Will Furnish 'Chutes For Entire Line Of Singles

Add Cessna to the list of aircraft manufacturers that have selected Ballistic Recovery Systems to provide a whole-airplane parachute system for their newest aircraft. BRS announced this week the Wichita-based planemaker will offer a BRS system as an option in its new Light Sport Aircraft, the Model 162 SkyCatcher.

"We’ve been working with Cessna since the beginning on their remarkable new design and we are pleased that they see the value in having leading-edge safety features like the BRS system on board," said Larry Williams, BRS Chief Executive Officer.

Since Cessna unveiled the SkyCatcher at Oshkosh earlier this year, the company made no secret of its intent to offer a 'chute in the 162... and many assumed BRS would get the nod to supply the system. The BRS parachute will sit aft of the aircraft's two seats, modeling the current installations available for the Cessna Skyhawk and Skylane models.

BRS also announced this week a new agreement which will make its parachute recovery systems available for the entire family of Cessna piston singles... from SkyCatcher all the way up to the top of the line C-206 Stationair.

Cessna service stations across the world will begin offering BRS whole-airframe parachute system installations and service for the 172 Skyhawk and 182 Skylane later this year, according to the company. BRS will begin immediately developing an STC for the parachutes to be installed in the C-206.

The new Cessna two-seater is filled with new technologies. It has a Garmin glass cockpit, gull wing doors, a new-styled control stick that takes up less space than a conventional yoke and now a BRS parachute system which will bring the whole airplane safely back to earth in the event of an in-flight emergency. The BRS parachute will sit aft of the seats, modeling the current installations available for the Cessna Skyhawk and Skylane models.

Ballistic Recovery Systems has been manufacturing its unique whole-airframe parachutes since 1980, and is credited with saving more than 200 lives. BRS also manufactures the worlds only FAA-certified whole-airplane parachute, for Cirrus Design.

More than 3500 of those systems are flying on the Cirrus SR20 and SR22. In addition to offering systems for a growing number of light sport and recreational aircraft, BRS is also designing parachutes for Diamond Aircraft’s new personal jet, the D-Jet and Epic Aircraft’s new Victory jet.

Over 27,000 BRS parachute systems are flying worldwide.

FMI: www.brsparachute.com, www.cessna.com, www.cessnaskycatcher.com