It is never pleasant to discuss what happens when the plane ends upside down following a botched or forced landing. Sometimes the result is down right scary. Such is the case here in Illinois on Monday. A Dragonfly made a forced landing in a soft and cultivated field and, as might be expected, flipped over and came to rest upside down. The pilot was trapped inside the cockpit which had a plexigas canopy. There was a fire, and he died.
For those that know a Dragonfly, there is no upper wing and/or rudder for the plane to rest on inverted. I know that some will contest how effective the rudder might be to keep your head out of the mud, but this is not the purpose of my inquiry. (Even a roll over device would not have saved this man as he was trapped.)
With this incident in mind, I am evenmore curious: What have others thought to help themselves to extricate themselves (and PX) from the cockpit?I have heard of but have not seen"Canopy Crackers"?Fire suppression ideas?
Maybe someone has an unique idea that might save someone's bacon.
For those that know a Dragonfly, there is no upper wing and/or rudder for the plane to rest on inverted. I know that some will contest how effective the rudder might be to keep your head out of the mud, but this is not the purpose of my inquiry. (Even a roll over device would not have saved this man as he was trapped.)
With this incident in mind, I am evenmore curious: What have others thought to help themselves to extricate themselves (and PX) from the cockpit?I have heard of but have not seen"Canopy Crackers"?Fire suppression ideas?
Maybe someone has an unique idea that might save someone's bacon.
