Zipp0 1 #1 April 17, 2006 OK, first off I am just starting out in the sport. The thing is, as I near my first jump I keep getting an image in my mind of the AAD firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL. I just HATE introducing a machine that I cannot control into the formula that saves my life every jump. Is this an unreasonable fear? I guess I'd just rather rely totally on myself than on a machine. Zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SSGJOHNSON 0 #2 April 17, 2006 Wow thats really wild I find comfort in having it on there. I know ill go to heaven because ive spent my time in Hell. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaH 0 #3 April 17, 2006 I have to agree. I'm glad it's there. It's never in my thoughts. I have more important things to focus on.Be yourself! MooOOooOoo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hexadecimal 0 #4 April 17, 2006 Are you going to trust yourself to regain consciousness in time to deploy in the event that you somehow get knocked out in freefall? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipp0 1 #5 April 17, 2006 QuoteAre you going to trust yourself to regain consciousness in time to deploy in the event that you somehow get knocked out in freefall? As a student on IAD, what is going to knock me out? Unless I hit a bird, I think I'm pretty much golden. Also, I can control things that might knock me out, but I can't control that AAD. zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #6 April 17, 2006 Where, exactly, have you gotten the idea that your AAD is likely to be "firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL"? Edited to add: one of the keys to succeeding in this sport is learning to trust your gear. One of the best ways to learn to trust your gear is to learn about it. Your fear, as far as I can tell, has no basis in facts, so go out there and learn. Download a Cypres manual, read all about it. Do the same with other AADs. Learn how they work, learn their operating parameters, learn their safety record. Same goes for ALL your gear."There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NelKel 0 #7 April 17, 2006 Where, exactly, have you gotten the idea that your AAD is likely to be " firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL"-------------------------------- Yeah, also I think a Cypress turns it self off around that altitude_________________________________________ Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waltappel 1 #8 April 17, 2006 QuoteAre you going to trust yourself to regain consciousness in time to deploy in the event that you somehow get knocked out in freefall? Look at the details on the Cypres saves. That scenario is just not all that likely. Do you jump with an AAD? If so, why *did* you make that decision? Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NelKel 0 #9 April 17, 2006 I think I'm pretty much golden. -------------------------------- Caution._________________________________________ Someone dies, someone says how stupid, someone says it was avoidable, someone says how to avoid it, someone calls them an idiot, someone proposes rule chan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waltappel 1 #10 April 17, 2006 QuoteOK, first off I am just starting out in the sport. The thing is, as I near my first jump I keep getting an image in my mind of the AAD firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL. I just HATE introducing a machine that I cannot control into the formula that saves my life every jump. Is this an unreasonable fear? I guess I'd just rather rely totally on myself than on a machine. Zipp0 That's a highly unlikely scenario. Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipp0 1 #11 April 17, 2006 QuoteWhere, exactly, have you gotten the idea that your AAD is likely to be " firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL"? There have been misfires, right? Zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
packing_jarrett 0 #12 April 17, 2006 its unlikely but its happened.Na' Cho' Cheese Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #13 April 17, 2006 QuoteQuoteWhere, exactly, have you gotten the idea that your AAD is likely to be " firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL"? There have been misfires, right? Zipp0 Please read my edited post above. Learn about your gear. Learn about the circumstances under which misfires have occurred. I think you'll find that your fears are unfounded, at least as long as you're not going to be swooping a high-performance canopy any time soon (which, I might add, would be significantly more likely to kill you/injure you at your experience level than an AAD misfire). Edit: Put more broadly, shit happens in this sport. Gear has been known to fail, even when properly maintained and used within the operating parameters. You can spend a lot of time worrying about the things that can go wrong in very rare circumstances, or you can learn about how to maintain and use your gear so that you can minimize the risks and so that you can learn to trust it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waltappel 1 #14 April 17, 2006 Quoteits unlikely but its happened. True, but I'm more interested in the decision making process. I think the decision to jump with an AAD is based on irrational fear for many people. I'm neither a fan nor a critic of AADs in general, but I do think many are sold based on some fairly ridiculous rhetoric. My personal feeling is that there is far more bang for the buck in jumpers keeping themselves out of situations where an AAD may save their life. Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipp0 1 #15 April 17, 2006 Here's the thing - If I screw up badly, or have a freakish mal and go in, well, that's how it goes. But in my mind I can see myself under a good canopy, happily floating along, and then WHAM, cypress fires low. For the next few seconds I would be extremely pissed. It's probably a stupid fear, and I'm sure as soon as I exit the plane I will never think about it. Zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NewGuy2005 51 #16 April 17, 2006 QuoteQuoteWhere, exactly, have you gotten the idea that your AAD is likely to be " firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL"? There have been misfires, right? Zipp0 I assume there have. Don't know for sure. I think in terms of probabilities: I'm a lot more likely to be rendered incapable to pull than to have an AAD misfire. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipp0 1 #17 April 17, 2006 Quote I think in terms of probabilities: I'm a lot more likely to be rendered incapable to pull than to have an AAD misfire. Actual stats showing this to be true would make me feel much better about the issue. Zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #18 April 17, 2006 Have you taken a first jump course yet? Not just what you'd get before a tandem, but a full FJC prior to starting a student program. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #19 April 17, 2006 QuoteI'm a lot more likely to be rendered incapable to pull than to have an AAD misfire. Really? AFAIK most Cypres fires happen not because the jumper was "rendered incapable" but instead because they lost altitude awareness. AAD's aren't perfect. Neither are skydivers. Each of us needs to decide for ourselves if the additional risks of having an AAD on our rigs (and yes, there are risks involved) outweigh the potential benefits. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 3 #20 April 17, 2006 QuoteQuoteWhere, exactly, have you gotten the idea that your AAD is likely to be " firing for no good reason at 150 ft. AGL"? There have been misfires, right? Zipp0 There has not been a cypres "misfire" that I have heard about. What people often call a "misfire" is when the cypres fired when they did not want it to. But they put the cypres in is "firing envelope" and it did just what it was designed to do. Since you have yet to make a jump I would say that yes this “Is this an unreasonable fear?” There are many other things that you should be focusing on in order to complete you first jump successfully.My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waltappel 1 #21 April 17, 2006 QuoteQuote I think in terms of probabilities: I'm a lot more likely to be rendered incapable to pull than to have an AAD misfire. Actual stats showing this to be true would make me feel much better about the issue. Zipp0 Years back there was a rash of Cypres fires on the ground. They solved that problem with static proofing or something like that. I don't know that there have been any misfires under canopy, even under the highly-loaded, high-performance canopies. The closes thing to a misfire I have heard of is when someone pulls low, has a slow deployment of their main, and the Cypres fires, but in that case it is operating within its normal parameters. Walt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samurai136 0 #22 April 17, 2006 QuoteQuote I think in terms of probabilities: I'm a lot more likely to be rendered incapable to pull than to have an AAD misfire. Actual stats showing this to be true would make me feel much better about the issue. Zipp0 Scott, you list Maytown as your home DZ. Ask one of your instructors or a DZ rigger about your AAD concerns. I know, for a fact, there are numerous riggers at Maytown. You might even get to talk to 'Handsome Dave' himself... Modern AAD's are very reliable. Airtec and Vigil both have websites detailing exactly your concerns."Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian Ken Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zipp0 1 #23 April 17, 2006 QuoteThere are many other things that you should be focusing on in order to complete you first jump successfully. Pardon me if I'm a bit of a control freak concerning issues that may determine my living or dying. I am doing the FJC Saturday, and I never did a tandem - nor do I want to. I wonder how many AADs are in service worldwide? That would give you a pretty good idea of reliability. Zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #24 April 17, 2006 QuoteQuote I think in terms of probabilities: I'm a lot more likely to be rendered incapable to pull than to have an AAD misfire. Actual stats showing this to be true would make me feel much better about the issue. Frankly, under a student canopy, even if your cypres fired at 150 feet I doubt very much the reserve would actually come out of the freebag and open up before you landed. Under a student canopy you probably wouldn't have enought airspeed to have the thing open.... I wouldn't say it's really anything to worry about at your stage.If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Zipp0 1 #25 April 17, 2006 Quote Scott, you list Maytown as your home DZ. Ask one of your instructors or a DZ rigger about your AAD concerns. I know, for a fact, there are numerous riggers at Maytown. You might even get to talk to 'Handsome Dave' himself... . I will, thanks. I just brought it up here because, you know, it's Sunday night.... Zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next Page 1 of 5 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. 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. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
Zipp0 1 #25 April 17, 2006 Quote Scott, you list Maytown as your home DZ. Ask one of your instructors or a DZ rigger about your AAD concerns. I know, for a fact, there are numerous riggers at Maytown. You might even get to talk to 'Handsome Dave' himself... . I will, thanks. I just brought it up here because, you know, it's Sunday night.... Zipp0 -------------------------- Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
