malfunction and night jump?

[Mike111 0]

Soon i will ahve hit the 50 jump mark and will beable to apply for my B( after ive done a few other requirments), but was wondering if you had say a line over or a mal if doing one, how would you know, unless of course it was a bag lock and you were still freefalling?

Thanks,
mike

[AggieDave 6]

Take a light to look up at your canopy if you're worried about it. The full moon jumps I've done at night I didn't have any problems looking at my canopy.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[FlyinseivLP2 0]

Are you asking how to identify a malfunction? When you have almost 50 jumps? If so, please get with an instructor before you make another jump. This is info you sould know before you make your first jump (tandems excluded.)

[Mike111 0]

Sorry for the confusion, i was asking how to recognise it if it was dark

[Mike111 0]

thanks, would i strap it using my chest strap?

[FlyinseivLP2 0]

Sorry I read the message and didn't see the title. You should take up a flash light to check you canopy.You should get a breifing on all the procedures before you jump.

[Eagle7 0]

Check out section 6-4(d)(5) of the SIM. It says you should have a flashlight to check the canopy.

[AggieDave 6]

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thanks, would i strap it using my chest strap?

Sure you could do that or you could put it in a pocket in your jumpsuit. Whatever is most comfortable to you and allows you quick/easy access. Jumpers at your DZ might have some good solutions for you.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[monkycndo 0]

On the night jumps I have watched, they taped the flashlight/stobe to their helmet. The flashlight was angled to the front so they could see the canopy during deployment. They would turn it on just after they pulled. The strobe was facing to the back and could be seen from almost any angle.

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[CSpenceFLY 1]

I put a Mini-Maglite on at least one wrist.It will light up your canopy like a hot air balloon when you are holding your toggles.Great for letting people see you also.


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[catfishhunter 1]

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Soon i will ahve hit the 50 jump mark and will beable to apply for my B( after ive done a few other requirments), but was wondering if you had say a line over or a mal if doing one, how would you know, unless of course it was a bag lock and you were still freefalling?

Thanks,
mike

If you have a Line over your not going to need to see it to know it Broken Lines or a tear might be a problem but a line over will be self evident if not on opening sure as shit when you do your canopy control check

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Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[pilotdave 0]

I've never bothered with a flashlight on my night jumps. Always been able to see the canopy just fine from moonlight, even on one when the moon had just risen so it was pretty dark. I think trying to use a flashlight under canopy just complicates things unnecessarily, especially if it's hand held. You can do a controllability check just like during the day, so even if you couldn't see your canopy, you'd have a pretty good idea of whether or not it's flying normally.

I do always carry a small flashlight in my jumpsuit pocket for use after landing if I need it. Also a cell phone.

The SIM has a lot of recommendations for night jumps that seem strange or outdated. Does any DZ follow the SIM's target lighting procedure? I've only seen cars used.

Dave

[Mike111 0]

Im not sure what the regs are in the BPA op manual, but i think it mentioned we must have a light, but i wasn;t sure if this could be used for checking the canopy or whether it was a strobe or something to mark you in the sky.

[AggieDave 6]

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Does any DZ follow the SIM's target lighting procedure? I've only seen cars used.

The airport is far enough away from other light pollution that we just use the full moon and it works out great.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Trae 1]

in reply to 'if you had say a line over or a mal if doing one, how would you know, unless of course it was a bag lock and you were still freefalling?"
..............................


If the moon's out its amazing just how much you can see on a night jump. The lights will definitely come in handy though.

Jumping on a pitch black night is very different from the full mooners.
On darker nights the torches and lights become more than after thoughts and more like life lines.
Spotting and avoiding other canopies in the dark sky gets your attention just as much as recognising a malfunction. .

Seeing other jumpers with excellent light set-ups
is heartening on the night . Usually a lot of last minute bodgy setups are common so it doesn't hurt to think ahead and get a neat set-up.

I like CspenceFLY's idea of the torch on the wrist(s) to help illuminate the canopy. This works for you by making you easier to spot as well as for checking the canopy whenever you want.
If they are well mounted they shouldn't provide too much extra hassle while giving you good options.
As long as these torches weren't blinding they would possibly help in a cutaway situation by illuminating your handles as you went for them.

Another favourite is a divers head lamp . these can be solidly mounted on the helmet and can rotate from fully forwards to directly up. Mine is strong enough (still light weight ) to provide some lighting up of the landing area if required for landing off. You can fly around with it pointing straight up to light up your canopy and then point it forwards for landing .

There's also lots of fun micro strobes available that pump out a good coloured flashing light for very little weight penalty. Some toy shops have big varieties of these little battery powered marvels.

[AMax 0]

You will be amazed how much you can see even without a flash light. I have only made 8 night jumps, but I never needed to use an extra light to check the canopy when I looked up after opening - even the lines could be seen clearly!

[darkwing 4]

Between a full moon and a thorough control check you shouldn't miss a canopy problem. While I have had flashlights with me, I have never used one for canopy check (in 17 night jumps). I'd rather preserve my night vision.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[packerboy 3]

Bring a flair gun, and when you open, point it staright up and fire.

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In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[MarkM 0]

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Bring a flair gun, and when you open, point it staright up and fire.

LOL. This also has the side benefit of illuminating your canopy so no one else will collide with you on your descent.

[riggerrob 558]

Wait until there is a full moon - without clouds - then it will be easy to see everything.
The other point is to avoid bright lights for the last twenty minutes before exit, to allow your eyes to adjust to night vision.

[kelpdiver 2]

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You will be amazed how much you can see even without a flash light. I have only made 8 night jumps, but I never needed to use an extra light to check the canopy when I looked up after opening - even the lines could be seen clearly!

Both night jumps I did were done before the moon came up on the horizon. So the whole scheduling around the moon seemed silly.

At Davis, the city light pollution made the moon or a flashlight quite unnecessary. At Byron, otoh, where it's very dark below and the mountains block out the Livermore valley, some king of flashlight is key.

[Orange1 0]

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On the night jumps I have watched, they taped the flashlight/stobe to their helmet.

just normal tape? so if the lines snagged it would come off easy?

edited to add: what if the tape sticks to the lines, could that be an issue?

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[monkycndo 0]

They used gaffers tape. It holds well and comes off cleanly. The flashlight is small enough that it is of little risk as a snag hazard.

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[bch7773 0]

I've also heard of people attaching a glow stick to their rear risers. This both lights up the canopy, in addition to helping locate the canopy if you had to cut it away.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[openingshok 0]

Watch those glow sticks. I have permanent stains on my rig when my glow stick started leaking from the preasure change. I have never heard of this happening before, but my dad and I both had leakers on the same load last year.