jdfreefly 1 #1 January 5, 2005 On New Years day, I made my first jump since my accident and I thought my feelings on this may be helpful to others out there. A few facts first! My injuries: Broken left heel bone Broken left fibula Broken tail bone Severe dislocation of the left foot Severe contusion in the general ass area on the right side. My current condition: The spot where I had the contusion is still a little sore and hurts when I spend a lot of time on my ass. The left leg is, I would say, about 60%. I can walk ok and even run for short distances. But if I spend more than an hour on my feet, it begins to ache something fierce. Christmas shopping was not fun. My gear: Crossfire 119 loaded at around 1.8 Pd 113 Reserve with a 1.9 loading Other info: After my accident, I dropped from 220 to 185. I have since gone back up to 190-195. I was not hurt on my gear. When I was finally ready to jump, everyone had input on what I should do. Many people thought I should upsize. I should do a straight in approach, etc. In the end, I decided to jump my gear, and, to fly it the best way I know how. I have over 1000 jumps on that canopy, and I know it like an old friend. Nearly all of those jumps, I landed with some sort of front riser approach. I had played with straight in approach, but without a doubt, I have more experience landing that parachute off of a front riser turn than any other way. In the end, I felt that it was ludicrous to jump gear I was unfamiliar with, or to fly in a manner I would only fly in special circumstances. I even considered putting on lead to get my exit weight back to where I was used to having it, but that was just me over thinking things. Do what you know. The jump went great and the landing was tip top. I will admit that I went with a very conservative, gentle, front riser carve, rather than a snappy turn. I think that coming back and jumping after a serious injury is something not to be taken lightly. But, for anyone out there getting ready to do it, I will tell you this; Listen to everyone's input, weigh it carefully, and then make your own decision. Don't be pressured into doing something you don't want to do, whether it is flying a different canopy, or jumping before you thing you're ready. Just like before, you are responsible for your skydive. Have fun. Also, a special thanks to Clark, who had with me, this conversation: Clark - "Just remember, it's all still in the same place." Me - "Huh?" Clark - "Your handles, the landing area, they didn't move any of it. It's all still in the same place it was." ... or something like that. Methane Freefly - got stink? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #2 January 5, 2005 Quote I felt that it was ludicrous to jump gear I was unfamiliar with totally agree here I should have jumped my gear the first jump back to... instead i borrowed a canopy with break settings WAAAAAY to short for me and PLF'ed in as i was very afraid of stalling it with a normal flare... next jump i put my canopy back on... admittedly i had issues with flaring to high, not completely even, and worse, reaching for the ground with my feet.... but the problems were mental, not physical...i'd tested my impact level jumping rope and a few practice PLF's before hand, but it took 5 jumps before i got my head on straight and was flaring correctly, i had to 'hold' my flare to prevent the panic spook response my brain was giving me, but after i got the first one right, it all came back and i even started back with front riser 90s to final and getting a decent surf out of it... in the end, i totally agree.. do what you know..and focus on the what you 'know' vs succumbing to the panic that may be left over from the jump that injured you....____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vertifly 0 #3 January 5, 2005 QuoteAlso, a special thanks to Clark, who had with me, this conversation: Clark - "Just remember, it's all still in the same place." Me - "Huh?" Clark - "Your handles, the landing area, they didn't move any of it. It's all still in the same place it was." holy shit, i'm gonna piss my pants!!! glad you're back in the air, john! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites gavmaniac 0 #4 January 5, 2005 Hey JD, Thanks for putting that post up on the forum. Right now I am in the healing phase after a front-riser acci-crash on Saturday 6th November. Damage was fractures in the L2 & L3 vertebrae, with the L2 being classed as a blast fracture (pieces of bone exploding outward), a bruised liver, a bruised pancrease & some bleeding in a kidney. Organs have all healed nicely but am still obviously wearing the backbrace & experiencing some uncomfortable days. I realise that I still have a few months before I'm fully mobile again but am already beginning to think about what I'll jump when I'm back in the air. The incident was on my elliptical Hurricane 120. (At the time I weighed 196 but am now down to 171). I'd just sold my Hurricane 105 & started using the bigger canopy as I had been doing loads of tandems & felt that I was no longer current enough on the smaller canopy. Obviously complacency set in (just one of the dozen or so contributing factors to the incident) & I had a ruse awakening. Fortunately we land on soft beach sand down here in Cape Town or things would have been real bleak for me. Anyway, your posting & the follow-ups have me feeling more comfortable with wearing my own equipment again when I get back in the plane. I realise that it's not the tools that bite, but the stupidity of the user. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites droquette 0 #5 January 5, 2005 way to get back on the horse... sets a good example for the rest of us...HISPA 72 ----- "Muff Brother" 3733 Quote 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. 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
gavmaniac 0 #4 January 5, 2005 Hey JD, Thanks for putting that post up on the forum. Right now I am in the healing phase after a front-riser acci-crash on Saturday 6th November. Damage was fractures in the L2 & L3 vertebrae, with the L2 being classed as a blast fracture (pieces of bone exploding outward), a bruised liver, a bruised pancrease & some bleeding in a kidney. Organs have all healed nicely but am still obviously wearing the backbrace & experiencing some uncomfortable days. I realise that I still have a few months before I'm fully mobile again but am already beginning to think about what I'll jump when I'm back in the air. The incident was on my elliptical Hurricane 120. (At the time I weighed 196 but am now down to 171). I'd just sold my Hurricane 105 & started using the bigger canopy as I had been doing loads of tandems & felt that I was no longer current enough on the smaller canopy. Obviously complacency set in (just one of the dozen or so contributing factors to the incident) & I had a ruse awakening. Fortunately we land on soft beach sand down here in Cape Town or things would have been real bleak for me. Anyway, your posting & the follow-ups have me feeling more comfortable with wearing my own equipment again when I get back in the plane. I realise that it's not the tools that bite, but the stupidity of the user. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
droquette 0 #5 January 5, 2005 way to get back on the horse... sets a good example for the rest of us...HISPA 72 ----- "Muff Brother" 3733 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
