I am flying a 1996 Quicksilver MXL II Sport. It has a BRS Whole Aircraft Rescue Parachute System. So I was thinking about when to pull the handle?

Obviously catastrophic air frame failure. Mid air collision. IMC. I wouldn't fly into that.

What about an engine out over forest or water? I would think yes.

What about an engine out over a city with no good streets or open spaces with in gliding distance. To many cars or wires? I would guess yes.

(sarcasm intended) Do real pilots use "Whole Aircraft Rescue Parachute Systems"? Should I take it off? But since the Quicksilver is a trike should I just keep the chute?

I did not sell the Maule.

Curious about your thoughts.

Cheers...Rob

Thirteen times in Cobra, Pawnee, CallAir, Cardinal, 172, 152, SuperCub, regular construction homebuilders, and175, I had no chute nor would have used one. I hit fences, cut power lines, and cartwheeled, all without a scratch. An ultralight with a working engine but very slow working controls nearly killed me. When full rudder and full aileron would not bring a wing back up, I would have used a chute if available.

The goal is to save your life, not the airplane.
I would say deploy the chute any time you do not think you can land the aircraft without risking life and limb.
Not comfortable putting it in the trees or water, pull the chute.
Landing at WallMart with people on the ground, pull the chute.
Dead engine over a thousand acre sod farm, maybe not pull the chute. You’d risk more injuries to yourself than just landing in the grass.

Saving the airplane should never be in the equation unless it contributes to saving the passengers or people on the ground.

Since you have it, may as well use it. I wouldn't buy and install one, but if an aircraft I bought had it already....? I think you'll know when to pull, don't overthink it, but assuming you can't steer it, maybe try and remember in the split second before you pull, "what's the wind doing and what am I going to drift into!"

Ultralight speed crashes are generally survivable, often without any injury, keep that in mind too. Didn't think you sold the Maule!

Why did you sell your Maule?

He didn't, my poor grammer gave you that impression, bad choice of words. Keyboard malfunction, face to face, wouldn't have happened. I guess I could have let you think Rob realized he was doing it all wrong, saw the light, and now was flying a Quick exclusively. That would be wrong, funny, but wrong.

I've tossed a chute twice...once for a dust devil at 300 feet on a hang glider, with me laying on top of the sail, and the other after my paraglider turned into tangled laundry near the cliff after it surged to almost directly under me.

Both times made the best of the probably fatal situation. I was able to fly the hang glider enough after deployment to flare and land on my feet. I hit hard with the paraglider, but the airbag saved my ass and it turned out way better than being dragged along a 700' Italian limestone cliff.

Don't fear the parachute. If it's a hand toss, test and pack regularly. If it's a propellant type, keep it up to date. They will send the canopy straight through the sail if necessary. If it's a compressed air type, be very skeptical. I've watched a couple of very weak launches from them. I don't know if they even bother to make them any more.

Don't fear the handle. I've had the handle in my hand many times in very rough air on final just in case.

The chute is a great option for:

1. Flight control failure
2. Airframe failure
3. Engine failure over any terrain where a landing is going to really hurt.
4. IMC, unlikely, yeah, but you never know

Don't remove it, even if you choose to not send it for repacking. Someday it might be your actual last chance if the lawn chair folds up.

I'm keeping my Maule. Actually taking the Maule to Idaho tomorrow with some friends. A Husky and a Super Cub. Garden Valley. Stop by if you are in the area. But I digress.

The Quicksilver had the BRS system on it when I bought it. Not taking it off. Going to send it back to the factory next month to get it all up to date.

I like the statement "You will know when to pull the oh shit handle"

Cheers...Rob

Don't deploy it on takeoff. The comments says the pilot was okay, just a few bruises.

If it's not restricting the useful load too badly, keep the chute. Another situation where I am convinced a chute would be truly useful is if the pilot becomes incapacitated for any reason while carrying a non-pilot in the passenger seat. I think landing in a hay field using the chute would be more likely to have a positive outcome than if a non-pilot tried to land the plane...

old joke back when I was hanggliding

when do you throw the chute? when a broken leg sounds like a good deal.

The hand deployed chutes just came out my last year hang gliding, I had one when flying my Fledge II B. Never came close to needing it, but at the time feeling better for having it. Mid air with another HG pilot was my main concern.

Take this for what it's worth:

When Cirrus first came out, their accident rate was truly terrible. Then they started a training program, a large portion of which was "Pull Early, Pull Often," and their statistics improved markedly.

courierguy wrote:The hand deployed chutes just came out my last year hang gliding, I had one when flying my Fledge II B. Never came close to needing it, but at the time feeling better for having it. Mid air with another HG pilot was my main concern.

Ahh the old Handbury chunk’m chutes , Not sure it would’ve save me but gave me the confidence to stupidity teach myself aerobatics in my Rally Super Sport back in the day!

Not here but on the Quicksilver facebook page.

I'm surprised how many said they would never use a chute unless they had loss of control. Several said they would fly it into the trees or water or anything else, so long as they had control. Interesting.

The chute will put you into the ground about 20 MPH. Landing dead stick will vary but something like 35 MPH forward and 7 MPH down. Going down in 50'-80' tall trees, I'm thinking the chute might be the best choice.

Cheers...Rob