Although less comfortable than the STABO (Short Tactical Air Borne Operations)[1] harness, it did not require the soldiers to carry any special equipment.
The McGuire Rig was fashioned from a 2-inch (51 mm) wide, 15-foot (4.6 m) long A7A nylon cargo tie-down strap with a quick-fit buckle on one end.
This was typically cut down to an 8-foot (2.4 m) length and a 18-inch (460 mm) web loop (wrist strap) attached near the top end.
Once the soldiers were in the rig, the pilot would attempt to gain altitude by rising straight up, but with the nearest ground reference over 100 feet away, it was difficult to discern when the chopper was moving.
[citation needed] CPT John W. "Jack" Green, III, flying a UH-1B for the 145th Airlift Platoon in support of Project Delta, was the first pilot to utilize the McGuire Rig in an emergency extraction.