When designing a
system for flying people,
it is obvious that major safety
implications
exist for the person being flown and also for the audience. However it is
sometimes less
obvious to take into account the risks to other people, actors, crew
and
operator. In
this section, an attempt will be made to identify these risks and suggest
control
measures.
The most
palpable risk in performer flying is the failure of the
rig itself, although
experience shows
that this is not common and is controlled by correct design,
thorough and
regular inspections and trained competent operators.
The rig will be
constructed following the ABTT Code of Practice to minimise the
possibility of
rig failure. All components will conform to the relevant BS
specifications
and the SWL of the rig designed to handle the heaviest flyer. Once
completed, the
rig will be inspected by an independent competent person and load
tested to a load
1.5 times the system SWL. The rig will be inspected daily for signs of
wear.
Each flier will
have their own trained operator, and a trained understudy will be
nominated for
each operator. Flying
harnesses are adjusted to fit the individual
performers and
will be marked to aid identification by the performers. Harnesses will
also be
inspected daily in the presence of the performer.
In fact the most
common incident occurring with performer flying is when the flyer
bumps into
scenery or other actors when swinging in a pendulum fashion.
Unfortunately,
the pendulum swing is a very convincing effect and is widely used in
many
performances. The longer the drop wire, the further the actor can move in a
lateral
direction. It is important therefore that the operator can predict the flyer’s
movement; a
swift pull on the control line will slow the flyer and cause them to
change
direction. Equally the flyer has some control; in a similar way to that of a
child on a
swing, a flyer can accelerate or slow down by amending their body
posture.
The second most
common risk is falling objects; the flyer must avoid dropping
objects onto the
acting space below. He or she should remove all unnecessary items
from pockets and
those essentials such as radio mic packs must be contained in zip or
velcro
pockets.
Problems can
sometimes occur when the flyer is launching from a high platform into
space. In this
case the performer should be lifted above the platform so that the
weight is taken
by the rig before being moved out over the flying space.
In the case of
effect 1 where the performer is required to fly down the central aisle of
the seating
area, ushers will be positioned to ensure members of the audience do not
enter the flying area immediately
before or during the effect. The effect will also be
designed such
that the performer can not swing over the audience seats
themselves.
Only trained
designated performers will be allowed to use the flying effects; only
trained
designated operators will be allowed to operate. Effects will be disabled by
key operated
lock when not in use.