sartre 0 #1 October 16, 2012 I am sitting with a whuffo and he has some very good questions about Felix' jump. The answers may already be posted, but we are not finding them with a search. How high was he when he deployed? And how fast was he going at the time? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lekstrom10k 0 #2 October 16, 2012 I heard them say about 6500. The speed would have been close to normal. I am sure that will be disputed. Joes 28 foot rag was fired by an automatic opener at10000. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingRhenquest 1 #3 October 17, 2012 8900 feet according to the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_Stratos I don't see where it says how fast he was going, but it says he could have safely gone another 20 seconds before deploying. Based on that, I'd guess he was at pretty close to a "normal" terminal velocity, around 120 mph.I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #4 October 17, 2012 had to be close to normal speed. he used his pc to deploy. no drogue.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pchapman 279 #5 October 17, 2012 Note that varying "how high" answers may be a result of Above Ground Level vs. Above Sea Level measurements. In another thread someone said the altitude readouts on the "live" video were ASL. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #6 October 17, 2012 QuoteNote that varying "how high" answers may be a result of Above Ground Level vs. Above Sea Level measurements. In another thread someone said the altitude readouts on the "live" video were ASL. So 2500' AGL? Makes sence, longest possible yet safe freefall. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SansSuit 1 #7 October 17, 2012 Quote I am sitting with a whuffo and he has some very good questions about Felix' jump. The answers may already be posted, but we are not finding them with a search. How high was he when he deployed? And how fast was he going at the time? ... and that was 2 questions. Peace, -Dawson. http://www.SansSuit.com The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 59 #8 October 17, 2012 Quote Quote I am sitting with a whuffo and he has some very good questions about Felix' jump. The answers may already be posted, but we are not finding them with a search. How high was he when he deployed? And how fast was he going at the time? ... and that was 2 questions. FIFYlisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loch1957 0 #9 October 17, 2012 I just want to know how he spotted the dropzone?Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverek 63 #10 October 17, 2012 He pulled the handle at 5300 feet above ground level. You can also see in the videos that his altitrack reads 4000 feet when the canopy inflates. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obelixtim 150 #11 October 17, 2012 Quote8900 feet according to the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_Stratos I don't see where it says how fast he was going, but it says he could have safely gone another 20 seconds before deploying. Based on that, I'd guess he was at pretty close to a "normal" terminal velocity, around 120 mph. Another 20 seconds would have seen him open at 1000ft AGL, if he dumped at 5500....My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base283 0 #12 October 19, 2012 QuoteI just want to know how he spotted the dropzone? If I understand your question..... He was spotting the Landing Zone from under canopy. Not the Drop Zone from the Balloon. Stratos Crew calculated the LZ and send crews out there (during the ascent) who deployed smoke for him to land by. take care, space Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #13 October 19, 2012 Quote He pulled the handle at 5300 feet above ground level. You can also see in the videos that his altitrack reads 4000 feet when the canopy inflates. I don't think I would have taken it down lower. Kelly Farrington told me one of the big challenges was figuring out handle placement/feel/function to be used by a jumper wearing a clumsy pressure suit, fat gloves and vision restricting helmet. The rig was well designed but much more complex than a regular sport rig. The complications of the pressure suit certainly called for a higher opening altitude. Also, I wonder how much the field elevation changed under Felix as he drifted some 45 miles from the take off point. Did they give him topographical data prior to his jump? Or did they say "Okay, the LZ is a little lower than the take off point. We'll just let him pull high." A lot of time and effort went into this jump. There is no real comparison between Felix's real free fall and Joe's drogue fall. It would have been stupid to smoke it down to break a non-existent record. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linebckr83 3 #14 October 19, 2012 In the post-jump interview they announced a deployment altitude of about 5200 feet which was according to plan. That must be AGL because Roswell International Air Center (KROW) is at about 3670ft MSL. Not sure about the landing zone but having spent some time out there, it sure looked flat for hundreds of miles in every direction."Are you coming to the party? Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!" Flying Hellfish #828 Dudist #52 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phillbo 11 #15 October 19, 2012 Apparently he broke more records than we thought Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,590 #16 October 19, 2012 Quote Apparently he broke more records than we thought I shudder to think of the opening shock at that speed!"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #17 October 19, 2012 I would be bad for a good portion of NM...____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgoose71 0 #18 October 21, 2012 So what do you think the plan would have been if he had caught his drogue on the balloon and had an early out? "There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." Life, the Universe, and Everything Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #19 October 21, 2012 Quote So what do you think the plan would have been if he had caught his drogue on the balloon and had an early out? To set the longest parachute flight..or the longest malfunctioning parachute ride.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #20 October 21, 2012 Quote So what do you think the plan would have been if he had caught his drogue on the balloon and had an early out? The drogue wouldn't have been too bad, but an early deployment on the main or reserve would have been. The EP for that is to cutaway whichever canopy is open, since the suit doesn't have enough O2 for a 1-2 hour canopy ride. Both the main and reserve may be cut away on Felix's rig. And once you cutaway either, it disables the cutaway mechanism on the other one so there is no way you could accidentally chop both. Pretty cool setup. Kelly Farrington told me how it all worked. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #21 October 21, 2012 Quote Quote So what do you think the plan would have been if he had caught his drogue on the balloon and had an early out? The drogue wouldn't have been too bad, but an early deployment on the main or reserve would have been. The EP for that is to cutaway whichever canopy is open, since the suit doesn't have enough O2 for a 1-2 hour canopy ride. Both the main and reserve may be cut away on Felix's rig. And once you cutaway either, it disables the cutaway mechanism on the other one so there is no way you could accidentally chop both. Pretty cool setup. Kelly Farrington told me how it all worked. Nice 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
JohnMitchell 16 #22 October 21, 2012 Kelly said that both cut away cables are rigged with stops on them so neither handle can be pulled. Then, when you open either canopy, a pyro cutter cuts the stops off the cutaway cables for which ever parachute was opened and also disables the pyro cutters on the remaining closed parachute. Slick, huh? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgoose71 0 #23 October 21, 2012 Well, we knew that this jump was going to incorporate a bunch of new stuff, after all, NASA's systems are only certified to 100,000 feet...At the end of this month there is supposed to be a 2 hour documentary on making the jump on the discovery channel. Hopefully they show off all the cool new tech... "There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." Life, the Universe, and Everything Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
linebckr83 3 #24 October 22, 2012 Out of pure curiosity, and maybe Kelly can answer this, was there a particular reason that Velocity was chosen over other manufacturers to do the rigging? Was there a bid or some kind of personal relationship? Not dogging anyone because I love Inifinity rigs and Felix's rig was awesome to say the least, just curious."Are you coming to the party? Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!" Flying Hellfish #828 Dudist #52 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,421 #25 October 22, 2012 Hi 83, Interestingly, I was just on the phone with Kelly discussing some other stuff. He told me that they actually built two complete rigs. One for backup I would guess. Now for rumor control ( or all out BS as it also known ): Quite some time ago I 'heard' that another parachute mfr wanted ~$50K to build each of the two rigs. I 'heard' that Kelly's pricing was less. When you go on a world record skydive & plan/hope to break the speed of sound, you go with the rig that is the cheapest. Just havin' fun, Kelly. JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
