Looking for Perspective on Aircraft Not Approved for Spins

[kontiki]

I'm still on the fence on what to buy for first airplane.

Had a great day flying with a friend sitting next to me. Not sure I would have had the same fun with her sitting in the back of a Citabria.

So I was looking at the Grumman American. Friends point out that Grumman American is not approved for spins because they may be unrecoverable.

Just how much of a concern is that?

Sure, not good for an aerobatics airplane, but do owners consider it a problem?

I know some aircraft like that have a BRS, it that really neccessary or are there aerodynamic or marketing issues that drive that.

Thanks for all shared insights.

 

[Jim Logajan]

The Cirrus has the BRS because the man who started the company was seriously injured nearly died after the very light plane he flying (can't remember if it was an ultralight or an Experimental-Amateur Built) had a structural failure in flight.

Their rationale is on this web site:

http://www.whycirrus.com/engineering/stall-spin.aspx
"Despite some suggestions to the contrary, CAPS was an integral part of the Cirrus SR20 development from initial conception. Cirrus Co-founder Alan Klapmeier was inspired after surviving a mid-air collision early in his flying career. He wanted the SR20 to have some form of life saving device for when the pilot lost control of the airplane. Even in the mid-nineteen nineties, Cirrus saw parachutes proving themselves in the ultra-light arena and ready to be applied to heavier airplanes."

The Cirrus was undergoing the spin testing necessary for normal "spins prohibited" certification just like those other planes I mentioned when the FAA approved an exemption from spin testing based on the BRS installation. Being able to stop the testing (which was completely successful to that point) without completing it saved Cirrus a bunch of time and money in its certification program.

So installation of the BRS is definitely a marketing issue for Cirrus, and there are no known aerodynamic issues (and none suspected beyond what is known) driving its inclusion on that plane.

To confirm that some spin testing was done, this is a quote again from the above link:"The European authorities (initially JAA, later EASA) when first evaluating the Cirrus SR20 agreed with the principles of the FAA/ELOS approach but had some further questions. A series of spins was performed on their initiative. While not a complete formal program they reported no unusual characteristics."
(ELOS: Equivalent level of safety.)