Speaking of military parachuting . . .

[Gil Boyd]

After all said the balloon probably, as other than the cable snapping, parachute not opening fully, sudden high gusts, incompetent dispatcher...........not a lot can go wrong. The tower was poorly maintained IMHO as the frames just sat up there waiting for the next candidate to hook up, where the balloon basket and the cable was inspected fully on a daily basis by the full time RAF crew at Hullavington

[Paul S.]

Can't see it, when we had a guy with his feet tangled in his lines...it had nothing to do with his boots specifically. His feet, yes...mostly because his exit was upside down.

Paul,
Blessed with a variety, however, the brown HAIX Combat High in Goretex is favoured as the best ankle support and keeps your feet dry.

Update: UK MoD Boots Combat High Liability - Combat Survival

Tah Gents.

I had a quick lace hook snag on a bit of equipment the other day whilst moving through a tight space and that got the abstract thought process working overtime. Having witnessed bad exits (and made the odd one myself) that's where my train of thought ended up taking me.

[Gil Boyd]

Similar, to PARA snipers cutting the hooks off the arms on their smocks .......tad tricky if snagged on the way out

[browningautorifle]

Anything the JMs find questionable with us would be wrapped with guntape to avoid fetching up. Imagine having your ankles wrapped...but it would work.

[TDH]

Sorry guys but anyone that would jump out of a perfectly good aircraft is more than a few fries short of a Happy Meal. I asked a co-worker one time he being a former USAF pilot why and he said he didn't know as he wouldn't even jump out of a perfectly bad one as he proceeded to tell the tale of his last flameout in a fighter trainer and how after he landed it without power he kissed the ground and immediately went in and put in for multi engine aircraft. I also asked a member of the 82nd airborne why and he spouted out lot of numbers about what height they would deploy at and the time line between the opening, or not, of the main chute the time frame of cutting it loose and deploying the secondary chute and what to do if that one failed to open. He said that if that occurred you were approximately 300 feet from the ground and you had time to say Our Father who art in heaven and when you said Amen you were only fifty feet off the ground and what the H*** any damned fool can jump 550 feet. No thank you I haven't even been on a commercial flight since 1975. Another order of fries please!

---------- Post added at 02:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:11 PM ----------

50 feet not 550.

[Flying10uk]

After all said the balloon probably, as other than the cable snapping, parachute not opening fully, sudden high gusts, incompetent dispatcher.....

I use to know a chap who worked as a civilian worker for many years at RAF Hullavington and he told me that one of the reasons for retiring the Barrage balloons for parachute training was the cost of the Hydrogen which filled the balloon. I was very surprised that Hydrogen was used and did question him about this which he insisted was the case and he then went on to talk about the cost of each fill. If memory serves me correctly and it was a long time since he told me this I think it was around £500? per fill and this had to then be released into the atmosphere after each training course was completed. I don't know how correct he was with his facts but the point which he was putting across was that they were expensive mainly because of the gas.