Hypothetical.... Your under canopy....

[mr2mk1g 10]

Don't get me wrong - I wasn't trying to second guess you. If you walked away, you did the right thing subject to using it as a learning experiance as you obviously are doing.

The fact that before you popped the brakes the canopy was flying straight and level however, would tend to indicate that it would be likely that holding the unaffected steering line in half brakes, (back where it was before you un-stowed the brakes), would be likely to return the canopy to level flight.

Of course, that might not have happened - if it wasn't possible to return the canopy to level flight then you're absolutely right, the control test was failed. And of course, getting the canopy to fly straight isn't the only element of a control check.

As I said though, if it's flying straight before reaching for the brakes... odds are you can make it fly straight again if it's just a tension knot in a steering line... maybe...

[mdrejhon 8]

On my first stuck toggle:

When my unexpected turn started (locked toggle), I immediately instinctively pulled my other toggle to cancel out the turn before I realized the other toggle was stuck. This got the canopy back above my head, and my other arm was holding the other toggle at half brakes, which gave me time to evaluate and quickly solve the situation in mere seconds.

Such instinct of immediately flattening a turn is pretty important if for any reason the canopy is unexpected not directly above your head, like a low turn, a quick recovery from a collision avoidance, an asymmetric flare, and strange toggle behaviour (like one brake line too long due to tension knot). May never need to do in all of these situations, but it's a universal lifesaving habit...

It is true that the turn can become violent that you get immediately thrown into spinning linetwists you cannot recover from. Or that the tension knot jams somewhere that you cannot flatten out. The OP likely did the right thing given the experience level...

It's good and healthy to train "muscle memory" of automatically flattening your turns during unexpected events is probably a healthy universal habit to have... Apparently this helps more universally than I would originally expect. Being able to flatten out without thinking. Listen to what instructors say about flat turns and braked turns.
(One of the things I often did for fun was see how fast I could safely and controllabally stop spiralling down, during a solo. Basically, spiral down then suddenly turn straight ahead in a controllable and very smooth manner without threatening to put myself into linetwists Or aborting any kind of turn as quickly and safely as possible, bringing the canopy directly above me... Like a race but in quickness of stop, see how fast I could do it smoothly without the turn feeling "dodgy". Repeat, repeat. Of course, high up, as fun play, as a high altitude solo, far away from everybody else, look around swivel headed before doing. I think this kind of playing is a good way to train muscle memory of emergency "turn-flattening" manoevers. More fun than usual simple flat turn/braked turn exercises, which I did too until I got bored of em, etc...)

[bloody_trauma 2]

Quote

Is it big/square/controllable? Answer: yes, yes and
Well... can I control it? – yes! Right hand control line is stuck.

How can your canopy be controllable if you cant turn right... I'm not gonna what if you to death... but seriously... obstacle/parachutist avoidance? am i right? i think the correct term would be square stable and steerable...

good for you for chopping it... your still here arent you?

Fly it like you stole it

[NickDG 23]

>>i think the correct term would be square stable and steerable...
You've stumbled upon the novice/experienced dilemma.

He has 500 jumps and you have 34.

We tell students square, stable, steerable because they have little experience and need a set of tools to base decisions on.

Once you have a few hundred jumps you can back off that, but very carefully of course. While we want students who are in doubt to whip it out, on the other hand as an experienced jumper, you never want to cutaway unless you absolutely have to . . .

Now keeping in mind (very strongly) that problems up high can get worse below your hard deck there are some things an experienced jumper can do in cases such as a stuck right toggle, depending on the type of canopy.

Like pulling the other toggle down a like amount will keep you going straight. Let up and you'll turn right, pull down further than the stuck toggle and you'll turn left. Flare with the good toggle and a little right rear riser or just fly directly into the wind and PLF.

You'll eventually cross that hard to define line between novice and experienced jumper, but don't worry, you'll know it when you get there.

Just keep in mind it's sometimes hard to be a student, but it's also sometimes hard to be an experienced jumper too. And what works for one might not be best for the other . . .

NickD

[Nightingale 0]

I've only got a few more jumps than you (and this is not advice of any kind), and I'm not going to go hacking away at my lines in mid air when I've got a perfectly good reserve. If the spin wasn't too violent, I'd probably play with it a bit before my hard deck to see if I could get it to unknot itself, but if not or if I hit my hard deck, it's gone. You have one problem (knotted line), but cutting the line can create a whole new set of problems which you may not have the altitude to deal with.

I did have something similar happen to me on around jump 28. When I released the brake, I pulled the toggle through the extra loop of line stowed with the brake, and tied a knot around the riser. The canopy began to spin. I was able to straighten it out by holding the other toggle down, checked to make sure I had clear airspace, and then, keeping tension on the left toggle, began to unknot the right one, keeping my left hand right in my face and my altimeter right in front of me. I got it untied at 2100 feet or so and was fine, but if my alti had hit 2000, that canopy would've been gone.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Quote

How can your canopy be controllable if you cant turn right

You can! Your right hand steering line is stuck in half brakes - your left hand steering line can go all the way from full to nil brakes - thus you have full left and right control, albeit at half speed.

So:
Left arm all the way down = turn left.
Left arm all the way up = turn right.
Left arm half way up = go straight on.

[popsjumper 2]

I don't know that I would be advising 34 jumps to try this with him having no experience at practicing for it up high. Just an opinion.

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

[pirana 0]

I don't get it. Why would a person even consider cutting lines instead of just cutaway and deploy reserve?

I mean, if you've decided it's not landable, what would make you get out the knife instead of the reserve? The cost of a repack?

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[ToTheTop 0]

Its hypothetical. I did chop it and I pulled my reserve, and I would do it again. To be honest I did not even try to fix the problem. After I started spinning I knew instantly that I would chop it and I just reacted. but as some one with a passion for skydiving and a real desire to live to jump another day. I feel I owe it to myself to learn and try to evaluate every possibility. My goal is to stay alive, and knowledge will help me to achieve that goal. I do believe that cutting the steering lines would be an option if your tension knot happened under your reserve and you could not correct the spin with toggles.

[yarpos 4]

I tried in air rigging on a spinning main once, lost track of time , ended up cutting away and having about 5 seconds under my reserve. So for skydives its a no brainer to me. Congrats on your actions and your thoughfullness in continuing to think it all through and ask questions.

regards, Steve
the older I get...the better I was

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

I do believe that cutting the steering lines would be an option if your tension knot happened under your reserve and you could not correct the spin with toggles.

Why YES! I do believe that, too.

You're thinking, and asking, and learning. Good on you. Never stop. Don't ever let the flamers discourage you in that.

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