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First Emergency Use of Whole-Aircraft Parachute
Ahotasu writes "Over at SpaceFlightNow, there is a short NASA news release discussing the development of and first emergency use of a production parachute system for a general aviation aircraft. Whole-ultralight parachute systems have been available and used for some time, but this is apparently the first use in a "certified general-aviation aircraft". From the article: "In October 2002, a pilot released his single engine aircraft's parachute and landed safely in a Texas mesquite- tree grove. The pilot was uninjured, and there was minimal damage to the plane. The safe landing made aviation history, as it was the first emergency application of an airframe parachute on a certified aircraft." Here's the company's website. Looks like right now, they only have models for a select few gen. aviation aircraft, probably the most popular models."
Sorry, I forgot to mark the obvious sarcasm. I'll try harder for you n-e-x-t t-i-m-e.
Gotta throw in Stalin, the Khans (Ghengis, Kublai, et al), and Pol Pot, too. And think about what Cortez and the Conquistadors (sounds like a cheeseball lounge act...) did in Central and South America, as well as the good ol' USA as it expanded westward to the Pacific...