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  #21  
Old 12-27-2014, 11:09 AM
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Snowflake Snowflake is offline
 
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Originally Posted by springer View Post
I have watched WWII vids of aircraft ditching near the carrier. In some cases one wing hit the water first causing the aircraft to cartwheel and remain upright. I wonder if forced to ditch we would have a better chance of staying upright by doing the same.
That's a consideration i've kept in mind. For a low-wing airplane, you wouldn't need much bank to hit the wingtip (well, less than a high-wing). My logic is that the transfer of inertia from a simple forward energy vector into both rotational and translational inertia may bleed off some of the direct impact forces as well.

That, combined with unlatching the canopy before impact, would be my plan. Although i'd still prefer a flat beach. :P
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  #22  
Old 12-27-2014, 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Snowflake View Post
My logic is that the transfer of inertia from a simple forward energy vector into both rotational and translational inertia may bleed off some of the direct impact forces as well.
I'm not so sure about this and the side forces it may produce.

At the time the plane is "grabbed" by the water, it will come to a stop very quickly. If you're secured tightly by the shoulder belts and you decelerate straight ahead, your body will stay close to the seat and your head will flop forward....hopefully not hitting the stick or anything else. If you touch a wingtip and the plane spins 90 degrees and then "bites" into the water, it may in fact not flip over, but the deceleration will throw your shoulders and head into the side of the plane and canopy.

Hmmmm. I don't know which would be best.
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  #23  
Old 12-27-2014, 11:16 AM
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Originally Posted by N941WR View Post
He swam right past here, out the door while she was still in the seat and he never saw her because of the air bubbles.
I'm sure that made for an uncomfortable conversation afterwards...
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  #24  
Old 12-27-2014, 11:22 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arlen View Post
At the time the plane is "grabbed" by the water, it will come to a stop very quickly. If you're secured tightly by the shoulder belts and you decelerate straight ahead, your body will stay close to the seat and your head will flop forward....hopefully not hitting the stick or anything else. If you touch a wingtip and the plane spins 90 degrees and then "bites" into the water, it may in fact not flip over, but the deceleration will throw your shoulders and head into the side of the plane and canopy.
It's all speculation of course, but I sort of have in mind that putting one wingtip in would swing the aircraft above the water and bring the nose in to the water in (roughly) a 30 degree wing low, 30 degree nose low attitude. So you'd get a combination of sideways and forward stopping forces, with (i'm guessing) a majority of them being forwards. If I dropped the pilot's side wing in the water, i'd be thrown into the empty part of the cabin (RV-6). My passenger could prepare with a balled up sweater beside their head in case they get tossed sideways into the canopy.

Maybe it's over-thinking. Maybe it would be better to just go in straight, take the flip, and push open the canopy. I'm sure if the situation ever arises, i'll choose one of these options. Which one will probably depend on how high I am when I have to make the decision.
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  #25  
Old 12-27-2014, 01:33 PM
PilotRPI PilotRPI is offline
 
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To throw another option into the ring, if wearing a parachute, would it be better to bail instead of ride it in, or would you be concerned about being drowned by the parachute?
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  #26  
Old 12-27-2014, 02:39 PM
jrs14855 jrs14855 is offline
 
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Default Bail Out

Jurjis Kairys chose to bail out of the Sukhoi when the engine quit. No significant injuries, he spent a few hours in the water before rescue.
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  #27  
Old 12-27-2014, 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by PilotRPI View Post
To throw another option into the ring, if wearing a parachute, would it be better to bail instead of ride it in, or would you be concerned about being drowned by the parachute?
Way back when I was young and foolish I did some skydive training. What I remember from the old round parachute days was to unfasten your harness when you got close to the water and slip out of it as soon as your feet touched the water. The reason for waiting for your feet to touch was that it is very easy to misjudge your height above water.

Don
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  #28  
Old 12-27-2014, 04:06 PM
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ColoRv ColoRv is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PilotRPI View Post
To throw another option into the ring, if wearing a parachute, would it be better to bail instead of ride it in, or would you be concerned about being drowned by the parachute?
I've made several parachute landings in water. As long as you keep your head and don't try to swim through the canopy (go under and away) it's a piece of cake. Fun actually.
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Last edited by ColoRv : 12-27-2014 at 11:48 PM.
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  #29  
Old 12-27-2014, 10:08 PM
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Default prep for water

Might not be time for the following, after ditching.... but I carry a tool that Allan sells at Antisplat Aero... made with a specific notch to break canopy pieces away. On water flights I also carry the spare air attached to my vest.
Did this while sailing and sleeping on boats too. The thought of being trapped and only needed a few short minutes to extricate myself has spurred me to carry additional items. On some Alaska research flights I kept the survival suit on during flight and rolled down to my waist. Much of it might just be wishful thinking I suppose....
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  #30  
Old 12-28-2014, 06:09 AM
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pancake it in! i heard about this technique from an old timer years ago. never tried it, never heard of anyone else even talk about it, so here it is.

approach full flaps and as low as possible, at the last moment pull back and stall the plane. you will gain a bit of altitude and slow to minimum speed before pancaking it in.

a quick prayer to your favorite god or goddess is not a bad idea either.

Definition of PANCAKE LANDING

: a landing in which the airplane is stalled usually unintentionally above the landing surface causing it to drop abruptly in an approximately horizontal position with little forward motion.
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