Gear check may have saved my life..

[mitsuman 0]

Well, something really bad could have happened today. I asked someone in the plane to check my pin, he did and also checked my chest strap. Well turns out that i only routed the chest strap through and not back in to lock it in place.

THANK YOU

Just a reminder to please get a gear check in the plane. One look over is not enough.

Hi, my names Jon, and I love to skydive.

[The_Don 0]

I have a habit of tugging on chest straps.

Some like em loose & some like em tight, but if it pulls out, I've done my job.

Never be afraid to tell someone that their gear doesn't look right.

I am NOT being loud.
I'm being enthusiastic!

[skyjumpsteve 0]

Nice. That is why it is much better to say "can you give me a gear check" than "can you check my pin". Finding thinks like mis-routed chest straps, as you found out, could save your life. At 8,000 on the way up I found the same thing on someone and he had not even asked for a gear or pin check

[GaryRay 0]

good job buddy, that kind of stuff shouldnt stop at any level. also look out for other people's gear and if something looks wrong, point it out and see whats up.

JewBag.
www.jewbag.wordpress.com

[ficus 0]

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I have a habit of tugging on chest straps.

Some like em loose & some like em tight, but if it pulls out, I've done my job.

Never be afraid to tell someone that their gear doesn't look right.

Not all chest strap misrouting configurations will give with a little tug.

Look at the friction adapter. Fabric, metal, fabric.

OP: Nice one. That's why we do gear checks!

[MakeItHappen 15]

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Well, something really bad could have happened today. I asked someone in the plane to check my pin, he did and also checked my chest strap. Well turns out that i only routed the chest strap through and not back in to lock it in place.

THANK YOU

Just a reminder to please get a gear check in the plane. One look over is not enough.

Good catch by the person on the airplane.

Seems that you were doing a solo. Is that right?

But....
Aren't you supposed to be under the supervision of an instructor at 22 jumps?

If you are cleared for 'self-supervision' and you were the only one checking your gear before boarding, then you need some more instruction from a qualified instructor or coach. They will teach you a systematic way to check your gear. Perhaps you have forgotten the procedure they have shown you? Maybe you need a refresher?

If you have an instructor or coach that is 'missing' a mis-routed chest strap on a ground gear check (or any gear check) - you need a different coach or instructor.

The 'hot tip' would be to check your gear yourself and then ask an instructor to double check everything for you before you get on the plane. That way you learn the procedures and you have a back up that confirms that.
If you skip the instructor check - because you are cleared for self-supervision - then you cheat yourself.
NGs still need some help and every instructor or coach will gladly help you.

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[pilotdave 0]

Just out of curiosity... did you figure out why it might have happened? Do you remember if you were distracted while you put your gear on? Were you in a hurry? Gear checks are great and thanks for the reminder, but the more important lesson is to understand what makes these things happen in the first place. I know it's sort of a rookie mistake, but a chest strap isn't rocket science and it is super important. There's gotta be some reason why you missed it. Any idea? If not, ponder it for a while.

Dave

[taylor.freefall 0]

At 22 jumps you can jump solo. After AFF you need, well I had to do 5 coached jumps, but I was cleared to jump solo. I was taught to do my own gear check AND ask someone for a gear check too.
This is a good learning experience as he'll always remember it and make sure to check, double check, and get someone else to check too.

[MakeItHappen 15]

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At 22 jumps you can jump solo.

I know that.

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After AFF you need, well I had to do 5 coached jumps, but I was cleared to jump solo.

Whether you are doing a solo or a jump with a coach the jump needs to be supervised by an instructor. The instructor has the final responsibility.

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I was taught to do my own gear check AND ask someone for a gear check too.

That's a good thing. But it is important to note that the supervising instructor should be one of the folks that you ask - on the ground before you get in the plane - for a gear check while you are on student status. Student status ends when you attain an A license - nowadays anyway.

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This is a good learning experience as he'll always remember it and make sure to check, double check, and get someone else to check too.

A 'learning experience' that could have lead to his death is not what I'd call a 'good' learning experience.

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[taylor.freefall 0]

Well sorry to come off as argumentative, that wasn't what I was trying to do and I can only speak from my previous experiences, but I never had a supervising instructor after AFF/coached jumps. Whether that's right or wrong I don't know but if it is you can call Perris Valley Skydiving School and take it up with them.
As for it being a "good" experience, I don't mean good in the sense that he could have died, but good in the sense that he learned from it, and in future he will be sure to double check.
Fuck me, you can't say anything on this fucking website without somebody trying to act like the know it all.

[DSE 3]

I'm in the same boat; no instructors once off student status, excepting the times I've taken canopy course and a camera course from a photographer.
On jump 244, I somehow made to altitude and out the door of the aircraft with my chest strap either misrouted, or completely undone. I was shooting a two way.
I realized what was going on within a second or two. I waved off to the instructor with the coached student, tracked off a ways, grabbed my right mudflap with my left hand, pitched, and immediately grabbed my left mudflap/liftweb with my right hand.
Scary, and taught me a "valuable lesson." Since that jump, I always carefully check my chest strap 2-3 times in addition to checking my hackey (2-3 times on every jump) as well as checking my own pin and three-ring. I hope I never become that complacent again. It was a stupid mistake. But it only took one time.

[skyjumpsteve 0]

God damn man! We almost had Douglas Splatted Eagle instead of Douglas Spotted Eagle!

[JohnMitchell 14]

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Fuck me, you can't say anything on this fucking website without somebody trying to act like the know it all.

Welcome to our world.


Hey, I caught a "bad" chest strap on a novice jumper on the ramp last Sunday. His hands were covering his chest strap and he told me he had gotten a pin check but I just looked anyway. Bingo! He was more squared away on the next dive.
That makes 1 on the ground and 3 in the plane I've caught so far.

[DSE 3]

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God damn man! We almost had Douglas Splatted Eagle instead of Douglas Spotted Eagle!

Just when I thought I'd heard em' all....
Good one, Steve.
yeah...that's in my log book with "STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!" in the first line of the comments section.

For laughs, here is the entire JumpTrack entry...

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STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!
Camera jump with JG and Ryan C. Ryan lost his shoe on exit; he's gonna miss that expensive HushPuppy.
As I went from HD to belly I got slapped in the face by something I figured out was cheststrap.
Wavd to JG and turned n'burned.
Firm grip on right riser/pulled/firm grab at left riser. I still did my chest strap when I got under canopy. JG was cool about it; Ryan laffed cuz I shot his shoe flying off.

(yeah, I know they're not risers, but at the time...that's how I wrote it)

[MakeItHappen 15]

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Well sorry to come off as argumentative, that wasn't what I was trying to do and I can only speak from my previous experiences, but I never had a supervising instructor after AFF/coached jumps.

The 'after AFF' or 'coached jumps' - ie the ones you do after being cleared for self-supervision and before getting an A license are supposed to be supervised by an instructor.
This state is still on 'student status'. You can do coached jumps or not, as you please. But your jumps still need to be supervised by an instructor, even if you go jump with a coach or solo.

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Whether that's right or wrong I don't know but if it is you can call Perris Valley Skydiving School and take it up with them.

Well, I might saunter over there and chat with the instructors to figure out what they actually do.

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As for it being a "good" experience, I don't mean good in the sense that he could have died, but good in the sense that he learned from it, and in future he will be sure to double check.

Well, yeah that was what I was saying too. (geez I sound so Californian now ?)

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Fuck me, you can't say anything on this fucking website without somebody trying to act like the know it all.

You know, I don't know it all and have never claimed that, but I do ask a lot of questions. The questions seem to piss people off more than the real issue. Why is that? I don't understand why you are getting pissed at me.

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[mitsuman 0]

Ever since i graduated aff.... i have not been under direct supervision of an instructor. I was told to make sure to get my gear checked before and after getting on the plane.

with that said, on this jump i didnt get my gear check on the ground by an instructor. I do remember exactly why this happened, i was in a hurry and i was talking to another jumper at the time also a student with around 20 jumps.

It is my fault for not getting a gear check on the ground. I learned my lesson and believe me, this will probable never happen again. and now i will keep an eye out for it even more.

Hi, my names Jon, and I love to skydive.

[chuckakers 370]

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Well, something really bad could have happened today. I asked someone in the plane to check my pin, he did and also checked my chest strap. Well turns out that i only routed the chest strap through and not back in to lock it in place.

THANK YOU

Just a reminder to please get a gear check in the plane. One look over is not enough.

Nice catch. Here's a tip that works well:

Before exit, double check the 2 3's. 3 connection points properly threaded and 3 handles securely in place.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[NWFlyer 2]

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i was in a hurry and i was talking to another jumper

That's the lesson right there - as others have said, work on a "routine" for your self-checks so that you can do it no matter how much of a hurry you're in. And keep an eye on others in the plane - you never know when you're going to catch something on another jumper whether it's part of a formal gear check or not.

As for this self-supervision "debate" here's how the SIM (page 222 of the 2008 manual) describes it. It appears that your program is following the SIM appropriately.

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SELF-SUPERVISION: The point within a student’s training
when he has been cleared by a USPA Instructor to jump without
instructor supervision but has not yet completed all of the
requirements for the USPA A license. See Category E:
Introduction of the Integrated Student Program.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[dj_smokie 0]

If you should, goodness forbid, find yourself in freefall and realize your chest strap is misrouted or not done at all...is that the best thing you can do--grab risers?

And, like Mitsuman, after I finished AFF, it was a lonely place to be. No one really cared abut me. Unless I asked specific questions or asked for a gear check, I was on my own. So, I decided that the only person I could trust at this point was myself. I'm reading the SIM cover to cover and asking as many questions as I can...even though it probably annoys people.

[DSE 3]

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If you should, goodness forbid, find yourself in freefall and realize your chest strap is misrouted or not done at all...is that the best thing you can do--grab risers?

And, like Mitsuman, after I finished AFF, it was a lonely place to be. No one really cared abut me. Unless I asked specific questions or asked for a gear check, I was on my own. So, I decided that the only person I could trust at this point was myself. I'm reading the SIM cover to cover and asking as many questions as I can...even though it probably annoys people.

I doubt it's that no one cares about you, although at some DZ's it's harder for some newbies to get others to jump with them. You haven't been around long enough to make friends, and some DZ's don't have a manifest that knows to work the newbies into jumps with coaches or licensed instructors. You need to be a little aggressive on your own, even though it might be hard.
Generate a plan before you go up. IMO, it's a good idea to use your yellow card as a planner, and then write down some goals for the next 10 jumps, ie; "I'm gonna do a 720 rotation and stop smartly on heading." Or, "I'm gonna do barrel rolls and stay on heading the whole time," or "I'm gonna track from X to X." Maybe there is a budding photographer that can go with you to take video. Just stay well away from each other.
IMO, jumping without a plan and jumping solo, are more or less wasted jumps. I did a lot of these, thinking jump quantity would bring me jump quality.

As far as "what if..." Maybe someone has a better answer, but for me, the answer was to reach my left arm tight across my main lift web and grab the mudflap on the right side, and mentally prepare to do the same with my left hand after I tossed my hackey.
Trying to reroute your chest strap in the middle of a skydive probably isn't a good idea.
Once your canopy is deployed, you really don't need your chest strap, so you may or may not want to route/fasten it once you've deployed.

[dgw 8]

pilotdave makes an excellent point.

I misrouted a chest strap earlier this year. I would have caught it during my own gear check, and I also expect the flight line check would have picked it up. Nevertheless, a frightening experience.

I traced the cause of the misrouting to being preoccupied with my hook knife. It had a large loop, suitable for mounting on a leg strap, and it was always falling off my chest strap. I decided to be specifically focused on the strap in future. Yet, a few jumps later, I caught myself making the same error again.

I ditched the hook knife, and got one that fitted the chest strap properly. Problem solved.

I am now super fastidious about gear checks, particularly my chest strap.

So, I think pilotdave's suggestion is very pertinent, and should be applied to all errors.

[MakeItHappen 15]

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i was in a hurry and i was talking to another jumper

That's the lesson right there - as others have said, work on a "routine" for your self-checks so that you can do it no matter how much of a hurry you're in. And keep an eye on others in the plane - you never know when you're going to catch something on another jumper whether it's part of a formal gear check or not.

As for this self-supervision "debate" here's how the SIM (page 222 of the 2008 manual) describes it. It appears that your program is following the SIM appropriately.

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SELF-SUPERVISION: The point within a student’s training
when he has been cleared by a USPA Instructor to jump without
instructor supervision but has not yet completed all of the
requirements for the USPA A license. See Category E:
Introduction of the Integrated Student Program.

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SIM -2.1
E. Student skydivers

Note: All references to USPA instructional rating holders apply to higher rating holders in that training discipline.

1. General [E]

a. All student training programs must be conducted under the direction and oversight of an appropriately rated USPA Instructor until the student is issued a USPA A license.

b. A person conducting, training, or supervising student jumps must hold a USPA instructional rating according to the requirements that follow.

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[VerticalRush 0]

What DSE descibed is grabbing the opposite mainlift web on his harness. The main lift web is the structural webbing that your emegency handles are attached to. He was basically doing the job of his chest strap with his hands and arms.
Now keep in mind that the more important lesson to learn here is the importance of checking the routing on your chest and leg straps as part of a strict routine. Never get complacent!!!

[Gato 0]

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The questions seem to piss people off more than the real issue. Why is that?

I've read a LOT of your posts, and I think you ask some pretty poignant questions, and I also believe that your intention is to inform and save lives.

If taylor.freefall knew you were on the USPA Board of Directors, he might not have taken it the way he did. The value of information sometimes is dependent upon knowledge of its origin or its messenger, wouldn't you agree?

I would bet most people don't click on the signatures/links at the bottom of posts, so the average "NG", as you put it, isn't going to know who you are. I'm more than willing to listen to what you have to say, as are many folks here, but that's because we know who you are, and we all have respect for your years in the sport and level of experience.

The fact that your profile is empty could be part (if not all) of the problem. The on-screen profile is the first place I look when I see that someone has replied to one of my posts. Who replied, and whether I know that person, will almost always determine how I reply.

I'm just suggesting that you fill out your profile, or sign your posts "Jan Meyer, USPA BOD."

T.I.N.S.

[MakeItHappen 15]

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The questions seem to piss people off more than the real issue. Why is that?

I'm just suggesting that you fill out your profile, or sign your posts "Jan Meyer, USPA BOD."

Wow...???
I post here as a regular jumper, NOT as a representative of USPA.
In fact, I couldn't post as a representative of USPA's voice even if I wanted too. Only the USPA President or Executive Director could give you the 'official' USPA position on any matter.
Unless I quote USPA doctrine, the content of my posts do not represent any USPA official position.

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