Cirrus Airplane Parachute System; System Description - Cirrus DESIGN SR20 Pilot's Operating Handbook And Flight Manual

Section 7
Airplane and Systems Description

Cirrus Airplane Parachute System

The aircraft is equipped with a Cirrus Airplane Parachute System
(CAPS) designed to bring the aircraft and its occupants to the ground
in the event of a life-threatening emergency. The system is intended to
save the lives of the occupants but will most likely destroy the aircraft
and may, in adverse circumstances, cause serious injury or death to
the occupants. Because of this it is important to carefully read the
CAPS descriptions in this section, section 3 Emergency Procedures
and Section 10, Safety and consider when and how you would use the
system.
The parachute system does not require electrical power for
activation and can be activated at any time. The solid-
propellant rocket flight path is upward from the parachute
cover. Stay clear of parachute canister area when aircraft is
occupied. Do not allow children in the aircraft unattended.

System Description

The CAPS consists of a parachute, a solid-propellant rocket to deploy
the parachute, a rocket activation handle, and a harness imbedded
within the fuselage structure.
A composite box containing the parachute and solid-propellant rocket
is mounted to the airplane structure immediately aft of the baggage
compartment bulkhead. The box is covered and protected from the
elements by a thin composite cover.
The parachute is enclosed within a deployment bag that stages the
deployment and inflation sequence. The deployment bag creates an
orderly deployment process by allowing the canopy to inflate only after
the rocket motor has pulled the parachute lines taut.
The parachute itself is a 2400-square-foot round canopy equipped with
a slider, an annular-shaped fabric panel with a diameter significantly
less than the open diameter of the canopy. The slider has grommets
spaced around its perimeter. The canopy suspension lines are routed
through these grommets so that the slider is free to move along the
suspension lines. Since the slider is positioned at the top of the
suspension lines near the canopy, at the beginning of the deployment
sequence the slider limits the initial diameter of the parachute and the
7-82
• WARNING •
Cirrus Design
SR20
P/N 11934-004
Original Issue