Pull the Cirrus 'chute, pay no deductible

nddons

nddons

Touchdown! Greaser!
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nddons said:
Interesting concept. Do you think it will save more lives?
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I'm going to vote "no". How many people are going to be considering their insurance deductible when faced with a situation which would necessitate pulling the chute? I don't think it would even enter my mind.

On the other hand, it might make me more likely to purchase insurance from a company which offers that benefit. But purchasing insurance is something you do from the comfort of the ground with a lot of time to consider your options and shop around.
 
Seeing as how most aviation accidents (especially the fatal ones) occur in circumstances where the 'chute isn't going to be of much help (beyond giving the search teams a large brightly colored object to home in on), my vote is the same as EverSkyward's: NO. Does the chute have a place in the annals of aviation safety as a great idea? Of course it does. However, encouraging pilots to resort to it without hesitation could potentially backfire and cause people to view it as a "get out of trouble free card" rather than staying sharp and avoiding bad situations to begin with.

That said, anything that saves pilots money is a good thing so I am glad to hear they are waiving the costs.
 
SteveinMichigan said:
That said, anything that saves pilots money is a good thing so I am glad to hear they are waiving the costs.
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Nice opportunity for fraud. Start a trip overwater (say, Florida to the Bahamas) and well out to sea, start screaming Mayday. Turn back towards the mainland, slow-flying until intercepted by a Coast Guard helicopter, then pop the chute over deep water, splash down, exit the plane, and ride the line up. Plane sinks in deep water, insurance pays you every dime.

Then a year later, drag the box out from under the bed where you'd stashed all the panel avionics before takeoff, and list 'em on E-Bay....

Ron Wanttaja
 
Everskyward said:
I'm going to vote "no". How many people are going to be considering their insurance deductible when faced with a situation which would necessitate pulling the chute? I don't think it would even enter my mind.
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Many may not think about the "deductible", but they definitely think about bending the plane. Why else would normally logical pilots try to make the 'impossible turn' or fly over a perfectly good hayfield while trying to push their glide back to an airport. I don't know if this will truly help people "pull the chute", but i do think it might help someone think more about how far to push it.

jf
 
JeffFranks said:
Why else would normally logical pilots try to make the 'impossible turn' or fly over a perfectly good hayfield while trying to push their glide back to an airport.
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I don't think this has anything to do with "saving the plane". I think it has more to do with the fact that most pilots are more comfortable landing on runways than in hayfields and the instinct is to go for what you are familiar.
 
Why else would normally logical pilots try to make the 'impossible turn' or fly over a perfectly good hayfield while trying to push their glide back to an airport.
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Perhaps the fact that many of us get it drilled into our heads that we should always try for the runway before resorting to an off-airport landing? The fact that you're talking about a decision made over a couple of moments (supposing a loss of power on climbout) means you're going to resort to your instincts and for many of us that is to try to get to a runway. I also think pride and ego has as much to do with it as fear of damaging the plane. I could be wrong, but that's how I've always looked at it.
 
SteveinMichigan said:
Perhaps the fact that many of us get it drilled into our heads that we should always try for the runway before resorting to an off-airport landing? The fact that you're talking about a decision made over a couple of moments (supposing a loss of power on climbout) means you're going to resort to your instincts and for many of us that is to try to get to a runway. I also think pride and ego has as much to do with it as fear of damaging the plane. I could be wrong, but that's how I've always looked at it.
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My landing priorities are to come back to earth:

Under control
Gently
At the intended destination.

IN THAT ORDER!
 
wanttaja said:
Nice opportunity for fraud. Start a trip overwater (say, Florida to the Bahamas) and well out to sea, start screaming Mayday. Turn back towards the mainland, slow-flying until intercepted by a Coast Guard helicopter, then pop the chute over deep water, splash down, exit the plane, and ride the line up. Plane sinks in deep water, insurance pays you every dime.

Then a year later, drag the box out from under the bed where you'd stashed all the panel avionics before takeoff, and list 'em on E-Bay....

Ron Wanttaja
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So when are we going in on a SR22? haha
 
That's silly. So you'd rather have a pilot total the plane than land it with minimal damage on the grass field below?
 
I don't think this has anything to do with "saving the plane". I think it has more to do with the fact that most pilots are more comfortable landing on runways than in hayfields and the instinct is to go for what you are familiar.
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Man, I have to learn to refresh a thread before posting.... LOL
 
sba55 said:
That's silly. So you'd rather have a pilot total the plane than land it with minimal damage on the grass field below?
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No, if I were an insurance company, I'd rather have ten pilots each total a $300,000 airplane than have to pay off a single $20M wrongful death lawsuit.

Ron Wanttaja
 
Everskyward said:
How many people are going to be considering their insurance deductible when faced with a situation which would necessitate pulling the chute? I don't think it would even enter my mind.
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idk. Contrary to many here the 6 member committee in my head has about 2 dozen tangentially related conversations as time slows down during my close calls (flying, driving, or otherwise). Settling "How much is this going to cost me?" & "Can I afford this?" early in the event would reduce the stress if pop the chute was truly the best option.
 
Pi1otguy said:
idk. Contrary to many here the 6 member committee in my head has about 2 dozen tangentially related conversations as time slows down during my close calls (flying, driving, or otherwise).
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Interesting, my guess is that your reaction is not the norm, but maybe that's because mine is the total opposite. In any close call I can only remember thinking about the immediate situation at hand, not anything or anyone else. :dunno:
 
wanttaja said:
No, if I were an insurance company, I'd rather have ten pilots each total a $300,000 airplane than have to pay off a single $20M wrongful death lawsuit.

Ron Wanttaja
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Me too, but using the chute won't accomplish that. If anything, it increases the chance of such lawsuits.

That's a fair assumption only as long as people are proficient. Sadly, that's not the case for many, so maybe pulling the chute is the best option.

-Felix
 
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