your first cutaway

[skreamer 1]

I know that at some stage in my skydiving career I will have to deal with my first malfunction. I am confident in my ability to chop and go for silver. However I would like to hear from those of you who have already done it -
*why did you have to chop?
*what are your recollections of the skydive (from exit to landing the reserve)
*how soon after did you skydive again?
*what was your state of mind on your next skydive?
*how did your family react when you told them about it (you did tell them didn't you???)
I was not sure whether or not to post this in the 'Safety and training' forum, but I want to know the psychological effects as well, so figured this was the forum to post to. Anyway, this forum is as comfortable as my oldest underpants... /s

[skreamer 1]

Sorry, but I am going to keep bumping this post back up until somebody who has chopped shares their story with us. This could be a good thread dammit!
/s

[Slowfaller 0]

right on skreamer!!!

[Grogs 0]

Ok, guess I'll have a go at this.
*why did you have to chop?
In a word, stupidity. I managed to pack the chute with one of the steering lines wrapped around the other lines. The chute opened perfectly, but there was no controllability.
*what are your recollections of the skydive (from exit to landing the reserve)
Not too much. Fairly normal solo skydive. I was test jumping a chute so I opened high to be able to play around with it (4k or so). When it opened, the canopy was pointed about 45 degrees to the right of my body and I noticed the steering line wrapped around the other risers. At first I thought it was just a line twist until I tried tugging on it and it wouldn't come out. I realized I was going to have to cut it since I couldn't steer, but I sat and thought about it for a while before I built up the nerve. Then I pulled the cutaway, waited 2 seconds, and pulled the reserve (my RSL wasn't connected). And after what felt like an eternity the reserve opened and I set down uneventfully. I had the presence of mind to hold onto the reserve handle, the cutaway handle stuck to my jumpsuit
*how soon after did you skydive again?
As soon as I made sure the main had been recovered and I had bought the required amounts of beer and wine (for the rigger) I rented a rig and went back up.
*what was your state of mind on your next skydive?
Nervous. But not nearly so nervous as I was in AFF. I think I got back into the air before I really had a chance to think about it.
*how did your family react when you told them about it (you did tell them didn't you???)
Haven't told them, don't plan to unless they ask me directly.

[skreamer 1]

Thanks Grogs!
NEXT!!!
/s

[Slowfaller 0]

back to the top! hahaha ( evil laugh )

[cloud9 0]

Well I hope some one has one more current but I guess a mal is still a mal.
I was doing a 30 sec delay helping a young guy do some RW. After playing around with 2 man tracked and pulled my ripcord (yes he did say ripcord)at about 2500 ft. my canopy's whole left side didn't open, Hey but the right side did. Very fast spinning malfuntion. I tried to cutaway and wouldn't you know I only got one side (1 and half shot capewells) well I only thought I was spinning before. I had to reach up and take my weight off the riser and free the lug about 1500 now (right before I was thinking I might have to dump this reserve up in that shit) anyway got a clean cutaway and dumped my reserve (a 24ft. round)I was osilating (i never could spell) and hit the ground like a sack of shit! but hey no injuries and I was on the ground. I shook for two days. Some Whuffo's saw my main and picked it up for me ( hell they were thrilled i gave them what they come to see. My family was on the DZ watching and would never come back again. As for the next jump the next weekend. My knee's were knocking togather so hard they hurt when I got down. But the amazing thing is as soon as I got out the door everthing felt great the fear was gone, it came back when it was time to pull but when I saw good canopy well it was one of my best jumps ever. After that one everything was cool. Hope this helps some.

[skreamer 1]

It certainly does, I know I am going to be scared shitless on the following jump. It's just nice to know that that is to be expected.
Thanks for sharing!
NEXT!!!
/s

[Pammi 0]

Thanks for making this thread Skreamer. I'm first to admit I'm nervous about when it'll eventually come time to do a cutaway (I, of course, assume it will come one day!). It's good to hear the stories and hear how it was handled. I just hope when/if I cutaway, it's something more simple then Cloud's!
Pammi

[Deleted 0]

I was doing a 5 sec delay from 5500' the climb out was good right after I let go shit started going wrong. I was kicking my legs but stopped. When I pull managed to wrap the pc around my arm and trying to clear it wrapped it around my upper body. I grabbed the silver handle! I was looking up the whole time making sure the main didn't deply into the reserve. Rounds suck ass I landed hard and screwed up my knee. I was on such a high and had to buy beer! I will jump again.
As for family I did tell them, I am close to both parents. It sucks because they were both going to watch me, and my Dad was even going to jump this spring.

[skreamer 1]

Thanks, but please register and log in so I can know who I am thanking. NEXT!!!
/s

[Deleted 0]

Sorry man my name is Pete, I have yet to register. But I will.

[SpeedRacer 1]

1) In Parachutist they had a profile of a skydiver named Linnie who has something like 2300 jumps & never had a cutaway.
2) Re: previous posts about mals : Round reserves? How long ago did these incidents happen?
Speed Racer
"Blue Skies, Red eyes, Sore thighs!"

[Deleted 0]

Okay, I can have a crack at this one...seeing as it has only been 4 days since my last (first) MAL.*why did you have to chop?
I chopped because when you look up and see a shape of a bow tie, well there is no reason to stick around. It ain't going to fix itself. So, I looked up, saw a line over, (and actually said) "F**k", and look, grip, look, grip, pull, pull, arch. It was just as I had practiced so many times so there was little thought in the procedure, more in recognising I had a MAL.
*what are your recollections of the skydive (from exit to landing the reserve)
Well, it was supposed to be a simple 2 way. Nothing happened in the dive. When I deployed I remember thinking, I hope this isn't a MAL. I did this because when I was packing I noticed a wee burn hole. I thought nothing of it, but what was more pressing was that my slider was COMPLETELY ripped apart. It had been modified for CRW by the previous owner and it was a shotty mod job. When packing and before the plane took off I was actually joking about possibly having a MAL. Foreshadowing is incredible sometimes. I pulled my reserve and just started a barrage of foul language. I was mad that it was only the second dive of the day, and I had planned 3 (the last one a night dive). So, I was mad at that (no thoughts at this stage of "wow, I almost died" kind of stuff). I wasn't going to land on the DZ, so I lined myself up in a paddock beside a power station and came in. I had never flown a 180, so my landing was a bit rough, but hey, nothing broken, so it was a good one.
*how soon after did you skydive again?
About 4 hours later, after dark. Night dives are a big deal to me, so I try to do them as often as possible, whether I need to or not!!!
*what was your state of mind on your next skydive?
"God this is cool!! I love jumping in the dark"
*how did your family react when you told them about it (you did tell them didn't you???)
I have only told my sister about it so far, because I live with her. I have told all the others at my old DZ and some laughed (knowing what I am like) and others expressed concern. I told my partner in NZ and she stated she would have been happier not ever knowing the bad part of the sport ACTUALLY does happen. As far as my parents are concerned...I will tell them what they need to know (as I have always done!!Knowing that I was possibly packing a MAL didn't really wreak havoc on my psyche. I was more pissed off than anything. I now know how to spot when I am packing a potential MAL and to avoid it.
Basically, my frame of mind is, "hey, we are ALL taught that we have 2 chutes and to use them if we are ever in doubt. It is the nature of the sport and I knew that going in to it." However, don't let my flippant attitude dissuade you, I don't have a death wish. I don't WANT to die, I know that no one does, and it kills me when I hear of people going in. My heart truly goes out to them.
So, I hope that helps you as far as fact finding goes. Since I was pretty current, I thought I would contribute my half cents(or senseCheers,
Arohanui,
B
NZPF A-2584

[skreamer 1]

Choice post bro!
NEXT!!!
/s

[Deleted 0]

Why did you have to chop?>
As dumb as this sounds... one of the break lines was un-stowed (on a highly loaded 9 cell elliptical).
*What are your recollections of the skydive (from exit to landing the reserve)> Exit and dive: 4 way team training dive, broke off at 3,500 pulled at 3 grand. As soon as the pilot chute came off my back I knew there was something wrong... it just didn't "feel" the same. Well, a nano-second later there was a "whack", and next thing I knew I was in a flat turn hard right facing the ground. Clearly, boys and girls, there was something wrong. My mental discipline took me though a pre planned safety check...... Was it square?.. yup. Was the slider down?.. almost in hand reach, so it was down enough. Any lines broken?... nope. Lines over?...nope. Ahhhhhhhh!! I couldn't see what was wrong!!!. Altimeter... just passed through 2 grand. Well, I did exactly what I was trained to do..... reached down, looked at both handles and chopped. The reserve came out instantly and opened like butter.
*How soon after did you skydive again?
About 3 hours later...... needed a re-pack.
*What was your state of mind on your next skydive?
I pulled just a little higher......he,he,he
*how did your family react when you told them about it (you did tell them didn't you???)
My family is all of you....... Glad to see me tell the story
Lesson learned, check your line stows as well kiddies.

[skreamer 1]

Think you could use some of that mental discipline to register and/or login so we can know who you are?
Thanks for the post, I had never even thought to consider an unstowed brake line. (Then again, on my Titanic of a main, I severely doubt I would notice anything!)
NEXT!!!
/s

[Deleted 0]

fruce & friends webmaster

[Pammi 0]

Pete-
So you didn't cutaway, you just deployed the reserve? I had the exact same thing happen to me but luckily the bridle ended up unraveling finally, spinning me like a yo-yo. I still got the coolest scar from it, but oh what a ride!
Pammi

[JohnJug 0]

Well, my first was on jump 26 so I think innexperience had something to do with it, and it goes something like this:
Why did you have to chop?
Opened up in pretty bad line twists, went into line twist mode. Reached up and pulled the risers apart and started kicking. I was not succeeding in getting any twists out and I started spiralling. At 2500' I thought, well, this isn't getting any better and I sure as hell am not going to try to land a spiralling canopy with line twists so I chopped it.
What are your recollections of the skydive?
Well, it was just a solo dive, practicing tracking so nothing exciting up to that point. I think it was scarier deciding to cut away than actually doing it. Once I decided that it needed to be done I just went into auto mode, I had practiced it so many times I knew exactly what was going to happen, I was going to look, grab, look, grab, peal, pull, pull, arch; and that is exactly what happened and then I had a beautiful reserve above my head.
Landed it perfectly on tiptoes and by the time I got back to the packing area someone had already collected my main and freebag and had them neatly folded.
How soon after did you skydive again?
As soon as I could get a new set of rental gear and get it packed up. I knew that if I didn't get back into the air that day (it was a sunday) then I would be mulling over it all week and I would have problems the next time I tried to jump.
What was your state of mind on your next skydive?
Pretty damn nervous. But I knew I could do it so I just did a basic solo jump and opened a little high. Just a confidence builder basically.
How did your family react when you told them about it? (you did tell them didn't you???)
Actually, my mom and my sister were at the DZ to watch me that day. They hadn't realised what had happened until I was talking with them and someone came up and asked me why I cut away, then they were like "What? You cut away? What the hell happened?" But they got over it, and my mom actually did a tandem last thanksgiving.
Blue skies and square, stable, steerable canopies
Bill

[Deleted 0]

Pammi
Nope no cutaway the mal was totaly self induced I know this. I have more confidence in myslef knowing I can deal with a mal. I hate to admit it but it was one helluva ride! I thought after a mal I would be shaking with fear walk away and never want to do it again. I laid on the ground cause my knee hurt and I was happy to be on the ground! I think about it daily and wish I could be back in the air! The next day was when it really hit me. I just crave that feeling of the door opening! My next jump is 13, that a strange jump to anyone?

[diver123 0]

Way to go guys...Sounds like you did just fine.
"pull high! It's lower than you think..."

[tigra 0]

2 reserve rides, no cutaways...How?
On jump #49, I had an FXC misfire at around 2500'(jumping rental gear). I was already under, and flying my main, when I felt something strange and was pitched forward in my harness. Then I was upright again, but something didn't feel right. I looked up, then looked again, like what did I just see? Sure enough, 2 canopies out. My first thought was "uh oh, what do I do now?" The second was "Ronco says I can land this."
So I did, slightly off the dz but not far. To be honest, i don't remember the landing, but I know it was soft, and I'm pretty sure a stand up, since I was dry and the ground was covered in snow. With all that material over my head, I didn't even need to flare. What shook me up most was having a jumpmaster accuse me of pulling low, and him really not believing me when I told him I pulled at 3000'.
Spent the rest of the afternoon looking for a white freebag in snow covered fields, when I had no idea where it had gone to begin with. I don't remember if I told my family or not. My mom's pretty supportive of this obsession of mine. She knows she can't stop me anyway, but she still worries. I jumped the next weekend, and checked when my dytter went off, since that's when I pulled on the last jump, just to prove to myself that I didn't pull low. That was also the last time I jumped a rig with an FXC.
Second reserve ride was on jump 70 or something. I had taken a day off work to jump, 2 days before a big $10.00 weekend boogie. It was also my mom's B-Day so I probably should have been spending the day with her..., and also kind of windy but I was still too new to know when to ground myself on windy days. Anyway, it was a cessna load, we tried a 4-way, and the more experienced guy on the load suggested we break off high, around 5000'. One guy didn't get in, so the 3 of us broke at 5 like we planned, I tracked, waved and reached for my hackey, and could not find it. (It floated on me, although I had checked it on the ground and in the plane.)
Reached again, still nothing, heart pounding, reached for Old Silver and was so happy to see a big patch of red material over my head. Didn't even think to look to see where my freebag went, just thought to myself, this is stupid, and its going to cost lots of money.
My freebag was history in those winds, and my rigger didn't have one for me, and a $10.00 weekend coming up, the first one I could take advantage of without having to rent gear. So I drove to paragear the next day and bought one, brought it back to my rigger and he did my repack that day. I think I made the sunset load, and did lots of practice pulls. All told, it was a $200.00 skydive, and I did tell my mother, who was pissed that I had a day off on her birthday and went skydiving instead of going to the casino with her. But probably also happy to know that I had had a malfunction and dealt with it as I was supposed to, and lived to tell the tale. I have to say, it was a confidence builder for me in that respect as well.

[freaksister 0]

hehe, your mom sounds just like mine!

[Shark 0]

Well, I cutaway because I wanted a "Raven Saves" T-shirt of my own. Just one look at JKA in her wet one made me do it....