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A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute, is a parachute ejected from its casing by a small explosion, much like that used in an
"How Curti put a parachute on its Zefhir helicopter."
''verticalmag.com'', 15 April 2019.
A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute, is a parachute ejected from its casing by a small explosion, much like that used in an ejection seat
In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocke ...
. The advantage of the ballistic parachute over a conventional parachute is that it ejects the parachute canopy (oftentimes via a small rocket), causing it to open rapidly, this makes it ideal for attaching to light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997.
Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft c ...
, hang glider
Hang gliding is an air sports, air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or Composite ma ...
s and microlights, where an emergency may occur in close proximity to the ground. In such a situation, a conventional parachute would not open quickly enough.
In 1982, Comco Ikarus developed the FRS rocket-launched parachute system for its ultralight and hanglider aircraft. In 1998, Cirrus Aircraft (then known as Cirrus Design) provided the first ballistic parachutes as standard equipment on their line of type-certified aircraft, the Cirrus SR20; and in 2016, the company delivered the Cirrus Vision SF50, the first jet aircraft with a ballistic parachute. Some helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribut ...
s are also fitted with a ballistic parachute.Head, Elan"How Curti put a parachute on its Zefhir helicopter."
''verticalmag.com'', 15 April 2019.
See also
* Ballistic Recovery Systems – manufacturer of ballistic parachutes for use in light aircraft * Scott D. Anderson – test pilot who flight tested the first certified ballistic parachuteNotes and references
Parachuting Safety equipment {{Aviation-stub