My First Cutaway....

[FallinWoman 1]

I had a jump last weekend that I would like to tell all of you about. It has taken me a week to get the courage to share this story. I know that a lot of you would have made a different chioce, but I ask that you consider where I was coming from, not where you are.
Background: I had 81 jumps, eight on my own gear. I never land on my feet. I love skydiving, from sitting by the door on the ride to altitude, to throwing myself out of the plane, to RW, to flying my canopy....I just happen to hate landing. It scares me to death. I was getting pretty comfortable on the student gear, at least to the point that I wasn't terrified each
landing. Then I went and bought my own stuff!! I went from a 230 to a 190. I am probably 200 out the door. The 190 seems SOOOOOO fast to me, especially with the face plant landings that seem to be my norm.
Last Saturday:
I did a four way with three really experieced people. I gave the count, exit went great. I only went low a tiny bit once. I reached for a few grips, but all in all it was awesome. An eight point four-way. SWEET!!!
Tracked and pulled, under canopy by three grand. Stowed my slider, went to release my brakes. They were stuck. Tried again, and again, and again... they were in knots. ( I had payed one of the packers to pack for me at the end of last weekend!)
I spent the next one thousand feet trying to unstow my brakes and attempting to flare with rear risers. As I got lower and lower, I started shaking and broke into a cold sweat thinking of landing this canopy in half brakes. It scares the shit out of me under perfect circumstances!!!!
At two grand, I chose. I cut-away. I experienced a huge sense of relief when I felt that canopy leave me. Even before I pulled the reserve.
The reserve opened perfectly, I landed fine.
I have taken nothing but shit for my decision. One of the only people to support my decision to chop is a woman who is having as much trouble landing as I am. My JM whom I also thought was a friend summarily dismissed my decision as stupid without even asking about my thought process. I just wonder what these same people would be saying if I had tried to land it and broken my legs or worse. Wouldn't they be saying, "She lands like shit all the time, what was she THINKING trying to land with rear risers!"
My goal is to get good enough at landing this canopy that I would not cutaway in similar circumstances. Had I been under the Skymaster 230 on that jump I would have landed it in half-brakes with rear-risers. Just not my super-fast, brand new, face-plant inducing canopy.
(It turned out to be a $300 skydive: lost freebag, lost reserve handle, repack, bottle of tequila, case of Heineken, gear rental the rest of the day......)
Anyway, thanks for listening!
Anne

[PLFKING 3]

Hey Anne !

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I just wonder what these same people would be saying if I had tried to land it and broken my legs or worse.

My thoughts exactly. My advice is not to wonder what anyone thinks of your decision......they weren't up there with you, or privy to the thoughts going through your head, or dealing with the anxiety involved. You ascertained that you weren't comfortable trying to land it, you took proper action, you're still walking around.....I'd tell those naysayers to take a hike.
Even though I still suck at the whole landing thing, I did use rear risers to land once (snapped a brake line upon opening). Even though I took some flak for not chopping it, I felt comfortable about my decision, because I practice steering and flaring with rear risers up high on about every other jump....and it was one of my "easier" PLFs. too !
Don't worry about what others think....if you feel like you made the right decision for YOU, then you probably did....and good execution of those emergency procedures !
Don

[FallinWoman 1]

thanks, Don! After so many people saying I had made the worng choice, it is nice to hear someone validating my decision!
We will get better at those landings!!!

[Zennie 0]

When you get right down to it, in many ways this whole sport is about making choices. What is a perfectly reasonable choice for one is "crazy" for another. It's all subjective.
You were at you decision altitude, 2K being pretty reasonable, and you tried to work it before chopping. You assessed the situation and decided that the canopy wasn't landable given your experience and comfort level.
If you don't have a landable canopy at your decision altitude, get rid of it.
I don't have any problem with what you did.
"Wear the grudge like a crown. Desperate to control. Unable to forgive. And we're sinking deeper."

[skybytch 259]

I think you did the right thing, not that what I think matters... what matters is what you thought at the time. You chose to land a canopy that you could be confident of safely landing instead of attempting to land one that you weren't confident of. Like I usedta tell my FJC students. it's your ass hanging up there, you make the decision. What anyone else thinks isn't important.
Personally, I'd have chopped it too. pull and flare!
"I feel so alive, for the very first time, and I think I can fly" - P.O.D.

[FallinWoman 1]

Why can't the people at my DZ be as supportive as you all are? I really expected them to be the ones to soothe me after all of this, and instead it is a group of people whom I have never met. I had no idea that perfect strangers could become so important to me. Thank you!

[Michele 1]

Hi, Anne!
First - congratulations.
Second- your ass, your chute, your decision.
Third - all I can say is YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY for you!!!!
Ciels-
Michele
"What of the dreams that never die? Turn to your left at the end of the sky".
~e e cummings~

[Aviatrr 0]

This is one of those things that could go either way - land it or chop it.. Different people feel differently about it, and in my opinion, nobody is really wrong.. It's YOUR ass up there - YOU make the decision..
Whether I would have landed that canopy or chopped it I can't say.. There are other things that I would need to know/see, and it would depend on how the canopy is flying.. My current canopy I would have no problem landing with the brakes still set assuming favorable conditions(wind mainly)...but I wouldn't be comfortable doing so on some canopies.. I have made rear riser landings before - but have never tried to do it with the brakes still set.....maybe I'll have to try that sometime..
Bottom line - IMHO, you made the right choice for you..
Mike

[Viking 0]

This is how i was learned if in dought by 2500 chop it no matter how trivial. As for all the people putting you down tell um to go fuck themselfs (not really but you get my point) I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver

[Jabeln79 0]

Anne.
I wish i would have beent there last sat. i still cant belive that the people who where the didnt support your decision. I feel you made the right move and i think everyone who didnt agree with you was wrong. After anyones 1rst reserve ride, is no time to tell people they made the wrong decision, When i make my 1rst i would want everyone supporting me not saying i did the wrong thing, that would only make my feel 10 times worse.
Blue Skies.
Joe
P.S. i am still waiting to do a jump with you anne.

[FallinWoman 1]

I should be good to jump next weekend, unless the playoff gmaes are here! By then my rig shoudl be packed!!
thanks for your support,
Anne

[sinister69 0]

I think you did the right thing. I was taught that if you can't unstow the toggles on your main canopy, to cutaway and go for the reserve. At least this way you have a chance of getting a canopy that you can control more easily. Obviously if you have the same prob with reserve you have to land it with the rear risers, but on a main you get rid of it. That's just what I was taught though. Good job girl!!!
Blue Skies!
Sinister69
A-38927

[wingnut 0]

i had almost the same experiance on my first cutaway..but i just had a toggle come off the line in my hand and didn't even know i could land it or stear with rear risers..it was my 20th jump.... with 100 jumps since i would not even worry about landing it now ....the dzo gave me shit for cutting it away but oh well.....hell i landed my sabre backwards once.....but that's been told here before.....

"up my noooossseee"- wingnut, at first euro dz.com boogie

[Viking 0]

dude if someone gave me shit for keeping my ass safe even the dzo i would blow up in there face.
I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver

[PhreeZone 15]

Viking... using your same thinking then I would have to tell my DZO to kma for not thinking about chopping last week when I had steering line twists that caused my canopy to spirl on opening. I had to pop the brakes and spin the steering line to keep the canopy in trim. 4 rotaions later I had a straight flying canopy again but for at least 10 seconds my canopy was in a gentle spirl. If I was to "keep my ass safe" I should have chopped but I did'nt since I knew my alti and knew how to handle the problem. Also telling DZO's to go F-off is a really good way to have to find a new DZ to hang out at.....
Its all relative so no matter what decision you make its the right one for you. Making a decision is WAY better then not making one. In my opinion she made the right decision to chop since she did'nt think the main was landable.
Be safe, be smooth, be fast..... and most importantly.... be phree

• Quote

[jfields 0]

Anne,
I'd have tried to land it, but like everyone else has said, it wasn't me up there. From what you said, you made a fine decision, for you. You took the time to experiment flying the canopy as you'd have to land it, but didn't like that option. At a safe altitude, you made your decision to chop.
Later in your post you state that one of your goals is to get good enough on your canopy to land it a similar situation. Perfect. It sounds to me like a successful lesson learned, with the only downfall being that you had an expensive jump. Don't let the critics get you down.
Justin
My Homepage

[Dutchboy 0]

First off, I wouldn't care what other people think. They weren't there. It is your life and your equipment so nobody else has a right to say anything at all.
Second, congratulations on thinking rationally under a stressful situation. You made the decision that was right for you. Don't worry about others that would have made a different decision. There is a reason that more males than females end up dead in this sport and it isn't just the porportion of jumpers.
Third, if it were me and there were other potentially more supportive dropzones nearby I would check them out. But that's just me.
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[Strynx 0]

I can see where you're comin from i have some face plant on some occasion. Don't bother, i was once told that if someone tells you: " If i would have been in your place i would of done this or that" just reply " Hey, Thanx for the advice but you were'nt sittin under the canopy!" Poeple's judgement should'nt be question, we all have different perspective of a given situation. The important thing is that you'll still skydive tomorrow.
"Only a skidiver can tell you why birds sing"
Strynx

[Jumperpaula 0]

Hey, controllability test...Can you turn left-Turn right-flare? If it didn't pass for you , then you did what you had to do.
I have a friend that got shit once for a cut-a-way. She told the DZO flat out "look, that reserve is my last parachute- My last card in the Deck. Im not going to play that hand unless Im sure I have to. Give me a little more credit with my own survival."
Good beer buying procedures - see you got the beer right away. Way to go!!
Paula
Fly Your Slot !

[skymedic 0]

Anne,
Just a couple of words. YOU made a decision, YOU were under the canopy NOT them, YOU are alive and with NO broken bones. that is all that matters. If you didn't like how the main was, you went to plan B. you just have to remember that there isnt a plan C in this sport.
have a good one and screw those bastards for not supporting you!!!!
Marc
Because I fly, I envy no man on earth

[mwthomsen 0]

Anne,
Being that I am also from St. Louis I am curious what DZ you jump at. There are other choices in the St. Louis area and I hope you weren't jumping at the one I jump at. I think you made the right decision for you and I don't know anyone I jump with that would give you a hard time about it. Remeber you are ulimately the one responsible for keeping yourself alive.
Mike

[FallingMarc 0]

Hey Anne... just like I told you before, you were the only one to make that decision. Nobody else was up there. I think you did the right thing, and piss on everybody who told you otherwise. Seriously, I didn't hear anybody giving you shit, but whoever was had no place to say anything--JM or otherwise. At your decision altitude, you decided that your main was unsafe to land. That's all there was to it. That's what they teach us.
It's too bad you didn't come out yesterday just for the party... we brought a keg of Killian's... I think I finally paid off the rest of my firsts from student status, along with a couple of the other FI guys...
Marc

[Luke 0]

Your critics are right in so far that you apparently got off an otherwise good canopy that could have been landed to take a chance with your last canopy that no one could guarantee wouldn't be a malfunction. If you had several hundred jumps and a few years in the sport, a little gentle ribbing would be warranted. The description you give of your experience and normal landing skills suggest that you made the right decisions at the right times and should be fully supported.
Developing the skill to be able to land your canopy on the rear risers with the brakes set is well worth while and will give you the confidence to happily land in the smallest of outs; or when you next find yourself in a similar predicament.
That skill may be built up by landing with more and more brake applied, inch by inch over many jumps, but only once you have become competent at normal full flight approaches.
A friend found himself in a similar predicament and elected to land using the rear risers with the brakes set. Although much more experienced and competent, he was loading his elliptical a lot more than yourself and was jumping at a new dz, of higher altitude and hotter than he was used to. In retrospect he made the wrong choice: he broke his ankle and ended his holiday. In retrospect, $300 for getting drunk with friends and jumping the next day would have been a great bargain.
You should be commended for your timely decision process so that you will be equally decisive next time. If that lady who died recently in Empuriabrava hadn't sat under a slow malfunction for an unbelievable 27 seconds before cutting away too low, two young kids would still have a mother.
I guess you already know that blaming the packers in any way for this problem is not the way to go and that your landing skills should be addressed as a priority. Bribe a competent and responsible canopy pilot with beer to watch your landings and help you at least achieve graceful full flight landings.
Remember: there is a really simple acid test to determine whether you made appropriate decisions in this non trivial sport: did you walk away to jump another day?

[homer 0]

Fuck everybody!!!!! There not the one under that canopy. You did what you thought was right. To cut away at 1000 thats some guts, praise to you. I had a problem with landings too, but I've worked on it and things are better. I was a paratrooper and jumped rounds, I didn't know you could land standing up. Give it some time I know another in your shoes, its your life do what you feel is right and not what others think you should do. I hope you kicked the shit out of the person who packed your chute and got your money back for the pack job. May it be your only cutaway.
Blue Skys
Scott "AIRBORNE"

[FallinWoman 1]

Hey scott-two things. First, I cutaway at 2000ft, not 1000. My decision altitude is 1800, but I tell myself 2000, just to be safe.
Second, not only did I not kick the packer's ass, I will ask him to pack for me again. He made an honest mistake, feels awful, and certainly learned something.
Thanks everyone for your support. I cannot tell you how much it means to me!
Blue skies,
Anne