"JJ Sinclair" wrote in message
...
I have felt for some time now that my back-pack parachute provides
little more than a false sense of security..............I don't think
I would ever get out of a spinning, tumbling ship.
snip

Personally I know one glider pilot whose life was saved after a mid-air by
his parachute, and I know of at least one more. I also know of a poor chap
who managed to egress from his glider but whose parachute malfunctioned.

So, your parachute as well as being a pricey cushion might save your life
one day.

How easy it is go get out might also depend on the glider design as well as
what has happened to it. It seems likely to me that the AS front canopy
hinge designs with a lifting panel leave a lot more room than the SH side
hinge ones especially if the panel is non-lifting. I got in a Discus with a
non-lifting panel once, and the thought crossed my mind that it would
probably be very difficult to get out in a hurry, whereas my own has a
front-hinged canopy and a massive gap once it's open - or the canopy is
removed.

BTW I pulled the handle on my parachute last time it was repacked - was
surprised how little force was needed, and how little happened given I was
stood on the floor in the packing room!