# Who knew this was possible? Quick-thinking pilot brought plane to earth using giant parachute. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 11, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-this-was-possible-quick-thinking-pilot-brought-plane-to-earth-using-giant-parachute/688171 "2014-05-11T02:46:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-this-was-possible-quick-thinking-pilot-brought-plane-to-earth-using-giant-parachute/688171/21 "2014-05-11T17:04:14Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Am I the only person that finds this hysterically funny in a sort of horrible irony kind of way? > > [plane goes out of control, pilot pulls big red handle] > > “Whew… if not for this parachute, I’d be really screwed!” > > [sometime later, when the plane lands in the swamp] > > “Crocodiles? WTF?” You are not the only person who laughed. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2014, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-this-was-possible-quick-thinking-pilot-brought-plane-to-earth-using-giant-parachute/688171/22 "2014-05-11T17:18:31Z")
One of my favorite _The Far Side_ cartoons: “The untold ending of D.B. Cooper” [![](https://misfit120.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/db-cooper.jpg) ](https://misfit120.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/db-cooper.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-this-was-possible-quick-thinking-pilot-brought-plane-to-earth-using-giant-parachute/688171/23 "2014-05-11T17:28:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve never flown a Cirrus, but it strikes me as a slick, fast aircraft – much like the Bonanza. When I learned to fly, the aircraft used for training were the Cessna 150/152, Cessna 172, Piper PA-28 Cherokee, and the occasional Grumman AA1 or AA5 or an old Beechcraft Musketeer. _Very_ casual observations indicate that Cirrus SR20s and Diamond DA40s are becoming popular at flight schools – but I don’t know if they’re used for primary training or advanced training. I haven’t flown a Cirrus but I’ve flown a Diamond, specifically a DA20. The Diamond is a descendant of motorgliders and it has a MUCH greater glide ratio than the more common Cessnas and Pipers - Typical single engine fixed-gear Cessnas and Pipers have around a 7:1 glide ratio, the Diamond around 11:1. That was probably the biggest difference I found in flying one. I had to recalibrate how I did approaches and landings because the darn thing just did not want to come down! i caught on fairly quickly, but then I’d been flying 10 years, had hundreds of hours, and my “thing” was trying out new airplanes (17 different types in 10 years according to my logbooks). I could see a newer pilot running into trouble making that transition from Cessna/Piper landings to Diamond style landings and vice versa. Also, I’m not a fan of castoring landing gear but since by that time I’d earned my tailwheel endorsement it was no big deal for me. Might be a problem for someone much less experienced. Anyhow, if you started in a Cirrus and that was all you had flown you’d likely be safer than a pilot who learned mostly in a Cessna or Piper and had recently transitioned to a Cirrus. Likewise, if you started in aviation in a Katana and “moved up” to a Diamond with all your training in those aircraft I wouldn’t have much concern as opposed to someone who had mostly spent time in Cessnas/Pipers then recently jumped into a Diamond. It’s not that you can’t transition safely, you certainly can, but there’s a period of time when you’re not 100% with the new airplane. As I said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with a Cirrus. But if you’re used to put-putting along in a C-150 moving to something that goes significantly faster and has more automation in the avionics a Cirrus is going to require some getting used to. Past getting your private license, when you transition to a new model you generally don’t spend as much time on safety/emergency drills as when you were first learning to fly. Bravo on Cirrus for offering type-specific training, I think it’s all to the good, and if you’re buying something like a Cirrus you should be able to afford the time/money/effort for that - if you can’t, how heck do you expect to spend the time/money/effort to maintain your airplane? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-this-was-possible-quick-thinking-pilot-brought-plane-to-earth-using-giant-parachute/688171/24 "2014-05-11T17:39:22Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Cessnas and Pipers have around a 7:1 glide ratio, the Diamond around 11:1. That was probably the biggest difference I found in flying one. I had to recalibrate how I did approaches and landings because the darn thing just did not want to come down! This reminds me of a story my dad told. He was stationed in the FAA at DAG, in the middle of the Mojave Desert. There was a pilot making an approach on a 110º day in a Cessna 150. Everything was fine until he crossed over the black, asphalt runway. Then he couldn’t get the damned thing down, for the rising air. I think it took him three tries. > [@Broomstick](#): > > Anyhow, if you started in a Cirrus and that was all you had flown you’d likely be safer than a pilot who learned mostly in a Cessna or Piper and had recently transitioned to a Cirrus. Likewise, if you started in aviation in a Katana and “moved up” to a Diamond with all your training in those aircraft I wouldn’t have much concern as opposed to someone who had mostly spent time in Cessnas/Pipers then recently jumped into a Diamond. It’s not that you can’t transition safely, you certainly can, but there’s a period of time when you’re not 100% with the new airplane. I agree. > [@Broomstick](#): > > As I said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with a Cirrus. But if you’re used to put-putting along in a C-150 moving to something that goes significantly faster and has more automation in the avionics a Cirrus is going to require some getting used to. Heck, I learned in a Skyhawk. When I tried to get flying again (as usual, I ran out of money) I could fly the airplane as if I’d just flown one a week before. Greased the first landing slicker than snot. But the Garmin 430 nav/com/gps was a bit of a challenge. I’m used to a King KX-155, a compass, a DG, and a sectional. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-this-was-possible-quick-thinking-pilot-brought-plane-to-earth-using-giant-parachute/688171/25 "2014-05-12T19:13:09Z")
[AVWeb](http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Cirrus-Salesman-Pulls-Chute-During-Demo-Flight221997-1.html) says this was a sales flight. > [@](#): > > There’s one feature Cirrus Aircraft sales people talk about a lot but had never demonstrated until Saturday when an Australian rep had to deploy the parachute while on a demo flight with prospective customers. The article also says that witnesses say that the aircraft was ‘tailspinning out of control’. . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-knew-this-was-possible-quick-thinking-pilot-brought-plane-to-earth-using-giant-parachute/688171.md?page=1)