Cirrus Aircraft could certificate the airworthiness of the single-engined SF50 Vision jet without an in-flight test of the whole aircraft parachute recovery system under a new proposal by the US Federal Aviation Administration.
A proposed special condition describes an in-flight parachute deployment test as “an unnecessary expense” with “inherent danger”.
Fifteen years ago, the FAA made the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) an essential safety feature for certificating the airworthiness of the Cirrus’ piston-powered SR-22.
But the agency considers the CAPS for the William FJ44-powered SF50 as a “supplementary” system. Under the proposed special condition, Cirrus can receive a Part 23 airworthiness certificate even without demonstrating whether the parachute recovery system works in flight.
Comments on the FAA’s proposed decision are due by 2 May.
Cirrus designed the SF50 with a CAPS, but the installation bears no resemblance to the SR-22.
The CAPS deploys from the top of the passenger cabin on the SR-22. But that would interfere with the engine inlet on the SF50, so Cirrus instead built the caps into the nose of the aircraft.
The CAPS is also integrated with the SF50’s avionics software. In the event a pilot commands the CAPS to deploy, the avionics will automatically manoeuvre the aircraft to ensure the parachute is released within an operating speed range between 67-160 KCAS, the FAA says.
Cirrus launched development of the SF50 in 2008, shortly before a global financial crisis nearly drove the company out of business. But new Chinese ownership revived the SF50 certification effort. A plan to complete certification by the end of last year fell short, and now Cirrus expects to achieve the milestone in the first half of this year.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
