medusa 0 #1 November 2, 2004 We want to do a raft jump but we only have a caravan with a side door. So I was wondering how hard will be to do a raft jump from the caravan and how to do it? any suggestions or instructions will be welcome!!Medusa Get Killed or Die Trying! Patent pending ATFK15456 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Professor 0 #2 November 2, 2004 Good Luck. I've done a raft out of an Otter, but side doors are tough. We had the laid on its side, bottom forward, with everybody around it in the logical way for the way that it would present to the relative wind, i.e. right side people forward of it, left side and riders behind it. It was a tight squeeze, I'm sure a caravan will be even tighter. Our raft was fairly small, only 2 people, BTW. Ted Like a giddy school girl. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 140 #3 November 2, 2004 depends on the size of the raft. if you check ours, it's quite small. We exited it AFF style, one person each side, 1st passenger lying on the back and 2nd passenger on top of the 1st. Just make sure the loading of the boat is correct. Even with this small raft with just 1 inside it was very floaty. With 2 people inside was just perfect. Fish (back to calculating raft wingloading)scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 140 #4 November 2, 2004 or watch this one you can see the raft is not loaded enough... Edited to correct the link...scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 5 #5 November 2, 2004 the link seems to be non functional. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 140 #6 November 2, 2004 link corrected... just in case the name is gummibadscissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #7 November 2, 2004 Ok,be the person in the front of the raft.When they yell READY jump over the nose of the raft and out of the plane.Turn around and watch the funneled raft exit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #8 November 2, 2004 It can be done, but you might want to talk to the DZO and the pilot about this. Better yet might be to wait till you can get a tail gate for a boogie, or travel towhere there is one. Heck I've seen a cow launched from a Caravan.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fatflying 0 #9 November 3, 2004 don't waste your time they ain't gonna let you do it. 1) new pilot you know who 2) wait for the skyvan (hopefully) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZoneRat 0 #10 November 3, 2004 Using rafts/ toys that are durable or have ropes/ straps on 'em should be carefully considered prior to use. A $9.00 raft could potentially do a lot of damage to an airplaine tail... or so I've been told. Not particularly fond of raft dives myself. They have a burble like a battleship... very easy for the wing fliers to slam onto the people in the raft, especially on exit. Yall may have seen that the new cover of the SIM has a pic from a raft dive on it. Here's the video of that jump. Sim Raft Dive Note the ugly exit. I was invited onto that jump, but I just don't do the big, 5-man type raft dives anymore. A while back I was on a raft dive as a wingman, went into the raft, landed on the head/ neck of a good friend. Later she crashed at my house for a few weeks recovering from neck surgery. She got a couple blown disks from that jump. Not sayin' no one should do 'em, but like all novelty jumps, they have additional risk to consider.“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Praetorian 1 #11 November 3, 2004 sorry to threadjack here but... I've heard of a raft dive where as the raft got soft at lower altitude it clamshelled and "swallowed" its passenger, I've been told there is video anyone got it? (not a fatality according to the story the trapped skydiver pulled his/her pilot chute stuck it out of the raft into the air stream and was extracted) so 1 is it true 2 anyone got the video, 3 is there a link? Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #12 November 3, 2004 I've seen some prety ugly tail (and helmet) damage as a result of rafts taken out of side door airplanes. The incident I'm thinking of resulted in a pretty serious dent to the otter, but I imagine with a Caravan it likely would have destroyed the plane. Rafts are best taken out of tailgates. _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
feuergnom 29 #13 November 3, 2004 just one simple answer: don't even think about taking a raft out of a side door. way to dangerous go visit a boogie with a skyvan and take some experienced jumpers with you. if it's just newbies jumping with the raft: don't even think about it... take care....The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle dudeist skydiver # 666 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydivingwill 0 #14 November 3, 2004 I got 2 small rafts. But I'm sure we'll have to find someone that can convince the pilot to let us jump it. "It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -J. K. Rowling willtofly.com Videos, Pictures & News Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medusa 0 #15 November 4, 2004 QuoteI got 2 small rafts. But I'm sure we'll have to find someone that can convince the pilot to let us jump it. will came down here to Colombia, the pilot is my friend and he toald me he will do it!!Medusa Get Killed or Die Trying! Patent pending ATFK15456 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jib 0 #16 November 4, 2004 didn't we have enough trouble getting it right out of the skyvan??? -------------------------------------------------- the depth of his depravity sickens me. -- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChileRelleno 0 #17 November 4, 2004 Quote I've heard of a raft dive where as the raft got soft at lower altitude it clamshelled and "swallowed" its passenger, I've been told there is video anyone got it? (not a fatality according to the story the trapped skydiver pulled his/her pilot chute stuck it out of the raft into the air stream and was extracted Yeah, its true. It happened at WFFC Rantoul, I saw the footage when watching the days film clips, the entire crowd gasped in horror and then applauded this smart/lucky jumper for saving his own life. I'm not sure where you can find the footage, perhaps skydivingmovies,com? I saw another raft jump at WFFC Rantoul where a rider attempted to deploy out of the raft and the PC was seriously caught in the rafts burble. It was flopping around everywhere, threatening to wrap around everyone it touched, particularly the jumpers holding the raft. This elicited a gasp of horror from the crowd and everyone tensed expecting to see catastrophe, it finally cleared and said jumper was extracted from the raft. Raft jumps take planning and its a must to have someone very familiar with them when attempting them. Rafts wrapped around airplanes, jumpers caught in or on ropes and ect... Are very real dangers. ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414 Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsein 0 #18 November 4, 2004 That has to be the best raft dive video I've ever seen.Thanks for posting it and sorry for your friend. HISPA #5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZoneRat 0 #19 November 4, 2004 QuoteThat has to be the best raft dive video I've ever seen.Thanks for posting it and sorry for your friend. Thanks Ricky. I appreciate your kind words. She was one of my earliest mentors and champions in the sport, and although many went into the raft on that dive too, it was my hit that sent her to surgery. Even though she's fully recovered, she more or less stopped jumping since the incident. I may do one again someday, but for now I'm still kinda soured on the whole raft dive thing 'cause of that.“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
