Another possible Darwin candidate in the making

[br]

Skydiver to jump from plane without a wingsuit or parachute on live tv

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/28/skydiver-luke-aikins-jump-without-parachute-live-tv

[is 74 really old?]

Of course you know he will make it because the wimp producers of TV programming will never show a program where a person gets killed making a big splat on the ground. American real TV programs are a joke.

[is 74 really old?]

As I said.......I set it up to record and then watch it. The first announcement was that S.A.G. said he must have an emergency chute or no show. I, right there erased the recorded program. More American bullshit.

[tandfman]

No Darwin Award--he did it and survived, without a parachute according to this report.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/30/488083554/luke-aikins-becomes-first-person-to-jump-from-a-plane-without-a-parachute

[KDFINE]

Note that the article reports the relative size of the landing net incorrectly, since 10,000 square feet, a bit less than 1/4 of an acre), is 1/9th the size of a football field, not 1/3rd.

[cubehead]

Pretty amazing to actually land in such a small spot from 25,000 ft. That's the equivalent of jumping from 250 ft and landing in a 1 ft square.

And he took the parachute off before jumping.

[Blues]

Note that the article reports the relative size of the landing net incorrectly, since 10,000 square feet, a bit less than 1/4 of an acre), is 1/9th the size of a football field, not 1/3rd.

If they're referring to an "American football" field, then I think the actual fraction is somewhere in between.. The fraction would be either 1/4.8th or 1/5.76th of a football field, depending on whether they include the end zones. (Assuming field dimensions of either 160ftx300ft or 160ftx360ft)

[KDFINE]

If they're referring to an "American football" field, then I think the actual fraction is somewhere in between.. The fraction would be either 1/4.8th or 1/5.76th of a football field, depending on whether they include the end zones. (Assuming field dimensions of either 160ftx300ft or 160ftx360ft)

You're right as I suffered from a brain fart for squaring 300' by 300'. Anything as to high above the ground this net was placed?

[jeremyp]

Pretty amazing to actually land in such a small spot from 25,000 ft. That's the equivalent of jumping from 250 ft and landing in a 1 ft square.

And he took the parachute off before jumping.

He had a wire connecting him to the plane and the ground

[cubehead]

He had a wire connecting him to the plane and the ground

A 5 mile long bungee jump....that would be something...

[lonewolf]

Reportedly, the net was 20 feet above the ground... I believe I would want a net under the net about 10 feet above the ground.

[cubehead]

I saw the video...somewhere in the range 30-40 feet off the ground though it certainly could have been less.

[Davidokun]

The net, dubbed the “Fly Trap,” is indeed designed to provide Aikins with that life-saving soft catch—assuming he actually strikes the 28-by-28-foot (8.5-by-8.5-meter) “sweet spot” in the center of the net. The net will be suspended between the tops of four 200-foot (61-meter) cranes. The netting itself is constructed from Spectra, a high-density polyethylene cord that is twice as strong as steel, but also completely inelastic. Once Aikins’ plummeting mass strikes the net, four compressed air cylinders, which are connected to the netting via ropes and pulleys, will slow Aikinsdown down in the same way that you might catch an egg in your hand—by decelerating it gently over a distance.

Link to source:

This Man Jumped Out of a Plane With No Parachute

Note the secondary net:

[lonewolf]

Guesstimating, if those are 60m cranes, the landing net was 40+ m or so above the ground with the second net sagging to 15 m +/- .... still a small target from 25,000 feet

[is 74 really old?]

Guesstimating, if those are 60m cranes, the landing net was 40+ m or so above the ground with the second net sagging to 15 m +/- .... still a small target from 25,000 feet

Every pilot knows that if you have an engine failure, you want to be as high as possible to sort things out and find a survivable landing spot. Experienced free fallers can also control their flight paths so again, 25,000 feet is a lot better than 10,000 feet or less.