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liebenberg

Hello everyone, i was wondering if you could help

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I don't have a left arm (below elbow) and am interested in skydiving. I'm trying to find out just what options i have available.
But first a little about me.- I don't use a prosthetic and haven't since i was very young. But this has hardly held me back. With slight modifications i ride motorcycles and bicycles with the best of them, drive a manual car and fly a plane. And more important (though i don't know how the sky diving community feels about it) i have flown stunt kites my hole life and have had a few short paraglide flights. I simply slip my arm in the loop and have all of the control necessary.(not perfect, but it works)
Will this work for a skydiving setup? What if i lengthen one line some? Once the canopy is open, would it be difficult to reach across with my right arm to get the left control and slip my arm in?
I know there is a large forum just for skydivers with disabilities, I'm working that way. Anyone who cant point me in the right direction is greatly appreciated.

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I think your biggest issue is going to be finding a rig that allows you to deploy your main, cutaway and deploy your reserve if needed all with one hand. I have never seen a rig that allows for all that. Not saying one doesnt exist. I just havent seen one.

Im sure something could be done to help you steer and land with only one hand, but cutting away and pulling reserves are pretty important and need two hands to do.

I would check with the manufactures and see if anyone has made a rig in the past that would work for you.
Dom


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There at least used to be a jumper in Ohio, Mike Morley, who jumped with only one arm and no prosthesis. I'm sure there are other folks who will weigh in on this.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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I'm a left BE amputee too.. I'm a private pilot too..I hate wear the prosthetic limbs. I use it for skydiving, but not for flying the aircraft. Mike Morley is a big strong guy..he can get away with jumping one handed I use a prosthetic arm for skydive.. not really needed for freefall but after canopy opens its good to steer / flare for landing.. soon as I land I ditch the prosthetic limb... hate them...

I spent my first 20 years in sport with convention cut-away / reserve handles with RSL. but I now jump a Racer than Nancy at jumpshack set up for me as a SOS rig. with one hand it's much safer set up.. I should have went to SOS setup when I started jumping...

you can fly canopy one handed.. releasing brakes going be problem as it'll want to start to spin when you release one brake... you WILL get tired flying canopy with one hand...I've done it 2 or 3 times just as "what if" in case prosthetic arm came off in freefall.. (funnel etc) It quickly takes up all your strength... I'd suggest you use a prosthetic arm for your jumps... (yea I know you're like me you hate them too)

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Hey, thanks to everyone. It looks like an SOS system takes care of most of the issues. My question to you mike is have you ever (is it possible) to use your left arm to control the parachute (no prothetic). I assume when you are talking using one arm you are talking about both controls in one hand.
Im sure with normal flight its no problem to use my left arm, but a flare? Maybe i can fly with both arms and then put both controls in my right hand for the landing?

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putting both toggles in right hand you risk doing hook turn on landing...you could modify the steering toggle.... longer reach to fit your stump.. but you have to besure it won't come off durning flare.. and that you can get full toggle input...deep brakes...

I just found it easier to wear the prostheic arm... but soon as I landed I took it right off... hate them, still do..

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Maybe i can fly with both arms and then put both controls in my right hand for the landing?

It's not as easy as it sounds... you might look into something like a loop you can add / hook to left steering toggle and your stump and fly it like that...

you'll need to advoid other canopy traffic as you get more jumps.. you'll be "hooked" to canopy if you should need to "cut away" after a canopy wrap... just something to consider...

if you can get loop made to fit your stump and besure your not going to have it slip off in flare etc. you can do it... might take you a bit to set up / hook up soon as canopy opens...

another thing you should consider.... lets say you have to cutaway your main, and use your reserve on a SOS system... but by the time you make decesion to cutaway, do it and it opens... chances are your going to be low... little or no time to set up / hook up a toggle... you'll need to be picking a spot to land, etc not time to set up hook / toggle system or what ever you come up with.. I'd just leave brakes set and steer with risers turns to go into wind and do best PLF ever..

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Quote

There at least used to be a jumper in Ohio, Mike Morley, who jumped with only one arm and no prosthesis. I'm sure there are other folks who will weigh in on this.

Wendy P.



yes, i know a guy i talk to on Omar's HUGE FORUM site (skydivingnetwork)

This fellow, Jim tells me he has a friend in his DZ *in northern states somewhere) and this guys been jumping with one arm for years.
he doesnt use his prosthetic while jumping (from what I understand) and he uses risers to turn aloft and finally at some point when he determines, he uses his toggles to flare and always PLF (both toggles in one hand),
He's been diving like this for years.
IF you want, I can try to reach Jim to try to get more detailed info on how this fellow does this-although it may take time since he doesnt really go to Omars forums too much so I'd have to get some other way to find him
To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

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Those of you that were in the sport in the late seventies will remember Al Krueger.

Viet Nam vet with a champion 8 way team : Captain Hook and the Sky Pirates.

Guess you could say he not only jumpd but jumped well.
Howard White had posted some slides of the old days, and I took the liberty of posting a link for one.
...and Now, .....you know the rest of the story.

Perhaps some of you know what, and how he went about it.


http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=85630;t=search_engine


(Jerry Bird on the far left).

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