you guys were the pioneers

BRS Wins Third NASA Award for Small Business Innovative Research
SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ –

BRS (OTC Bulletin Board: BRSI or BRSI.OB) was informed by the U.S. national space agency (NASA) that it was selected for the company’s third grant to pursue goals under NASA’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. BRS participated in two earlier awards – called Phase I and Phase II – completed in 1999. NASA supports small businesses like BRS doing high-risk, high-payoff research on technology that might make air travel safer. Phase I awards are for $60,000 and can lead to Phase II awards of approximately $600,000. The new Phase I feasibility study will begin in December, 2001.

NASA received over 1,700 proposals for funding under this SBIR program and chose 325, four of them from the state of Minnesota. Notably, this was only one of three granted in the field of general aviation safety.

“The award from NASA was given to us so we can study the possibility of installing emergency parachute systems in bigger corporate jets,” said president and CEO, Mark B. Thomas. BRS currently fits aircraft from ultralights to kit-built aircraft to certified small business aircraft. The company is the supplier to Cirrus Design for their four-seat, high-performance SR20 and SR22 aircraft. With the new grant BRS will investigate systems for jet aircraft carrying 4-12 passengers. It can also lead to commercial funding or partnerships.

“We will study these possibilities for about two years before any product would become available,” said BRS Chief Engineer, Tony Kasher. However, it opens the door to a very important segment of aviation. And, BRS maintains, the support of NASA toward this objective is very significant as that agency has taken a strong position in support of general aviation growth.

Some industry experts fail to see the logic of an emergency parachute system on twin engine aircraft, but company officials are quick to observe that twin engines don’t help in mid-air collisions or loss of control. Others think jets are too big and too fast for parachutes, but BRS suggests these nay sayers are not considering Air Force drops of battle tanks and high-speed ejections from military aircraft.

The program allowing this award is called the NASA SBIR, or Small Business Innovative Research. More information on this program can be found at the NASA SBIR site of http://sbir.nasa.gov . NASA’s goal is to stimulate technological innovation and to increase the use of small business in meeting federal research-and-development needs. A further goal is to increase private sector commercialization for results of federally funded research. The NASA SBIR Program Management Office is located at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Based in South St. Paul, Minn., BRS, Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets unique and proprietary ballistic parachute systems that lower aircraft to the ground in the event of an in-flight emergency. Through 20 years in business the company has delivered over 16,000 parachute systems for use on certified and recreational aircraft. And, as of October 2001, the company has documentation proving the lives of 142 pilots and passengers were spared by the use of the BRS emergency parachute system on their aircraft. Further information is available on the company’s web site at http://www.BRSparachutes.com

“The award from NASA was given to us so we can study the possibility of installing emergency parachute systems in bigger corporate jets,” said president and CEO, Mark B. Thomas. BRS currently fits aircraft from ultralights to kit-built aircraft to certified small business aircraft. The company is the supplier to Cirrus Design for their four-seat, high-performance SR20 and SR22 aircraft. With the new grant BRS will investigate systems for jet aircraft carrying 4-12 passengers. It can also lead to commercial funding or partnerships.

“We will study these possibilities for about two years before any product would become available,” said BRS Chief Engineer, Tony Kasher. However, it opens the door to a very important segment of aviation. And, BRS maintains, the support of NASA toward this objective is very significant as that agency has taken a strong position in support of general aviation growth.

FORM 9B - PROPOSAL SUMMARY


PROPOSAL NUMBER: A4.01-8115 (For NASA Use Only - Chron: 013884 )
PROPOSAL TITLE:
Advanced Aircraft Parachute Recovery System

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
SATS is NASA’s efficient personal air transportation vision. SATS airplanes must strive for higher levels of safety, speed, and comfort than small airplanes currently offer. BRS therefore proposes to develop an advanced parachute recovery system for high performance GA aircraft capable of 300-knot cruise speeds. BRS has already received FAA certification for its Cirrus Design SR-20 parachute recovery system which evolved from the BRS sport aviation products. However, heavier and faster GA aircraft will require the development of new and innovative technologies to enhance the performance, safety, reliability, and successful commercialization of an advanced parachute recovery system. First, these systems must be capable of reliable deployment in catastrophic emergencies from stall speeds to “loss of control” speeds approaching 350 knots. Secondly, the weight and volume of the systems and components is more critical to the performance and utility of GA aircraft than for recreational type aircraft and must be minimized. Finally, a steering capability for obstacle avoidance in hazardous landing areas will be investigated. These enhancements to aircraft recovery systems will be a significant step toward improving the safety of GA travel, and so have definite commercial potential.

POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
BRS is continuing to work with Cirrus Design in Duluth, Minnesota to develop recovery systems for their aircraft. The BRS CAPS is already standard equipment on the Cirrus SR20 aircraft. and is being adapted to the SR22 aircraft, a upgraded version of the SR20. Future Cirrus aircraft include retractable landing gear versions of the SR22 and eventually larger, faster composite aircraft that will incorporate a variety of new technologies, including more efficient propulsion systems such as cost effective jet engines for GA aircraft. The Cirrus Design aircraft designs are a prime example of next generation of GA aircraft and are therefore, the ideal platform for the development of the advanced recovery system. A key component of BRS’s strategic plan is to aggressively pursue relationships with as many of the currently existing and future aircraft manufacturers as possible to expand the recovery system product line for the general aviation and larger experimental aircraft markets. These markets can be a significant revenue source for BRS with the average recovery system price ranging from as low as $5,000 and up to $30,000.

NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Anthony D. Kasher
Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.
300 Airport Road
South St. Paul , MN 55075 - 3551

NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc.
300 Airport Road
South St. Paul , MN 55075 - 3551