Stealth,

Do you know if this was a compressive spine injury? I've read a bit
about German Me-163 pilots being killed by using the wrong landing
skid setting. It seems that if you don't unlock the skid, that ship
would land hard enough to crush vertibrae (sp?) I've also read about a
particular early model ultralight, don't know the type, that used
nothing more than a canvas sling for a seat. On hard landing, pilots
would impact the Earth with their backsides causing spinal injuries
and/or death. Ditto several incidents of paraglider pilots, who fly
supine, impacting terrain.

I may be the only one on the NG with a plane that WAS designed to
crash. The elevator was placed in front of the wing because Wilbur
Wright wanted as much structure in front of him as possible when the
enevitable crash occurred. The rudder also hinges up in pantograph
fashion to help prevent damage. Of course, after 10 seconds in the
cradle, you too would be convinced that a Wright machine can kill you
in at least 100 ways. I'm still not entirely convinced that I want to
try flying it.

Harry