[Ugly Mongrel]

I saw this event on the news the other night and was astounded as I have never heard of a plane carrying it's own shute. 

'Miraculous' escape as aircraft plummets out of sky in Blue Mountains | World news | theguardian.com

[Dazzler]

Glad I wasn't the only one to be surprised Terry! Pity they can't do that with the big ones! Those couple of recent jet engine failures have made me nervous!

[FatBoy]

I've flown a Cirrus aircraft before, they are a very nice aircraft to fly, and get along quite quickly (for a single piston engined aircraft).  The Parachute system is a great addition to a single engine aircraft, particularly where there isn't a safe place to land, then stop.

I wouldn't worry about engine failures in jet aircraft, Dazz.  Current rules stipulate that passenger carrying Regular Public Transport (RPT) aircraft must be able to fly at all stages of flight on one engine.  If the chances of an engine failure are 1 in 1,000,000 hours of flying, the chance of having two engines fail isn't 2 in 1,000,000, it is 1 in 1,000,000,000,000!!!  Remember that the one in Perth had four engines, and the one in Melbourne happened on the ground.

[Phil №❶]

Unless they miscalculate the fuel load and run put of juice, which has happened.

[The Gonz]

The innovation of in-tarmac weighbridges and wireless logging of loads has been on offer for decades. Who stalls its installation? The pilots.