Aardwolfe:

The main reason for the post is related to safety factors.

If the engine fails, will the glide factor give you more time to prepare as you glide at a lower speed? Will the lower speed that can maintain an STOL at glide give you more chance at surviving because the impact will be lower? With an STOL I have to believe your ability to land in tight areas will enhance a persons chance for a safer emergency landing.

I am aware that full chassis ballistic parachutes are becoming more available, and being offered as an option on more private aircraft.

As long as we are on the subject of aircraft safety, why do more private aircraft not have manually inflatable bags that can take up the empty space of an aircraft that has to ditch in the water. Once in the water, you could pull a rip chord to inflate a bag in the empty tail sections, another ripcord for the baggage compartment, when you empty the cockpit, a ripchord for the backseat areas, and last a ripchord for the front seats

The idea is not to install flotation devices for saving the airplane long term and therefore would not have to be heavy duty in construction. With the empty areas filled with air bags, it would give you more time to get into an emergency life raft and retrieve essential gear that would be secondary to exiting the aircraft with a lifeboat.

If you were able to send out an SOS, the floating plane would be easier to spot for however long it managed to stay afloat and would offer the potential to beach the airplane to any island that the life raft may be propelled to.

I'm sure those of you with pilot experience probably have insights I lack and I hope you will put them forward.

Thanks!

Bountyhunter