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.
