Cirrus, a small jet plane, took off it’s first flight on July 3rd and maneuvered the skies for good long forty-five minutes; what distinguishes this 4 seater, general purpose aviation aircraft from others of it’s kind is it’s inbuilt parachute-based security equipment that safely grounds the entire body of the plane during an airborne crisis. To balance the weight of the entire aircraft, the parachute needs to be quite huge in its diameter. With an inflated parachute, Cirrus touches the ground at 17 miles an hour and uses its unique landing gear as a shock absorber. The parachute can be operated by pulling a lever and shoots off from the rear end of the fuselage through a rocket and opens up at a safe distance. Three straps connect the parachute to the plane. This form of equipment works fine for smaller aircrafts but, unfortunately, aren’t the solution in case of mightier planes like Boeings. Take a look at the video for an idea.
Source: Newscientist
