quade 4 #1 August 13, 2003 http://www.harvardhillside.com/Stories/0,1413,108~5342~1567968,00.html Quote Skydiver lands safely after two-hour hang in tree By Don Eriksson PEPPERELL -- A visiting skydiver was rescued from the top of a tall tree last Thursday after hanging some 90 feet off the ground for more than two hours. Mark Dow, 46, of Alaska, became stuck in the tree shortly after 2 p.m. when his parachutes snagged a pine tree on the Pepperell-Nashua border near the end of the Pepperell Airport runway. A call for help came into the Pepperell Fire Department at 2:21 p.m., according to Fire Chief Costa Bozicas. Fire personnel from both Pepperell and Nashua responded to the hard to reach location. Dow was hanging an estimated 90 feet off the ground in a stand of trees located about a quarter-mile off Route 111 beside a corn field. Bozicas said rescue apparatus had to be wedged in around the trees in order to reach Dow. Pepperell's 40-foot-long ladder did not extend far enough up the tree. To get to Dow, a second ladder from Nashua Fire Department's platform truck -- braced by Pepperell's ladder -- was raised. "We were lucky that way. He was up 80 or 90 feet," Bozicas said. Dow spoke with emergency medical technicians right away, saying he was thirsty. Tree workers Roy Turilli and Brad McFetridge from Turilli & Sons Tree Service of Groton clipped the limb of the tree and later cut it down during the rescue. According to a witness, Dow, a pilot and experienced parachutist with 80 jumps, had come down with two canopies open. Parachutists jump with a main and a reserve 'chute. According to jumpers, the second parachute is not deployed unless there is an emergency or it releases automatically. An experienced jumper not at the scene theorized Dow's use of the reserve parachute might have led to the treetop landing. When a reserve parachute is deployed, the jumper is flying in a down-plane (the canopies point at a downward angle) and it takes moments to acquire level flight. According to unconfirmed reports, a small single-engine airplane had been flying near the multiple jumpers accompanying Dow and might have had an effect on his jump. Areas of jump activity are marked as no entry zones on aeronautical maps. quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
a97virago 0 #2 August 13, 2003 Who was the experienced skydiver that said that "it takes moments to acquire level flight" from a down plane??? Nevermind, I don't want to know. But having HAD a downplane, there ain't a damn thing you can do, but cutaway!!! Now maybe he had a bi-plane or a side-by-side. But then again, I'm just nit-pinking the media. Hope Mark Dow is alright! Blue skies! Larry A-43434 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
