Should I buy a parachute?

Shepherd said:
F-4E. It was an all around bad day.
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Ah. . .I never worked on those; Inertial and Radar Navigation Systems, RF-4Cs, then Doppler in F-105s. Two sounds we'll never hear again, but magnificent airplanes. And Pilots. Glad you made it back.
 
Shepherd said:
A trip down memory lane for the Vietnam era military pilots.
How much did you trust the Martin-Baker you are strapped into?
How much did you trust the airman last class parachute packer who just came off 24 hours KP because some second lieutenant didn't like the way he was saluted?

Personally, I rated both a Zero.

I did have a GIB pull the handle rather than ride through the crash barriers at Da Nang with me. He survived. Mostly.
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Back in the early 80s a friend of mine in the AF ejected. Its been so long I don't remember what he was flying.

He claims that afterwards he is an inch shorter. I do remember he suffered back and hip injuries.
 
write-stuff said:
I've been in a spinning Lockheed Lodestar wearing a parachute and with an open door five feet away. Getting to the door with that weight on your back and changing G-forces made it impossible. I know you're kidding, but this question does come up from time to time.
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:goofy:Been there done that. Exciting to say the least. I was able to get out and watch the Loadstar go down below me. The pilot recovered a couple of thousand feet below me but I was already accelerating to terminal and went by him again!
 
Sundancer said:
Ah. . .I never worked on those; Inertial and Radar Navigation Systems, RF-4Cs, then Doppler in F-105s. Two sounds we'll never hear again, but magnificent airplanes. And Pilots. Glad you made it back.
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INS on C's and E's here. I could probably still do a bias.
 
When one attends Allen Silver's Bailout Seminar, you learn it's safer to stay with the plane than leave it.

Unless it's on fire, or missing parts... big parts.
 
jkaduk said:
INS on C's and E's here. I could probably still do a bias.
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Ah! 328x4! Wow, that was long, long ago. . .I remember more about the F-105 doppler. . .Geez, now they have tiny accelerometers, gyros based on magnetics, light, or combinations, etc...
 
Zeldman said:
Back in the early 80s a friend of mine in the AF ejected. Its been so long I don't remember what he was flying.

He claims that afterwards he is an inch shorter. I do remember he suffered back and hip injuries.
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That's normal. Also, few guys punch out and fly again after the incident. My GIB spent months in the hospital and never walked again without crutches.
 
Sundancer said:
Ah! 328x4! Wow, that was long, long ago. . .I remember more about the F-105 doppler. . .Geez, now they have tiny accelerometers, gyros based on magnetics, light, or combinations, etc...
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I'm sure you've heard this joke:
What's the definition of dead reckoning? That's when the RIO says "Well I reckon the INS is dead".
 
Spotter626 said:
:goofy:Been there done that. Exciting to say the least. I was able to get out and watch the Loadstar go down below me. The pilot recovered a couple of thousand feet below me but I was already accelerating to terminal and went by him again!
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The pilot lost around 5,000 feet in the spin before recovering. If he hadn't, I'd be reincarnated as a small tree, some bushes, and various bugs right now.
 
No, you should not. I haven't read all responses, but the answer is clearly NO.
I flew skydivers with an emergency rig on my back. The airplane had the "big door". I honestly felt that if the tail was ripped off I would never have been able to get out. The parachute was just to make it legal.
 
Somedudeintn said:
Ok, so I don't have access to a cirrus like 6PC and was thinking I should just buy a parachute like the aerobatic guys have to wear in case my engine vibrates out of the airplane when I lose half of half of my propellor, or when someone on a 42 mile final runs into me and takes my wing off.

Thoughts?
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HAHAHA!!!!!
Holy Crap how did I miss this one?
There is so much throwback awesomeness in this OP.
 
Shepherd said:
That's normal. Also, few guys punch out and fly again after the incident.
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Ejection seats have improved considerably since the F-4E days. I know a couple guys with two MB ties, several more with one and still flying.

Nauga,
and his egress drills
 
jkaduk said:
I'm sure you've heard this joke:
What's the definition of dead reckoning? That's when the RIO says "Well I reckon the INS is dead".
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:yesnod: I finished as aircrew in C-130s; we lost the doppler once, and I used the ladder to reach the freq tracker, in the tray, top of the cargo compartment. Lucky me, blown fuse, spare in the cover! The AC and NAV thought I was some new kind of genuis. . .

But the F-4s and F-105s were my favorites; the sounds, shapes, missions. We lost so many of those guys, especially the Thud drivers. Man, it was criminal. . .
 
nauga said:
Ejection seats have improved considerably since the F-4E days. I know a couple guys with two MB ties, several more with one and still flying.

Nauga,
and his egress drills
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Same here. Last dude I know that punched, they got him back in the saddle 3 days later. No real injuries.
 
EvilEagle said:
Same here. Last dude I know that punched, they got him back in the saddle 3 days later. No real injuries.
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Same. Everyone I've known to eject from an aircraft while within the seat envelope (i.e. not low and inverted, not 600+ knots) was pretty much fine, aside from some cuts/scrapes/bruises. Modern day ACES II/NACES seats are very reliable and don't cause the spinal injuries that older seats did (not that either seat is very "new" at this point).
 
RobertSubnet said:
Well people have been known to be hit by golf balls so the OP would have to wear a suit of armor to protect himself from that possibility. It might affect his swing just a tad but he would be safe from ball strikes.



On a more serious, different note: I once had the privilege to walk through a B-17, "Aluminum Overcast." One thing that becomes immediately apparent is just how cramped it is. Consider trying to bail out while: wearing bulky clothes, wearing a bulky parachute, the aircraft spinning, the footing treacherous due to spent ammo cases and other equipment and it becomes apparent that it was a miracle anyone was able to bail out of a stricken B-17.

If you ever have a chance to tour the inside of a B-17 it is quite an experience.

/Sorry for the thread hijack.
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I have a cousin who broke his leg playing golf. He had parked the cart on a slightly elevated part of the course, and while he was setting up his shot, the brake released and the cart ran him over. What are the odds?
 
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