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From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.FIDONET.ORG (SKYDIVE)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: When to push? (Was Re: Near Accident...)
Message-ID: <2721.27F0A97B@ehsnet.fidonet.org>
Date: 26 Mar 91 20:29:00 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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Reply-to: Scott.Traurig@p0.f64.n382.z1.fidonet.org (Scott Traurig)
Fido-To: uiucuxc!convex.mitek.com!matt

>reserve??)  Anyway, no one has ever taught me to deliberately push a
>jumper off the step.  (Since the only jump plane at my drop zone is a
>Beech, I guess we wouldn't emphasize emergency procedures specific to
>a Cessna, though.)  Chris could have gone for his buddie's backpack,
>or he could have pushed him.  Are there any other reasonable actions
>he could have taken?  Is pushing someone *ever* reasonable?  I sure
>don't know.
  
Now be gentle, I'm new to this discussion....
  
I don't know either, but was onced faced with a similar situation in an 
Otter.  Our group of 4 was last out, and we were in no hurry so as to 
give the previous group (12+ way) plenty of room. As the previous group 
exited I was looking down at my rig for a last check, and when I looked 
up I saw our middle floater walking casually toward the door 
trailing his pilot chute!  Not wanting to just jump on the pilot chute 
and possibly open his container, by the time I reached him he was 
backing out the door, and still no one noticed the pilot chute!  Trying 
to haul this guy back in buy his chest strap was to no avail, he had no 
clue, and was determined to go skydiving!  Just as our rear floater 
noticed what was going on and moved to help, I changed my tactics and 
tackled this guy out of the door and off the aircraft.  As someone said 
previously, you should have seen the expression on his face when his 
parachute deployed.  As luck would have it, our rear floater 
reported to us back on the ground that I and the pilot chute went out 
the door together.
  
The moral of the story: check your's and everyone elses pilot chutes 
all the time, not just yours.  Our front floater didn't know what was 
going on until we were all on the ground!  Clearly, a less than 
sufficient safety awareness level.
  
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are my own!
  
Scott Traurig         traurig@ncavax.decnet.lockheed.com
D-13275 S/L JM 91
--- QuickBBS 2.66   a need for freefall....
--- eecp 1.45 LM2 

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