Paging Champ and Bee

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4162104.stm

Russia grounds all Mi-8 helicopters after two crashes.

You wouldn't listen, would you?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39(P) Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

"Eight parachutists are reported to have bailed out before the aircraft
crash landed"

That's lucky ! ;-)

P.

 

Parachuting from Helicopters - not a good game. they were also lucky not
to get shredded on the exit.
In our club we always relaxed around 300 metres up, we knew we could all
get out at that point no matter what went wrong. I've heard of folk
surviving a bale out at 300ft but I wouldn't like to try it!! Base
jumping release systems they are not.

'Hog

 

I guess the tip would not to bother with the old "1000,2000,3000" bit.

 

LOL I think so.
Free fall parachutes are designed to open very slowly as you have a high
rate of descent when you flip the drogue, or it would break your back.
From 300 ft you *just* have time (1) to deploy the main canopy and get
ready for a (round canopy type) high impact rolling landing.

(1) it has been done by necessity I am told. Nobody has tried it
intentionally *just to see*....unsurprisingly

'Hog

 

<strokes lucky rabbit's foot>

 

Not sure that it was an Mi-8 that we used. It just doesn't look big
enough.

 

not eaten it yet then?

 

It appears to be exactly what I was in <re-examines holiday pic vs news
pic>

 

<strokes lucky....> erm, never mind...

 

I have to admit that I broke out in a bit of a cold sweat when I saw
the header. I couldn't begin to imagine about what topic you could
possibly be paging Champ and me in the same breath.

Feel somewhat relieved now....

 

Depends on your POV. I thought it to be great fun.

 

Just the rest of the rabbit. The foot was lucky.

 

Couldn't you?

....and I feel dissappointed.

 

I guess the rabbit would disagree. Are you fully dressed BTW?

 

Yep, but I haven't shaved since Monday. However, this is not
particularly unusual - I only usually shave 2 or 3 times a week.

 

Swirling blades and free fall don't gel all that well when things go
wrong! exiting the back end of a plane seems so much nicer.

'Hog

 

I see your point, but it was a free jump so I did it. I've never gone
out the back of a plane, though a mate rode a pushbike out of a C130. I
jumped the helo several times, a C119, several Cessnas, a DO-27 and a
Dehavilan Dragon Rapide (that was fun, walked out on the wing and fell
off).

 

Luckier than trying to eject from one, anyway.