On 8/31/2010 12:46 PM, Tuno wrote:
Little red handle anyone?

There is a little red handle I would LOVE to have.

Many years ago the skydiving industry came up with a way to jettison a
malfunctioned main canopy and deploy the reserve as a single action by
simply adding a static line from the main parachute's riser to the
reserve parachute's pin. Thus pulling the "cutaway" handle would also
result in a deployed reserve. This system was especially appreciated
at low altitudes!

Since August 4th I've been wondering how difficult it would be to add
a single "red handle" to the glider cockpit, that would be secured to
one of the shoulder straps (i.e. at the pilot's torso, easy to find in
the worst of conditions). Pulling this handle would simultaneously
release the canopy and unbuckle the harness. No fumbling for one set
of handles and then another.

This handle, as I envision it, would look very much like the cutaway
handles in skydiving -- a small pillow attached to teflon cable(s),
brightly colored, hard to pull by accident but easy to find and pull
on purpose.

ted/2NO

I suspect that one of the principle risk areas for mid-airs (outside of
contests) is in the pattern, near an airport. There is absolutely no
way a conventional chut can save you when you are this low, no matter
how fast you can get out of the glider. A BRS can.

--
Mike Schumann