Recommended Posts
BillyVance 34
QuoteHas anybody fucked up trying to do this?
Just curious
Nate Gilbert was killed doing this about five years ago.
Yes, at ASC in Cedartown, GA.
I did it once myself on a crw jump when we had a wrap way up high. When I snagged the main on my foot, the drag it produced put my canopy into a dive you wouldn't believe. After a minute of wrestling the damn thing and getting it balled up between my knees did my canopy finally level out and fly straight. I'd lost about 5000 feet. Too far away to make it back to the airport so I brushed up on my demo skills by landing on the 50 yard line of the nearby, but empty high school football stadium.
Needless to say, I won't do it again (retrieving canopies in midair). That goes for freebags/reserve pcs too, which I've snagged before as well.
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban
RackJR 0
Nate Gilbert was an incredibly experienced canopy pilot/swoop competitor. i don't know exactly how many jumps he had, but i'll venture a guess of around 12000. catching a cutaway is incredibly dangerous. if a guy like him can die doing it, the rest of us have no business near a cutaway.
Say what you mean. Do what you say.
Say what you mean. Do what you say.
QuoteNate Gilbert was an incredibly experienced canopy pilot/swoop competitor. i don't know exactly how many jumps he had, but i'll venture a guess of around 12000. catching a cutaway is incredibly dangerous. if a guy like him can die doing it, the rest of us have no business near a cutaway.
He is still missed to this day... very well put!
![[:/]](/uploads/emoticons/dry.png "[:/]"){kind=small}
Muff Brother # 3883, SCR # 14796 ICD # 1 - Pres.
Yeah, I noticed and I think it's funny!
tombuch 0
I caught my own freebag once. I had about 3,000 jumps and figured it was just a free bag. What could possibly go wrong? As I made my approach the inflated pilot cute took a turn away from my foot, and the bridle wrapped around the lines of my reserve. The reserve started to turn and it took plenty of opposite toggle to keep myself moving straight. The canopy was bucking and I was plenty scared. As I wrestled with the mess from about 1,000 feet on down I kept thinking about what a stupid idiot I was, and how I didn't want to die for doing something so insanely foolish. That's a crappy set of "final thoughts" to have.
Somehow I managed to muscle the mess to an open field and survived a plf. I'll never do that again.
And it was only a freebag! Imagine the force of a canopy!
Somehow I managed to muscle the mess to an open field and survived a plf. I'll never do that again.
And it was only a freebag! Imagine the force of a canopy!
Tom Buchanan
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
Instructor Emeritus
Comm Pilot MSEL,G
Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy
I presume that the effect of the drag will depend on the canopy you are flying. A slow flying student canopy will probably react less than Luigi Cani's pilow case. Either way, I have no plans on attempting such a stunt.
The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer, not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary.
The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer, not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary.
QuoteHere's a nice example:
http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1937
(Warning: Newbie Question) Can someone help me understand WHY the camera guy in this video, would deliberately fly into the cutaway canopy? It doesn't make much sense to me?
Sure it was an interesting video, but I am at a loss for what the cmaera guy was thinking!!
I thought we quit doing this back in the 80's after several fatalities. In almost every case it was the good samaritan that died and the jumper with a real emergency who lived.
I have seen it done sucsessfully, I was at a boogie one time where a guy snagged a cutaway with his foot and kicked it off into the peas right before landing.
Several of the people on the load cheered at his amazing skill.
The owner of the canopy landed her reserve and went over to the "hero" and said ( I am not making this up) " thanks alot you stupid asshole, you could have got yourself killed!"
No ones gear is worth your life.
I have seen it done sucsessfully, I was at a boogie one time where a guy snagged a cutaway with his foot and kicked it off into the peas right before landing.
Several of the people on the load cheered at his amazing skill.
The owner of the canopy landed her reserve and went over to the "hero" and said ( I am not making this up) " thanks alot you stupid asshole, you could have got yourself killed!"
No ones gear is worth your life.
billvon 2,400
.thumb.jpg.4bb795e2eaf21b8b300039a5e1ec7f92.jpg)
I did it half a dozen times (mains and freebags) during some rig testing a while back. Finally got a freebag around some corner lines that almost collapsed my canopy (a zippy for the time Sabre 150) and decided enough was enough.
QuoteQuoteHere's a nice example:
http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1937
(Warning: Newbie Question) Can someone help me understand WHY the camera guy in this video, would deliberately fly into the cutaway canopy? It doesn't make much sense to me?
Sure it was an interesting video, but I am at a loss for what the cmaera guy was thinking!!
I'd guess he just had poor aim. He was likely trying to be higher than he was and to try to snag the main in his feet, not in is own main. It's a good example of how it can go wrong right from the get go.
BillyVance 34
QuoteI caught my own freebag once. I had about 3,000 jumps and figured it was just a free bag. What could possibly go wrong? As I made my approach the inflated pilot cute took a turn away from my foot, and the bridle wrapped around the lines of my reserve. The reserve started to turn and it took plenty of opposite toggle to keep myself moving straight. The canopy was bucking and I was plenty scared. As I wrestled with the mess from about 1,000 feet on down I kept thinking about what a stupid idiot I was, and how I didn't want to die for doing something so insanely foolish. That's a crappy set of "final thoughts" to have.
Somehow I managed to muscle the mess to an open field and survived a plf. I'll never do that again.
And it was only a freebag! Imagine the force of a canopy!
Yeah, as I said earlier, I've caught both in separate incidents. The freebag/pilotchute, I snagged it on my lines just barely out of reach of my fingertips. It about wrapped around the right side lines and even started sliding UP! I thought for sure I might have to cutaway if it started cinching the lines together and collapsing the canopy. I had to grab the A lines and D lines on that side and repeatedly yank them apart, and then the bridle slid down to my hands. Phew... Won't catch any more shit like that again.
Just make a mental note of where the gear is floating down to and get down safely.
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban
klingeme 0
QuoteSeeing BigBears post reminded me of 2 occasions where I have seen a cutaway being caught in mid-air by fellow jumpers.
This was done by flying close enough to hook it on the guys foot and then having it trail behind until just before landing.
I have had the opportunity to do this but decided against it, even though I was pretty certain I could have done it.
Is this common practice when possible? Has anybody fucked up trying to do this?
Just curious
This was done by flying close enough to hook it on the guys foot and then having it trail behind until just before landing. Please NEVER do this. Nathan Gilbert was a fantastic guy who was one hell of a flier (under canopy and in freefall) and died by trying to "help someone out" by catching their cutaway, and he paid the ultimate price for it. It might seem like the "nice" thing to do but I think that everyone that knew Nate would have prefered him to not do the last "favor" he ever was able to do.
We miss you Nate.
Mark Klingelhoefer
AndyMan 7
Doing that came very close to killing PD guru John Le Blanc. It's an insanely bad idea.
Be the hero by walking the corn field, climbing the tree, or piloting the swamp boat. Don't be the idiot that died in an entanglement.
_Am
Be the hero by walking the corn field, climbing the tree, or piloting the swamp boat. Don't be the idiot that died in an entanglement.
_Am
__
You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.
Be glad for the advice you are getting here. In my younger days I did this several times. No one ever told me it was a bad idea. It was only after seeing someone else catching one in their lines that I thought to myself maybe this is not a good idea.
Nate is the first person I remember dieing doing this.
You just never know what you don't know.
Nate is the first person I remember dieing doing this.
You just never know what you don't know.
chuckakers 370
QuoteFollow it down, land as close as possible while remaining safe, but catching it is dangerous.
With today's canopy speeds, off-DZ landings present more dangers than they did years back when canopies were easier to sink in. My preference is to watch where the canopy is heading while making my way to the DZ.
I don't see adding the risks associated with an intentional off-DZ landing as a good idea in most cases. A busted leg will cost more than any canopy, freebag included.
Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX
D-10855
Houston, TX
QuoteI thought we quit doing this back in the 80's after several fatalities. In almost every case it was the good samaritan that died and the jumper with a real emergency who lived.
I have seen it done sucsessfully, I was at a boogie one time where a guy snagged a cutaway with his foot and kicked it off into the peas right before landing.
Several of the people on the load cheered at his amazing skill.
The owner of the canopy landed her reserve and went over to the "hero" and said ( I am not making this up) " thanks alot you stupid asshole, you could have got yourself killed!"
No ones gear is worth your life.
Great post. Not having your experience I'm left questioning if this was known to kill in the 80's why people were doing it in the 90's? Arrogance? Ignorance? Compromised intellects?
"Iþ ik qiþa izwis, ni andstandan allis þamma unseljin."
faulknerwn 36
Depends on what you're jumping too - a Velocity 75 may be tough to land off. I'll put my Triathlon 99 down in a backyard. If you have 10 jumps, definitely head back to the airport. If you have more experience, consider following it.
I know of numerous times where the only way you'd ever find the canopy again was is if someone followed it. I'm usually following CRW cutaways which can go for miles. I landed in a field once across the street from the backyard where 2 mains landed in at Moss Point. I walked up to the guys hanging out in the yard and found that they had already stashed the parachutes in their garage, If I hadn't seen exactly where it was and been right there, I doubt we would have ever gotten those back.
It also depends on the available outs where you jump as well - we have TONS of farmer's fields here so landing off is a non-event. Course I'm also a CRWdog who has landed off hundreds of times, and we've put down CRW 100 ways off airport. To me landing off is a complete non-event, but I know there are definitely dropzones out there where outs are very few and far between.
I know of numerous times where the only way you'd ever find the canopy again was is if someone followed it. I'm usually following CRW cutaways which can go for miles. I landed in a field once across the street from the backyard where 2 mains landed in at Moss Point. I walked up to the guys hanging out in the yard and found that they had already stashed the parachutes in their garage, If I hadn't seen exactly where it was and been right there, I doubt we would have ever gotten those back.
It also depends on the available outs where you jump as well - we have TONS of farmer's fields here so landing off is a non-event. Course I'm also a CRWdog who has landed off hundreds of times, and we've put down CRW 100 ways off airport. To me landing off is a complete non-event, but I know there are definitely dropzones out there where outs are very few and far between.
stitch 0
Simply, this falls under the same category as running with scissors or playing with matches. DON'T DO IT.
"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"
Because all the old dogs know better and till some young punk shows up and thinks he is the first to think up something & try it or here it's a bad idea then blow off the oldtimers advice as out dated & old guys talking shit, they go try it and find out the hard way.
There is very little you can think up in this sport that hasn't already been thunk up, tried out, or shown off before.
There is very little you can think up in this sport that hasn't already been thunk up, tried out, or shown off before.
you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo
(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome
Share this post
Link to post
Share on other sites