CAPS™ – Live With It.
The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS™), standard equipment on every Cirrus aircraft, is indicative of the visionary commitment to general aviation safety. The parachute system is designed to protect occupants in the event of an emergency by lowering the aircraft to the ground after deployment. CAPS™ revolutionized general aviation safety by providing an alternative measure of safety to occupants, similar in theory to the role of airbags in automobiles. No other certified general aviation aircraft manufacturer in the world provides this safety feature as standard equipment.
To deploy the parachute, a person must use approximately 35 pounds of force on the red CAPS™ handle to set off a magnesium charge that ignites a solid-fuel rocket. The rocket blows out a hatch that covers the concealed compartment where CAPS™ is stored. As the rocket deploys to the rear, the aircraft will slow as the embedded CAPS™ harness straps unzip from both sides of the fuselage.
Within seconds, the 55' diameter canopy will unfurl to assist the aircraft descent. The final impact of a textbook deployment, comparable to jumping off a 10 foot ladder, is absorbed by the specialized landing gear, a roll cage and Cirrus Energy Absorbing Technology (CEAT) seats.
* Cirrus has flight tested CAPS™ to 135 knots.
CAPS™ Deployment Video (Requires Flash Player)