Hello all
I have read a fair amount on this forum about the suspended escapes like the SJ. From research, I feel that I have a pretty good handle on attaching the actual rigging to my body. I would like to ask for some help with the next part.
Specifically: What methods are available / recommended for the actual hoisting part of the rig?
Let's assume that the necessary wraps etc have been attached to the body, and it all culminates in a single point (like shackle or carabiner etc). This is then attached to the hoist system, and this is where my question lies. I know one can use a crane for this, but I'm thinking of a different situation.
In many indoor situations (not including a theater with a mechanist and fly bars), you may find yourself with a strong beam or such which will support a single point rigging. What is then the best way to hoist the performer from the floor level to the height where the escape will happen.
Things to consider: Use rope or wire cable? ; run a second parallel cable for backup? ; use a motor hoist or manual muscle power (or some other system)? ; how are the hoisting components best anchored in a temporary setup?

The simplest seems to be something like this:
A double sheave block is secured to the high rigging point
2 cables (for redundancy) are run up through the sheaves in the high block, then down and attached to the performer's rigging point
The cables are then either pulled by muscle power of a few volunteers (I think this is a BAD idea), or preferably pulled by a electric winch of some sort which must be anchored on the ground somehow.

I would greatly appreciate any thoughts on making a simple (more complex = more possible failure points) hoisting system which can be used in a variety of settings, and would be set up and removed easily.

I hope my question has been posed clearly.
Thank you for any thoughts and suggestions.

Ships supplies will get you pulleys set up ratio for your use,,,make sure you trust those on the other end of the ropes. Use rope not wire. Electric motor pulleys use wire as aq pull,,,make a hell of a noise and work slow,,,real slow.

I always used a two rope set up from a safety point of view,,with a carrib between rope and in my case car seat belt harness.

Best set up complete I ever had was a cherry picker which I used on the Showgrounds for four seasons,,,only fault due to the design you are into extra transort.

Internal rigging,,,used the rope and pulley method at an exhibition hall in Telford where the problem of getting the top rigg fixed in the centre of a 100ft span apex which was over 50ft from the ground was solved by throwing a feeder string weighted at one end up and over the beam (This took three of us nearly all day to achieve) Of course it couldn't be tethered at the top so it was fixed antilever to a wall,,,this ment we had an extra 150 ft of rope to supply giving also relevent play when I was upturned bouncing up and down on the end of it !!!! Was glad when the three escapes were over.

Main thing is`>>>>> make the whole thing as simple and safe as you can and try to rely on as few people as possible.

Ken.

Sparrowhwk;

Make sure you know and trust your assistants and have worked with them a long time.

Goofy helpers get distracted, they do not take it serious, and your life is in their hands. They skip important steps. They get tired or bored quickly and you will pay the price.

If you hire someone you do not know, make sure they are rigging experts.

What can go wrong, WILL go wrong!

Our best,

Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz

Re getting a trailer string over a beam....

saw a program on TV about a base jumper who worked for Red Bull. He jumped off the massive statue in Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=e......Q&zoom=1

they did the same thing with a waited lead roap. But they used a cross bow bolt as the weight and fired it from a cross bow. Very quick and neat - then haulled him up and he slept up there over night and jumped first thing in the morning.

Of coures this may not work in a building - you don't want to sink a crossbow bolt in to a wall by mistake.


But amazing info from ken again.