LISTENING ACTIVITY - CIRRUS AIRPLANE

CIRRUS

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1840777



LISTENING ACTIVITY Cybele Gallo


WARM UP

Explain the difference between an accident and an incident in aviation.
Have you ever heard about Cirrus?
Where do you think the parachute is fitted in the airplane?
How do you think the system works?


A) As you listen to Mr. Alan Klapmeier describing how the parachute is activated, number the steps into the correct sequence:

( ) the rocket pulls the parachute out of the airplane.
( ) the pilot pulls a handle in the airplane
( ) the airplane is lowered to the ground
( ) the handle fires a rocket


B) Mr. Klapmeier is now describing two situations that happened recently involving Cirrus airplanes. As you listen to the interview, complete the sentences below.

On Thursday, an airplane was flying in ……………………………………. with ……………… people on board. It was crossing the mountains of British Columbia at night. The pilot ………………………………………………… and as he was trained, he could deploy the parachute quickly, and they could land on the side of a mountain at …………………… feet with the four people alive.

On Saturday morning, a pilot took off in ……………………………………….. ………………………….. conditions , that means , ……………………….. and ………………………….. , and he had some disorientation problems and decided to …………………………………………………….. . He was able to land in a …………………….. in Ft l Lauderdale, Florida .



C) Listen to the recording again and circle the correct answer:

1.The way the parachute is fitted to the airplane is in a canopy / canister in the back of the airplane the 15 / 50-pound parachute resides.

2.Cirrus is a six/ four-seat, general aviation what we would call a private/ personal aviation airplane.

3.It's actually equivalent to about a 10- or 11-foot drop in big/ free fall, but that works out to be about 15,000/ 1,500 feet per minute,

4.This technology was developed out of ultralights and hang gliders; has grown up into the size airplanes that we have, which is about 6,400/ 3,400 pounds and 100/200 miles an hour.


4. Mark True or False:

This technology was developed out of ultra-lights ( )
Boris Popov survived an ultra light accident. ( )
Boris Popov started BRS - ballistic recovery systems- ( )


5. Complete the following text with your own words:

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 (1) ……………………………….. to protect occupants in the event of an extreme (2) …………………….. by lowering the aircraft to the ground after deployment by the pilot. CAPS revolutionized general aviation safety by providing a final 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 (3) ……………………………… the parachute, a person must use approximately 35 pounds of force to set off a magnesium charge, which will ignite a solid-fuel rocket. The rocket will blow out a pop hatch that covers the compartment in which it is (4) ……………………………. As the rocket deploys to the rear, the aircraft will slow, and buried harness straps will unzip from both sides of the airframe.
Within seconds, the canopy will position itself over the aircraft and allow it to (5) …………………….. gradually. The final impact, an equivalent of jumping off a 10 foot ladder, is (6) ……………………………. by the specialized landing gear, a 3g roll cage and 26g seats, producing a survivable landing.