Do you disconnect your RSL when shooting video?

[ridestrong 1]

Do you disconnect your RSL when shooting video? If so, why?

I saw this briefly discussed in another thread and wanted to know more about the reasons for disconnecting your RSL while shooting video. Also just curious how many actually do it.

*I am not afraid of dying... I am afraid of missing life.*
----Disclaimer: I don't know shit about skydiving.----

[virgin-burner 1]

i dont even have a skyhook, how about that!?

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[shropshire 0]

Kuz you haz mad skillz

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[diablopilot 2]

Short answer is yes.

However I think I'm changing my mind on this one. For the vast majority of people with a camera on their head an RSL is not a problem. For a "camera flier" (i.e. someone who has a whole bunch of hardware out there that poses a major snag factor then an RSL may be a bad idea.

Overall I think I would recommend ALL skydivers keep an RSL installed on their system.

Why?

Well there is much debate on the issue of how many fatalities in the entire history of parachuting can be attributed to an RSL. Is it one, or two?

What there is no debate about is the recurring theme of people breaking away from malfunctions and then not getting a reserve out before impact. It happens EVERY year, frequently more than once.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[VTmotoMike08 0]

One data point: I keep it on and I have a ring site and camera wings. When was the last time someone died from a snag and how many people have done this?
The last time someone has died from a no/ low pull on the reserve after a cutaway? Looks like it was last weekend... and it happens several times a year.

Statistically, you are more likely to go in from a no/ low pull after a cutaway than having your neck broken by a snag.

[azureriders 0]

I voted Yes

HOWEVER, as JP has clearly pointed out: History, which should never be ignored, suggests that we should all wear RSLs. I still hang on to the belief that I want to be the one activating things in a less than optimum situation, such as a helmet entanglement.

My procedures are: Hands on Handles, Cut Away, Check for Separation, (if entangled, drop the cut away handle and release the helmet, while keeping my left hand on the reserve handle), Reserve

As you can see I am expecting an entanglement after cutaway, rather than after deployment as earlier described. I do agree that a deployment snap would probably break your neck.

My experience and reason for hanging on to these procedures:
I broke six supension lines on deployment after filming a tandem. My right front riser had NO lines left on it at all and was bouncing around off my helmet and face along with a couple more lines from other risers. I cut away as described above, thinking this was it, my helmet is gone, no way this is clearing, and although it did clear and I did fire my reserve with helmet still firmly attached to my head, I believe there was a probability of entanglement in that situation. After that is hard fo me to wear an RSL on a video jump.

I think your poll results are including people jumping point of view cameras on their normal skydives. This may be the result you were looking for, but I think you will find far more dedicated camera fliers that do not use an RSL, although I do know some that do.

and as always, I could be wrong,

[ridestrong 1]

Thanks for the replies and votes thus far... So far (in general) it seems safest to perhaps keep the RSL connected. If you have an entanglement on main deployment hopefully it can be solved by either removing the helmet, untangling, or cutting lines. If you are unfortunate enough to have an entanglement bad enough to break your neck resulting in paralysis you will not be able to do a damn thing regardless of having an RSL or not.

In the result of a main malfunction (without entanglement, it seems that undoing the chin strap should be sufficient before cutting away with RSL connected (assuming undoing the chinstrap is feasible in that situation).

*I am not afraid of dying... I am afraid of missing life.*
----Disclaimer: I don't know shit about skydiving.----

[virgin-burner 1]

Quote

Kuz you haz mad skillz

that too!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[Baksteen 84]

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i dont even have a skyhook, how about that!?

Nor do I. I don't have an RSL neither.

Seriously, VB - try and keep up will you?

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[virgin-burner 1]

do you have a cypres!?

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[piisfish 135]

I voted yes, because I would if I had one. But I don't have an RSL on either rigs I own.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[timmyfitz 0]

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do you have a cypres!?

What does that have to do with an RSL?

[ozzy13 0]

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Do you disconnect your RSL when shooting video? If so, why?

I saw this briefly discussed in another thread and wanted to know more about the reasons for disconnecting your RSL while shooting video. Also just curious how many actually do it.

Dont have a RSL. You left that one out of your poll.

This is why I took mine out.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEau0dc67e4

I like blue you like red. Their are so many different options on this subject. If I didn't have a RSL I could of chopped and got back to belly to earth for a better reserve deployment. This of course depends on how much alt you have.

Never give the gates up and always trust your rears!

[AndyMan 7]

I think the standard advice on this is changing.

Cameras are getting small, and camera setups are SO much cleaner than they were even 10 years ago, I think the risk of camera induced entanglements is effectively reduced enough that we should be advising new jumpers to keep their RSL's.

Me? My Camera is huge and my setup is not clean, so I'm keeping my RSL off.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Fast 0]

I jump a decently loaded velocity and am in the "have broken neck in freefall club." So I think you could land a parachute with a broken neck, I have done it.

For what it's worth I have a vector+skyhook and I don't disconnect them jumping camera. My experience with disorientating things in freefall is that it often takes a while to figure them out and any type of helmet snag is going to end up with me dealing with problems very low. It's also one of the least statistically likely problems that I have to deal with. I am much more likely to have to deal with a spinning malfunction (skyhook works there, seen it many times) or many other things that end up with me having to get a canopy out quick after breakaway.

You can't perfectly protect against every situation in skydiving, just like you can't teach a student every single thing and possible combination of problem they might have while skydiving. Your best bet is to try to stack the odds in your favor. Do the things that mitigate the most risk and hope you can deal with the outliers if you have to. So many more problems can be solved with using an RSL/skyhook than with not using it.

I don't feel the need to prove myself to anyone and that's why for the most part I jump with safe gear, RSLs, AADs, etc. I'm not afraid to go without them, but I don't cast those things aside to prove anything.

Just my $0.02

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[SStewart 13]

I voted no, none of my 3 rigs have RSL's so there is nothing to disconnect.

Onward and Upward!

[keithbar 1]

+ 1 I don't have a aad or rsl on either one of my rigs. but that's just me I don't push people one way or the other. ymmv

i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .

[airtwardo 6]

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I voted no, none of my 3 rigs have RSL's so there is nothing to disconnect.

Same here.

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

[virgin-burner 1]

Quote

Quote

do you have a cypres!?

What does that have to do with an RSL?

nothing. but i dont like RSL's, but i love my cypres!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda