mpuettman 0 #26 September 10, 2008 QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteI had thought about doing an intentional cutaway before I hit the water, but several of the more experienced jumpers and the DZO very strongly advised against it saying that there was only a very small window of opportunity (like 5-10' above the water) to cut away safely . . . Why only 5 to 10 feet? Weight of the rig still on your back? The way it was explained to me, if I remember correctly, is that your main is creating drag prior to being cut away. And so when you cut away, you lose that drag and your upper body is no longer being pulled back. And when your upper body no longer has that backwards pull, you could easily lerch forward from the waist up and do a face plant in the water -- which could cause significant injuries such as a torn aorta, if the cutaway occurred at a significant height... It's a bit more simple. You may misjudge the altitude over the water, and cut away way to high. I have 1 intentional and 2 other water landing without cut-away. True...the explanation is as simple as you put it. However, everyone should be aware that there are real and inherent dangers associated with cutting away too high. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #27 September 10, 2008 Quote Quote Quote Quote Quote I had thought about doing an intentional cutaway before I hit the water, but several of the more experienced jumpers and the DZO very strongly advised against it saying that there was only a very small window of opportunity (like 5-10' above the water) to cut away safely . . . Why only 5 to 10 feet? Weight of the rig still on your back? The way it was explained to me, if I remember correctly, is that your main is creating drag prior to being cut away. And so when you cut away, you lose that drag and your upper body is no longer being pulled back. And when your upper body no longer has that backwards pull, you could easily lerch forward from the waist up and do a face plant in the water -- which could cause significant injuries such as a torn aorta, if the cutaway occurred at a significant height... It's a bit more simple. You may misjudge the altitude over the water, and cut away way to high. I have 1 intentional and 2 other water landing without cut-away. True...the explanation is as simple as you put it. However, everyone should be aware that there are real and inherent dangers associated with cutting away too high. I've wondered just how high is too high. I've done 40 foot jumps off a cliff into a deep water lake. My mistake was thinking my wife wouldn't flinch when we attempted to jump off it hand-in-hand. I hit the water at an angle on my front, and she splashed in just inches away a second later. I was okay after 15 minutes, she didn't feel good the rest of the day. I hadn't thought about the physics of human flight following a cut-away from a forward driving parachute..."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mpuettman 0 #28 September 10, 2008 Quote Quote Quote Quote Quote Quote I had thought about doing an intentional cutaway before I hit the water, but several of the more experienced jumpers and the DZO very strongly advised against it saying that there was only a very small window of opportunity (like 5-10' above the water) to cut away safely . . . Why only 5 to 10 feet? Weight of the rig still on your back? The way it was explained to me, if I remember correctly, is that your main is creating drag prior to being cut away. And so when you cut away, you lose that drag and your upper body is no longer being pulled back. And when your upper body no longer has that backwards pull, you could easily lerch forward from the waist up and do a face plant in the water -- which could cause significant injuries such as a torn aorta, if the cutaway occurred at a significant height... It's a bit more simple. You may misjudge the altitude over the water, and cut away way to high. I have 1 intentional and 2 other water landing without cut-away. True...the explanation is as simple as you put it. However, everyone should be aware that there are real and inherent dangers associated with cutting away too high. I've wondered just how high is too high. I've done 40 foot jumps off a cliff into a deep water lake. My mistake was thinking my wife wouldn't flinch when we attempted to jump off it hand-in-hand. I hit the water at an angle on my front, and she splashed in just inches away a second later. I was okay after 15 minutes, she didn't feel good the rest of the day. I hadn't thought about the physics of human flight following a cut-away from a forward driving parachute... Prior to the demo jump, I hadn't thought about the physics of a cutaway either...I am glad that I had good and knowledgeable friends who were willing to take the time to point out the dangers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
