I doubt I'll ever need to use this thing but it
sure as heck makes ME feel a lot safer having the thing installed!!!!
View of kevlar harness and bridle installation along with the chute
mount behind the seat. The installation was reviewed by BRS engineering.
The BRS rocket will fire out the starboard side of the fuse slightly to the rear. BRS indicates there will be no problem with the rocket penetrating the single layer of 1.7oz fabric.
View from the port side. The harness that surrounds the fuselage is hanging loose from the top of the cabanes. Note that I decided to flip the mount and move the rocket to the bottom after this pic was taken.
D-ring detail at top of the rear cabanes before covering. The rocket will pull the bridle out from the right side of the fuselage up and along the right side cabane to the D-ring that attaches to the harness that surrounds the entire fuselage.
Rear cabanes, with the harness ends running up each side, and the bridle have been fabric covered. The bridle (enclosed in the leather sheath) is detachable from the upper D-ring in order to allow wing removal. The bridle attaches across the rear spar to provide additional structure to pull against during deployment.
Deployment handle installation looking from the right side of the fuselage. The handle is secured to the upper longeron using the longeron through-bolt. The handle is easily accessible with the right hand. The chute deploys from the right side and the bridle will be snapping up and around the right fuse and rear cabane during deployment. I'm figuring it's best to have your head and body pulled over to the LEFT to keep it away from the quick moving Kevlar!!!
The chute installation looking down and back from above above the cockpit. The seat is pushed forward (in the bottome of the photo). The deployment cable runs diagonally down from the upper right (black wire ties) to the rocket shown in the middle of the photo. Rocket is aimed ~15 deg aft. The chute mount is secured behind the seat using 6061 angle. Those are the propane gun solenoid valves at the right.
The extended bridle is wrapped up and secured to the fuselage tube with a wire tie. The Kevlar bridle is long enough to allow the shroud lines to clear most all structure during deployment.
Another view of the bridle running forward.
This is what makes the BRS go POP! The rocket assembly is good for 12 years and the chute (if kept dry and protected) is good for 6 years before repack and the repack can be done locally by a qualified parachute rigger.
The BRS-5 rocket body. The propellent at left inserts into the body. The cables run to the secondary bridle that extracts the chute.
The rocket body inserts into the launch tube that contains the firing mechanism that's actuated when the deployment handle is yanked.