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Liemberg

Low? Straight for the reserve?

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If you survive, then you've done the 'right' action.



Not necessarily! ...Although I think I understand what it is you are trying to say, in of itself, this is INCORRECT.

For instance, I have seen a situation where a jumper "reversed" his EP's. In other words, he pulled his reserve on a line-over mal BEFORE his cut-away. He (VERY LUCKILY) got away with it. -Does that mean that this was the 'right' action in response to this mal? -ABSOLUTELY NOT!

999 times out of 1,000 this would have ended up in a main/reserve entanglement. I would not under ANY stretch have called this the 'right' action, which implies that under the same scenario, it would be 'okay' to then do this again!

You most certainly CAN make a (and in this case I submit potentially even a very dire) mistake, yet still walk away from it. Doesn't make it 'right'.

-Grant
coitus non circum - Moab Stone

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> If you survive, then you've done the 'right' action.

I'd have to disagree with that. I know a few students who didn't do a damn thing, and were saved by their cypres when they didn't open their main or failed to respond to a malfunction. They did not choose the right action.

It's great when someone survives their mistakes, but that doesn't make them non-mistakes. It makes them lucky.



Agreed. This applies to any facet of life really.
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Albert Einstein

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I've been considering writing an article on why a reserve is set up to open quicker. In discussing that with my better half she questioned if going for the main instead of the reserve was from muscle memory or worry that going directly to the reserve would demonstrate to everyone that you fucked up and had to get out of low falling situation by pulling silver. I tend to think it's the former.

-Michael

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I've been considering writing an article on why a reserve is set up to open quicker.

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My main, because of material & loading, opens quicker than my reserve...considerably more-so sub-terminal.

However~

In 'the olden dayz' round reserves opened a LOT faster than sleeved rounds or bagged square mains...especially before the diaper was invented!


Also~

If you go for the main instead of the reserve way down low, muscle memory / reaction superseded cognitive thinking....not good, but better than not reacting at all.

And IF peer pressure or fear of ridicule because of going to plan B first really happens, then 'someone' clearly doesn't understand the inherent danger of the sport.











~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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...if going for the main instead of the reserve was from... worry that going directly to the reserve would demonstrate to everyone that you fucked up and had to get out of low falling situation by pulling silver.



If you're in freefall at 1,000' and 120 mph and thinking about inventing a good cover story for spectators on the ground, then your priorities are WAY off, and you're going to die.

If you need to use your reserve to survive, then pull the damned thing. Worry about explaining yourself later. Better to be alive and humbled, than to be dead with a good cover story.

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I've been considering writing an article on why a reserve is set up to open quicker. In discussing that with my better half she questioned if going for the main instead of the reserve was from muscle memory or worry that going directly to the reserve would demonstrate to everyone that you fucked up and had to get out of low falling situation by pulling silver. I tend to think it's the former.

-Michael



You're correct, at least in my one experience with such a situation. By the time I'd figured out that I'd fucked up, my hand had already deployed my pilot chute on its own.

Blues,
Dave
"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

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I've been considering writing an article on why a reserve is set up to open quicker.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We covered this during the riggers' course: large nose openings small sliders, special brake settings. Several manufacturers (Para-Flite, Performance Designs, Precision, etc.) even cut holes in slider sto speed up reserve openings.
Then reserves are packed with their noses wide open - like BASE canopies.

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Yeah What he said.
I have pulled low on many occasions over the years just because so i have a little different view on this topic.

We did 875 ft exits from 182's on years we couldn't make it for Bridge Day (had to have some reason)

But really deciding which handle to pull should be a constant thought process.
Generally it’s best to go in proper order main chop reserve. BUT things don't always work that way.
I have pulled both under a 1000' in different situations, and different canopies. I would not pull my crossfire that low, cruiselite yes, PC yes. I still jump all 3.
After a canopy collapse under 200' I fired a round and it opened just in time to PLF. A couple of totals I've pulled the reserve, since it was the only thing left.
I've done several canopy transfers with both square and round reserves at low altitudes and always came out fine.

After 30 years 5500 plus jumps and 20 reserve rides my situational awareness is pretty good. And I always know where the big green thing is.
Generally I don't look at an altimeter to know when its time to pull. You can see the sky meet earth, kind of like falling out of a blue umbrella into a green (or brown out west) bowl. This effect happens around 2000' - 2500' ~~ or so. Check it out sometime. It’s better than any visual or auditory device.

So all that means “When in Doubt, Whip it out" but Know where you are and what’s on your back.
Peace


Subject:
waving off is to tell people to get out of my landing area

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Yes of course and I haven't forgotten these things, was thinking about one more for canpara that would describe it all for the general skydiving population. I don't know anything about those dirty rotten low-pulling base jumpers but do they really do a reserve pack every time?

-Michael

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Yes of course and I haven't forgotten these things, was thinking about one more for canpara that would describe it all for the general skydiving population. I don't know anything about those dirty rotten low-pulling base jumpers but do they really do a reserve pack every time?

-Michael



Most start with a basic reserve pack job. Many are a lot more concerned about what happens to the nose, center cell symetry, and micro reefing to encourage the nose to open first all of which influence heading control on opening. More people are packing with the center cell tail on the inside of the pack job so it should be more likely to stay together as a bundle and less likely to have a line-over. Some pay less attention on bridges (heading control isn't an issue) over water (problems wouldn't be important).

Low jumps are made without sliders (or with the slider tied down to the front risers) and mesh sliders get used for faster openings on terminal jumps.

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What does a deaf jumper do?? seeing as an audible is no use to him, I use an audible but I reckon it's cos I can!

Actually I'd rather do like billvon says, don't rely on these gadgets, they break & no flat line means CYPRES anyway! If you av one assuming U turned it on (that's the human error thing) besides if you are that low try base jumping and improve the fatality statistics for real skydivers, not wanting to take anything away from base jumpers as they have nerve (or lets say bigger balls than me) and when I grow up I'll av a go
"Know your own limits"

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One of my canopies can take 1000 feet to open so I always repeated to myself before every jump, "below 2000 - go to reserve" I have an AAD.

That may have saved my life as I found myself at around 1300 and went straight to my reserve...AAD still fired, but I beat it. Had I gone to my main, I would have ended up with two out trying to land in a pretty tricky area.

Walking back into the hanger with my main still in my container prompted quite a bit of discussion and I was shocked at the number of experienced jumpers who asked why I went to my reserve and stated that they wouldn't have even thought of that.

Note: I now fly with 2 audibles and a wrist mount visual as well as a mudflap mount visual...overkill maybe, but the ground looked REALLY BIG that low...
"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But, the self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates"- Thomas Szasz

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