Martin Phillips wrote: > I have had a long centre line caught in the prop and it is very, very > scary. You would not believe how quickly it tightens and snaps - and I'm > talking 12 mm rope. If any of it were wrapped around a body part it > would be instantly severed.
All I can say is that on Arun the centre rope runs from the centre ring down one side or the other and the end is made into large-ish coils ready for when next needed. The handrails are of the solid box section type extending straight up from the cabin sides by about an inch and a half. There is no realistic way for the rope to slip off the side of the roof. I personally can't see any point in having a centre line that is not long enough to be useful to me in the way I want to use it. Ultimately, I suppose, all activity carries a certain level of risk. It's down to the individual to assess the risk and modify his or her practices to reduce it to an acceptable level or seek an alternative way of doing things which eliminates that particular scenario. Of course the alternative method selected will doubtless have its own risks to be assessed. Personally I deem the risk of getting a long centre rope round the prop to be sufficiently small that the benefits of having one justify the risk. Terry Streeter NB Arun - Wendover Arm
