0
Evelyn

Do you worry about how you'd react to a malfunction?

Recommended Posts

Quote

What if you break your left arm?



You can deploy your main with your right arm.

What if you break both arms?...

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote


What if you break both arms?...



Then you'd better have a Cypres and a reserve canopy that won't kill you on a no flare landing, assuming you're lucky enough to not have an object strike on landing.

I don't worry about having a mal. I reacted with a cool head when I got entanged in my deploying main once and the few times I've had to dig myself out of being killed on my motorcycle I didn't panic(just got pissed afterwards).

I mostly try to plan what I'll do in any given situation before it happens and then when the crap hits the fan I'll go into a scan -> react mode. Scan the danger then react according to plans I've already made. I figure the more I decide what to do on the ground, the less likely I'll be to enter "brain lock" up in the air when things go bad.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
As long as you practice your procedures as part of every skydive, it'll be a nonissue.
My last mal was after a very low pull, I had a streamer. I've practiced that scenario in the plane and with my FJs soooooooo many times that I was doing US CDN currency conversions to figure out my repack cost in Eloy during the whole procedure. I reacted without having to think or, worse yet, second guess. My muscle memory took care of the rest!

Practice AND visualize.

;)
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

My biggest fear is my own physiology. I can't look either red or silver, as both are right under my freaking way too ample boobs. I practiced by touch, but not sure if that's good enough or not, though I hope I never have to find out. Anyone have any suggestions on getting around that other than gaining xray vision or having a boobectomy?

Jen



I had my first malfunction this weekend just gone(yes I have bought some beer!) and I have a similar issue to you in that I can't see my handles either. I was told by a couple of girl jumpers that have the same issue that if I couldn't get them on my first attempt (which wasn't actually a problem in the end, I grabbed them immediately) to touch my harness with both hands around the 3 ring area and follow it down to the handles.

Edited to add: But obviously speak to your instructors about this issue and see if you can speak to a female instructor who may have some tips. Don't listen to me about this sort of thing as I'm a lowly 81 jump wonder with zero instructor ratings blah blah...

~~~ London Skydivers ~~~

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
No way would I try anything without running it by instructors. It has, however, over 2 wks since I got to jump last due to crappy weather so I haven't bothered going to the DZ to kill time sitting in the rain (I don't do inactivity well). Thank you for the tip and I will run it by an instructor next time I'm down there.

Jen

PS. I'd kill to be an 81 jump wonder as I have a whopping 2 jumps, one a tandem, and have been cursing at the weather ever since.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

What would I do if I hit the plane on exit and broke one arm?



I know someone that dislocated his right shoulder exiting an aircraft... he said the arm was just flaling about uselessly. he just pulled silver...

Personally for me... if I busted both arms then I would manage to somehow pull silver with my legs...

Yoga, its all about Yoga... That and I plan to always have a Cypres (and hope to never have to use it.)

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

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I used to, but when I had my first cut away, when my mind realized that it was time to cut away, the first the first thing I did was look at my handles. The cool thing was my hands were already there.

muscle memory is a good thing. I always practice my emergency procedures at least three time on the ride to altitude.
------------------------------------------------------
"From the mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant,
who doesn't enjoy a good sit?" C. Montgomery Burns

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I was told by a couple of girl jumpers that have the same issue that if I couldn't get them on my first attempt to touch my harness with both hands around the 3 ring area and follow it down to the handles.


I do that on all my EP drills, even though i have an unobstructed view.
A hard opening and/or a spinning mal can distort the harness, so that your handles are displaced and you can't see them (because your head movement might be restricted or whatever).
The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I never worry. Ive had 3



Interesting. I always worry a little about sticking with a sniveler for too long.

I've had 8 reserve rides, including a couple of high speed malfunctions. But man, you're just a few seconds of "working with it" away.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
It just occured to me. Is this one of the reasons why the reserve deployment handle is on the left side of the harness? So that if you break your right arm you can still pull it?

It's 'cause the main ripcord handle used to be on the right side on the first piggy back rigs, so they put the reserve one on the left. People got so used to it that when they went to throw out pilot chutes, they just left the reserve handle where it was. But it is nice that it's accessible to either hand.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
>Is this one of the reasons why the reserve deployment handle is on
> the left side of the harness?

Yes. This thinking is extended into tandem systems, where careful consideration is given to being able to release the drouge/open the reserve if one of your arms is grabbed by a panicked student.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

What if you break your left arm?



You can deploy your main with your right arm.


You can also deploy your reserve with your right arm and of course cut away your main with the left. I think there are examples of people that have done one armed emergency procedures for different reasons.
Quote


What if you break both arms?...


If you're able to you could try to loose your right shoe and pull with your foot. Also you could try pulling with your hands anyway (if you broke lower arm pulling the RSL might be an idea). I don't say you're in an easily solved situation, but I don't think that there are other options for you to deploy something.

Besides that is a situation where an AAD comes handy (I think that those who argue against the use of it will tell that if you break both your arms you sholdn't go skydiving...)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Sigh.... Had another cutaway last weekend (6 in all now, of which 2 intentionals). Was jumping with a tandem (daughter of a collegue of mine), dumped while still checking for other tandems so when my Spectre turned a bit I didn´t worry. Then i DID worry :S 4 linetwists and a horizontal canopy and me thinking 'HEY! You´re a SPECTRE! Behave will ya?!'. Chopped it without checking brakes. When I found my stuff after tramping through corn way higher then me for 2 1/2 hours, one brake was loose :$ not sure if this was the cause or not but I never even checked...

Oh well, I was under a reserve at 1700 ft, low enough for me. But I didn´t try to fix the spin. Thought it was spinning too hard, anyway... And with the triple risers I have, i´m positive I don´t want to have to fish around to pull the slider down over loose brakes/riser bits while being low and over cornfields.

Thanx to myself, I found my freebag, and thanx to a guy working in his garden (I landed next to him) and to the jumper coming to pick me up, we found my main (I never saw it after cutting away). No damage to me or my stuff, so, YAY, everything's good..... :)
I just really hate corn!!! ;)

ciel bleu,
Saskia

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
>And with the triple risers I have, i´m positive I don´t want to have to fish
>around to pull the slider down over loose brakes/riser bits while being low
>and over cornfields.

You know that you don't have to pull the slider down to land safely, right? You can ditch that if time is short.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

>And with the triple risers I have, i´m positive I don´t want to have to fish
>around to pull the slider down over loose brakes/riser bits while being low
>and over cornfields.

You know that you don't have to pull the slider down to land safely, right? You can ditch that if time is short.



With triple risers? Dunno about that..... Also, my slider has a tendency to come down by itself if I don´t pull it down, usually at about 300 ft, and usually more on the right side [:/] It did that 3 times already [:/]

Okay of course if I HAVE to, I´ll land like that, but I´d rather not.

Besides, so far I´ve heard that
- in linetwists, leave your brakes alone it´ll make the situation worse
- in linetwists, pull the other brake
- in linetwists, it won´t make a diffference because the brakelines are twisted up anyway.

:S

I just chopped...

ciel bleu,
Saskia

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Well, all but one of those were a long long time ago (and in the first 700 or so jumps). And 2 or 3 were from experimenting with gear, too.

Some of us are just lucky :)
Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Once a jumper packed my rig while I was up doing a tandem. Next load, my canopy slammed open, busting about five or six lines. Chop. Find out the guy who packed my rig had 10 mals in 1000 jumps! His comment was "I guess you're not going to pay me for the pack job.":S

Well, at least we are all really good at our emergency procedures.:D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I worried until my first. I reacted well. My right arm popped out in freefall at pull time, without really even thinking about it, I went silver with my left. It was actually a great feeling knowing that all that practice I do in my head, in the plane to alti, while I'm at work, etc, just took over... I'd imagine this is the case with alot of people...

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

BTW a great confidence builder is to get a hold of Relative Workshop's intentional cutaway rig, the one they use to demo the Skyhook. Go up and do an actual cutaway; there's nothing like a real cutaway to get your confidence up.



I tried this rig at Skyfest and couldn't agree more. It's nice knowing for certain that the cuttaway proceedure feels and acts just like I'd visualized.

It was also interesting that while I'd planned to not pull the reserve cable... just letting the skyhook do it's thing while I palmed it... when it came time to initiate the cuttaway, I found myself with both handles in my hands.

What you train, not just plan, is what you do.
“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.”

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote


Then how ´bout my 4 in 580 jumps ?! :P
Beat that! ;)


Yesterday I was jumping with a guy who had just under a hundred jumps and on our second jump he had a cutaway. I was all concerned about him and asked if he was okay. He was fine, didn't seem shook up at all. I asked him if this was his first cutaway and he said no, he's had a few others. Anyway, he got another rig from the gear shop, packed, and we went up for another jump. When we landed he was under his reserve again. He went to the gear shop to get another rig but they were out of something his size, otherwise he would have gone right back up and jumped again. We were talking to a coach about the possible cause of his line twists and spinning (same thing, both times) and it seems that he may have been dipping his shoulder at deployment causing the d-bag to spin. Since I've never had a reserve deployment it was reassuring for me to see someone with not just one, but two in a row react so calmly. He even saved both handles on the second one. He assured me that when the time comes you just do what you have to do.


Life is either a daring adventure or nothing ~ Helen Keller

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
First off, I want to say that you hit the nail on the head when you referred to the emergency procedures as "drills". Although I'm very new to the sport (60 plus jumps) and have yet to experience a mal, I've spent the last 17 years in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. In the millitary we teach drills. Drills will "enforce an automatic reaction to a familliar order under stress". This basically means that, provided you continue to practice, when the time comes, you will react appropriately, without having to stop and think about it. Practice will also help develope "muscle memory", which will aid in the ability to carry out the drills effectively.
I'm not an instructor, or coach (however it is a personal goal of mine) but I have the utmost faith in everyones ability to save thier own life when the time comes. That is, as long as they don't take thier luck for granted, and they continue to practice the drills.

Blue skies,
Darren
When making the decision to downsize: It's your life, don't spend it all on one canopy

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0