Archivio di Luglio 2012

This one-of-a-kind rig has key features you won’t find in any other parachute system.

No parachute is guaranteed to operate higher than 25,000 feet. But Felix will jump from 120,000 feet. A special rig developed to meet his needs is truly next-generation equipment.

Felix’s parachute rig includes a main parachute, emergency chute, unique stabilizing drogue, and oxygen system. Overall, it weighs roughly 60 pounds.

If all goes according to plan, Felix will deploy only his main chute. To do so, he’ll need to slow from the speed of sound to approximately 172 mph.

If, however, Felix experiences uncontrollable spinning or instability in his attempt to reach the speed of sound, he can deploy a small chute, called a “drogue,” designed specifically to steady him even at supersonic speeds.

Felix’s emergency chute, the reserve, is unique, too. Normal skydiving rigs don’t have a mechanism to cut away the reserve, a skydiver’s last resource. But Felix’s oxygen supply is limited, and if his reserve accidentally deployed at high altitude, his landing could be delayed so much that he’d run out of oxygen while still suspended in the stratosphere. That’s why Felix has the option to cut away the reserve and return to freefall, finally pulling his main parachute once he reaches a “normal” altitude.

Tratto dal sito di www.redbullstratos.com:”

Felix Baumgartner landed safely near Roswell, NM following a test jump from (preliminary) 96,640 feet / 29.455 meters, after 3 minutes and 48 seconds of freefall leading up to a 10 minute and 36 second decent. It’s an incredible achievement considering this is the fastest and highest jump for Felix so far.

In March, Felix completed the first manned jump, a culmination of testing equipment, the team, and the procedures together under real flight conditions. Felix is only the third person to have ever jumped from 71,615 ft. Although, this won’t be his highest freefall attempt, it’s high enough to verify the functionality of the pressurized space suit and the capsule’s abilities.

This stems from five years of testing and intensive work. The effort takes more than 100 expert personnel who have been building and creating one-of-a-kind technology, and sometimes coming together from across the world.

Data from the International Air Sports Federation (FAI) shows how the 1st manned test measured up.

• Altitude reached: 71,615.2 ft / 21,828.3 meters

• Parachute opened at: 8,210.6 ft / 2,502.6 meters

• Freefall time: 3 minutes and 40 seconds

• The fastest ascent rate of the capsule: 1,200 feet per minute (estimate)

• Speed reached in freefall: 364.69 mph / 586.92 km per hour

Dal racconto di paracadutista al termine del suo corso AFF.

Vi odio tutti!

Pensavo di poter controllare determinate emozioni, ma sbagliavo di brutto! Alzarsi presto e raggiungere la drop zone, cambiarsi e sentire il proprio nome dal manifest. Ultimi controlli e poi via…tutti sul Dodge.

Salutarsi durante i due minuti di percorso verso la pista e poi eccolo lì…il Pilatus in arrivo. Imbarcarsi con apparente confusione, nel caos generato dagli 800 cavalli …di quella fottuta turbina, odore di cherosene bruciato (impossibile da dimenticare), troppo buono!

Tutti dentro, e improvvisamente si é in aria…ma noti che quello strano sapore che “stranamente” avvertivi comincia a farsi sempre più pungente. A bordo continuano gli scherzi, le prese in giro, i controlli.

Ognuno, con i propri riti e le proprie paure, raggiunge quota 4200; perché in fondo, dentro di noi, lo sappiamo: non é un gioco. Poi il pilota indica un minuto al lancio, e quel meraviglioso momento dei saluti prende forma, semplicemente spettacolare! Ti senti grande, unico, anche una pippa come me! Si apre il portellone e a ritmo ben scandito…GIÙ!

Dio che treno gente! Mai provato niente del genere!

Questo in realtà non é uno sport, né tanto meno un gioco.

Questo é…!!! Impossibile da spiegare! Questa é droga allo stato puro!!! Ecco cosa é…e solo chi c’é dentro può capire veramente.

Ed é per questo e altri 1000 motivi che vi odio tutti! Perché oramai sono nella preda più totale!!!

Blue sky…!!!

par. Roberto M.

Grazie Roberto di averci fatto condivedere questo meraviglioso momento.

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