Gear Fear

[Olmed 0]

After just passing 110 jumps my skydiving experience has changed. For the first 100+ jumps I had total confidence in my gear, even student rigs.

Now with a new sports rig I have suddenly worries about gear failure. Not the human factor that could interfere with proper function but that the gear it self does not function as it should under normal conditions..

Is that a common experience?

[NWFlyer 2]

It may be part of the larger "the more you know" phenomenon - the longer you stay in the sport, the more awareness you develop of all the things that increase your risk - and why. But you should also become more aware of ways to mitigate that risk.

With gear, of course, there are a lot of things you can do to mitigate the risk - choosing appropriate gear for your experience, selecting your rigger carefully, treating your gear with proper respect, conducting regular maintenance, developing a good gear check routine (and practicing it consistently), asking for a second set of eyes when necessary, and asking for help if you don't understand something.

Every so often I'll have a seemingly irrational thought about my gear like "Are my legstraps properly routed?" Since I rarely unthread them, that's a pretty unlikely occurrence, but I'll take a peek anyway to ease my mind. The good news about gear is that there's generally an easy way to check something that you're worried about.

Another thing you might think about is working on your rigger rating. The more you know ...

"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

[wmw999 2,122]

Dunno if it's common, but begin to learn more about your gear. That, more than anything, will increase your confidence. Start with learning what all of the items mean in the new "It's your gear checklist that's been started over in Gear & Rigging.

The fear comes from not knowing what you'd do if something went wrong. Understanding your gear, and its possible failure modes, makes you think about how you'd react, and understand what's most likely to fail, and what's not at all likely.

Yeah, stuff can happen to anyone, and anything. But some stuff is more likely. When was the last time you heard about the hood flying up and causing a wreck? That's also possible (please don't start worrying about that!!!)

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)

[Olmed 0]

999 and flyer...thanks for the good advice..
Yes, probably should learn more! It could be it..

Hood..what..hood..???

[airtwardo 6]

Yeah the more ya know the less ya wanna know!

I often get a bit of a pucker going at 1000' when I look at the pulled threads on the cascade lines and think about all the manufacturing lofts I've visited over the years and the derelict mud-bugs that missed another AA meeting who are sitting behind those sewing machines...pity the folks who's rig was made on a Friday!


...but hey, ~ I'm sure YOUR gear was made right!

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

[theonlyski 3]

Quote

I often get a bit of a pucker going at 1000' when I look at the pulled threads on the cascade lines

The good news is, lines under tension hold the finger traps better.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[popsjumper 2]

For the longest time, I worried my butt raw thinking my leg straps might break.

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

[Croc 0]

Yeah,me too--still have that feeling, except when I'm doing CRW. I guess the solution is to always be landing someone!

"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so."

Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy

[councilman24 36]

Your fear is not uncommon. If you take a minute to actually look at your three rings, connector links and lines when you hanging under them at 1000' you suddenly realize that there isn't a whole lot holding you up there.

But, if you saw some of the crap a lot of us jumped you'd be more than happy to have your new rig on your back. I still can't believe I was naive enough to jump some of that shit. Of course we didn't care much back then either. I know one guy who famously used his rig as a ramp to jump the camp fire with a bicycle, routinely.

Next time your reserve needs packing schedule a time with your rigger that you can watch him pack and ask questions. If your rigger doesn't want you to watch find a new rigger. You might offer a tip if he doesn't charge more. It IS a pain to have folks watch and ask questions. Your interrupting the rigger concentration and it will take more time than usual.

I had a new girl friend once asked about watching me pack her reserve. I said that she was more than welcome but would get a better pack job if she didn't. She immediately responded "I'll just watch you pack someone else's."
Even better, think about becoming a rigger yourself. If not to rig for others to have more knowledge of your own gear. You can do it on the three year plan versus the 10 day course if your want.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[ManagingPrime 0]

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For the longest time, I worried my butt raw thinking my leg straps might break.

+1

Completely irrational, but the heart still gets pumping sometimes all-the-same.

[milehigheric 0]

I still get an irrational fear of my leg straps from time to time. I know 100% there is nothing wrong with them but that 'what if' idea still keeps coming back to annoy me...

[crotalus01 0]

For my first 50ish jumps I would get very unnerved looking at my risers under canopy - I would always think to myself, "Damn thats a tiny little piece of white loop holding this whole thing together..."

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD...

[Quagmirian 40]

That's funny, I had this on my first jump only. I looked down from my open canopy and was terrified to see the only thing holding me from certain death were two legstraps held in place with some thread. I think that was because the previous time I flew a canopy the harness did actually rip. This fear went away on my second jump and since then I've never doubted the clever people who make my gear.

[Olmed 0]

Thanks for all the friendly advice.
Legstraps fear only for a few jumps. The "main" fear is a double malfunction. Not because of human factor but that the gear simply do not work as intended. Things I have no chance at all to influence...I mean..even an horseshoe you can try to do SOMETHING with..

But reading all the response and thinking what it is I am really worried about make me now see that it is quite irrational fear if you take care of the gear and do as thaught when jumping.. It was also comforting to see I am not the only one

[tsisson 0]

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With gear, of course, there are a lot of things you can do to mitigate the risk - choosing appropriate gear for your experience

What she is saying here is BUY A RACER!

[JohnSherman 1]

"Gear Fear" is the reason I do what I do. I had to know if was "OK". I looked at my Capewells the jump after I had my first cutaway. I wondered if they would release accidentally as they had been easy to release on the previous jump. I don't have it anymore.

[Tuukka 0]

I sometimes worry about it too. But I think in this sport there is almost always something to worry about or something that might occupy your mind when you should be concetrating on the jump . But I trust the riggers who inspect my gear and take it slowly when packing. Maeby I'm a little causious type myself too.
i.e. I heard a story of a student that started throwing up after the landing because of ..err.. certain parts that accidentaly were caught under the leg straps. I was very very cautious when tightening those after that..

[cocheese 0]

Every time I throw the pilot chute. Since day 1. Had a few base jumps where there was no gear fear. Then THAT scared me.

[demoknite 0]

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I still get an irrational fear of my leg straps from time to time. I know 100% there is nothing wrong with them but that 'what if' idea still keeps coming back to annoy me...

Same thing for me except for with the chest strap. I look at it seemingly every 1000 feet on the way up on some days.

[Erroll 49]

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... certain parts that accidentaly were caught under the leg straps. I was very very cautious when tightening those after that..

It has been said that it is better to have 'a line over' than 'a nut under'...