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gato_fly

1st line twist

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I don't know about the "funny" part but I think a conscientious student would welcome a chance for new experience and learning. I had a couple of minor twists but then to learn how to kick out of a real twist did give me some feeling of accomplishment. Not that it was a big deal, but that I then knew how to do it. Another student said he was worried how he would react when he had his first twist, and it happened on that very jump. Later he felt good it was not something to be worried about.

Maybe some small rite of passage or something. Buy everyone beer and they will enjoy it too!

Dan
Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

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Just don't get caught out focusing on the line twist. Its easy to do that. Check the canopy first, if you have a problem the line twist becomes irrelevant.

And yes I've seen people focus on the twist to the point that they didn't check the canopy properly, then after wasting lots of altitude, realising they had a malfunction and chopping at AAD height.
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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Just don't get caught out focusing on the line twist. Its easy to do that. Check the canopy first, if you have a problem the line twist becomes irrelevant.

And yes I've seen people focus on the twist to the point that they didn't check the canopy properly, then after wasting lots of altitude, realising they had a malfunction and chopping at AAD height.



Good info yeah i kept alt awarness i had popd at 5500 so i knew i had time. I was more worried to make sure i wasnt headed towards another jumper but canopy was good. I found it funny because i was telling one of my friends earlier i wondered how bad i would react and sure enough. Im glad it was good conditions out

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Also enjoy the twists now, when you get onto a small fast canopy they can be a real pain. I had them ona 120 years ago. Spinning against the kicking, i had to get off in the end. Good advice though, check the canopy quickly as twists may be the least of your worries.

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Just don't get caught out focusing on the line twist. Its easy to do that. Check the canopy first, if you have a problem the line twist becomes irrelevant.

And yes I've seen people focus on the twist to the point that they didn't check the canopy properly, then after wasting lots of altitude, realising they had a malfunction and chopping at AAD height.



Good point.
There are some other problems that involve lines being twisted. I believe that is what you are saying. And just because the lines are twisted doesn't mean you have a line twist problem...that's so very true.

Funny story and FJC instructors will know about this.

One of the standard training pictures we use shows a bag lock. The lines are severely twisted going up to the bag.

When I plop it down and ask "What do you see going on here?", they always spot and focus on the twists first and only later do they find the bag locked up above.
:D:D

So, related to your post, yes...kicking out of the twists may not be fruitful in the long run.
:o


I'd like to take this opportunity to put in a word for the importance of altitude awareness when trying to fix canopy problems.

Students do have a decision altitude of 2500 ft and need to be aware of altitude at all times while trying to fix problems.
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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this...

Quote

Students do have a decision altitude of 2500 ft and need to be aware of altitude at all times while trying to fix problems.


and

Quote

I was more worried to make sure i wasnt headed towards another jumper but canopy was good.



Both essential issues I thought about when reading the OP. Glad to see they were both addressed early in the thread! :)
See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!

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I'd like to take this opportunity to put in a word for the importance of altitude awareness when trying to fix canopy problems.

Students do have a decision altitude of 2500 ft and need to be aware of altitude at all times while trying to fix problems.



Thats is VERY important. The guy I was talking about was not a student....however he got to remind himself what a student canopy was like on his very next jump....
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

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its good that you handled it well, but dont make a mistake line twists are a malfunction and can develop into a big problem quickly especially as you downsize as others have posted. give an alti check if youre at the middle ground where you might be too low because altitude doesnt lie, but your perception of time might be altered and spiraling into the ground under line twists or whistling in under a partially deployed reserve from a low cut away will stop laughter quickly. stay sharp out there tiger ;)

"its just a normal day at the dropzone until its not"

1653

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altitude doesn't lie, but your perception of time might be altered and spiraling into the ground under line twists or whistling in under a partially deployed reserve from a low cut away will stop laughter quickly. stay sharp out there tiger ;)



Well, I'll be damned. Somebody gets it!

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

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Good info yeah i kept alt awarness i had popd at 5500 so i knew i had time.



Please read waveoff5500's post above and re-think that issue of "time".
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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From my current student standing, I would define “line twist” as having the lines twisted under a fully inflated and straight flying canopy. In that case a “line twist” is something that just needs some correction, as long as you were under canopy at the proper altitude and not wasting time since then.

“Twisted lines” would be what I think of a condition that might be a line twist or a malfunction, depending on what all else was happening.

So, if you are under a fully inflated straight flying canopy, well above 2500 feet, I would claim, “line twist” and go to work fixing it. Are there any corrections needed in that thinking?
Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

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No disrespect meant. I agree sense off time does get lost.

to clarify the events went as followed

1: canopy fully inflated/line twist/deploy brown bombs

2. Check canopy/alt chk

4. Scanned for bystanders/located dz

5.altchk/ kickout

6 canopy function check/ corrected flight plan

I guess i welcomed the experience i was getting and really got an appriciation for the drilling of the boards my dzo always throws in my face everytime i seemed i had nothing to do around the dz. he always tells me no two malfunctions will ever be the same. I was just glad my first was easy enough for me to correct without much difficulty but learned so much from.

Thanks so much for the tips everyone!

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So, if you are under a fully inflated straight flying canopy, well above 2500 feet, I would claim, “line twist” and go to work fixing it. Are there any corrections needed in that thinking?



Nope...except or this:
"as long as you were under canopy at the proper altitude and not wasting time since then."

Substitute "altitude" for "time" and you got it.
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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You not to get off topic but i was looking at STF from your sig and noticed from what i have invested in my 13 jumps. Could have racked up about 350 with yall... FML



:)We're more about the fun than the money.
;)
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

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For a while after my first line twist incident I thought it was no big deal, in fact I had remained calm enough the first time to look up and realize the lines were coming undone by themselves, because of the state of riser tension in that configuration, so I just let that one come undone by itself and carried on with my jump.

I kept letting line twists undo themselves for the next few times after that, until I got an opening with what must have been like 6 to 8 twists. I realized this wasn't going to fix itself when I saw it so I pulled like hell on the risers but even then I seemed to still be spinning the wrong way but eventually get the right rotation and came out of it. I wish I had counted how many times I spun.

The point is I learned to fix even a seemingly harmless situation immediately instead of experimenting and while I realize I'm still pretty much too new to be recommending anything I definitely recommend fixing line twists immediately. I'm not so new that I haven't seen someone cut away because of severe line twists and I know I was fortunate with the crazy twists opening I had in that my canopy was there, square and flyable.

Feel free to burn me up now pops :P

_______________________________________

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