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Airhugger

I did my first cutaway and it feels bad

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Hello sky folk,

I just want to share my first cutaway story, it's always helpful to see what the experienced skydivers have to say about it and it can be helpful for the beginners also.

I'm a new skydiver, started last year with now 160 jumps (including the static line student jumps).

The weekend before last I made a low altitude jump from 1000 meters which I'm very used to, when I deployed my parachute I've got instantly twisted lines and risers, it seemed that I can't do nothing so I cutaway directly.

Why did it happen?
I've done a bunch of mistakes. First, I was really distracted by real life things (moving, new job, etc.) so I shouldn't get close to a drop zone in that day at first place. Second, there wasn't much time before the loading to that lift and I wanted to catch up so I packed fast and ran to the airplane, I thought I have time to calm down before I jump but I didn't. Third, we decided to jump on 2 groups in order to make sure that everyone can land in the field and to minimize the risk of landing outside of the field, I was the last to jump in the first group, and I was a lot hesitated when I jumped, which made me deploy in an unstable body position, It felt like it's already late to jump which made me not thinking about my body position,however, all I thought about was to deploy as fast as possible to gain more altitude and be able to land safely, it wasn't risky at all to jump as the last one in that group and it was a pure beginner wrong estimating of the situation plus wrong prioritizing to prioritize deploying to correct body position when there's already a good margin of time.

It's not the end of the story.

My rigger has packed my reserve parachute and inspected my gear, he said that he has found a tangled toggle among the lines and risers, which means that I didn't stow one of the brakes properly. He's totally convinced that it was all about packing mistake and not the bad body position (which may has made the situation worst but it would have been twisted lines anyway according to him).

What I've learned:
1- Never jump and better not to even go to a DZ if I'm mentally much distracted by life's problems. It can be dangerous.
2- Never rush and stress before loading no matter what.
3- STOW the brakes well.

I don't know why it feels bad, it's like I failed or did something very wrong.
What do you guys have to say about it?

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Airhugger


I don't know why it feels bad, it's like I failed or did something very wrong.
What do you guys have to say about it?



You had a malfunction. You reacted properly and according to your training. You survived. That should feel good, not bad. Everyone makes mistakes, don't punish yourself. You learned your lesson. Be happy about it.

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You let yourself get rushed (beyond what you could handle).
So you made a couple of little screwups.
You were a dumbass.
We all do that from time to time.
You lived.
You learned a good lesson, that you'll remember your entire skydiving career, and maybe avoid a bigger screwup some day.

That's a good lesson, and it didn't cost you too much.

Hope you bought your rigger a drink (if that's a tradition where you are).

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Point 3 is just a packing error. Shit like that happens all the time. Until a proven perfect packing machine is invented, people will keep chopping because of packing errors.

Point 1 and 2 are valid, but I'd say it's the combination that nailed you. When ground life is busy and exhausting, making a jump can be an awesome way to get rid of that stress. Just make sure you aren't rushed into it in that case. The other way around counts as well, it's fine to get rushed into a jump, but only if you are mentally not distracted by other stuff.

One last thing: if you're the last jumper of the first group, it is perfectly acceptable to look out and say "f* this, I'll be the first jumper of the second group", and ask the pilot for a go-around. If the last jumpers of the second group don't like the spot, the pilot just has to do a third jumprun.

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You had a malfunction. You reacted properly and according to your training. You survived. That should feel good, not bad. Everyone makes mistakes, don't punish yourself. You learned your lesson. Be happy about it.


I should be happy about the lesson I agree

pchapman


You were a dumbass.
We all do that from time to time.
Hope you bought your rigger a drink (if that's a tradition where you are).


Do all do that too? Hope i'm not the only dumbass.
Yeah it's a tradition here also

Bob_Church

I don't exactly feel bad when I do something like that, I get mad at myself. I think "great, from now on I'd be remembered as 'remember that idiot who...".
That hopefully keeps me from doing it again.


Good way to remember the safety procedures

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IJskonijn

One last thing: if you're the last jumper of the first group, it is perfectly acceptable to look out and say "f* this, I'll be the first jumper of the second group", and ask the pilot for a go-around. If the last jumpers of the second group don't like the spot, the pilot just has to do a third jumprun.



That would be open for debate.
Many bigger DZ's have a "GTF out when you're told, or ride the plane down"-policy.
"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

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That "only a single jump-run" policy may have been imposed by lazy air traffic controllers.

Bad attitude because it increases everyones' stress levels and malfunction rates.

Professional DZOs don't whine about the few extra dollars worth of gasoline because they understand the alternative.

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Congratulations!
You made a mistake.
You responded correctly
You did not tear up your parachute
You did not injure yourself
You learned a lesson
You shared your learning experience with other skydivers
That makes you a better skydiver than most
Convratulate yourself!

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riggerrob

That "only a single jump-run" policy may have been imposed by lazy air traffic controllers.

Bad attitude because it increases everyones' stress levels and malfunction rates.

Professional DZOs don't whine about the few extra dollars worth of gasoline because they understand the alternative.



Agreed.
"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

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One last thing: if you're the last jumper of the first group, it is perfectly acceptable to look out and say "f* this, I'll be the first jumper of the second group"

I don't think this is always realistic. If you're put last out from small altitude in the first group this is probably according to opening altitudes/wing loading/planned actions during descent. So one would need to properly blend with the next group and possibly be the last one out also. Not that this should stop one from considering all the options, just a little nitpick from me.

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Airhugger

\
What I've learned:
1- Never jump and better not to even go to a DZ if I'm mentally much distracted by life's problems. It can be dangerous.
2- Never rush and stress before loading no matter what.
3- STOW the brakes well.

I don't know why it feels bad, it's like I failed or did something very wrong.
What do you guys have to say about it?



If these are the worst mistakes you make in your skydiving career you're doing better than most. Don't worry about it - you reacted correctly to the situation that presented itself.

At the same time as feeling a bit stupid about rushing a pack job (you are going to do this again, by the way ;)) you should also give yourself a big 'Hell Yeah!' and a beer for doing your first real emergency procedure correctly.

Post situation analysis is a good thing, and a bit of 'shit - that was dumb' self reflection isn't too bad. But don't take it too far. Learn the lessons and move on with a smile. :)

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Congratulations on saving your life! Reacting correctly and quickly to a malfunction is an important skill, and you have it. On behalf of all skydivers, we're really glad you chopped when you need to.

Trying to prevent future malfunctions by beating yourself up for factors that led to your malfunction is normal. Analysis is good, but don't make so many new rules for yourself that you rob yourself of jumping when you need to get away from the rest of the world for a few minutes. Slowing down is good, and acknowledge that packing and jump preparation takes practice and that you'll eventually be comfortable with a faster pack job and what feels like rushing to the plane now will be normal timing later.

Here's where beer rules come in. Buy beer, take it to your dz, and share it. Use it as in ice breaker - tell people you brought beer because you had your first cutaway and tell the story. You'll hear other people's cutaway stories and realize that beating yourself up after your first one is common. Could you have prevented it? Who knows. Can you handle your shit when things go sideways? Yes, you can. Congratulations, have a beer.

FWIW, my first cutaway was jump 41, my first low altitude jump after getting licensed. My canopy took too long to open (and looked like crap because it was opening slow) so I chopped it. Boy did I feel sheepish later - but also SO relieved to know that when shit hits the fan I will handle it, and I have a cutaway story to tell so... win. :) If I went on that exact jump today would I chop it? Probably not, but I know I will chop it when I thing it's time to do so, and that's what counts.

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If these are the worst mistakes you make in your skydiving career you're doing better than most. Don't worry about it - you reacted correctly to the situation that presented itself.

At the same time as feeling a bit stupid about rushing a pack job (you are going to do this again, by the way Wink) you should also give yourself a big 'Hell Yeah!' and a beer for doing your first real emergency procedure correctly.

Post situation analysis is a good thing, and a bit of 'shit - that was dumb' self reflection isn't too bad. But don't take it too far. Learn the lessons and move on with a smile. Smile


I'm happy that you think so :)
I really need to learn to move on with a smile :)

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3. Stow brakes- Stow brakes in landinging area before walking in, while stowing hold both toggles in hand do not let go till stowed... By doing these things you will prevent your brake lines from twisting and entangling with the rest of the lines. Also your packer will love you. I was told to do this when I was young in the sport and try to pass this knowledge on. I have rigger OCD and I can't stand it when people land and rush to get inside for no reason. Take the extra 30 seconds to stow your brakes after landing, it is mich easier to stow them when your rig is on rather than kneeling. My $0.02. Also when kicking out of line twists, think about arching while kicking, it will prevent the canopy from trying to dive on you as well as just building good muscle memory, for when you have a canopy that will dive in you in linetwists! It sounds like you didn't even try to fight to get out of the linetwists, never give up! When did you pull and when did you cut away?

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I'd much prefer people look out after landing to see whether other jumpers are coming down, and whether they are on a collision course with you. Waste 30 seconds on every jump doing that, and it'll cost you just 10 days time over a jumping career of 30k jumps. Healing from one crash is likely to cost you at least double the time.

And it's smart to occasionally check your steering lines for twists and untwist them, even if you stowed them immediately upon landing and know they haven't been rotated. I do it by default at the end of the day.

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Airhugger


1- Never jump and better not to even go to a DZ if I'm mentally much distracted by life's problems. It can be dangerous.



Sometimes that can't be helped, and as someone else said a jump or two can be a great way to put life's problems on the back burner for the day.

If you get into competitive skydiving, one of the things your coach is likely to do is teach you how to put all of the noise in your head to one side while you're mentally preparing yourself to jump. It's good practice for you to do that even if you're skydiving solo for fun.

Oh, and congratulations on dealing with your first malfunction and saving your life! :)

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