Planeoraks: "Pull the big red handle"

ITYF she's down \/ there, with the other tent pegs.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Hog

The ballistic recovery systems in the 'planes have a rocket-deployed
'chute. A cursory Google suggests minimum deployment heights on the
order of 60 metres.

 

You may be right. Her wings did fall off so maybe she is in "the
other place".

 

Err, I think you're confusing the 'turn into wind height', which the
instructors used to indicate to first-time students as the plane
passed through that height on climb, with the minimum bale-out height.
15+ years ago at the skydive centre I used to jump with, these were
200ft and 1000ft respectively

 

Nah: there are two items that get fired off: one's probably the
fuselage panel that covers the parachute and the other's either the
pyro device or the pilot chute for the main parachute.

 

That's pretty much as I recall too. Static line was 2000' for rounds
and 3500' for ram air with 1000' being the AAD setting for freefall
rigs, IIRC 2000' was the break and pull height. Russian special
services used to jump from 400' or so in combat so 300' is probably
the minimum to get away with but it would be touch and go.

 

You go right ahead and jump from 200ft with a normal Raps rig old chap.
I'll take the photographs.
A base jumping rig yes.

Obviously if the plot was going down one would jump and deploy regardless
but at 200ft I'd expect to break bones. At least.

 

What on earth are you bimbling about? I was discussing the minimum height
you could make a clean jump from, with a conventional Raps rig. In extremis.

Not that I've tried 300ft but I jumped with people who had done so when an
engine went phut. Though the pilot brought her down ok.

In normal practice a static line jump from a plane would be 2000ft. For
freefall, as much as you can persuade the fuckers to give you. 12000ft being
nice if you can get it.

 

documentary once suggested even Jumbo sized planes could use them

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Hog

You'd feel a right fucking idiot when everybody else stepped from the
aircraft after the forced landing, then.

 

Wicked Uncle Nigel wibbled forthrightly:

I was very surprised at how the chute handled the plane and how softly
it came down.

 

Depends who is flying....

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Hog

If you don't trust the pilot, don't board.

Simples.

 

Akcherly in parachute clubs the attitude to pilots is somewhat more relaxed
than elsewhere.
It is of course a false sense of security.

 

You misreed my post. the '200ft' bit referred to the altitude that
sutdents were told to turn into wind when landing (actually, this
applies to rounds, not ram-airs, so it is out of date). Minimum
altitude for leaving a stricken aircraft is most definitely 1000ft.

The rule is: stay with the aircraft below 1000ft. I guess there may be
circumstances where that might be broken, though.

 

Yep, we always had ours set to 1000ft.

2500ft pull height for most parachutists; most altimeters have a
everything below that marked in red. Mine certainly does.

 

There seemed to be some confusion in the discussion. I didn't mention normal
jump/release heights, the point was about minimum practical escape height
from a sick plane.

 

At least that parachute was actually designed for the job. One of my
parachuting books has a rather grainy photo of a 'plane hanging
upside-down under a student's rig. Apparently everyone in the aircraft
survived that one.

This is why static-line students are supposed to put their hands on
their head in the event they've suffered a hang-up malfunction.

 

Well, the rule we were told was that the jumpmaster wouldn't order us
out below 1000ft. Sure, a parachute will usually open in a lot less
than that, especially a reserve.

I can imagine that if the plane had a cockpit fire or was actually
breaking up then you'd be better out than in; a partially inflated
parachute is better than nothing and an impact might be a kinder way
out than burning to death.

 

My pals, who had over 1000 jumps each, one over 2000, reckoned in an open
sided jump plane any signs of major trouble at 300 and they were out for the
hell of it.

Then again they are very good and packed their own rigs to their
preferences.