Originally Posted by
Ascend Charlie
Getting the friction right on the payout drum is the key - too little, and the cable will run out into the valley you are crossing. Too much and it jerks you out of the sky.
One group I worked with had a drum with a broken brake, so they grabbed a lump of 4x2 and jammed it against the drum, with a man leaning harder or less against the end of it. He let it go when it caught on fire...