flight. I needed a little practice...
-
I thought I would post a blog entry about my observations on the use of the parachute in the simulator. I also have a regular client who has experienced a real life chute pull that has offered some great insight comparing the experience in the simulator that his real-life scare. Pulling the chute is...
-
Lee Herring started the thread Manfred’s Lesson For Me with this reflection on the death of Manfred Stolle in a fatal Cirrus accident . Many COPA members appreciated these thoughts and wanted to preserve the post, so we asked Lee for permission to include it here. Manfred and I flew our planes...
-
Prompted by the thought-provoking post by Craig Albright on when to pull the chute, let me amplify his analysis in this safety blog. Mantra of "Pull early, pull often!" It bothers some people. "Early" might be misconstrued as "immediately" without regard to other alternatives...
-
Let's be straight. Flying is risky, and nothing can eliminate all of the risk. The CAPS parachute system offers a Cirrus pilot one last safety option. But it may not be the best option. The thread, G3 Turbo Down on Highway in Duluth Today , prompted several concerns. This incident involved a demonstration...
-
As 2008 ends, we see some good news. Fewer fatal accidents, more CAPS saves and a decline in the fatal accident rate. The final quarter of 2008 had fewer fatal accidents than same dark months of Oct-Dec in 2007 or 2006 (3 vs 5 or 5 respectively). The last three months also had three CAPS activations...