Hard Deck - where is yours and why ?

[shorehambeach 9]

With all the Z Hills thread and a recent bad set of line twists after opening which took me about 700 ft to kick out .... I was fine as i pulled at 3500 and was under a good canopy by 2600 ft...

My hard deck is 2000 ft but I don't know why......

Where is yours and why. What do I need to consider ?

Just 66 jumps - pd210 pulse - my exit weight is 210.

Thanks in advance.

[popsjumper 2]

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With all the Z Hills thread and a recent bad set of line twists after opening which took me about 700 ft to kick out .... I was fine as i pulled at 3500 and was under a good canopy by 2600 ft...

My hard deck is 2000 ft but I don't know why......

Where is yours and why. What do I need to consider ?

Just 66 jumps - pd210 pulse - my exit weight is 210.

Thanks in advance.

Two things:
1. Define 'Hard Deck"

2. Read the SIM about canopy opening altitudes.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[airtwardo 7]

Quote

With all the Z Hills thread and a recent bad set of line twists after opening which took me about 700 ft to kick out .... I was fine as i pulled at 3500 and was under a good canopy by 2600 ft...

My hard deck is 2000 ft but I don't know why......

Where is yours and why. What do I need to consider ?

Just 66 jumps - pd210 pulse - my exit weight is 210.

Thanks in advance.

Define hard deck in your instance...

2000' pull or open? Main vs. reserve?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[popsjumper 2]

I need to re-new my meds....I'm hearing echoes.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[SkydiverShawn 0]

If I am not free from malfunction by 2,500, I am chopping and hoping that my reserve is a square, stable and steerable canopy.

I look at it this way...if I cut away lower than that I may end up getting hurt or worse due to obstacles. I want time to at least think of a landing location and pattern.

Every one has a different opinion and set of altitudes, but hell I have just over a hundred jumps, so what the he!! do I know.

You will never be more alive than you are the instant you let go!

[BigMikeH77 0]

5,500'. I'm new I believe that altitude affords me a good distance to work EP's, if necessary, and also affords the instructor distance if needed.

[airtwardo 7]

...and also affords the instructor distance if needed.

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Ummm.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[ridebmxbikes 0]

My hard deck is 2500, iy is a little higher than some but i like the extra time it allows if i lose alti awareness or if with all the craziness that a mal can cause i might have a hard time to find my ep handles . Better safe than sorry!

[nigel99 402]

As an exercise find out what the BPA opening height requirements are, it might explain where your hard deck originates. The USPA has a few different heights depending on license (I cant remember what they are). Here in Oz, main opening is by 1800ft, unless it is a demo, then under certain conditions it can be lower.

If I don't have a good main by 2000 ft I will be doing EP and if I am below 1000ft and something goes wrong I am ONLY dumping my reserve and not chopping.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[Trev_S 0]

In Aus we're taught 2000ft is decision time.

[Squeak 17]

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In Aus we're taught 2000ft is decision time.

Umm YOU were taught that not WE
My hard deck is 1500 - 2000(ish) if i dont have a good flying canopy I chop, The SCREAMER is set for 1500

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[thrillstalker 0]

below 1800- no canopy out i go reserve
@/by 1800- choppy chop on the main if malfunctioning
below 1800- aircraft emergency, go reserve

avereage main canopy opening for me is about 5-800ft.

if i only have 1 shot below 1800 i want the best shot i can get, so i will go silver.

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

[airtwardo 7]

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In Aus we're taught 2000ft is decision time.

Umm YOU were taught that not WE
My hard deck is 1500 - 2000(ish) if i dont have a good flying canopy I chop, The SCREAMER is set for 1500

Me too...if I don't have anything landable over my head by 1500 ~

I start screaming like a little girl!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Divalent 119]

My trigger altitudes for different situations:

In free fall (nothing out):
3500 - normal main deploy altitude
2500 - lowest planned main deployment altitude I'm okay with
1800 - straight to reserve (my main snivels a lot)

Main mal (but something out):
1000 - above will chop; below just dump reserve

Emergency plane exit:
1500 - main above, reserved below (assuming reasonably level flight)

I have an RSL and a Cypres. And my main can sometimes snivel for 800 ft or more. All those have figured in my planning. Comments welcome.

(FYI, here's a slow motion video of my main opening: slowed down by a factor of 10, so that 10 seconds of video = 1 sec of real time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtTbrdGW-dA )

[NWFlyer 2]

1500ish is the absolute lowest I'll go without a landable parachute over my head.

But I keep my audible "flatline" setting at 2000. Why? Because if I ever hear it in freefall, and haven't yet taken any action to deploy a parachute, I'm pretty sure that muscle memory is going to kick in and I will reach immediately for my main. If I hear that alarm at 2000, then I've still got a sporting chance at getting the main deployed and opened up before AAD-spooking altitude.

It means that very occasionally I hear the flatline while the main is deploying. I'm okay with that.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[GoHuskers 0]

Playtime ends at 5k.
pull between 4k and 3.5k.

I never want to be in a situation where my only 2 choices are keep it or chop it. That extra altitude is not only a great insurance policy, but it allows more time to enjoy my canopy flight, progress in canopy skills, create enough altitude to separate from the other traffic,and work on accuracy.

As far as malfunction situations, why deviate from the SIM? For guys like you and I it makes sense to accept the advice which has been agreed upon by jumpers with decades of experience and thousands of jumps. In fact every thing I wrote before the malfunctions was probably something I picked up from these forums. And why not, it makes perfect sense.

[nigel99 402]

A good reason for him to deviate from the SIM is that he jumps in the UK!

Unless you're sure the BPA policy is the same as the USPA.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[GoHuskers 0]

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A good reason for him to deviate from the SIM is that he jumps in the UK!

Unless you're sure the BPA policy is the same as the USPA.

For a jumper that states I have no idea why my hard deck is 2000 ft I think I gave pretty solid advice. I didn't really give solid advice so much as passed on solid advice I was given.

Congratulations on finding a semantic argument where the hard decks differ by 10% and the general theme was completely ignored. If you keep typing you will finally be able to split the atom with your replies.

[nigel99 402]

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A good reason for him to deviate from the SIM is that he jumps in the UK!

Unless you're sure the BPA policy is the same as the USPA.

For a jumper that states I have no idea why my hard deck is 2000 ft I think I gave pretty solid advice. I didn't really give solid advice so much as passed on solid advice I was given.

Congratulations on finding a semantic argument where the hard decks differ by 10% and the general theme was completely ignored. If you keep typing you will finally be able to split the atom with your replies.

You misunderstand. I personally DO NOT know the UK opening heights for various licenses. I think it is unwise to refer people to the SIM when they are in a different country.

The SIM is an excellent resource, but it is critical that local regulations are understood.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[rifleman 66]

Minimum opening heights as per BPA Ops manual

AFF and Category system students 3,000 ft AGL
A Licence and above 2,000 ft AGL
Student Tandem 5,000 ft AGL
C Licence and above, on demos 1,500 ft AGL

Atheism is a Non-Prophet Organisation

[adamhildreth 0]

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1500ish is the absolute lowest I'll go without a landable parachute over my head.

But I keep my audible "flatline" setting at 2000. Why? Because if I ever hear it in freefall, and haven't yet taken any action to deploy a parachute, I'm pretty sure that muscle memory is going to kick in and I will reach immediately for my main. If I hear that alarm at 2000, then I've still got a sporting chance at getting the main deployed and opened up before AAD-spooking altitude.

It means that very occasionally I hear the flatline while the main is deploying. I'm okay with that.

Exactly the same! And i do occasionally hear the flatline during the last snivel... Which sort of worried me to begin with but happy with it now as it's only once in a while.

[milehigheric 0]

It seems as if I'm on the conservative side but my EP hardeck is 2,500. I pitch main at 3.5 - 4k ( wave off at 4, pilot chute out a second later). Perhaps after I experience a malfunction I will reconsider, but for me there is simply no reason for me to go that low without some good nylon over my head.

[adamhildreth 0]

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Minimum opening heights as per BPA Ops manual

AFF and Category system students 3,000 ft AGL
A Licence and above 2,000 ft AGL
Student Tandem 5,000 ft AGL
C Licence and above, on demos 1,500 ft AGL

For main parachutes......

[rifleman 66]

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Minimum opening heights as per BPA Ops manual

AFF and Category system students 3,000 ft AGL
A Licence and above 2,000 ft AGL
Student Tandem 5,000 ft AGL
C Licence and above, on demos 1,500 ft AGL

For main parachutes......

I was working on the assumption that because there are no minimum opening altitudes for reserves listed that the above were decided upon to at least give the skydiver a fighting chance of getting a reserve out in a timely fashion.

Atheism is a Non-Prophet Organisation

[wmw999 2,370]

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I never want to be in a situation where my only 2 choices are keep it or chop it

Beware of "I can fix this;" it's killed more than a couple of people.

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)