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TheSecret

Demos...yikes!

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Nope, wire went up after the survey. Wire notice was radioed up to the jumpers but was not seen until it was too late. Jumper has several hundred demos if not closer to 1000+ or more going back years with jumps into this site before. The jumper also had on the full costume and stuffed head, he's mentioned he'll never jump that set up again due to vision issues the costume presents. He had jumped it the previous week multiple times for practice with out issue.

Demo's are not just another skydive...
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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Demo's are not just another skydive...



You're right. We have done a jump in Atlanta for several years and have always demanded to know of any rigging that is planned in the area. Those wires can kill you and then people are going to talk about you on Dropzone.com

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Thankfully, he is a VERY experienced demo jumper, and knew how to handle the situation. His comment, when telling us the story afterward, was, "I looked down and knew I was gonna have to do the best PFL of my life."

The fact that his canopy reinflated just before impact made a huge difference, too. (He acknowledges that that probably saved his ass.)

As a friend of his, that video makes me sick to my stomach...
May the (relative) wind take your troubles away...

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Thankfully, he is a VERY experienced demo jumper, and knew how to handle the situation. His comment, when telling us the story afterward, was, "I looked down and knew I was gonna have to do the best PFL of my life."

The fact that his canopy reinflated just before impact made a huge difference, too. (He acknowledges that that probably saved his ass.)

As a friend of his, that video makes me sick to my stomach...

QFT
Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

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Not a lot of upsides to doing demos.



I was once asked to participate in a demo into a BMX competition where there would be hundreds of kids. My first question to the guy arranging it:

"There will be crowd control,, right?"

"Oh, yeah, that's all being handled."
[riiiiggghhhhttttt....]

So I'm over the target (the BMX track) at 800 feet and it is completely over-run with excited rug-rats all fighting over who gets to be crushed by a 200 pound skydiver. So I go for the best-looking Plan B.

I turn downwind to overfly the large pavilion next to the track, then do a 180 into the wind to land in the open field behind it. So now I'm watching the sea of rug-rats flooding around the pavilion heading for the field below me, and they are going to reach me before I land. So I suddenly think of Plan C.

The field is split into two halves by an overgrown fence-row parallel to the wind line. Both halves are open toward the pavilion. So I crab toward the fence-row, then point into the wind pretending I'm going to land on one side of it, drawing the rug-rats into that half of the field. At the last possible second, I crabbed across to the other side, landing before the rug-rats could scurry around the fence-row.

You should have seen the disappointment on all those little faces that they missed their opportunity to get smashed.
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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I know this thread is old but when trying to find a place to put this link this thread was the only one related, so here ya go another terrible "demo?" gone wrong really wrong...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcqjHMquW24&feature=related

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

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It's my guess the guy simply didn't see the berm, which is the same colour as the central area (usually flat and clear) of what appears to be a small track.

Too bad for him if he didn't scout the LZ or get good intel prior to the demo. B|

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

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Didn't see the height of the berm?
Quite possible while he was planning the landing. But still (if I recall the video) he was in brakes before the turn, during the turn, and coming out of the turn. Just plain too low and not enough flare available to pop up over the berm.

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During his final approach, the jumper is in ½ brakes, apparently gauging his final, but he doesn't look down or over. He comes up off brakes, hooks around and yes, he's lost all options at that point.

But I think it took him by surprise, meaning, it looks like he didn't scout the LZ and didn't realize there was a big-ass berm there until it was B| too late.

The only thing I know for a fact is he is not the first to get in over his head on a demo and he won't be the last. :S

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

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His stupidity and ignorance reared up and bit him in the ass.

I have always, always scouted a demo LZ before doing the demo. Made mental notes of every possible hazard (trees, buildings, towers, wires, elevation changes, and holes in the ground) and planned out where I wanted to be on the downwind leg, base and final. Not to mention possible alternative LZs if for some reason I am not able to reach the primary one.

And even then, you can plan everything down to the last detail, and something will come up and throw your plan off, while you're under canopy. You just never know.
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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And even then, you can plan everything down to the last detail, and something will come up and throw your plan off, while you're under canopy. You just never know.



I agree that there is always the possibility of something coming up, but what you've described is absolutely the proper way to prepare. The poor bastard in the video won't make that mistake again! :o
"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

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Not a lot of upsides to doing demos. Either you land safely and you get a golf clap or........youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUXSkE0FtXY&eurl=http://withleather.uproxx.com/



Cables are scary. On the practice jump before the actual demo, the cables were down. On the day of the actual demo, the cables were back up. Fortunately, the person who put the demo together was careful enough to call before the demo day to double check on the cables, so we were ready for them. It was an awesome jump. Over 50,000 people were there.

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