tomate 0 #1 April 10, 2006 Last week my parachute exploded and sent me to the clinic with a painful grade 3 sprain in the neck and 3 weeks of a rigid neck collar. This was more than an usual hard opening. It opened instantly with my body facing the Earth and I heard my neck cracking!!! I was sitflying solo (ie no tracking) and opened stable after 1,000 ft of belly-to-Earth. The rig was packed by the one good packer I always use and I personally decollapsed the slider. An experienced skydiver saw afterwards that the rubber bands were OK and the chute was not damaged. I have always had soft openings with my new Spectre 190 and I trust it, but I don't know if it should be professionally checked after this "strange" incident. Or could it just be a poor pack job? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
n23x 0 #2 April 10, 2006 Quote...opened stable after 1,000 ft of belly-to-Earth... Sure you slowed down enough? Maybe not is my guess. To add to this, the hardest I ever got whacked was on my spectre. Sorry to hear about it. .jim"Don't touch my fucking Easter eggs, I'll be back monday." ~JTFC Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GraficO 0 #3 April 10, 2006 Truthfully.... in my experience, you can pack the same way every time and always keep your equipment in tip-top shape (stow bands, lines, PC, etc.) but every once in awhile you will get a smacker... not MIGHT... you will. Airflow changes, strange winds... who knows what... it just happens. While I do not have any knowledge of Spectre 190s having opeing problems (I previously had a 150 Spectre) you might want to have your rigger do an inspection on the lines and the canopy. Probably a good idea to inspect your harness and 3-rings. I'm glad that your injury wasn't too serious... but it's a risk that we all take by leaving the airplane and skydiving. Today was interesting for me in that what should have been a normal jump with a rig that was packed by a PST competitor/rigger opened with 3 line twists and I was lucky not to have had to cut away a "spin-O-letto"... nothing odd about body position, normal experienced pack job/packer... but I still got a surprise. Hang in there and repair yourself... it just happens to even the best of us every now and then. GraficOGraficO "A Mind is a terrible thing to taste." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntacfreefly 0 #4 April 10, 2006 Quotenew Spectre 190 and I trust it Curious, is it brand new or second hand? If it's second hand do you know how many jumps it has on that lineset? Graffico is right though - just about anything can (and probably will) slam you at some point. Blues, IanTo the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. ~ Lao-Tzu It's all good, they're my brothers ~ Mariann Kramer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fcajump 153 #5 April 10, 2006 Quote...but I don't know if it should be professionally checked after this "strange" incident. Sorry to hear about your opening. Heal soon. I also jump a Spectre (230), and while it has always treated me well, any canopy can open hard. To actually answer your question, I would suggest getting a rigger to inspect both your main and your harness. This for both any potential cause AND for any potential damage cause BY the opening. It should include ALL parts of the main system (3-rings to pud) and the harness. He may find that you have a line-trim problem or torn rib or other things. Heal soon. JimAlways remember that some clouds are harder than others... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomate 0 #6 April 10, 2006 My Spectre is brand-new. Just got it last December. I will follow your advice and have the full equipment checked by a professional rigger. I have had about three hard openings in my short skydiving history (blame bad body position, unreduced speed from tracking, bad luck...), but believe me, I was truly scared when I heard my neck cracking after the INSTANT opening. I knew my neck didn't break only because I was conscious and I could move my arms and legs... Scary and mysterious things can happen up there in the beautiful blue sky... Thanks for the advice Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites airtwardo 6 #7 April 10, 2006 Quote have had about three hard openings in my short skydiving history *** Did YOU actually pack any of them? Or do you always use the same packer...who's brother is a local Chiropractor?! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
airtwardo 6 #7 April 10, 2006 Quote have had about three hard openings in my short skydiving history *** Did YOU actually pack any of them? Or do you always use the same packer...who's brother is a local Chiropractor?! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
