Ice-Bucket Challenge – Skydiver Edition

[RMK 3]

Saw an article while reading my newspaper on the train earlier today. It starts with the headline “Daredevil hurt in Ice-Bucket Challenge”; I read on to see what silliness has occurred, but as I read on I see the name/location ...WTF?? I know him

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/503874/ALS-Ice-Bucket-Challenge-Man-hospital-400-gallons-water-firefighting-plane

Most know him from his photo/video work in the industry. I can only assume he got a nice photo.

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

[Remster 24]

Yep.... Lots of us know him.

Get well quick, Bruno...

Remster

[BillyVance 34]

Probably should have worn a helmet, if he didn't have one on...

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[RMK 3]

By coincidence, I was watching Ice Pilots on the Discovery Channel UK last night and they were testing a water bomber. The other people stayed out of the way; I wondered if it would hurt to stand underneath the drop ...apparently yes.

"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes"

[BillyVance 34]

RMK

By coincidence, I was watching Ice Pilots on the Discovery Channel UK last night and they were testing a water bomber. The other people stayed out of the way; I wondered if it would hurt to stand underneath the drop ...apparently yes.

Oh yeah, water has some serious mass. Just like you diving off a high dive platform, and hit the water at the wrong angle, it hurts like a sonofabitch. So having that much water dropped from above, given the speed of the plane, ouch.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[5318008 0]

BillyVance

Oh yeah, water has some serious mass. Just like you diving off a high dive platform, and hit the water at the wrong angle, it hurts like a sonofabitch. So having that much water dropped from above, given the speed of the plane, ouch.

Even a water balloon fired from one of those giant slingshots sting like heck. And since the story said the plane was flying very low, all that water probably hit him as one big solid blob. Normally a fire fighter plane would drop higher so that the water has time to spread out and turn into more of a mist to settle upon the flames.

( o Y o )

[Remster 24]

Apparently, he's out of his coma, and doing better.

Remster

[riggerrob 561]

5318008

***Oh yeah, water has some serious mass. Just like you diving off a high dive platform, and hit the water at the wrong angle, it hurts like a sonofabitch. So having that much water dropped from above, given the speed of the plane, ouch.

Even a water balloon fired from one of those giant slingshots sting like heck. And since the story said the plane was flying very low, all that water probably hit him as one big solid blob. Normally a fire fighter plane would drop higher so that the water has time to spread out and turn into more of a mist to settle upon the flames.

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

Drop height depends upon a dozen variables: wind, turbulence, terrain, water, type of retardant, etc.
The current fashion is to drop retardant just outside the fire line to prevent the fire from spreading into unburnt trees. Meanwhile ground crews and bulldozers are scrapping fire lines down to mineral soil do limit the spread of the fire.
Canadair/Bombardier, United States Forest Service, US Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Smokejumpers, etc. have all published great videos about water-bombers. All those videos show ground crews crouching and hiding as water-bombers fly over head.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Seems they're about to get a new instructional video.

[Alexg3265 0]

So where's the video?!?

I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof...