YahooLV 0 #1 April 10, 2002 You're a floater or on the camera step, suddenly you're hanging from the tail of an airplane and you are not falling towards earth.... What do you do? Think carefully, your life may depend on the answer..............(The things everyone needs to think about.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Opie 0 #2 April 10, 2002 What are we hanging by? How did we get there?OpieIf your not on the edge, you can't enjoy the view! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gale 0 #3 April 10, 2002 Something similar happened to someone at my dz. They were hanging from the step of a C182 (it was quite long at the time) she slipped and the step was caught in between her back and the rig. She wiggled off and was just fine. Now we have a much smaller step and do not think it would happen again.GaleLife's not worth living if you can't feel alive Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooknswoop 19 #4 April 10, 2002 Determine if it is my main or reserve over the tail. If it is my main, cutaway, skydive, track, and pull my reserve. If it my reserve over the tail, take out my hook knife, cut the risers, skydive, track, pull my main.Hook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #5 April 10, 2002 Determine if it is my main or reserve over the tail. If it is my main, cutaway, skydive, track, and pull my reserve. If it my reserve over the tail, take out my hook knife, cut the risers, skydive, track, pull my main. There is a saying.. The one time you need a hookknife and you don't have one will be the last..I second that...Rhino Blue Skies ..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,089 #6 April 10, 2002 >You're a floater or on the camera step, suddenly you're hanging from the tail >of an airplane and you are not falling towards earth.... What do you do? Let go of the tail.Seriously, chop the main if it's the main or part of the main deployment system, cut the reserve manually if it's the reserve. If you don't have a knife, start pulling on lines and risers like crazy to try to free it. If it's your harness, loosen (but do not remove) everything you can and try to get it unstuck. BTW SL students should put both hands on their heads and expect to get cut free by the JM, and should then open their reserves - but I suspect that's not the intent of the question.-bill von Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #7 April 10, 2002 Hint, if its your reserve wrapped around the tail, cut your reserve risers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beachbum 0 #8 April 12, 2002 Maybe not what I SHOULD do ... but I think this would be the sequence ... FIRST thing I'm gonna do is say "OH (*@$(&" a couple of times, while hoping like heck it's caused enough of a control difference that the pilot realizes I'm hanging there ... so he doesn't start diving for the ground before I get loose ... then I'll start worrying about getting myself loose safely (preferably in a manner which removes the canopy from the tail so it doesn't cause the pilot further problems) ... I think Derek had it right ... ??? RiggerRob ... why the risers, as opposed to the lines? I would think you'd want to cut the lines so they'd be less likely to hang on the tail as well??As long as you are happy with yourself ... who cares what the rest of the world thinks? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rendezvous 0 #9 April 12, 2002 It's just a guess, but I think it should be the risers because:1.) You have to cut through much less 2.) there will be fewer loose ends dangling around when the canopy tries to get away from the plane. Just a guess, correct me if it's not the reason. I would be interested in knowing it too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #10 April 12, 2002 Think carefully, your life may depend on the answer..............Not just your own life, everybody on the plane is now in mortal danger.And don't think about it for too long either....I keep saying it on these forums, get a freakin knife!!!CyaD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 37 #11 April 12, 2002 Cutting ther reserve risers is fine, but your not going to do it with a cheap plastic Z knife. And a Jack the ripper might get jammed on the type 7. Hmmmm ..... four risers or 18 to 20 lines (don't forget non cascaded A's and steering lines)? If I could reach the lines I think I'd be trying for them. Unless you have a serrated knife (hey, product improvement for the aluminum handled knifes!) I think you'll get through the lines faster. What I'd really want is my EMT rescue knife, but its a folder. Of course what happens when you cut through one riser or set of lines, the canopy slips off the tail, and your left to dump your non free bag, high performance main into a streamering mess that you can't cutaway? There's an ugly thought! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #12 April 12, 2002 I have a Kbar that I could carry.. I could just cut the tail of the plane off?? I would go for the lines too.. I wouldn't count on being able to cut through risers..Rhino Blue Skies ..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooknswoop 19 #13 April 12, 2002 Under tension, cutting through risers should be very easy w/ a razor-blade type hook knife. From altitude I think I coould cut 4 reserve risers and deploy my main by no lower than 8,000 ft.Hook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #14 April 12, 2002 Type 8 Risers melt like butter if they are under tension when cut. They cut just as easly as spectra lines if your knife is fairly sharp. Tension is the hard part. Would'nt it suck to only cut 15 of the 16 lines and not fall away from the canopy? Risers are easier to grab, esaier to tell if they are cut, easier to get a cut started on too... Hmm I'm going for the 4 cuts needed on the risers. YMMV..."Hey.. Its my camera, and my remote... I'll rewind if I want to!" ~ Goat #2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveMonkey 0 #15 April 13, 2002 Aren't knives mandatory in the US? They are over here. When you participate in sporting events, its not whether you win or loose, its how drunk you get. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #16 April 13, 2002 Hook knives are not mandatory. It's such a cheap option on new rigs and easy to have installed on existing rigs that I can't see any good reason for jumping without one, but lots of people do.--Brian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites