News: "Missing Parachutist Found"

[JohnRich 4]

News:

Missing Qatar army parachutist found near DeLand

"A sky diver blown off course after a jump over the DeLand Municipal Airport this morning has been found uninjured, authorities said.

"A sheriff's helicopter was looking in the Daytona Park Estates subdivision for the Qatar Army sky diver, who was found safe..."

Full story: News-Journal

Wow, it's not often that a simple uneventfull off-field landing makes the newspaper. What's next? "Parachutists drink after sundown!" "Skydivers drive fast to the drop zone" Oh the horror!

And I have a problem with the statement about landing four miles from where he should have been. If he was facing into the wind, and the wind was strong enough to blow him four miles backwards, then it was probably too windy to be jumping in the first place. On the other hand, if he just got disoriented and flew downwind, not knowing where he was going, then that's would be his own dumb fault. And that latter seems the most likely circumstance.

[Amazon 7]

Perhaps he was on a secret mission

[beowulf 1]

I have landed off more then 4 miles, but it was due to unusual circumstance.

[skymama 35]

It was a windy day, but I think all the other people on the load made it back fine. I saw it reported on the news coverage on a local tv program. They also reported that his friends hugged him when he got back. Definitely a slow news day!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[normiss 622]

Man I haven't done that in years.



what fun!!!

[fastphil 0]

Quote

Perhaps he was on a secret mission

I'm in agreement with the secret mission; I've seen it before, and gone on a couple myself...

[davelepka 4]

Quote

If he was facing into the wind, and the wind was strong enough to blow him four miles backwards, then it was probably too windy to be jumping in the first place. On the other hand, if he just got disoriented and flew downwind, not knowing where he was going, then that's would be his own dumb fault. And that latter seems the most likely circumstance.

Big canopy, open at 5k, out last due to the big canopy and higher opening altitude, he could have been 1+ mile(s) out on opening, and cruised downwind for the remainder. It would also explain why nobody on the ground saw him under canopy flying the wrong way and they had to institute a 'manhunt' to go find him. He was just too far away when he opened.

[Andy9o8 0]

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Definitely a slow news day!

Exactly, plus the fact that a Sheriff's helo was dispatched, otherwise the news media would probably never have even heard about it.

[captain1976 0]

Yeah, it was like a major event for the media. They had those vans with the satellite towers all set up. Seems they had nothing better to do.

Shit, back in the round days those long off-field landings were routine!

You live more in the few minutes of skydiving than many people live in their lifetime

[Krip 2]

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Perhaps he was on a secret mission

Damn 10-11 yr's ago all those bad people learned how to fly plnes in florida. That was a secret misson.

And now florida is training people from the same side of the world how to skydive

IMO no big deal as long as they miss the airport by 1-2 miles.

Everyone if florida needs to jump barefoot, without underware. Just in case.

R.