kelpdiver 2 #26 March 17, 2006 Quote More than you would think, less than there could be. But how many is not the point. The more you do an event the safer you are (unless you cut corners). but it's highly relevent to the validity of your statement. If there are 1000 such people and 1 died a year, that would be a similar rate to the entire USPA population. As I asked before, how many black lesbians skydivers have you heard of dying? I saw the threads on number of tandems and AFF per year and you're right, there may be a lot more people in this 500-1000 category than I would have thought. Quote And I very much doubt that anyone can prove that you are going to perform safer being uncurrent than current. it's not a binary descriptor - short of doing no jumps, you can be more current or less current than someone else. And within each discipline of skydiving. Again, for "any given jump," more currency is preferred. But a 40 jump/yr person doing a 2 way versus a 200 jump/year guy doing a zoo load... Emergency handling is a special category - not sure currency matters as much as cutaways or harness training. If you did 500 jumps last year without a mal and never paid a thought to it, could you be worse off? Or is the probability of both elements happening very small? How current does one need to be to match the newly minted A student? I know I can do more on for emergency preparation, but I'm not sure it's more jumping that is the solution. I think it's more about procedures, both on the ground and in the air. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeNReN 0 #27 March 17, 2006 A little reminder to the skygods .....some people are quite used to being "uncurrent" and make appropiate jumps to their skill level... No one will ever see me taking out a formation because I am uncurrent......I simply do not put myself into that situation. A little less snobish attitude from certain skygods would go along way with the way they are perceived by newer jumpers and make entry into this great sport a little easier. (I'm sorry Billy...you got your B this year...but only did 75 jumps...so you are unsafe and did not learn anything) While I do agree that making more jumps is usually more benifical then making less I can also argue that the more jumps made.... the more complaciant one may become.. In short...one cannot put set numbers on what is current or not current...only idiots would do that.....for someone that did 10 jumps one year and did 50 the next....(I'm sorry Billy you only did 50 jumps this year...you are unsafe and did not learn anything) With proper recurrency training anyone can enjoy the sport...even if only doing 1 jump a year...and they have every right to do so without being told to take up bowling by some Snobbish Skygod!!!! TY for reading my rant Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #28 March 17, 2006 Quote With proper recurrency training anyone can enjoy the sport...even if only doing 1 jump a year...and they have every right to do so without being told to take up bowling by some Snobbish Skygod!!!! 1/year is probably taking it a bit too far. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 10 #29 March 17, 2006 Quotebut it's highly relevent to the validity of your statement. If there are 1000 such people and 1 died a year, that would be a similar rate to the entire USPA population. As I asked before, how many black lesbians skydivers have you heard of dying? Not really. Consider per occurance. A person who does 1,000 jumps in a year is doing more than a good chunk of the USPA average. If the "Average" is 100 a year then a guy that does 1,000 in a year has 10 times the exposure chance and still has a lower accident rate. And if you want to take USPA stats, then you have to remove all the people who are members and that don't jump anymore, including lifetime members who may be dead. And include all the people that joined and never finished to become licensed because they had to join. A good number of DZ's require AFF level 4 and SL hop n popers to join. One DZ I know of requires every student to join (Except Tandems) before the FJC. So you can debate till the cows come home how much of the USPA does 500-1000 jumps a year. But those numbers are going to be wrong. Consider the per occurance numbers and add in that the ubber current jumpers are also the same ones who are most time jumping small canopies and doing bigger/more advanced stuff that should increase their risk level. QuoteAgain, for "any given jump," more currency is preferred. But a 40 jump/yr person doing a 2 way versus a 200 jump/year guy doing a zoo load... I'd put my money on the 200 a year person. They have more experience and are much more current. The size of the dive can play into the picture....But it can also hurt. Say both people in the two way are 40 a year jumpers. Is it still safer than a zoo load full of current jumpers? I would grant you that a two way with an Instructor would be safer, but the *same* person will do better if he is current in all situations. QuoteEmergency handling is a special category - not sure currency matters as much as cutaways or harness training Currency does matter. I just had my 6th or 7th cutaway. Its no longer a big deal for me. One major reason was I have done 70+ jumps so far this year already. I am comfertable in freefall (something that really just came back after my layoff after Nationals). I can tell a big difference between 5 jumps a mth and 30. QuoteIf you did 500 jumps last year without a mal and never paid a thought to it, could you be worse off? That is a good question. The answer depends on a lot of things. In no particular order: 1. Number of Cutaways 2. Number of jumps 3. Currency 4. Last hanging harness ride 5. The individual I would guess that there comes a point where number of hanging harness rides becomes more important than everything but number of real cutaways. I would think that a guy that rode a hanging harness everyday would be much better prepared than a guy that did 500 jumps with no thought about emergency procedures. But lets be honest, how many folks do you know that ride a hanging harness everyday? And how many folks do you know that make 500 a year that don't think about their emergency procedures at all? I practice my procedures on every jump. "Look grab, look grab, pull, pull" while walking to the plane. Not as good as a real cutaway, and not as good as a hanging harness, but I bet there are not too many people who rode a harness 300 times last year. And I don't care what people say, watching videos and reading magazines and websites without *physical* drills will not help much. Knowing what to do, and doing it, are seperate things. I don't think there are many people who are reading this that can't tell me exactly how to deal with a spinning Stiletto. But people still die dealing wiht one in real life. There is a big difference between knowing and doing. QuoteHow current does one need to be to match the newly minted A student? I think that if you drill once per jump on the way to the plane, and once every pack cycle in a hanging harness pulling both of your real handles....you will be about as ready to handle a mal as you can get without intentional cutaways. Assuming that you jump enough to stay "current" which is really a matter of personal comfort level. QuoteI know I can do more on for emergency preparation I wish I could make everyone do an intentional once a year, or at least once at say 100 jumps."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hawkins121 0 #30 March 17, 2006 QuoteA little reminder to the skygods .....some people are quite used to being "uncurrent" and make appropiate jumps to their skill level... No one will ever see me taking out a formation because I am uncurrent......I simply do not put myself into that situation. A little less snobish attitude from certain skygods would go along way with the way they are perceived by newer jumpers and make entry into this great sport a little easier. (I'm sorry Billy...you got your B this year...but only did 75 jumps...so you are unsafe and did not learn anything) While I do agree that making more jumps is usually more benifical then making less I can also argue that the more jumps made.... the more complaciant one may become.. I disagree... If you have that sort of experience ie 1000+ jumps things that are wrong jump out. They no longer need to be looked for... You or I actually need to look for things that are wrong. Because it isnt second nature to us yet. Just because they seem complaciant doesnt mean they arent vigilant. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeNReN 0 #31 March 17, 2006 Quote1/year is probably taking it a bit too far. not really...depends on what they are doing and at what level....for exp: Billy has done 3 IAD's....and wants to do another 1 year after he did his 1st 3 IAD's...you cannot tell me that he shouldnt make another IAD after proper recurrency training...same as a AFF student repeating a level...sure ure gona back them up to a appropiate level but...if they only want to do one jump a year at their skill level...who really cares..let them jump...let them enjoy the sport at the level they want to . Now as we go up in experiance and jump numbers things change quickly ...but lets address each as they should be and not generalize Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeNReN 0 #32 March 17, 2006 You disagree with what point?...or all of the ones quoted? BTW...just because someone has 1000 jumps or more...dosent mean they know anything....I have 65 jumps and I know nothing....and I bet I know more about some aspects of skydiving then some with more jumps then myself...scarry isnt it? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #33 March 17, 2006 Quote Consider the per occurance numbers and add in that the ubber current jumpers are also the same ones who are most time jumping small canopies and doing bigger/more advanced stuff that should increase their risk level. Well, we diverge here. I think of safety in terms of being alive in 2007. You're approaching it as doing this activity on this next jump. Both are legitimate, but to me the safety value of currency is diminished if its used to do jumps with a higher risk profile. (And probably Airman's point) Instead the currency becomes a prerequisite to the activify. So I know I can think of at least 2 ubber current guys that paid the price in the last year or so, so I'm not convinced the rate is any better for them. Quote But it can also hurt. Say both people in the two way are 40 a year jumpers. Is it still safer than a zoo load full of current jumpers? Isn't a zoo load by definition full of unknowns? I wouldn't assume all on the load are current. On past experience, at least a couple were less so than I. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherB 0 #34 March 17, 2006 QuoteI disagree that there's no place in the sport for people who make only 20 or so jumps a year; I think there is a place for them. Well, I did not say there is no place for people who only want to do 20 jumps a year. I just said *I* would not do it. I simply would not feel safe. If I really wanted to do a couple jumps a year and that was it, I'd do tandems. Easing back into things makes perfect sense. I also have respect for people who realize they need to take a hiatus from the sport until they can jump on a more regular basis. I know several people who have done this. Life gets busy, so they quit the sport for a while, keep their gear, and return when they can devote more time or money to the sport. I think that is a much safer choice than doing 20 jumps spread out during a year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 10 #35 March 17, 2006 Quote Both are legitimate, but to me the safety value of currency is diminished if its used to do jumps with a higher risk profile. And do you feel the same way if people use a CYPRES to do things they would not without? The simple fact is that people who are current are normally more capable. So a guy that is experienced and current is in a much better place to handle a zoo load than someone who is not current. QuoteIsn't a zoo load by definition full of unknowns? I wouldn't assume all on the load are current. On past experience, at least a couple were less so than I. OK, but since you can only control YOU and your actions it makes sense to either: 1. Stay current. 2. Limit your risk to yourself and others. To claim you are safe when you are not current is foolish."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 10 #36 March 17, 2006 QuoteA little reminder to the skygods .....some people are quite used to being "uncurrent" and make appropiate jumps to their skill level... Most people think they are within their experience or currency level and are not. Since they don't have the experience, they don't know. Thats pretty much the definition of skygod. So the question ends up being...How does a person realize that they need more training, or to lower the risk on a jump due to not being current? And since Ego is such a big thing in this sport, how do the others tell the uncurrent one this without that jumper insulting them? QuoteA little less snobish attitude from certain skygods would go along way with the way they are perceived by newer jumpers and make entry into this great sport a little easier. A little admittance that currency plays a pretty big roll in safety would go a longer way. Since the goal of the sport is living, not number of points in time, biggest formation...ect...Well all else is just BS. Funny story, some 100 jump kid asked me why I don't jump a Velocity anymore. I told him that a Velocity is for people who are ubber current. Thats not me. I told him that I make ~300 or so jumps a year and while I *could* jump a Velo, I choose to jump a canopy that is less performance since I feel a premium wing needs a competant and current pilot, and that 300 year is not really that current for such a wing IMO. He looked at me like I was stupid. Why did a kid with less jumps than I make in a year think I was uncool since I admitted I was not perfect/current enough for something? QuoteWith proper recurrency training anyone can enjoy the sport...even if only doing 1 jump a year...and they have every right to do so without being told to take up bowling by some Snobbish Skygod!!!! Then you have the ones that ego will not let them admit that they are not as safe as they would like others to think. So how do you reach those jumpers without being attacked? Yes, I could make one jump a year and be "safe". That jump would be an AFF jump. If I waited a year to make a jump, I would go back to AFF. Being an AFF "I" and having seen the dramatic decrease of skills that go along with being uncurrent, I know how currency plays a factor in safety."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFFI 0 #37 March 17, 2006 Quote how many black lesbians skydivers have you heard of dying?Quote Whaaaaaaat? If I were a cartoon there would be scribbles over my head while I scratch it in confused astonishment. I might be totally wrong by what I am about to say, and mean no offense to our sister lickers of color out there, but ALL black lesbians die, whether they are skydivers or not don’t they? If not I want to be a black lesbian (that just happens to score with straight chicks so they won’t try to run my life)… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Ron 10 #38 March 17, 2006 QuoteBTW...just because someone has 1000 jumps or more...dosent mean they know anything True. I have seen some "otter babies" that have 1000 jumps in two years and have no clue. However, they have 1,000 jumps and are normally more skilled than someone with 100,200,300,400...ect. Not to mention that a skydiver that is current will identify, process, react and implement things much faster than the same jumper that is uncurrent. QuoteI have 65 jumps and I know nothing....and I bet I know more about some aspects of skydiving then some with more jumps then myself...scarry isnt it? At what level would you consider yourself knowlegde wise? 200 jumps? 500 jumps? 1,000 jumps? And how does that relate to saftey? I know that there are folks that have 2,000-3,000 jumps and have no clue, but lets talk about the "average" jumpers knowledge."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AFFI 0 #39 March 17, 2006 Any way ya cut it a current skydiver with lots of jumps as opposed to the occoasional sydiver with lots of jumps? I suspect that the experienced skydiver who stays current will be able to handle malfunctions better than the the uncurrent even if they both train equally before eacch jumping day.Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Peej 0 #40 March 17, 2006 QuoteCurrency does matter. I just had my 6th or 7th cutaway. Its no longer a big deal for me. One major reason was I have done 70+ jumps so far this year already. I am comfertable in freefall (something that really just came back after my layoff after Nationals). I can tell a big difference between 5 jumps a mth and 30. I've arrived rather late to this thread already but decided to throw my .02 in anyway. I'd completey agree with this statement. In my first year of jumping i managed 100 jumps. My skills were ok. Then in my second year i went to the US and did 165 in 2 months. Believe me i could feel my awarenss and skills go through the roof. Then i got back, took a month and a half off to save some money up and what did i do? I was uncurrent and broke my leg after a botched riser turn on my FIRST jump back. Then i came back last year and had a dismal year, i don't think i did 80 jumps. This year i have landed a camera slot at my DZ and like Ron have done 70+ jumps already this year. I can feel by my awarenss and comfort n the sky and under my canopy that i'm back in the game. Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites HeatherB 0 #41 March 17, 2006 "Back in the game" is a good way to describe it. It is a shame that USPA does not include currency information in each of their published incident reports. It would interesting information to check out. (Something like, "He did x number of jumps in the last year, and x number of jumps in the last month.") In most cases it is not that hard to determine how often a person jumps. Audible logs, paper logs, or manifest records. It might shed some light on the relationship between currency and safety. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites AFFI 0 #42 March 17, 2006 QuoteIt is a shame that USPA does not include currency information in each of their published incident reports. It would interesting information to check out. (Something like, "He did x number of jumps in the last year, and x number of jumps in the last month.") Some hardcore fucks like me believe that you should have to undergo refresher training from an AFF-I peridocally in order to renew, even AFFIs. Could you imagine Lew Sanborne at malfunction junction with D-30000?Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Peej 0 #43 March 18, 2006 That's a great idea. Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites PhreeZone 15 #44 March 18, 2006 I'm more then happy to put stuff like that in the database on here, if people will provide it. The way it stands now is its so rare that someone will actually fill out the form that I have to comb the fourms to find the info. Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tonyhathaway 0 #45 March 20, 2006 Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't AFF-I's only need to make 15 AFF jumps a year to be "current" according to uspa? 15? I don't believe they say aynything about how many other jumps you do. This was always a point of controversy with me and our regional director years ago. -TonyMy O.C.D. has me chasing a dream my A.D.D. won't let me catch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Airman1270 0 #46 March 21, 2006 QuoteQuote... In fact, it was during this time that I kept my head in an emergency and got my reserve out very low following a very hard ripcord pull. It was my first jump in six weeks and my second in five months. Getting a reserve out “very low” is a failure not a success. It could have been a worse failure, obviously. My concern with un-current jumpers is not around their flying skills but instead is around EP’s. This is particularly true for unusual situation/malfunctions. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You missed a point. My EP's were fine. First: Knowing I wasn't current I planned a high opening, pulling around 3500'. This is the part about being a heads-up jumper, knowing my limitations. I then had a partial malfunction, which I briefly tried to clear before the cutaway. I chopped around 2000'. I quickly flipped over and pulled my reserve. If it had deployed at this point nobody would have thought anything was amiss. I would have been open around 1500'. Not too shabby for a reserve. However, the reserve had been packed very tightly into the container, causing a pull force far in excess of whatever the recommended limit is. It took several tries and finally a two-handed pull before I could get the thing to move. As it finally began to give, and I felt the pilot chute launch, I watched the field below growing VERY big, VERY fast. The reserve opened around 400'. My ride lasted about 30 seconds. I was doing my job, and was confronted with a variable nobody had ever mentioned before. Still, I kept my head and did what I had to do, with no panic and without giving up. I learned a lesson from this: Since then I gently pull the ball end of the ripcord before the first jump of the day, making sure it moves. Part of being a heads-up skydiver is knowing your limits. Being an occasional jumper has never resulted in me placing myself or anybody else at risk. You would not hesitate to jump with anybody else at my level, provided they reached that level in just a few years. It's not the skill set that bothers you, it's the length of time it took to reach this point. This conversation is a good example of the attitudes newcomers will confront. They'd like to jump a bit, yet are being told it's too risky unless they can jump a lot. Imagine a young jumper reading this exchange. One guy says "Yes, it's possible to jump safely even if you don't jump a lot. I've been doing it for years." Then another guy, who's never met him, says "No, you can't and you haven't and you're lucky to be alive..." Cheers, Jon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Reginald 0 #47 March 21, 2006 QuoteQuoteQuote... In fact, it was during this time that I kept my head in an emergency and got my reserve out very low following a very hard ripcord pull. It was my first jump in six weeks and my second in five months. Getting a reserve out “very low” is a failure not a success. It could have been a worse failure, obviously. My concern with un-current jumpers is not around their flying skills but instead is around EP’s. This is particularly true for unusual situation/malfunctions. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You missed a point. My EP's were fine. Yep which as pointed out to me... QuoteI think he meant he had a low deployment because of a hard pull on his reserve ripcord. (not because he had a hard pull on his main and didn't go for his reserve until really low) And responded to... Quote Hmm, if that's the case than Bravo! "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 Next Page 2 of 2 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. 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Ron 10 #38 March 17, 2006 QuoteBTW...just because someone has 1000 jumps or more...dosent mean they know anything True. I have seen some "otter babies" that have 1000 jumps in two years and have no clue. However, they have 1,000 jumps and are normally more skilled than someone with 100,200,300,400...ect. Not to mention that a skydiver that is current will identify, process, react and implement things much faster than the same jumper that is uncurrent. QuoteI have 65 jumps and I know nothing....and I bet I know more about some aspects of skydiving then some with more jumps then myself...scarry isnt it? At what level would you consider yourself knowlegde wise? 200 jumps? 500 jumps? 1,000 jumps? And how does that relate to saftey? I know that there are folks that have 2,000-3,000 jumps and have no clue, but lets talk about the "average" jumpers knowledge."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFFI 0 #39 March 17, 2006 Any way ya cut it a current skydiver with lots of jumps as opposed to the occoasional sydiver with lots of jumps? I suspect that the experienced skydiver who stays current will be able to handle malfunctions better than the the uncurrent even if they both train equally before eacch jumping day.Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peej 0 #40 March 17, 2006 QuoteCurrency does matter. I just had my 6th or 7th cutaway. Its no longer a big deal for me. One major reason was I have done 70+ jumps so far this year already. I am comfertable in freefall (something that really just came back after my layoff after Nationals). I can tell a big difference between 5 jumps a mth and 30. I've arrived rather late to this thread already but decided to throw my .02 in anyway. I'd completey agree with this statement. In my first year of jumping i managed 100 jumps. My skills were ok. Then in my second year i went to the US and did 165 in 2 months. Believe me i could feel my awarenss and skills go through the roof. Then i got back, took a month and a half off to save some money up and what did i do? I was uncurrent and broke my leg after a botched riser turn on my FIRST jump back. Then i came back last year and had a dismal year, i don't think i did 80 jumps. This year i have landed a camera slot at my DZ and like Ron have done 70+ jumps already this year. I can feel by my awarenss and comfort n the sky and under my canopy that i'm back in the game. Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherB 0 #41 March 17, 2006 "Back in the game" is a good way to describe it. It is a shame that USPA does not include currency information in each of their published incident reports. It would interesting information to check out. (Something like, "He did x number of jumps in the last year, and x number of jumps in the last month.") In most cases it is not that hard to determine how often a person jumps. Audible logs, paper logs, or manifest records. It might shed some light on the relationship between currency and safety. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFFI 0 #42 March 17, 2006 QuoteIt is a shame that USPA does not include currency information in each of their published incident reports. It would interesting information to check out. (Something like, "He did x number of jumps in the last year, and x number of jumps in the last month.") Some hardcore fucks like me believe that you should have to undergo refresher training from an AFF-I peridocally in order to renew, even AFFIs. Could you imagine Lew Sanborne at malfunction junction with D-30000?Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peej 0 #43 March 18, 2006 That's a great idea. Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #44 March 18, 2006 I'm more then happy to put stuff like that in the database on here, if people will provide it. The way it stands now is its so rare that someone will actually fill out the form that I have to comb the fourms to find the info. Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyhathaway 0 #45 March 20, 2006 Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't AFF-I's only need to make 15 AFF jumps a year to be "current" according to uspa? 15? I don't believe they say aynything about how many other jumps you do. This was always a point of controversy with me and our regional director years ago. -TonyMy O.C.D. has me chasing a dream my A.D.D. won't let me catch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Airman1270 0 #46 March 21, 2006 QuoteQuote... In fact, it was during this time that I kept my head in an emergency and got my reserve out very low following a very hard ripcord pull. It was my first jump in six weeks and my second in five months. Getting a reserve out “very low” is a failure not a success. It could have been a worse failure, obviously. My concern with un-current jumpers is not around their flying skills but instead is around EP’s. This is particularly true for unusual situation/malfunctions. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You missed a point. My EP's were fine. First: Knowing I wasn't current I planned a high opening, pulling around 3500'. This is the part about being a heads-up jumper, knowing my limitations. I then had a partial malfunction, which I briefly tried to clear before the cutaway. I chopped around 2000'. I quickly flipped over and pulled my reserve. If it had deployed at this point nobody would have thought anything was amiss. I would have been open around 1500'. Not too shabby for a reserve. However, the reserve had been packed very tightly into the container, causing a pull force far in excess of whatever the recommended limit is. It took several tries and finally a two-handed pull before I could get the thing to move. As it finally began to give, and I felt the pilot chute launch, I watched the field below growing VERY big, VERY fast. The reserve opened around 400'. My ride lasted about 30 seconds. I was doing my job, and was confronted with a variable nobody had ever mentioned before. Still, I kept my head and did what I had to do, with no panic and without giving up. I learned a lesson from this: Since then I gently pull the ball end of the ripcord before the first jump of the day, making sure it moves. Part of being a heads-up skydiver is knowing your limits. Being an occasional jumper has never resulted in me placing myself or anybody else at risk. You would not hesitate to jump with anybody else at my level, provided they reached that level in just a few years. It's not the skill set that bothers you, it's the length of time it took to reach this point. This conversation is a good example of the attitudes newcomers will confront. They'd like to jump a bit, yet are being told it's too risky unless they can jump a lot. Imagine a young jumper reading this exchange. One guy says "Yes, it's possible to jump safely even if you don't jump a lot. I've been doing it for years." Then another guy, who's never met him, says "No, you can't and you haven't and you're lucky to be alive..." Cheers, Jon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reginald 0 #47 March 21, 2006 QuoteQuoteQuote... In fact, it was during this time that I kept my head in an emergency and got my reserve out very low following a very hard ripcord pull. It was my first jump in six weeks and my second in five months. Getting a reserve out “very low” is a failure not a success. It could have been a worse failure, obviously. My concern with un-current jumpers is not around their flying skills but instead is around EP’s. This is particularly true for unusual situation/malfunctions. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ You missed a point. My EP's were fine. Yep which as pointed out to me... QuoteI think he meant he had a low deployment because of a hard pull on his reserve ripcord. (not because he had a hard pull on his main and didn't go for his reserve until really low) And responded to... Quote Hmm, if that's the case than Bravo! "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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