BRS http://brsparachutes.com <http://brsparachutes.com/> has long-standing
patents for a device to slow the opening of the canopy. It is a reefing
ring system that fits around the shroud lines and slowly travels forward as
the canopy tries to inflate. It works so well that it is incorporated into
every new Cirrus aircraft http://www.cirrusdesign.com
<http://www.cirrusdesign.com/> . It is designed to be deployed from a
general aviation aircraft at flight speeds. Cirrus and BRS were not
primarily concerned about the destruction of the chute as much as they were
about imparting a catastrophic load to the aircraft structure or its
occupants. I have followed the FAA testing of the devise for years. The
system is simple and works exceptionally well. It is already credited with
saving a couple of aircraft and its occupants. BRS is now working to have
a system FAA certified for a Cessna 182.
BRS originally stood for Ballistic Recovery System. It is a rocket fired
device that propels the chute out of the aircraft. Their business started
making parachutes for ultra-lights and, the last time I checked about 10
years ago, they claimed to have saved about 150 ultralight lives! Go to
their web site and read about some of their saves. The Cirrus aircraft
application is relatively new and just won FAA certification a couple of
years ago. Even though much attention and certification is pointed to the
rocket ejection mechanism, in my view, the genius of their system lies in
their simple method of controlling chute opening times. -Elon
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