The Trouble with Trouble

February 17, 2007 by neilkrey.

One of the difficulties, and attractions, of flying is how easy it is to get into trouble.  And, once in trouble, how hard it can be to get out.  For as long as man has ventured into the air, we have devised gadgets intended to keep us safe.

One of the newer ones is the “whole aircraft parachute” system.  Such systems float the entire airplane down to the ground, and have been adopted widely in the ultralight community.  Under the name of CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System), this equipment is installed on every Cirrus Design product.  These systems are credited with saving numerous lives, but are still the object of passionate debate in airport lounges and online forums.  Folks either love them or hate them.  Read the rest of this entry »