Matronics Email Lists :: View topic - Jumping out of a Europa and parachutes

Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists

Get Email Distribution Too! FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register

Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in

Jumping out of a Europa and parachutes

Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> Europa-List

View previous topic :: View next topic

Author Message

myron.haluschak(at)sympat
Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:06 am Post subject: Jumping out of a Europa and parachutes

Hello All:

Firstly  Merry Christmas to all, and best wishes for a safe and happy New 

Year.

I have been following the discussions regarding the parachute and jumping 

out of planes. I'm hoping my two cents will add another perspective to the 

thoughts presented.When I first received my kit, adding a BRS was something 

I considered doing, knowing I would have to redesign and make structural 

alterations for the fit of the chute myself.  After discussions with BRS and 

Cirrus reps., I decided it was a task beyond my scope. The Cirrus breakaway 

system, ie., the means by which the chute leaves the "channel" that the 

shrouds and lines rest in,  is a complex structure. I saw a chute before it 

was hidden from view, and it was clear that alot of money, testing and 

re-testing went into the final product...not practical for me as I only 

have, and plan to have, one hull to play with. Is it impossible? Certainly 

not, but before I was about to turn this endeavour into an experiment, I had 

decided the old fashioned way would have to do. Jumping out is the last 

thing you want to do, but in certain situations it may be your last 

plausible means to save yourself. I have jumped out of several types, round 

and square airfoils, as part of my military training in the F-16, and some 

recreational jumps out of Cubs, Cessnas, Otters, etc., and what I have seen 

is, a planned evacuation, even under optimal conditions can go wrong 

quickly. Can you remember the last time you tried to get into a Cub? It 

wasn't easy for sure, especially if you are new to it...now try getting out 

with a full harness, from the back seat. Of course every plane is different, 

and on that occasion, conditions were optimal, the attitude was upright, 

speed slow, and a fairly big door, with a pilot in control. Cessnas are 

better but also pose their own set of circumstances. The bigger, the easier 

the egress is. I don't have a flying Europa to jump out of yet, but have 

flown in several. And one thing I noticed was the relative ease getting in, 

but afterwards, in the seating position that we all occupy, it is not that 

easy to move. It was one thing I liked about the Europa to begin with, but 

because it was rather restricted, I knew it would be a bailing out issue if 

I were ever in that situation. Getting out wouldn't be impossible, just 

difficult, especially fighting the effects gravity now has when your 

attitude is not optimal, and you don't have a pilot holding her steady for 

the egress. There's one factor that I cannot account for and that's the 

adrenalin factor for when there's a real sitaution...it's not one you can 

simulate very well. I'm sure it would add some extra motivation to get out, 

but it's not something anyone can unilaterally say will get you out. Bare in 

mind, as adrenalin goes up, your cognitive and rational thought process 

decreases, which is why some people may say, "whatever made me do or say 

that?"  Whatever the situation and risk involved, we have chosen a pastime 

that has grave inherent risks, balanced off by the many great experiences it 

also carries. It's clear a BRS could save you in a dire sitaution, but from 

a realistic perspective, a personal parachute seems the best solution, and 

even then there are inherent risks in getting out. An egress that was 

described in an earlier post made it sound so easy, get out of the cockpit, 

straddle the rail and climb out onto the wing and either slip off the end or 

out toward the tip... that's alot to bite off in the real world, under a 

life or death scenario. With that said, I would likely wear my personal 

chute for the early phases of flight, but there comes a time when you should 

leave the thing on the ground. It's not my intent to oppose a view or 

suggest what I feel is the only right thing to do, what I would suggest is 

know YOUR plane and your personal limitations and plan accordingly. You may 

find a chute is for you or not. One day when we have a BRS tested and 

mounted, life will be simple again. If I can suggest anything, practice 

emergency procedures until they are habitual, know your own plane as if it 

were your child, and don't be complacent with anything. It may not have you 

covered 100% all the time, but this is flying..pilots die with ejection 

seats too.



Myron A046 XS monowheel

- The Matronics Europa-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Europa-List

davidjoyce(at)doctors.org
Guest

Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:41 am Post subject: Jumping out of a Europa and parachutes

Myron, If you want to get out of your Europa and it's still under control, 

then I suspect the answer is: Undo Canopy & Seat belt, Pause to make sure 

you didn't undo parachute straps by mistake, roll to inverted & push the 

stick forward. The rest is easy apart from learning to land a parachute.

          On the other hand if the plane is still under control and not on 

fire I would stay seated in virtually all circumstances and look to land it 

somewhere. Survival rates are high (over 90%) landing in trees or water and 

should be 100% if you just have a few hundred yds of flattish land.

        Having been following Europa crashes closely for over 10 years, I 

can only think of one situation where I might have welcomed a parachute and 

I strongly suspect it wouldn't have helped then anyway. I refer to the break 

up of William Mills' Classic Europa at what was probably the end of a Vne 

dive. He lost a wing and tailplane in mid air, but I suspect that the 

violent gyrations of a one winged plane would have made it impossible to 

exit the cockpit even if he had not been rendered unconscious.

         So personally, in spite of owning a parachute that came with my 

glider, I have never felt it worth taking in the Europa

Merry Christmas & Happy Landings, David Joyce, G-XSDJ

- The Matronics Europa-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Europa-List

Display posts from previous:

	Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> Europa-List	All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

Jump to:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum