drew7682 0 #1 July 21, 2004 Hi, I recently had a long layoff from jumping, then did a AFF level 7 check out dive which went well. On my second jump using rental gear (235 main), i kept things simple just doing minor turns and practise pulls. However i had a really hard opening that felt like someone had punched me in the stomach as the main opened. Landing was uneventful, but i've ended up with a suspected bruised rib which is still hurting 4 days later! One suggestion that seems likely is that i was moving forward during deployment. I know my inexperience and layoff time have not helped either. Does anyone have an ideas on what causes sharp openings and ways of stopping them happening again in the future?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #2 July 21, 2004 Did you pack the main yourself? The slider may have been off the bumpers in the packjob, for example. The forward movement does make a difference, but if the packjob is trash, then there's not much you can do in the air to save yourself from a slammer opening.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drew7682 0 #3 July 21, 2004 No i didn't pack the main, i was just using the usual rental gear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
towerrat 0 #4 July 21, 2004 there's a whole list of reasons a canopy may open hard. My suggestion is to learn to pack for yourself. It will give you a better understanding of all the hows and whys.Play stupid games, win stupid prizes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beavdog 0 #5 July 21, 2004 The trashier the pack job on my XF2, the better it opens. This was not true with my old Sabre. One thing that I have found that may help your cause is not rolling the tail as many times. I roll it tightly about 6-7 times, but that is it. Just my 0.02 Here's to the Breezes that blows through the Trezzez..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hookitt 0 #6 July 21, 2004 A 235 main huh? Sounds like a Falcon. They've been known to open rather briskly. They are quite tameable, but if a falcon is packed like a new school parachute, it will open fast. Unless you were head down, I wouldn't buy the forward movement suggestion. It's tough to offer packing suggestions unless you're the one packing it.My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BASE813 0 #7 July 21, 2004 also does the harness fit you well? I ended up with a horrible bruse on my side when I jumped a friends rig that was too big for me........... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Croc 0 #8 July 22, 2004 Tighten the leg straps so tight that it is hard to walk. Works for me. Until I did this my openings were vicious. (I think I might have cracked a rib while on student gear the Spring before last--hurt to breathe for a month.) Got videoed--nothing changed except that my leg straps were tight."Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so." Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
