Off Airport Landing vs. Bailout?

[4-Shipp]

I walked outside tonight and found this bag of snakes by the road so I thought I'd turn them loose in here...

I live in North Texas where our terrain is about 50/50 wheat/cotton fields and pasture/mesquite scrub. I flew a C170 for many years and currently fly a J-3 and I was never concerned about an off airport landing in either of those slow, relatively large wheeled airplanes.

Now that I am flying the S-1 with the 5.00x5s and wheel pants, I am not quite as optimistic about the success of an off airport landing. I am guessing the odds of keeping the S-1 off her back are no longer in my favor. Yep, that got me thinking about the obvious...

If your engine quits in your small wheeled biplane and you are wearing a chute, what are you going to do and why? I am not trying to flame bait here at all. I am very interested in hearing other's opinions and considerations.

Any war stories out there? I know the Pitts is a strong airplane and I would assume that a controlled landing that ends up on your back would leave the airplane pretty much intact.

Can you crawl out of an upside down S-1?

I am looking forward to this discussion. Happy New Year!

Bruce

 

[christopher]

 

[acropilotbret]

 

[Knight Twister]

 

[Chopmo]

 

[Tomcat]

 

[navybipe]

 

[PittsDriver68]

 

[cwilliamrose]

 

[navybipe]

 

[TFF1]

 

[PittsDriver68]

 

[smizo]

 

[Taildragger]

 

[will moffitt]

 

[Larry Lyons]

 

[PittsDriver68]

 

[Guido Lepore]

 

[Larry Lyons]

 

[will moffitt]