Plane Uses Parachute System to Ditch
An innovative safety system by Duluth-based Cirrus Aircraft helped a pilot safely ditch his Cirrus SR22 in the Pacific on Sunday after the plane ran out of fuel.
The pilot was 253 miles from Maui, Hawaii, when he deployed the plane's airframe parachute system.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard:
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu identified the cruise ship Veendam, en route to Lahaina, Maui, and coordinated the pilot’s ditch near their location.
At 5:21 p.m. the crew of the Veendam rescued the pilot. The pilot was reported to be in good condition. The plane was last observed partially submerged.
Courtesy Cirrus Aircraft
February / March 2015
On the Cover: A prototype Cirrus Vision SF50 personal jet flies over the Twin Ports, a high-flying example of our aviation heritage.
We featured Cirrus in the February/March issue's feature on aviation, by Editor Konnie LeMay:
From the time the Klapmeiers developed their first aircraft kit to today, Cirrus Aircraft in Duluth has designed numerous general aviation small aircraft, created a groundbreaking safety system involving a parachute for its planes, sold nearly 6,000 piston-powered aircraft, has nearly 800 employees with hopes of adding about 200 more in the next two years and is about to roll out production of its first jet in 2015. Its Cirrus SR22 is the best selling FAA-certified small aircraft in the world, besting sales of Cessna’s similar size model. The Klapmeiers have received numerous awards and accolades, including 2014 induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. [...]
The Duluth plant officially opened in 1994. Summer that same year, the company unveiled its prototype at the EAA AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The aircraft featured several innovations, including a lighter-weight composite material body and the company's now-famed CAPS – Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, literally a parachute for the plane itself in emergencies.