Your opinion: Ballistic parachute?

[Yamma-Fox 403]

After reading the recent post of a flaperon failure ( http://www.avidfoxflyers.com/index.php?/topic/5042-left-flaperion-hinge-failure/ )  the question of parachutes came to my mind.

So whatcha guys think?

Pros and cons?

Your guess on the % of severe injury / fatal accidents where they would have saved the day? 

% where the chute would be useless?

Edited 5 May 2017 by MN Kitfox 2

[EDMO 1078]

I don't know how others feel about these emergency chutes, but if I was afraid to fly my plane without one, then I wouldn't fly it.  I guess they may be good for that 1 in 100,000, or whatever the statistics are, emergencies?  With my luck, after saying that, I may be the one who wished he had installed one!   EDMO

Edited 5 May 2017 by EDMO

[Fly-n-Low 181]

If you are high enough off the ground for it to work, your golden, otherwise....

As far as the hinge failure, it looked like rot to me. That is one of the first things I inspected, treated, primed and painted on my bird. 

So I am not buying one.

[Av8r3400 1179]

There has never been an inflight failure of an Avid/Kitfox which was properly maintained.  My Mangy Fox came with a BRS system, I removed it during the rebuild.  IMO it was a wasted 30 pounds.

 

I'm sorry to be harsh, but the flapperon hangar failure is a blatant example of "not properly maintained".  The damage to the hangars should have been noticed, at the latest, on a preflight inspection.  More so on a condition inspection.   I am extremely glad no one was badly hurt, or worse, and he is hear to tell his tale, but that is an example of poor maintenance.  Grabbing and moving the flapperons looking for weakness like this is as important as checking fuel or oil.   The damage was present before that flight occurred. 

[chopndrag 226]

I always check , wiggle and look over my flaperon mounts everytime. As for a brs STAY AWAY !!!! If you fly like the rest of us with your avid the brs won't even have time to open after you assess the situation. Proper maintenance is all it boils down to .