Aug 14, 2012, 7:48 PM
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Who chopped my main?
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I was organizing a 12-way last week a Lost Prairie and during the climb out or very early in the jump, someone chopped my main. At break off I tracked and pulled, felt the main come off my back and then...nothing. I fired my reserve and was in the saddle at 1,000 feet. I always wondered what that would feel like to have the main just go away. Guard your handles like your life depends on it.
I was organizing a 12-way last week a Lost Prairie and during the climb out or very early in the jump, someone chopped my main. At break off I tracked and pulled, felt the main come off my back and then...nothing. I fired my reserve and was in the saddle at 1,000 feet. I always wondered what that would feel like to have the main just go away. Guard your handles like your life depends on it.
I was organizing a 12-way last week a Lost Prairie and during the climb out or very early in the jump, someone chopped my main. At break off I tracked and pulled, felt the main come off my back and then...nothing. I fired my reserve and was in the saddle at 1,000 feet. I always wondered what that would feel like to have the main just go away. Guard your handles like your life depends on it.
Interesting to think had your rig had a skyhook you would have looked up and seen your reserve flying instead of your main.
Interesting. I think most of us have seen floating handles at some point, but assuming you checked yours before climbing out it seems like it should be difficult for this to happen with nobody being aware of it at all.
Was there no video?
Were your cutaway pad and cables completely missing, or had they just moved enough to clear the loops?
I was organizing a 12-way last week a Lost Prairie and during the climb out or very early in the jump, someone chopped my main. At break off I tracked and pulled, felt the main come off my back and then...nothing. I fired my reserve and was in the saddle at 1,000 feet. I always wondered what that would feel like to have the main just go away. Guard your handles like your life depends on it.
There was video but you couldn't see anything. The handle and cables were gone completely. I checked my handles just before climb out.
What sort of handle on the cutaway? Pud?.
Well you must know who was immediately beside you on climbout. Was anyone supposed to take a harness grip? The culprit shouldn't be too hard to track down, unless you wiped it off on the door frame.
To grab and extract the cutaway handle without you feeling anything at all seems unusual.
Aug 15, 2012, 9:18 AM
Post #16 of 33
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Re: [obelixtim] Who chopped my main?
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The cutaway handle was a pillow. I'm fairly sure I know who did it because he was beside me in the door and was part of the base we launched. He had a leg strap grip on me and move up to a wrist grip. I think he pulled it when he made the move from leg strap to wrist.
The cutaway handle was a pillow. I'm fairly sure I know who did it because he was beside me in the door and was part of the base we launched. He had a leg strap grip on me and move up to a wrist grip. I think he pulled it when he made the move from leg strap to wrist.
The cutaway handle was a pillow. I'm fairly sure I know who did it because he was beside me in the door and was part of the base we launched. He had a leg strap grip on me and move up to a wrist grip. I think he pulled it when he made the move from leg strap to wrist.
How'd he snag it going from a legstrap grip to a wrist??
I don't think he snagged it. I think he was doing monkey hand of hand a grabbed it to work his way up to the wrist grip.
From what you say, I guess he denied doing it, which I guess he would if he then threw it away.
I had a guy pull one of my gloves off at 10 grand one time, on a RW dive. He had it in his hand for a bit, I looked at him, and then the idiot let it go. Never to be seen again.
Aug 22, 2012, 9:20 AM
Post #22 of 33
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Re: [obelixtim] Who chopped my main?
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I had a guy pull one of my gloves off at 10 grand one time, on a RW dive. He had it in his hand for a bit, I looked at him, and then the idiot let it go. Never to be seen again.
I was a bit annoyed about that.
Given a choice between a glove and a cutaway cable, I know which I'd rather lose mid-jump.
I'd even argue that the guy was right to release your glove. Unless someone is very experienced/ switched on, he or she is probably better off without the distraction. Early in my career I jumped with a disposable camera to take some pictures in freefall. I remember how uneasy I felt having something in my hand during the skydive - it just felt 'wrong', and I was very conscious of having to transfer it to my other hand prior to pull time.
The big question is - did he offer to buy you a new pair of gloves?
I had a guy pull one of my gloves off at 10 grand one time, on a RW dive. He had it in his hand for a bit, I looked at him, and then the idiot let it go. Never to be seen again.
I was a bit annoyed about that.
Given a choice between a glove and a cutaway cable, I know which I'd rather lose mid-jump.
I'd even argue that the guy was right to release your glove. Unless someone is very experienced/ switched on, he or she is probably better off without the distraction. Early in my career I jumped with a disposable camera to take some pictures in freefall. I remember how uneasy I felt having something in my hand during the skydive - it just felt 'wrong', and I was very conscious of having to transfer it to my other hand prior to pull time.
The big question is - did he offer to buy you a new pair of gloves?
7000 Jumps, a thin leather flying glove, rare as rockinghorse shit, It would have been easy for him to either put it in his mouth, or hand it back to me, as we were transiting a formation on a fun dive, and I was on my way back to him. Grrrrrr.
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