Kris 0 #1 July 14, 2002 Exit: 4200 Max: 131 Avg-1: 53 Avg-2: 52 Avg: 53 FF time: 53 seconds Deployment Altitude: 100 Feet How does a 5'8 220# guy who falls like a homesick bowling ball get low speeds like that? Well, I guess an explanation is in order. Since I have had an ear infection the last week that finally appeared to clear up on firday I decided to do a hop n' pop for the first load to make sure my ear was OK. I went through my pre-jump mantra: Check of 3's, snug down my new sunglasses that I am jumping for the first time (worked great, btw) and put my helmet on. As I'm checking the spot out of the C-205 there's something nagging at me in the back of my head but I can't think of anything that I forgot so I jumped. Did a couple of loops, flew a sit for a bit then leveled out and threw at 3K. I was worried about loosing my sunglasses as the strap I bought didn't seem to hold them that snugly. That was the least of my problems... My Stiletto opened up like a bomb had gone off. I knew the packjob was extra messy and that the slider might have moved down while I was putting it in the bag but I really wanted to make the first load. That was my first mistake. The next mistake became clear as I felt a violent force around my ears. It was my helmet ripping off of my head because I forgot to secure my chin-strap. Yup, there it goes, off into the wild-blue with my Pro-Track and 2-hours of custom paint. My sunglasses hadn't moved an inch. Luckily, the canopy opened on-heading, if not a little bruisingly fast and I was able to keep the helmet in view on it's descent. Lemme' tell you, it's a rather sickening feeling watching a piece of your equipment go in. It got double sickening as I watched it start to spiral over a pond behind the hangar. It looked like it might have made the edge of the bank so I kept my fingers crossed. I landed, threw my gear in the packing room and set off into the cow pasture of doom. I found the helmet about two minutes later. It had impacted right at the shore in the muck, top-down. Besides being a little muddy there wasn't a scratch on it. It left a dent 8" deep in the muck. My ProTrack is held inside the internal pocket with some normal velcro. It hadn't budged and worked perfectly for the rest of my jumping that day. And you can bet I was checking my chin-strap before exiting. Big thanks go out to BoneHead Composites and L&B for making some truly great products!!! KrisSky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deleted 0 #2 July 14, 2002 QuoteExit: 4200 Max: 131 Avg-1: 53 Avg-2: 52 Avg: 53 FF time: 53 seconds Deployment Altitude: 100 Feet Can you say "dead"? Seriously though, glad that reading was without you still attached to the gear! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #3 July 14, 2002 pretty lucky kris. good thing it didnt land on anyone. that would be one jump I kept on my protrack though to skydiver x: "what do you make of this'" sdX: "must be a glitch . maybe you can have it repaired!" you: "I think ill try it one more time you wanna follow me to check my altitude at pull time?"My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drenaline 0 #4 July 14, 2002 QuoteBig thanks go out to BoneHead Composites and L&B for making some truly great products!!! What helmet where you using? the open face or the full face and which one? HISPA 21 www.panamafreefall.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 0 #5 July 15, 2002 JT, that was pretty funny. I am keeping that jump on my ProTrack. Drenaline, I have a first-generation Mindwarp. KrisSky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
packman 0 #6 July 16, 2002 should have taken pictures of it and sent them in to the manufacture , could be some good advertisement for them and maybe a few bucks for you , or at least a free t-shirt ! "Trust your Rigger with your Life , but not your Beer or your Wife !" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
packman 0 #7 July 16, 2002 FF time: 53 seconds did you record that jump in your logbook as 53 sec. of freefall ? "Trust your Rigger with your Life , but not your Beer or your Wife !" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kris 0 #8 July 16, 2002 Quoteshould have taken pictures of it and sent them in to the manufacture , could be some good advertisement for them and maybe a few bucks for you , or at least a free t-shirt ! Heh, I wish but the helmet didn't even have a scratch on it. QuoteFF time: 53 seconds did you record that jump in your logbook as 53 sec. of freefall? Nope, I'm pretty honest with The Book. I showed that it recorded 53 seconds but I only claimed 11 seconds. KrisSky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #9 July 16, 2002 youd only be cheatin yourself out of the time. HAHAHA! 11 second skydive...down to 100 feet...damn you ARE a brick!! PS ( i know you were open higher then that but the joke wouldnt have been a joke if I said that on the post...DOH!)My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pammi 0 #10 July 16, 2002 You dork! Don't you remember another friend of ours who forgot to fasten their strap and lost their helmet and Pro-Track while spotting? :) Seriously, glad you didn't get your neck warped with that opening! *kiss* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buckleme 0 #11 July 17, 2002 I had a very similar experience one with my mindward. It was a friday afternoon about 2 weeks after I had just received my 1st new helmet. I was doing a two way out of the otter from about 14,000ft. I also forgot to buckle my chinstrap and at about 13,900ft my helmet went flying off of my head. i spent the rest of the jump hitting myself on the head thinking about that $180 helmet that I would never see again (i couldnt see it in freefall) and looking down to see that we were over a farmers field a bit away from the airport. After i landed i was walking in towards our hanger telling another jumper on the load what had happened and some people that had been on the ground the entire time looked at me kinda funny. One of our regular jumpers walked up to me and was like "oh, that was yours?!" I was confused by what he had said, but he clarified it for me. Like usual, the jumpers that were on the ground were watching us in freefall. they saw my helmet but thought that someone was jumping a spaceball or something. It then became aparent that it wasnt going to be retreived..the WHACK!!!! A loud bang makes everyone inside the hangar jump. My helmet has landed. One of the jumpers kids went over to the side of that hanger and got my helmet and had brought in to the hanger for everyone to see. There is nothing wrong with the helmet except a barely noticable smudge in the Bonehead sticker on the back of the helmet. I know that i was lucky that my helmet didnt kill someone, but i sure am glad that Steve Stewart can give a damn good spot! So thanks to Bonehead and a great spot, I still have a helmet! Blue Skies (and buckled chinstraps)! Mary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
