Paratrooper Jump
Posted March 22, 2008
By admin
Is paratrooper jumping from 90 meters crazy?
That's what someone in Apocalypse Now said, so how come it's considered crazy?
90 meters is less than 300 feet.
A typical jump from a fixed wing air craft is 1200 feet (365 meters) at about 120 mph. The jumper leaves the aircraft and counts to four. At that point he has moved laterally about 300 feet and descended about 200 feet (61 meters) leaving about 1000 feet (30 meters) between him and the ground. He now has to look up and check his chute, still descending. If the chute has not properly deployed, he now has to look down and reach for his reserve, pull the rip cord, grab the skirt of the chute and shake it out in front of him so that it won't become involved with the suspension lines of the main chute, still descending. Depending on the nature of the malfunction on the main chute (mae west, cigarette roll, melted rip-stop, etc.) there may be precious little time for him to now pull a slip into the wind to slow his lateral movement.
As you might imagine, none of this would be possible at 300 feet or one/fourth the typical height. There is just not enough time and distance. You might as well leave the reserve chute on the plane, it would be of no use. Yes, that's crazy.
The SOP for a combat jump (where the aircraft is taking fire) is 900 feet (274 meters) but I've seen 500 feet (152 meters). This puts the plane in the line of fire for less time and leaves the paratrooper in the air for less time. Even then the reserve chute is more decorative than functional. When you hit the ground, you are still moving laterally from the enertia generated by the plane. If the wind is with your movement, a controlled landing is near impossible and you are at the mercy of fate. Also crazy.
Word to the wise: Don't do it.
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