failed lvl4 and got injured by a chest strap :)

[mobbik 0]

So I did my lel 3 and 4 on Saturday.
Lvl 3 went really good (my first jump from c182) but had a pretty hard opening.
My lvl 4 went not so good :P right from the exit I was spinning like a blender, I did get stable few times but as soon as I tried to adjust my body I was spinning again… did some back flying too - cool ;) failed the lvl but I did enjoy the experience of trueFREE falling and I think I will do much better on my next jump.
I used the same rig for the second jump and this time the opening was even harder than the first one… I pulled and waited and waited and when I had a thought that maybe something is not ok ...I stopped….. screamed like a little girl it hurt so badly. I got some nice black bruises on my legs from the straps but worst thing is that the chest strap hit my neck really hard and for last 2 days It still hurts when swallowing my head hurts like hell and I sound like 80yr old drunk :)
I know… nothing that few tylanols and beer won’t cure ;)

[tkhayes 125]

Sounds like the rig is probably too big for you. If the chest strap hits you in the neck, it could actually kill you, it has happened before in extreme cases. The harness should have some adjusters ont he lift webs to shorten the harness to fit you better. Or try a different rig if you can.

spinning and flailing certainly are not factors that are going to help with a smooth deployment of any kind, they only make matters worse.

Sitting up during the deployment also helps with the legs and comfort, but difficult to teach to someone with 3-4 jumps. If you start to bring your knees down during the deployment such that when you get to the opening shock (line-stretch), then you will be sitting upright for the deployment. The opening shock is then vertical on your spine/neck and your butt is already sitting in the harness.

Better than the inside of your crotch taking it all from getting wailed around like you do if you just lay flat for the opening shock.

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

Sounds like the rig is probably too big for you. If the chest strap hits you in the neck, it could actually kill you, it has happened before in extreme cases. The harness should have some adjusters on the lift webs to shorten the harness to fit you better. Or try a different rig if you can.

Sounds to me as though that's what he had....adjustable MLW. They suck so bad it's a wonder that they are even manufactured much less still being used.

DZOs...get rid of the damned things before a snapped neck happens again.

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

[pchapman 261]

(I'm one of his instructors.)

Damn! Yeah it looks like we needed to try to tighten up the main lift web (MLW) adjusters just a little, even though you are a tall, solidly built guy and the harness did seem good and tight. And (as debriefed) we can do that by lifting up on the container, which will rotate the whole harness forwards and bring the chest strap down a little. Lifting up the container also takes the load off the straps somewhat, making it easier to tighten both MLW and sometimes leg straps. Since all the rigs are identical (except slightly different canopy sizes), we should be able to find a MLW setting that works for you.

If one lifts up from the bottom of the container while wearing it, someone else can haul on the MLW adjusters for you. The design on those rigs slip easier when not under load, so tightening them up before donning the rig is OK to do, but one may need to retighten once the rig is on.

A trick for tightening a rig when alone is to lean your upper body forward almost 90 degrees so the rig weight is lying on your back more and not dragging down towards your feet. Still, MLW adjusters are tricky to adjust when wearing the rig, so you may need someone's help.

The 'starting to sit up' idea is a reasonable optional thing to do down the road but I'd avoid it until you have perfect stability and just stay in a good arch until you feel the tug of the parachute -- as TK says, it is hard to teach at this point.

A few jumps back another PFF student "anticipated" the opening after he pulled, and just got himself into an unstable dearch, rolling to his side, before the canopy deployed, thus giving him a hard opening because he was taking the loads sideways.

You think that was spinning like a blender? I'm sure it felt like that but I've seen far faster! I did a few catch & releases to keep the turning from having time to accelerate too much. We'll work on getting everything perfectly symmetrical next time, and work again on the little turn inputs that can both start a turn and stop them.

And with me being tall & skinny, I'll keep wearing those 18 lbs of weight to keep up with you. If we had a less slick and more baggy suit that would slow you a bit.

Those new Aerodyne Solo canopies do seem a little variable in their opening speed -- I have seen the occasional snappy opening.

[mobbik 0]

I know that i would spin much faster if you wouldn't catch me few times :) i liked the freefall even though most of the time i wasn't stable it was first time i could actually feel how little or sudden movements can affect the flight. and i did get stable ...more less ... before pull:D

i can wear my baggy cargo pants next time if that helps ;) and maybe... because i cant really eat for last few days i will lose some weight and you wont have to wear the extra 18lbs :D

but fu## i had no idea that even chest strap can be dangerous in skydiving...other than not putting one properly and falling out of a rig :P