How to survive a plane crash

Per James Silverton:
a cynically different view of safety equipment and
putting one's head down.

A loooong time ago, when the nation was having atomic attack drills in the
schools, there was the Atomic Attack Survival Position: "Lay on you back, raise
your legs into the air, drop your feet to the floor behind your head.... and
kiss your ass goodbye."
--
PeteCresswell

Per TOliver:
which does prevent the pile of detached heads against the
forward bulkhead in high spreed impacts

Do you have any professional experience in this area?

Some months ago, I had the misfortune to review some accident pix of the scene
after someone lost control of their bike on a curve at something over 110 mph.

The body/leathers looked untouched except that the head was missing - apparently
torn off instead of severed because all of the cervical vertebrae were sticking
out where the neck was.

What was left of the brain was a few feet further down the road, followed by the
head - still in the helmet, eyeglasses still in place.

My initial reaction was that the helmet had caught on something and, lacking
some sort of safety release on the neck strap, had been responsible for the
situation.

Could it have just been inertia as the body got momentarily hung up on
something?
--
PeteCresswell

Miss L. Toe wrote:
Horizon - BBC2 9pm tonight - UK.

1/8 - The Survivor's Guide to Plane Crashes

Science documentary series. Despite a widespread fear of flying, few people
realise that most plane crashes have survivors and that there are many
things that you can do to increase your chances of staying alive. This film
investigates the latest scientific research and meets people to discover
what they did to survive under horrific circumstances.
===========
Assuming the plane breaks apart in mid air ----- pack a parachute?

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...rial_1147.shtm

Now, how do get the parachute out of the carry on apartment while the
plane breaks apart around you?

As you have seen, in an impact hard enough to break the shell of the helmet,
and the body is still travelling, there can be huge torsional forces on the
cervical spine. This is one of the anti-helmet loons' arguments why they
aren't needed. An analogous situation is bicyclists wearing helmets without
the plastic cover - they are actually better off with no helmet for the
similar reason....

Helmets are generally only life savers at low speed crashes.

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
Per TOliver:
which does prevent the pile of detached heads against the
forward bulkhead in high spreed impacts

Do you have any professional experience in this area?

Some months ago, I had the misfortune to review some accident pix of the
scene
after someone lost control of their bike on a curve at something over 110
mph.

The body/leathers looked untouched except that the head was missing -
apparently
torn off instead of severed because all of the cervical vertebrae were
sticking
out where the neck was.

What was left of the brain was a few feet further down the road, followed
by the
head - still in the helmet, eyeglasses still in place.

My initial reaction was that the helmet had caught on something and,
lacking
some sort of safety release on the neck strap, had been responsible for
the
situation.

Could it have just been inertia as the body got momentarily hung up on
something?
--
PeteCresswell

Per glenn P:
As you have seen, in an impact hard enough to break the shell of the helmet,

In this case, the shell of the helmet appeared tb 100% intact.
--
PeteCresswell

Per glenn P:
and the body is still travelling, there can be huge torsional forces on the
cervical spine. This is one of the anti-helmet loons' arguments

To go a little tangential from the OP....

I've messed my neck up twice by taking a header into the water at 15-20 mph
while windsurfing and wearing a helmet.

First time I was just laying there for awhile unable to feel anything in my
hands and after a few minutes I was ok.

Second time I couldn't turn my head more than a few degrees for several weeks.

In both cases I'm pretty sure I could feel the helmet catch as it hit the water
and yank my neck. Sort of like sticking one's head out of a doorway into 120
mph hurricane winds with something big lashed to the head.

I've since switched to another type of helmet that doesn't offer as much impact
cushioning, but is closely formed to the head so as not to catch in the water.
--
PeteCresswell

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
Per glenn P:
and the body is still travelling, there can be huge torsional forces on
the
cervical spine. This is one of the anti-helmet loons' arguments

To go a little tangential from the OP....

I've messed my neck up twice by taking a header into the water at 15-20
mph
while windsurfing and wearing a helmet.

First time I was just laying there for awhile unable to feel anything in
my
hands and after a few minutes I was ok.

Second time I couldn't turn my head more than a few degrees for several
weeks.

In both cases I'm pretty sure I could feel the helmet catch as it hit the
water
and yank my neck. Sort of like sticking one's head out of a doorway into
120
mph hurricane winds with something big lashed to the head.

I've since switched to another type of helmet that doesn't offer as much
impact
cushioning, but is closely formed to the head so as not to catch in the
water.
--
PeteCresswell

My wife and I returned from Egypt in June where we watched windsurfing on
the Red Sea at Al Gouna (spelling may not be correct.) Their version is to
have a parasail which lifts the surfer out of the water to do acrobatics,
then drop back into the water. Since the Red Sea is only four feet deep
for a half a mile, it provides a large area for windsurfing (if this is the
windsurfing you describe.) It is also the home water for the German
champion, and all of the local magazines have pics of this. We took many
pictures of the 50 or so parasails against the blue water. None of the
participants wore helmets. Maybe this was a different thing, but my memory
seems to say that a helmet would be dysfunctional in this environment.

On Tue, 3 Oct 2006 18:42:46 +0100, "Bedders"
wrote:

i hear sitting on the wing (well, a seat near where it joins the main
fuselage anyway!) may give some extra chances, as this part is constructed
with stronger materials..

the info I saw was that proximity to exits and memorising where they
are is the survival factor. It seems most crashes are landing/take off
and are survivable for those away from high damage areas if they can
avoid smoke and fire and get out of the exits quickly.
--
Mike Reid
I will agree bendybuses are a good idea when they build bungalows on Mayfair
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" -- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"

glenn P wrote:
Helmets are generally only life savers at low speed crashes.

I guess 50-55mph can be considered low speed. That's about the speed
of my body when it hit the road on a knee, elbow, rib, and wrist,
according to the injuries, and head, according to the damage on the
helmet. I don't remember the instants of receiving the injuries
although I do remember most of the slide down the road.

I learned of the rib when using one of the other driver's tools to
straighten one of the pedals. The knee had an asphalt burn. The
horsehide on my torso and hands showed just where it'd been on the road.

I will never believe that the helmet did not save my life.

The treatment of the knee injury was worse than the injury itself.

It happened near Jackson Hole and I had to get home with badly bent
handle bars and a knee that was fine when straight, and fine when
bent, but getting from one to the other took several very painful
minutes.

-- __________________________________________________ ______________
A San Franciscan whose reverence for each god is equal.
http://geocities.com/dancefest/ --- http://geocities.com/iconoc/
ICQ: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/19098103 ------- IClast at Gmail com

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Wed, 4 Oct 2006 10:40:42 +1000, "glenn P"
wrote:

As you have seen, in an impact hard enough to break the shell of the helmet,
and the body is still travelling, there can be huge torsional forces on the
cervical spine. This is one of the anti-helmet loons' arguments why they
aren't needed. An analogous situation is bicyclists wearing helmets without
the plastic cover - they are actually better off with no helmet for the
similar reason....

Helmets are generally only life savers at low speed crashes.

An aging radiologist told me that prior to compulsory helmets on
motorbikes it was always the same story with accidents - broken bones,
flesh wounds, head injuries.

Since the introduction the last one is removed.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
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