Video: Improper PLF (Parachute Landing Fall)

[ccook5]

http://www.apacheclips.com/boards/vbtube/upload/thumb/761_43551.jpg (http://www.apacheclips.com/boards/vbtube_show.php?tubeid=4034) Improper form of PLF results in a broken leg.
Video credit:Iwalkwithalimp (youtube)http://www.apacheclips.com/boards/vbtube/images/play_thread.png (http://www.apacheclips.com/boards/vbtube_show.php?tubeid=4034)

[Clodius]

Ouch, I felt that. I once folded my foot in half, I just relived it.

[finack]

Ouch... welcome to the hurt factory.

Most don't understand that with standard service chutes you hit the ground approximately as hard as you would hit the ground without a chute, if you were to jump from 12 to 15ft high. Throw on 20 pounds of extra weight (that's being nice) and give it try some time. :P

I don't care how good you are at PLF's when you have a nice steady gusty crosswind you have to deal with. This guy knew 10 sec's into the jump, "Oh fucking great... WIND FACTOR". Don't care what they teach you in jump school. Dealing with wind to get yourself adjusted just right to actually do a plf, just comes with experience. PLF's are needed but secondary to timing your chute manipulation, and that's a whole nother beast with these types of chutes.

Witnessed many broken legs and ankles. That kind of pain is NO JOKE!! Like Clodius said, just hearing this guys agony makes me remember pain like it was happening all over again for a sec. :P

Nice find.

[ccook5]

Very true @finack. Exactly why I'm looking forward to the new T-11's. You travel on average at a decent of 19 FPS compared to the 24 FPS of the T-10's. Doesnt sound like much but I'll take what I can get!

[jamieooh]

ccook5 ,finack , Clodius
Cool info guys. Never jumped out of anything in my tank. Didn't realize you guys hit that hard.
Do any of you guys know what it is like to land with a civilian chute and how do they compare ?

[serpa6]

if you listen very carefully you can hear his leg snap when he lands ouch I hope the guy has a fast recovery I have heard plenty of limbs snap playing football its an awful sound sends pins and needles down my spine

[ccook5]

Jamieooh, it's like comparing a Ferrari to a Pontiac. I don't know the exact decent rate of a ram air chute (civilian) but You can easily stand a landing up in a ram air chute unlike the t-10's. the t-10's sole purpose is to get a shit ton of troops on the ground in as little time as possible which can lead to an array of injuries.

[finack]

ccook5 ,finack , Clodius
...
Do any of you guys know what it is like to land with a civilian chute and how do they compare ?

Given ideal weather conditions with a sport chute you can touch down with as much grace as what it looks like stepping off an escalator. :P

A good visual of the layout and general design differences between the two will most certainly give you an intuitive idea of what it might be like lumbering through the sky in either or.

Sport chutes look more like a slightly pronounced rectangular WING that allow very precise control and maneuverability over the left and right pieces of the chute. IMO... sport chutes are mini-gliders that allow you to basically steer yourself in any direction at will. Watch what guys/gals do just before they land that shows them going from 30-50mph, to 5mph, within less than a few seconds.

Where standard airborne infantry chutes have a much more pronounced circular/globe shape with very limited ability to control/manipulate angle and decent (FPS) slower or faster, left or right. << in this video you saw the guy desperately tugging on his risers to try and anticipate and correct the angle at which his body hit the ground in preparaton to pull off a safe PLF. And this is why the airborne infantry guys make more money than standard infantry guys. Jump pay is hazard pay. :P

Tanks are much safer. No shame in that game. Humans weren't meant to fly anyways. :P

The SF guys that do HALO and HAHO jumps logically employ sport chutes.

[finack]

Every little bit counts. And from what your saying they're finally moving in the right direction. Slowing the chute down isn't really the issue though. What they've needed to address for ages is the ability to increase your chances of actually being able to perform the PLF to begin with. Can't really do that when you hit the ground sideways. :P I remember shitting my pants a few times. Everything's going great and then just before you hit the ground a gust of wind turns a 90% angle to a 65%. << you know something's gonna break... you just hope it's not your back or hip... but rest assured the pain is-a-coming. :P

All they would have to do is make a few minor modifications to chute design and it would cut down on so many injuries. I've seen modified boots, ankle brace inserts, hip padding and all kinds of other stupid shit employed. They just need to address the real issue, chute mod's that allow a guy to hit the ground at an angle that allows him to do a PLF 99% of the time. Until they do that, the real problem will persist.

[Towedjumper]

Has anybody actually TRIED to perform a PLF with all the combat gear you have on? Works great in practice but those damn canteens make it literally a pain in the ass or hips when you roll on em. Mebbe I was always doing it wrong but I am not so sure.