Exiting a Piper Cherokee 140 (PA-28)

[flyusa 0]

Hello all!

Does anyone have experience jumping from this model of aircraft? It's on the list of planes that can operate with their door removed - and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on exiting this particular make and model?

THANKS!!!!!!

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Very carefully.As you know the tail is very close to the trailing edge of the wing.You would want to be as low as possible and just dive down and out away from the airframe.I would think hard about the safety issues before making a jump out of this plane.


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[riggerrob 643]

Jumping a Cherokee 140 is possible, but not recommended.
You either have to remove the door completely or struggle to push it out of the way, while the pilot tries side-slipping to relieve pressure.
Way more hassle than most skydivers can handle gracefully.
Far wiser to borrow a Cherokee Six and just remove the aft passenger door. If you are rotund, you can also remove the aft baggage door. You have to crouch really low to spot under the flap. Then the exit is similar to the cargo door on a Cessna U206.
Just remember how close that horizontal tail is!

A few skydiving schools have flown Cherokee Six jump planes - successfully - for years.

Piper Saratogas have the same - 6 or 7 seat - fuselage, but the longer wing climbs better.

[airtwardo 7]

I've done it a few times with the door on.

As RiggerRob said, it's a challenge, for both you and the pilot.

I'm 6'4" so I really had to push hard to get the door open far enough to squeeze out, and you won't be able to spend a lot of time out on the wing spotting...you create a lot of drag out there.

Also...on some models there is a small flap above the door that acts as an in flight door latch / lock that's meant to prevent the door from being opened in flight. You can trip that latch with a thin screw driver or pen knife from the inside.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[skyfreek 1]

did it a few years ago with the door off. just get super small and sort of do a front roll as you squeeze out the door.the tail is kinda close and low, so try not to expose yourself to the wind too much untill you get away from the plane

[BIGUN 1,485]

My experience at attempting this (circa 1982) could be listed under stupid human tricks. The Cherokee 140 owner (also experienced skydiver) is flying us to a DZ. I have this brilliant idea that I'll just open the door, roll out and cya on the ground.

First attempt, I shove the door out as hard as I can and the plane rolls up and to the right causing the pilot to holler "Shut the DOOR!"

We do a go around, talk about, he's going to hard slip it.

Second Attempt - hard slip I open the door and am trying to get my large butt out the door while preventing the paracommander and belly wart reserve from hanging on anything as I go to roll. Evidently, there's quite a bit of pressure on the rudder pedal in a hard slip (he's got pins in his ankle) and his foot relaxes, plane again rolls almost 90 degrees right. I feel it and slam the door closed.

"So whaddaya say we just land and go manifest?"

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[flyusa 0]

Thanks for the info - I'm a Cessna 182 pilot at a long operating DZ, and also own a Cherokee 140, and thought it would be fun to take the door off once in a while and have someone else fly it for me so I can get out. But if it's not recommended then I guess I'll have to forget it.

There are many in government who have a very simple tax proposal in mind. There will be only two lines on the tax form: 1-How much did you make last year? 2-Send it.

[velvetjo 0]

Hey Rich - let me know if you're dead set on trying it and I'll take you up sometime at HZL in your bird. Sounds like a good excuse to get checked out in a Cherokee 140 if you're up for giving a little dual. I've thought hard about having T drop me from the 172...some day.

Been working on tailwheel lessons up here in NY - pretty fun. Challenging too.

See ya at the DZ,

Lance

[scrublink 0]

I own a Pa-28/180, same as yours but with the larger engine. I have seen a three way succesfully taken off the wing more than once and have never had a problem tossing people out with out the door on. I wouldn't let just any idiot do it, but most experienced jumpers shouldn't have a problem as long as they use their head. (And I don't mean to use their head as a contact point with the tail either.)

[docjohn 0]

I made about 60 solo jumps out of our club's 140 a few years ago. Just removed the door, climbed out on the wing feet facing the tail and back facing the prop. Put my right foot on the step, left hand on the wing just above the flap and rolled off keeping a low profile away from the tail. Great for single jumper demos and just jumping for grins. As I recall, to be legal, we also had to post a sign on the dash which read SEE OPERATION MANUAL FOR FLIGHT WITH DOOR REMOVED. For some reason, that made it legal.

I'll see if I can upload a video clip of a 140 exit on my web page.

Have fun


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Doc
http://www.manifestmaster.com/video

[Rookie120 0]

A friend of mine and I did a jump from a 140 in colorado a couple years ago. We took the door off and the manual stated you have to install a placard on the instrument panel. There also a few speed restrictions but thats it. I climbed out on the wind back to the step and fell off to the side and my friend dove off the wind. We both were kinda paranoid about hitting the tail. A lot of fun, something different for the log book. Good luck.

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[kallend 2,148]

I strongly suggest you get the owner to check his insurance policy. Most aviation policies for GA aircraft specifically exclude parachuting or skydiving activities.

It's not necessarily illegal to operate an airplane without insurance, but it's pretty damn stupid, IMO.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[davelepka 4]

Keep in mind that jumping at a DZ involves more than you may relaize. There are DZOs, pilots, instructors, and experienced jumpers on hand to oversee jump operations, and keep things moving in the right direction.

If you remove all of those safeguards, you open yourself up to possible trouble.

An in-experinced jump pilot (possibly in-experienced as a pilot in general or with low hours in-type), a non-traditional jump ship, not set up for jumping, and an in-experienced jumper sounds like a bad combination to me.