You’ve had that feeling of falling in your sleep right? It’s scary enough even knowing you’ll land safely in your bed. But viewing the rapidly approaching earth’s surface at a downward spiral in real life is terrifying (skydiving was my high-school graduation gift). Chances are you’ll never have to worry about what’s going to happen to your body on impact, but if you are headed straight for the ground, what do you do?
According to WikiHow’s, How-To Manual, there’s actually quite a bit you can do to survive a long fall-even from 25,000 feet. You’re usually going to have about one to three minutes before you’re face down in the dirt-which is really the first no-no, even though you want to start your fall on your stomach.
If you’re falling from a tall height, maximize your surface area by stretching out like a flying squirrel, facing the ground. Arch your back and pelvis and tilt your head back just a bit. Next, extend your arms so your upper arms are straight out to the side and bend your elbows and knees. But don’t relax here- this is just the beginning of your journey.
Next you want to focus on an ideal landing spot, if there is one; try to be optimistic here. Obviously, avoiding buildings, concrete or jagged surfaces should be your first step. Try to land on snow, deep or moving water. If there just so happens to be a marsh nearby-focus on that or even thick vegetation (though landing in a tree you run the risk of being “speared”-for lack of a better word).
During your vertical descent you will be able to travel horizontally by doing a sort of “frog swim” through the air. The How-To Manual says you should be able to travel a couple of miles to the left or right. You can move backwards by extending your arms and bending your knees as if you’re trying to touch the back of your head with your heels; to turn right or left dip the shoulder of the direction you prefer.
Now that you’re getting closer to your landing pad, nothing is more important to survive this situation than the bending of your knees. Doing so can reduce the magnitude of impact up to 36-fold. And relax; much like that of a drunk in a car accident, you are more likely to sustain lesser injuries if your muscles are relaxed. In fact, those who jump intentionally or in an intoxicated state have higher survival rates. If you’re tense, your body will transfer the impact to your vital organs.
Landing feet first is ideal; this allows the legs to absorb the worst impact, so try to get both feet hitting at the same time. Also, point your toes so you land on the balls of your feet to cushion the legs. And now, for the hard part (no pun intended)…the bounce. Some people who survive the initial impact die on the second impact. It’s going to be very hard to control your body at this point but it can be done. You need to protect your head with your arms. You won’t be able to cover the whole thing but any bit helps. If you can, try to land on your side or on your back by twisting your hips to either side. Again, since you’re traveling five or six times faster than you would be with a parachute-controlling motion will be very hard.
During Boris Povov’s 400-ft fall to the earth in a collapsed hang glider, he may or may not have been aware of what he could do to survive the fall. But he did, and he was mad. That anger spurred the invention of the whole-aircraft parachute system.
“As I fell, I became most angry at my inability to do something; I had time to throw a parachute. I knew they existed but they hadn’t yet been introduced to the hang gliding community,” said Povov on his company’s Web site.
Povov founded the Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRSI.OB) in 1980, and since then has installed over 23,000 parachute systems. After seven years and $1.5 million of engineering research, in 1993 BRS was granted approval by the Federal Aviation Administration to install a parachute on a certified aircraft.
Larry Williams, president of Ballistic, said the company is the largest player in the parachute industry as the only manufacturer of a parachute system for a certified airplane.
Safely and slowly bringing down a 5,550 pound plane traveling a couple hundred miles an hour is going to take a strong, reliable canopy. Most large airlines are pretty safe but the parachute system is a nice option when complications do arise. Williams said it’s a progressive step to establish credibility and acceptance from the general aviation public. Engineering is a big part of creating this cost efficient, but effective chute.
“We’re very fortunate at BRS to have a really strong team of engineers with, I think, unparalleled experienced in developing systems for this type of application, because we’ve been doing it for 27 years now,” said Williams. “These systems are highly engineered and we do a lot of testing.”
The company is in the process of setting up drop tests in Arizona. Testers will put an airplane loaded with weights to stimulate an airlines full weight, in a cargo plane. They let the plane free fall and then deploy the chute as the plane hits the desired speed.
Ballistic has been awarded four Phase I and II Small Business Innovative Research awards from NASA; 100 percent of Cirrus SR20 and SR22’s are required to have the parachute on board to operate.
And innovative, the company is. Ballistic is always looking at new fabrics or composite fabrics with advanced strength but lighter in weight, said Williams. As they try to advance technology and look at new solutions, new canopy shapes are tested to determine which has the best resistance for a softer, slower landing.
Williams said the company has seen a lot of price pressure from Europe, which uses lower labor rates; so the company bought a canopy sewing plant in Mexico to stay competitive with rates while maintaining chute quality.
“We are very much a growth oriented company, we are constantly looking at ways to diversify our product line and get into other areas,” he said.
He also noted the company recently, and proudly documented its 199th life saved by the parachutes.
Shares of Ballistic Recover System Inc. (BRSI.OB) were trading at $1.75 Friday morning.