If the Pilot Breaks......

[MIflyer]

This might have helped the family who took off from our airfield on 7 Jul and headed home to NC. But in view of the fact that they had a four hour flight with constant electrical problems followed by loss of all power and a fatal crash 5 miles from their home field, perhaps not.

From Avweb:

The opening-day press briefing at Cirrus's AirVenture display prominently featured the company's "Safe Return" system, standard equipment on the new SR 7+ series piston singles. The innovation marks the first time Garmin's Autoland technology has been applied to a piston-powered aircraft.
In Cirrus's eyes, that is a significant development for general aviation, on par with the company's decision from its inception to include a ballistic parachute—whether the buyer wanted it or not. Safe Return takes that concept a step further—"If the plane breaks, pull the chute. If the pilot breaks, press the 'Safe Return' button."

But there's a more nuanced element to Cirrus Safe Return, developed in concert with Garmin, that goes beyond reassuring skittish passengers. Cirrus wants to expand the general aviation market, "growing general aviation outside of aviation," said President of Innovation & Operations Pat Waddick this morning. Cirrus wants to show the general public that flying personal airplanes is "so safe, so easy, that anyone can participate."

That extends to student pilots in Cirrus aircraft who might be "just unable" to handle situations such as flying VFR into instrument conditions. Rather than pulling the parachute and damaging the aircraft beyond repair, Safe Return could bring the plane and pilot home safely to fly another day.
In addition, the aging GA pilot population could be made to feel more comfortable continuing to fly, particularly with friends and family, if they were confident their loved ones would have safe recourse should they become unable to continue to perform as the pilot, even temporarily.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

 

[GrauGeist]

Would the electrical problems have interfered with the "Safe Return" system, though?

 

[MIflyer]

Would the electrical problems have interfered with the "Safe Return" system, though?

I would assume so. The Safe Return must use electricity and they seemed to lose all of that. I can't even recall how many times the generator on my Ercoupe quit, and had no effect on flight at all. Turned out it was supposed to receive cooling air from outside the engine compartment and when I fixed that its reliability increased a great deal. I finally replaced it with a modern alternator.

 

[GrauGeist]

I would assume so. The Safe Return must use electricity and they seemed to lose all of that. I can't even recall how many times the generator on my Ercoupe quit, and had no effect on flight at all. Turned out it was supposed to receive cooling air from outside the engine compartment and when I fixed that its reliability increased a great deal. I finally replaced it with a modern alternator.

I recall that often times the generator was suspect, but turned out to be fouled contacts on the voltage regulator.

Going to an alternator sure eliminates that headache!

 

[MIflyer]

I recall that often times the generator was suspect, but turned out to be fouled contacts on the voltage regulator.

The nice thing about generators is that it is easy to bypass the regulator and check to see if the generator is working. Alternators are far more reliable but also much more complex to test. I got tired of the old three terminal generator regulator failing and bought a new electronic replacement model - it lasted maybe 6 months and the company failed to honor the warranty. So finally I went to a new alternator, at a cost of well over $1000.