RAF Falcon goes on early resettlement course

[Top Bunk Tester]

Shocking moment RAF parachutist hits burger van with a thud at air show - ITV News

"Would you like fries with that?"

[500N]

Ouch !

............

[The B Word]

It didn't go so well for the 82 year old that was mown down either! I guess that the days of the Falcons landing crowd-side are over then?

[500N]

Where was the LZ ?

Was it behind the van ?

[The B Word]

The LZ was on the beach where a hole in the crowd had been cleared, but as seen in 2007 at Eastbourne, it doesn't take much for it to go wrong when you're coming in with 30-40mph of smash on!

Watching the video he appears to have the wind behind him.

Here's hoping all make a speedy recovery

[500N]

Thanks

Yes, it did look like he had a good wind behind him.

[Exascot]

I am not a parachutist (thank you) but have dropped this team in the past. I do not understand why he didn't forget the target when it was clear he wasn't going to make it and turn into wind to land. Even in the shallow water if need be.

[500N]

Not sure with that Parachute but it looked like he was pulling the right handle a couple of times but nothing happened.

[MOSTAFA]

There but for the grace of .........................

But I'm sorry he's (presuming), still a knob.

[cokecan]

i saw the drop on Saturday, and for whatever reason the display was not as 'tidy' as the Falcons normally are - a couple of blokes were well behind the pattern most of the way down, one bloke didn't have smoke etc...

it wasn't as crisp as you'd expect if you'd seen them a few times before - could be a new bloke, could be bloke just having a crap weekend, dodgy jump conditions with hot air over the beach/town and cold air over the sea...

hope the lad gets better soon, and the old dear.

[Exascot]

looked like he was pulling the right handle a couple of times but nothing happened

I hope it was a malfunction and not a c*ck up. I am talking many years ago when I was dropping these guys and I am sure that the extremely standards remain the same today.

Anyone know what the wind speed was and what the limit is, I forget.

[Top Bunk Tester]

Well if it was a mal then he should have got off it, but pretty sure it wasn't and looked like a perfectly good canopy to me. The BPA limitations for display jumping are min DZ width 50 Metres, min DZ area 5,000 Sq Metres and max wind speed 20kts, I believe the Falcs adhere to these limitations and also impose extra lims as well.

Looked at the footage several times and at best he was crosswind and at worst downwind. Never let ambition outweigh ability, if you're not going to make it then bail into a safe area, I've bailed twice on displays and although somewhat embarrassing I walked away and so did the crowd.

Suspect there will be several Hats On, No Coffee interviews happening at BZN this morning. Best of luck to the poor lady injured, bet that will be expensive for MoD, but then again not half as expensive as a RSI Typing injury

[500N]

Looking at the flag in the last 4 seconds, I think that last long glide was almost all down wind.

20 knots sounds the same as in Aus (or was).

[BOAC]

Maybe he was just hungry? Poor lady.

[Exascot]

TBT, my old friend, you are the expert. In that case he has had his last burger.

[talkpedlar]

I wasn't there but....

with 300+ jumps on a high-performance* canopy (ParaCommander) I find this gentleman's canopy handling er... unconventional to say the least.

Hoping that he and lady-spectator emerge unscathed.

*Well, high-performance by mid-seventies standards..when Sibson on an August weekend was paradise on Earth!

Cheers,
TP

[mad_jock]

fractured pelvis for the 80 year old lady I read somewhere.

I am sure none of us would have got away unscathed if 80-90kg of meat bomb hit us at the speed he was going.