Ballistic Recovery System
by
Jim Harper

The only problem that I had with my new HP-16, N8DC was that with a parachute on, the cockpit fit was pretty tight. I have a history of flying ultralights, so I decided to look into a BRS. This would recover the entire glider, and save me having to try to find a parachute I could work with. I suspect that it represents more safety than I need, but it IS reassuring.

The BRS model that I purchased is a 1050 softpack. The 1050 represents the weight in pounds that the ‘chute is designed to lower. My glider and I together weigh around 740 pounds, so we have excess parachute capacity. One of the reasons that Brent Torgeson at BRS recommended going to the 1050 is that its maximum deployment speed is 155 knots…which is a fair margin beyond the VNE of my glider. The installation is quite simple.

The black straps around the spar-stub are the actual risers to the parachute. The parachute pack is the black rectangle with the white patch on it. The black tube with the red and white stripes is the rocket which pulls the chute out. The black cable to the lower left of the picture is the cable to pull the chute.

A view of the pull handle which actuates the thing. When it fires, it will go through the turtle deck.

And one hopes, lower us safely to the ground. Actually, I hope I never use it, but it does add to piece of mind. Feel free to contact me to discuss this further.