Swinging, not flying

[NHStech]

My director wants to hang a rope from our grid so a student can swing off it. We have a 25-line counterweight system where the pulleys are on a grid above the stage 47' above. We are doing Tarzan, and he has one scene where he wants a kid to swing from a chair offstage to the middle of the stage floor.
Since the grid supports the counterweight system, this is not the same as trying to hang a rope from one of the pipes. The kid would have to swing in exactly parallel to the line sets, otherwise the rope would be bumping into lines, but again, the rope would be hanging from the grid.
Is this something that would still be a "no way" type liability and we should look for alternative effects or to hire a flying company, or is this something that does get done and is generally no big deal?
Again, we are not lifting the student or flying the student. He/she would be hanging from a rope attached to the grid, not to any of the lines. I want to make sure this is not a big liability situation. After all, high schools have rope climbs and the like still, right (I really do not know the answer to this)?
Thank you for educating me in this matter.

 

[robartsd]

After all, high schools have rope climbs and the like still, right (I really do not know the answer to this)?

The rope climb should have been installed by a qualified professional and the PE teacher should ensure that it is used properly - adequate padding below the rope and not swinging. The rope climb is not the same as your Tarzan scene and requires a professional to set it up.

 

[DuckJordan]

This is still a flying effect, so you should still get a pro. That said why does Tarzan need to swing in?

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[bdkdesigns]

That said why does Tarzan need to swing in?

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It is in the script that he swings in during one of the songs (transformation from Young Tarzan to Adult Tarzan). We did something similar, however we had it professionally installed and had a rigging inspection done at the same time (since they needed a lift to help install it). You will also find that if you are jumping from a chair and swinging in, the effect will look a little sad unless you jump up onto the rope a bit. Just going off of the chair and your feet would be on the ground pretty quickly. This probably isn't something that a school should be looking at doing without bringing in an outside flight company.

 

[techwiz24]

When we did Tarzan, we built a rope swing into our set, as the venue wouldn't let us hang anything from the grid without proper insurance / contractor on site. YMMV

 

[porkchop]

If there is someone suspended by something (anything) then the effect falls into the realm of flying and you should have a qualified professional on hand to make sure it's done safely. They'll be there to make sure the whole effect is safe. Sure you could probably find a suitable rope and get it attached to somewhere in a manner that's able to take the weight, but a pro can help structure the proper safety practices to ensure that unexpected or unplanned things don't cause this effect to go south quickly. Depending on the pro and how the teacher/school interacts with them this could actually be a great way to teach students all the little details that go into proper planning for theatrical effects.

Possibility that doesn't require bring in a professional. Why couldn't you just have a rope that's long enough to reach the ground well offstage (not meant to support anyone) and just have the actor run from offstage and once they're onstage have them slow down so it looks the the audience is only seeing the end of the swing as Tarzan makes his landing? Would take some rehearsal time, but would be a fairly easy gag technically.