On July 24th, just days before the opening of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow, BRS performed a Touchdown Condition Test on a OMF Symphony 160 2-place Part 23 certified aircraft. The test is a challenging proof of an airframe's ability to withstand the forces of contact with the ground after descending under parachute canopy.

"The OMF Symphony performed excellently" said Engineer Brent Torgerson. His positive remarks were echoed by Jeff Peltier, the lead technician executing the test along with other engineering staff members at BRS, the South St. Paul company which has made its name by designing and marketing whole-aircraft parachute systems.

In the test, a conforming fuselage was lifted aloft to 8.5 feet (wheels above the ground) and dropped by releasing the tow cable. No parachute is involved but the test creates a descent rate calculated for a 5,000 foot density altitude. The Symphony was sand bagged to simulate full gross weight of 2,150 pounds.

"What we're mainly concerned about are spine loads for the occupants of the Symphony" said Torgerson. The results were far below what the human body can withstand showing that the parachute system should allow occupants to escape a troubled aircraft after a parachute deployment without serious injury. FAA specifies "serious injury" but the reality of the recent OMF test shows injuries are likely to be none or minor.

OMF and BRS have agreed that the German-based manufacturer of certified aircraft will install BRS parachutes on the Symphony as an option while both companies continue testing that will allow the four-place Symphony 4 in development to have a whole-airplane parachute system as standard equipment, only the second Part 23 certified aircraft to take this dramatic step toward enhanced aviation safety.

Since the early 1980s BRS has delivered over 18,000 parachute systems to aircraft owners around the world including FAA-certified production models like the Cessna 150, Cessna 172, Cirrus SR20 and Cirrus SR22, and hundreds of non-certified recreational aircraft. Actual documented uses of these systems are credited with saving the lives of 157 persons through the end of July 2003. BRS is a publicly-traded company based in South St. Paul, Minnesota.

FMI: www.brsparachutes.com