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Dontgetmad4fake

Did you ever forget to turn your aad on?

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Hi,
I'm not going to start a discussion whether or not it is wise to put an aad in one's rig, or about the situations or special jumps in which it should be better to keep it off.
Did you simply ever forget to turn it on during your preflight check?
If so, how did you feel about it?
I start: I did once, I was like 80 jump old, rented gear, I realized only once back to the hangar, packing. I felt dumb, guilty, I switched it on immediately, hoping no one saw.
Probably someone finds it particularly stupid, option 3 is for them.
The world is big, so I also provided option 4.
Cheers

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I used to own one. I sold it when it needed the four year service. It. never gave me peace of mind. I was always more worried it might give me a two out. I never forgot to turn it on but made quite a few where I didn't turn it on on purpose. But that's just me I would never recommend it to anyone else :D

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .


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a few times, mostly at those "arriving at the DZ 4 minutes after the last 5 minute call". All where highpulls, no helmet, dytter, normal sunglases and work cloth on. Altimeter was optional, too.

Jump out, take care of RDS, sit back, deep brakes and enjoy the sunset at 13k, best jumps ever :)

-------------------------------------------------------

To absent friends

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Once that I'm aware of. Had been doing only Saturdays for over a year because life, and my first time doing two days in a row in ages. I always check my gear when I take my rig out of my bag before the first jump. And that's when I turn my AAD on. Well I never took my gear out of my bag cuz it was already out. I had a system that worked for me and then when I did something different I didn't catch it. Got down from the first jump of the second day and I was like, hmm I can't remember if I turned my AAD on. Turns out I didn't. If we're being honest, I was pretty hungover from the bonfire so that probably contributed. Not super proud of it, but I learned something and no one got hurt so that's a win. Honestly you should never plan on using your AAD so it's not that big of a deal but still sloppy. I post this with egg on my face so that someone else might learn.
Blue skies

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Probably I have. Really, jumping with an AAD turned off is no big deal. Except for the fact that it means you jumped without a complete gear check. Which is a big deal. Learn from your error and move on.
Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

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Yes, not a big deal.

Most cases it involves a back to back when I had a student or a team jump and had to grab my second rig. But the AAD in my second rig is a fairly new thing anyway.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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RiggerLee

Where is my "What aad?" option?

Some day I'll probable buy one. But I've gotten by with out one for what? the last 25 years.

Lee



Pre Cypres I had a friend knocked out through no fault of her own and bounce. I've had more than one friend saved by an AAD after being stupid. Ripping them a new one is lot more fun than the funeral. :| Remember the PIA President and owner of SSK died after being hit in freefall without an AAD.

Us old farts are happy to jump without an AAD, because we did for years and years. And we recognize that without an AAD we have to take an action or we die. With 5 rigs I don't have one for each. But I never recommend to anyone else not having one.

You know we have them available, they help more than they hurt and if I can have one I do. If not I analyze the risk, and usually jump anyway.:)
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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Quote

Remember the PIA President and owner of SSK died after being hit in freefall without an AAD.




He had a CYPRES and it worked perfectly. The freefall collision killed him. He landed under a good reserve, but was no longer living.
Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

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RiggerLee

Where is my "What aad?" option?

Some day I'll probable buy one. But I've gotten by with out one for what? the last 25 years.

Lee

. If I ever buy a custom rig it will have embroidered on the mudflaps pull or die
i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .


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Looking at another thread, "you know you're an older skydiver" when a poll like this makes you go "huh?"

I have an AAD; I don't know if I've forgotten to turn it on, but if I had, it's not that big a part of my plans anyway.

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 had four high speed malfunctions before the cypress was invented. I bought one when I jumped at a dz where the dzo really wanted us to but didn't require it for non-students. I appreciated his attitude and his dz. it was pulled after its 12 years and then in July of 2015, no aad, I had a cutaway.
I do have one serious problem with AADs and that's the attitude it engenders. I once heard a S&T telling some students that Tom Piras went in because he wasn't using one. But not one word about the oldest rule in skydiving, "if in doubt, whip it out." AAD or not when you wake up in the sky you go for your reserve first, you don't check altitude or even get belly to Earth. You have two parachutes and two hands, use one of each! Always assume a gun is loaded and that your AAD won't save you.

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I knew a novice jumper that was doing really well and would have been a real asset to The Sport. She absolutely refused to exit an aircraft without an AAD. It came up once when her rig was being worked an and she said she couldn't even imagine jumping without one. Which is cool, but then she bought a canopy that was way too small for her and had two painful landings in a row and quit skydiving.
How the hell does that make sense?

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gowlerk

Probably I have. Really, jumping with an AAD turned off is no big deal. Except for the fact that it means you jumped without a complete gear check. Which is a big deal. Learn from your error and move on.



^This.

On the plane for the first jump of the day and it suddenly occurred to me that I couldn't remember turning the AAD on. I had gotten interrupted during my check and didn't know if I had turned it on or not. Thought it over and contemplated riding the plane down.

Jumped anyway.

But I learned that lesson well. If I get interrupted during my gear check, I go back and do the whole thing over again.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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No. Gear checks start with the AAD, same order every time to not miss anything. Even if I'm turning tandems and the plane us waiting. Even if I just turned up at the dz and want the load going right now. Gear checks go pretty fast once you've done a ton of them, and as a SL instructor I was doing 6 loads a day with 1 gear check on me and 2-3 checks on each of 3 students each time... I got a lot of practice that year.

Whether I'm turning it on for a jump or not, it's still important for me that it functions how I want and isn't stuck on some error screen that people have encountered, that could cause who knows what to happen...

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yep, rushing for a load will make you forget stuff

also borrowing gear cause there is a slot on the last load and you just landed from your jump and no time to back...:S

By far my biggest scare was from not turing on my audible after getting lazy with visual checks in fs. other jumpers ignored their break off alrms and we all ended up opening low. Again caused by rushing for a load...

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I've forgotten to turn it on and jumped after realising in the plane I'd done it. The AAD plays only a very small part in my overall safety, though I strongly think people should use them if possible.

I have also at least three times looked sheepish in answer to the question "AAD on?" during a gear check, because we have those here in the nanny state UK and people are forced by our crushing bureaucracy to ask. Bastards - if we didn't have the stupid gear checks I wouldn't have to be embarrassed like that eh.
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

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FlyingRhenquest

The rigs I saw on some military group in Eloy a couple years ago had their AAD display and controls mounted on their shoulders where everyone could see them. Seemed like a very nice design detail.



My guess it that makes sense for the military versions, where they can be re-set/adjusted for many different conditions/change in mission plans/destination while in flight. At least that is my memory from years ago when I read a bit about such mil-versions. You'd want to have easier access to the controls. Just a guess, as normally more exposed also means more likely to get abuse and damaged.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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