skydive4play 0 #1 April 21, 2001 Well it happened,,,, Monday, April 16, at 0740. I am in the military and currently going through MFF ( Military Free Fall) in good old Yuma AZ. There, they jump 370 square foot mains and reserves, due to the weight that we have on us during a real HAHO/HALO. It was my 148th jump, ( I had around this many before I went to the school) and the first of two for the day. When I pulled I could feel that the D bag was leaving my container differently. So when I did get line stretch I had twists, a lot of them even though I pulled stable. When I tried to get the twist out I had only about 1/4 of my main catching air. After one turn, I noticed that not only did I have line twist, but also a line over! At this school, they make all the students pull at 4k, I was at about 2,600 when I proceeded with the cut away. Due to the fact that I was jumping with O2 on that jump the mask made it a little difficult to find that damn pillow. On our rigs the cut away pillow and reserve handle are above the chest strap, so I really had to force my head down to find that little red pillow. Well, I am here today because of the muscle memory and training I received from my AFF instructors in Suffolk, Va. and to a good friend, Shane Hollar a former "Golden Knight". Of course the school teaches the same cut away procedures too. Even though you are suppose to throw away the pillow and rip cord, some how the pillow's cord did not completely come out of it's cable housing. Needless to say it is now a and reminder of that scary moment in my life...I found the Army rigger who packed my reserve and took care of his favorite beverage, and had him sign my log book for that jump.My advice is simple!!! No matter how many jumps you have, you can never practice a cut away too much. I know people with over 7,000 jumps who are always seen in the plain going over them one last time before they exit. Muscle memory, you can't get enough....Stay Real and Have Fun,Mark Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slotperfect 7 #2 April 21, 2001 Mark,You're off to a great start learning to respect the sport as a dangerous one. It's still a thrill for me after 17 years, but complacency kills. I check my handles myself before I exit, on EVERY jump. I too am in the military, and jump the rigs with the c/a and res r/c above the chest strap. They have to be there to accomodate the equipment rings on the main lift web.I switch between that configuration, the normal setup, and tandem rigs, so being aware of my handles is critical. I don't recall ever reaching to the wrong spot for a handle though, so the constant practice helps out a lot.By the way, tell Shane Hollar I said hello. He is a great guy, great skydiver, great teacher. A little secret though . . . he only made the Golden Knights because we were REALLY hurting for people that year Good luck with the rest of HALO school, mate. Respectfully,SP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #3 April 21, 2001 sp, mark,glad to see a few more ad military members on the forum. wish i could get somebody to put me through mff school, there just isn't a need for freefall traind f-16 crew chiefs though.....maybe i should of went army or sf. oh well,... good luck on your school."if dreams are like movies, then memories are like films about ghosts"-counting crows Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donna 0 #4 April 22, 2001 Congrats, Mark! Glad it all worked out for you and that you are still here with us!Blue ones,D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
