My $2500 mistake

[nwt 131]

33 minutes ago, dudeman17 said:

On another note, nwt, is your reserve still airworthy as a reserve? All that UV exposure...  (Yeah, I'm joking. Sort of.)

Not in Poland!

[JohnMitchell 14]

I've been in that situation twice, with Stiletto load 1.4. Each time I left the tied off steering line in place. I did not cut it with a hook knife. It was easy for me to fly the canopy in a straight line on final, either low toggle pressure or I'm just in really good shape ( ) . 

The first time I used the good toggle and the rear riser on the tied off side to flare. I did a PLF after a <<firm>> landing. No injuries. I told my wife about it later and she told me what I should have done . . . .  because yes, she is smarter than me.

SECOND time I was dumb enough to end up in this predicament, I tried my wife's advice and grabbed the tied-off steering line ABOVE the knot on the keeper ring. When flaring, I used the toggle on the good side and the steering line itself on the bad side and had a nice standup landing. 

As far as cutting away at 9500', no, I wouldn't do that. I actually had a malfunction at 12,500 once, after a premature deployment, pilot chute caught in the steering lines, spinning and loaded at 1.5. I planned to chop at 2K, so I rode the malfunction, doing my best to keep in under control with opposite toggle. Somewhere around 9K the pilot chute cleared out of the steering lines and I had a good canopy and a normal landing. 

IF you had wanted to work on your canopy, hold the released steering toggle in your teeth while you work on the bad one. That should keep you flying level. As always, watch your altitude. 

For anyone with less than a C license, ignore that last sentence. 

Your mileage may vary. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by JohnMitchell

[heavision 2]

Did the author say they were flying a 135---and that it was the smallest canopy they'd ever flown---and their reserve was a 126? Ummm, isn't that a big no-no? Or am I trippin?

[nwt 131]

OMG guys I finally just realized something... I could have cut the stows that the brake line was tied around. fuuuuuuuuuck...

On 9/17/2021 at 10:58 PM, heavision said:

Did the author say they were flying a 135---and that it was the smallest canopy they'd ever flown---and their reserve was a 126? Ummm, isn't that a big no-no? Or am I trippin?

Reserves are really docile, and you weigh less after chopping. Judge me if you want, I don't really care--I had a nice soft landing on my tippy toes.

[fcajump 153]

On 7/24/2021 at 9:22 PM, JohnMitchell said:

As far as cutting away at 9500', no, I wouldn't do that.

...as long as the canopy behavior is not going to impair your ability to retain consciousness, altitude awareness, and cutaway at your chosen altitude.

Better a lost canopy, than landing a bad one while blacked out.

 

Just $.02,

JW

 

[heavision 2]

On 9/30/2021 at 4:29 PM, nwt said:

OMG guys I finally just realized something... I could have cut the stows that the brake line was tied around. fuuuuuuuuuck...

Reserves are really docile, and you weigh less after chopping. Judge me if you want, I don't really care--I had a nice soft landing on my tippy toes.

I ain't judgin, just curious.

Edited October 3, 2021 by heavision

[ufk22 32]

“Reserves are really docile, and you weigh less after chopping.”

And I thought I’d heard every bs line in the sport!

Can we still say DGIT, or is that insensitive?

[nwt 131]

27 minutes ago, ufk22 said:

“Reserves are really docile, and you weigh less after chopping.”

And I thought I’d heard every bs line in the sport!

Can we still say DGIT, or is that insensitive?

Which part is BS, and what does DGIT mean?

You can watch my landing and judge for yourself how wildly dangerous you think it was.

[Divalent 89]

2 hours ago, nwt said:

... what does DGIT mean?

 

Dead Guy In Training

[nwt 131]

6 minutes ago, Divalent said:

Dead Guy In Training

lol yeah you can tell by the video that i nearly femurred and bled out

[JohnMitchell 14]

On 10/7/2021 at 5:01 PM, ufk22 said:

“Reserves are really docile, and you weigh less after chopping.”

And I thought I’d heard every bs line in the sport!

 

Reserves ARE more docile, low-aspect 7 cells of low porosity material, not ZP. Reserves are optimized for reliability, and that means lower performance and more stability. It also means a less powerful flare, so they usually need to be flared more and a bit earlier than most mains. 

 

[nwt 131]

On 10/7/2021 at 4:01 PM, ufk22 said:

“Reserves are really docile, and you weigh less after chopping.”

And I thought I’d heard every bs line in the sport!

Can we still say DGIT, or is that insensitive?

Still waiting to hear which part you think is BS. The drive-by insult isn't a great look, especially when it doesn't make any sense.