lintilla327 0 #1 June 26, 2003 Has anyone developed a pilot chute system for their helmet in the case of a cutaway? I know, if you get into that much trouble that you have to cutaway your helmet, you shouldnt give a toss about losing your cameras, but I have an idea for a system that should save your camera in the event of a cutaway (or at least give it a fighting chance of surviving) What I was thinking of was attaching one end of a short bridle (say2 feet long) to the outside of the helmet, say at the top where your most expensive SLR is, then the other end is a bungee pilot chute which you tuck inside the helmet as you put it on. That way it is trapped and cant come out unless your head comes out of the helmet, in which case the pilot chute inflates. Ok, who wants to pick holes in this for me...what part of this is going to kill me? It needs to be freefly proof. Maybe, to keep all bridle inside the helmet, the attachment point should be at the back of the helmet by the neck?--so long and thanks for all the fish.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LouDiamond 1 #2 June 26, 2003 Do a search in this forum. There was a discussion about this very subject and a few pics too if memory serves me correct."It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required" Some people dream about flying, I live my dream SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pd190 0 #3 June 26, 2003 Yep, Lou was right, the search will provide a wide base of discussion. I'm working out the kinks for my system. When I have it done I plan to post pics and detailed info for others. Only problem is that it is taking a lot longer to develop than I originally planned. Gotta be safe, yet effective. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faber 0 #4 June 26, 2003 i have a sort of pc to my camera.Its called insuranceim not sure i want a helmet flying around me as i try to save my ass by my reserve. Stay safe Stefan Faber Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayhawkJumper 0 #5 June 26, 2003 ya, for me its easier to pay $50/year and have the insurance company buy me a completely new setup than to hook a pilot chute to me head. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #6 June 26, 2003 An issue to consider is that you can't just lay a PC in the top of a helmet and it will be ok. If you want to do this you can not take your helmet off the entire plane ride up.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverds 0 #7 June 26, 2003 Where are you guys getting your insurance from? My homeowners (State Farm) would not offer me that type of coverage. Skydive Radio Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayhawkJumper 0 #8 June 26, 2003 my coverage actually comes from state farm. If you have homeowners insurance with them, it should be easy to go in and get your camera insured. Just tell the agent you want single item insurance for a camera and you show them the camera, fill out info about it, give them a picture of it, and pay a small fee. You can't insure something if you use it to make a profit or for business (you probably can but it would be more expensive). Now its insured against pretty much anything and everything including theft, breakage, and even your own stupidity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pcalandra 0 #9 June 26, 2003 Is the actual helmet and it's related accessories insured also? I can't imagine walking into my insurance agent with my camera helmet and actually getting them to insure the whole thing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldgit 0 #10 June 27, 2003 I had a system like this about 7 years ago where the pilot chute was attached by a bridle to the helmet and stowed in its own freebag which became the pading in the roof of the the helmet. Worked great on the ground never needed it in the air. How ever my thought was not to save the cameras but to slow down and make visible the falling helmet.If your helmet kills someone I dont think your house insurance will cover it John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chachi 0 #11 June 27, 2003 Actually that is why you have liability incurance. For when you are wrong and kill someone. ~Chachi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayhawkJumper 0 #12 June 27, 2003 No, I didn't take in my camera helmet, I'd either repair the one that crashed into the ground or buy a new one. A friend of mine did even get his helmet insured though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #13 June 27, 2003 Fife right John....howsit! Long time no see my celtic cousin Do a search of the forums guys, we were talking about this recently.... Try a search for the word "Dickinson", its was Leo Dickinson that fitted this setup to his commercially available helmets......-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldgit 0 #14 June 27, 2003 Hiya Dave I'm still bluffing my way about. Hanson also did a helmet with a recovery system. (It wasn't bad spotting but bad canopy control honest) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyerdiver 0 #15 November 28, 2003 haha i dont think i want any sort of pc on my head. having a pc turn into a droug in freefall... when its straped to your head would be a whole heap of fun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XDV 0 #16 November 28, 2003 if you can't effort the risk of loosing your helmet in case of reel problem..... then you change for may be accuracy or an other discipline Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lister55 0 #17 November 28, 2003 I ran the search for this mystical hemlemt. Several people say they have seen or even own one. Yet no pictures seem to exist. Kind of like Big Foot. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites goose491 0 #18 December 2, 2003 I would hate to have a premature on that baby! Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! [shudder] My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AndyMan 7 #19 December 2, 2003 Quote Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! This is of course just me scratching an itch.... but would this REALLY be so bad? Of course main and reserve pre-matures can kill people, but we're talking a canopy the size of a pilot chute, that puts on average about 70 lbs of force... Remember that your head alone weighs in at an average of 11 pounds (8% of body weight), so 70 pounds of force really isn't that much, I don't think...? I'm just guessing, but if you were on your head, I imagine a premature pilotchute from your helmet would abruptly flip you over, with probably just a sore neck to show for it. Secondly, I can think of a few release mechanisms that would disconnect your helmet should this happen... Thirdly, I'm sure we could come up with a design that uses a type of slider to slow the inflation of the pilotchute, reducing shock on the neck. thoughts? _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mr2mk1g 10 #20 December 2, 2003 I deal with whiplash claims all the time. Man I can imagine 70lb of force causing a major whiplash problem. I know we all scoff at this sort of injury, but in reality some can really be quite nasty. Don't underestimate the possible severity of a sudden sideways force on your neck. I guess the best way to sort the problem would be for the bridle to be connected to the cutaway system so that as the pilot chute un-stowed the bridle as it came away from the helmet, it would pull the teflon cable from the cutaway system and the helmet would be free to come off your noggin. Personally though, my life is worth a lot more than a camera, no matter what kind of safety device I put on it. Even if you have the pilot chute inside the helmet so that it only deploys after cutaway, I would rather not have any gubbins flying arround in a cuttaway situation which is not absolutely nessasery. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites goose491 0 #21 December 2, 2003 QuoteQuote Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! This is of course just me scratching an itch.... but would this REALLY be so bad? Of course main and reserve pre-matures can kill people, but we're talking a canopy the size of a pilot chute, that puts on average about 70 lbs of force... Remember that your head alone weighs in at an average of 11 pounds (8% of body weight), so 70 pounds of force really isn't that much, I don't think...? But it's 70lbs of instant force... on the neck. I'm thinking about how abruptly I get stood up after dumping (before any main fabric is in the air), and that's from flat. I would not want that force acting unexpectedly on my neck. QuoteI'm just guessing, but if you were on your head, I imagine a premature pilotchute from your helmet would abruptly flip you over, with probably just a sore neck to show for i I wonder about the physics... I'm imagining a broken one. Perhaps anyone on here who has experienced bag lock could tell us about it? My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites goose491 0 #22 December 2, 2003 Quote I guess the best way to sort the problem would be for the bridle to be connected to the cutaway system so that as the pilot chute un-stowed the bridle as it came away from the helmet, it would pull the teflon cable from the cutaway system and the helmet would be free to come off your noggin. This is what I was picturing. The bridle of the pilot chute would be 'S' folded on the side of the helmet nearest the cutaway for the hemet itself. The tefflon for the helmet cutaway is attached to the bridle. It would function like a pullout system where the pilot chute is deployed and a half a foot later the helmet would be cutaway... this way, if the pilot chute got away on you, it would cutaway the helmet. Still pretty risky if you ask me... considering the helmet comes off one way and you body can be in any number of positions. I'd be thinking of it constantly. QuotePersonally though, my life is worth a lot more than a camera, no matter what kind of safety device I put on it. Even if you have the pilot chute inside the helmet so that it only deploys after cutaway, I would rather not have any gubbins flying arround in a cuttaway situation which is not absolutely nessasery. True that, imagine the guilt if you saved the camera only to have someone else fly right into it? [shudder anew] My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mbs66 0 #23 December 2, 2003 As much as i would love a new camera to fall from the sky rather than paying for it, i wouldnt want it to land on my head and kill me. you never know... i think ther eis a reson why you shouldnt take loose, heavy, items skydiving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AndyMan 7 #24 December 2, 2003 Quotei think ther eis a reson why you shouldnt take loose, heavy, items skydiving. Whut....? We DO take heavey items skydiving, and we hope we don't have to discard them, but that is a risk, one that we all accept. I'd much rather my cuttaway helmet impact a building or person under some kind of canopy. That said, it doesn't have to be a full pilot chute. It seems to me that a helmet and camera probably weighs in around 2 pounds, and there is roughly 5 square feet in a 32 inch pilot chute, which gives it a wingloading of .4 - we could get by with something much smaller then a standard pilot chute. In reality, we're only hoping to slow down the helmet enough so that a: it lands with the expensive parts pointing up, and b: it doesn't kill someone. We could probably get by with a 15 inch pilot chute, rather then a 30 inch. Or less... I wonder how small you would need? _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Squeak 17 #25 December 3, 2003 QuoteQuote Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! This is of course just me scratching an itch.... but would this REALLY be so bad? Of course main and reserve pre-matures can kill people, but we're talking a canopy the size of a pilot chute, that puts on average about 70 lbs of force... _Am People have had their arms broken from holding a pilot chute out of car windows at speed MUCH lower then a person in headdown. It may only be 70lbs, but that don't meant it wont snap ya neck.You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 Next Page 1 of 2 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. 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goose491 0 #18 December 2, 2003 I would hate to have a premature on that baby! Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! [shudder] My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #19 December 2, 2003 Quote Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! This is of course just me scratching an itch.... but would this REALLY be so bad? Of course main and reserve pre-matures can kill people, but we're talking a canopy the size of a pilot chute, that puts on average about 70 lbs of force... Remember that your head alone weighs in at an average of 11 pounds (8% of body weight), so 70 pounds of force really isn't that much, I don't think...? I'm just guessing, but if you were on your head, I imagine a premature pilotchute from your helmet would abruptly flip you over, with probably just a sore neck to show for it. Secondly, I can think of a few release mechanisms that would disconnect your helmet should this happen... Thirdly, I'm sure we could come up with a design that uses a type of slider to slow the inflation of the pilotchute, reducing shock on the neck. thoughts? _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #20 December 2, 2003 I deal with whiplash claims all the time. Man I can imagine 70lb of force causing a major whiplash problem. I know we all scoff at this sort of injury, but in reality some can really be quite nasty. Don't underestimate the possible severity of a sudden sideways force on your neck. I guess the best way to sort the problem would be for the bridle to be connected to the cutaway system so that as the pilot chute un-stowed the bridle as it came away from the helmet, it would pull the teflon cable from the cutaway system and the helmet would be free to come off your noggin. Personally though, my life is worth a lot more than a camera, no matter what kind of safety device I put on it. Even if you have the pilot chute inside the helmet so that it only deploys after cutaway, I would rather not have any gubbins flying arround in a cuttaway situation which is not absolutely nessasery. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goose491 0 #21 December 2, 2003 QuoteQuote Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! This is of course just me scratching an itch.... but would this REALLY be so bad? Of course main and reserve pre-matures can kill people, but we're talking a canopy the size of a pilot chute, that puts on average about 70 lbs of force... Remember that your head alone weighs in at an average of 11 pounds (8% of body weight), so 70 pounds of force really isn't that much, I don't think...? But it's 70lbs of instant force... on the neck. I'm thinking about how abruptly I get stood up after dumping (before any main fabric is in the air), and that's from flat. I would not want that force acting unexpectedly on my neck. QuoteI'm just guessing, but if you were on your head, I imagine a premature pilotchute from your helmet would abruptly flip you over, with probably just a sore neck to show for i I wonder about the physics... I'm imagining a broken one. Perhaps anyone on here who has experienced bag lock could tell us about it? My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goose491 0 #22 December 2, 2003 Quote I guess the best way to sort the problem would be for the bridle to be connected to the cutaway system so that as the pilot chute un-stowed the bridle as it came away from the helmet, it would pull the teflon cable from the cutaway system and the helmet would be free to come off your noggin. This is what I was picturing. The bridle of the pilot chute would be 'S' folded on the side of the helmet nearest the cutaway for the hemet itself. The tefflon for the helmet cutaway is attached to the bridle. It would function like a pullout system where the pilot chute is deployed and a half a foot later the helmet would be cutaway... this way, if the pilot chute got away on you, it would cutaway the helmet. Still pretty risky if you ask me... considering the helmet comes off one way and you body can be in any number of positions. I'd be thinking of it constantly. QuotePersonally though, my life is worth a lot more than a camera, no matter what kind of safety device I put on it. Even if you have the pilot chute inside the helmet so that it only deploys after cutaway, I would rather not have any gubbins flying arround in a cuttaway situation which is not absolutely nessasery. True that, imagine the guilt if you saved the camera only to have someone else fly right into it? [shudder anew] My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbs66 0 #23 December 2, 2003 As much as i would love a new camera to fall from the sky rather than paying for it, i wouldnt want it to land on my head and kill me. you never know... i think ther eis a reson why you shouldnt take loose, heavy, items skydiving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #24 December 2, 2003 Quotei think ther eis a reson why you shouldnt take loose, heavy, items skydiving. Whut....? We DO take heavey items skydiving, and we hope we don't have to discard them, but that is a risk, one that we all accept. I'd much rather my cuttaway helmet impact a building or person under some kind of canopy. That said, it doesn't have to be a full pilot chute. It seems to me that a helmet and camera probably weighs in around 2 pounds, and there is roughly 5 square feet in a 32 inch pilot chute, which gives it a wingloading of .4 - we could get by with something much smaller then a standard pilot chute. In reality, we're only hoping to slow down the helmet enough so that a: it lands with the expensive parts pointing up, and b: it doesn't kill someone. We could probably get by with a 15 inch pilot chute, rather then a 30 inch. Or less... I wonder how small you would need? _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #25 December 3, 2003 QuoteQuote Could you imagine being head down when a pilot chute comes out... attached to your head!?! This is of course just me scratching an itch.... but would this REALLY be so bad? Of course main and reserve pre-matures can kill people, but we're talking a canopy the size of a pilot chute, that puts on average about 70 lbs of force... _Am People have had their arms broken from holding a pilot chute out of car windows at speed MUCH lower then a person in headdown. It may only be 70lbs, but that don't meant it wont snap ya neck.You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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