Can I fix this?

[MakeItHappen 15]

Thread spawned by this one

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It's just that the statement about not "trying to fix a problem" could save your life should be prefaced with "knowing when it is fixable"?? Because, in my little experience I don't really know that well. I only know what photos I saw in AFF and stories I hear or read about. Oh well, just curious.

You do not need any experience to know if it is fixable.

I am 99.99999% sure that every jumper was told about decision altitudes on their first non-tandem jump.

You were told about an altitude to decide to execute emergency procedures.

Nowadays, for US students and A license holders, decision altitude is 2500 ft. The B-D license holders have a recommended decision altitude of 1800 feet. (Your mileage may vary.)

The SIM used to state execute by altitudes, but that has disappeared (I'll check into that.????)

Proactive in the face of uncertainty means your thoughts go like this:

'It's not open.'

'Check altitude.'

'It's not open.'

'Check altitude.'

'It's not open.'

'Check altitude.'

'I am at my decision altitude of xxx feet. Time to execute emergency procedures of Cutaway and pull reserve.' Make sure you replace xxx feet with an altitude that works for you. Mine is 1800 feet.

'Wow - what a pretty blue reserve!'

'1000 feet - Decide where I will land. Set up for landing in that wide, open area right under me. I am too low to make it back. Nice conservative downwind, crosswind and base legs. Flare. WooHoo!'

Some Examples:

1. One of my partial Malfunctions (first hand account): Pull at ~2300. Man - it's snivelling. Beep - Beep - Beep My Dytter went off. (It was one of the original Dytters that only went off at one altitude. It was set for 1800 feet.) Check altimeter. Damn I am at 1500 feet. Cutaway and pull reserve. My pink Raven was open by 1300 feet. Right over the top. Land ok.

This illustrates course correction. I lost altitude awareness. I was surprised by the beeper going off. I resumed the proper course of executing emergency procedures. I still have my beeper set for 1800 feet. But I changed what I do under 'questionable' openings. I look at the ground more often and longer than looking at the parachute. FMI see Altitude Awareness
and Wake Up Call
[This happened after I wrote Wake Up Call.]


2. New Guy VERY Low Pull: (I knew the jumper and talked to him immediately afterwards.): Everyone was looking at this guy waaaay low. (It was at Perris, late 80s. He was over the area where the planes refuel on the north side of the apron.) He was low enough to see the light between his fingers. He finally pulls. The DC-3, 6MA, was parked. From my vantage point on the sidewalk about halfway between the manifest building and the tree, his body disappeared behind the nose of the DC-3 as his parachute got line stretch and primary inflation. He landed before secondary inflation (round reserve).

This illustrates all 6 attributes. The jumper told me that he pulled his reserve when he looked at the ground and saw how big it was. Turned out the guy did not officially graduate from student status. (He lied on the waiver) He did not know the try 3x only for the main pull. He lived because of his actions.

3. 100% CYPRES Save Guy (I witnessed this and met the guy after this and talked to him extensively [2003]): Jumper is screaming towards the Earth below 1000 feet. We see a main, then it was apparently cutaway, then reserve. The jumper takes 10 seconds to turn into the wind. Lands ok. Turned out the jumper's helmet was not clasped. He used his right hand to hold it on. When he noticed others pulling he thought he should be doing that too, so he lets go of the helmet and it flys off. His prescription goggles were then about to fly off. He sees the ground - pulls his cutaway, pulls his main. (Yes in that order and no reserve pull.) His CYPRES fired. He didn't understand at the time why his main was not over his head. 'That looks like my reserve, but I did not pull the reserve. How did it get there?' These jumpers used to go in. This is one way you get a story from a dead guy.

This illustrates the lack of the 6 attributes.


The 'test' question to see if you 'get' this is:

When do line twists become a malfunction where you would have to execute emergency procedures of cutaway and pull reserve?
Assume that the canopy is completely open and not diving.

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Parachute History
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[Frenchy68 0]

"When do line twists become a malfunction where you would have to execute emergency procedures of cutaway and pull reserve?"
At decision altitude is what I'll stick by until I hear otherwise from one of my instructors...

Nick

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

[jerry81 10]

When do line twists become a malfunction where you would have to execute emergency procedures of cutaway and pull reserve?

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Line twists- let's see; if I'm flying straight, that means I'm gliding and not losing much altitude. So if I'm almost untwisted by my hard deck, I'd risk the few 10 feet to finish solving the problem, but watch my main closely- any funny behaviour and I'm cutting.
Of course if I'm spun up to hell at 500m, the main is gone, even if it's somehow not diving.

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[skyyhi 0]

At this point in my jumping history (read: very short), the only sensible answer is 2500 feet. . .that is when line twists become a problem.

May I ask the question, what about a long snivel. . .such as you get on a 7 cell, like a spectre. I had a spectre take 1200 and 1300 feet to open this weekend (respectively). . .I was pulling at 3.5K and had only a partially inflated canopy by my hard deck. . .I chose to let it fully inflate but had my hand on the cutaway pillow on the 2nd really long opening just in case - I was only giving it about another 100 feet then chopping. . .

________________________________________
Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

[D22369 0]

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"When do line twists become a malfunction where you would have to execute emergency procedures?

Nick

high wingloadings and eliptical canopy's come to mind..... They can get really exciting.....
where you would have to execute emergency procedures? ---->>>>>somewhere before the ground.....

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[Liemberg 0]

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He didn't understand at the time why his main was not over his head. 'That looks like my reserve, but I did not pull the reserve. How did it get there?' These jumpers used to go in. This is one way you get a story from a dead guy.

Just out of curiousity: Is that dead guy still jumping?

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[riggerrob 561]

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When do line twists become a malfunction where you would have to execute emergency procedures of cutaway and pull reserve?

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The dividing line seems to be whether the canopy is overhead. I have kept dozens of canopies with line twists because they were overhead and travelling slowly in a straight line.
However, my single cutaway from a spinning canopy was from a Diablo 135. My bad for deploying with shoulders uneven. I remember watching the canopy come out of the bag. The next frame had the canopy on the horizon, in a hard left turn with the risers twisted.
I grabbed the risers and gave it one kick. Since the canopy was spinning faster than I could kick out, and the ground was getting BIG in my peripheral vision I peeled orange, peeled silver, pulled orange and pulled silver.
Despite my spin, the Amigo opened with straight lines.

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[skybytch 259]

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where you would have to execute emergency procedures? ---->>>>>somewhere before the ground.....

This adds nothing of value to this discussion.

Please, people. This is a topical forum - not Talkback. It is not the place to be funny.

Think before you post.

[piisfish 135]

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When do line twists become a malfunction where you would have to execute emergency procedures of cutaway and pull reserve?
Assume that the canopy is completely open and not diving.

when after trying to undo the twists, i am getting low (approx 2000ft)... Apparently would'nt try to land a twisted main. But it's open, it's big, flies straight, so I should have "some time" to try and sort that out...
Happened to me once, and I was flying backwards... No big deal as I was opened higher than everybody (doing video for a 4 way RW exiting last )

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[MakeItHappen 15]

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He didn't understand at the time why his main was not over his head. 'That looks like my reserve, but I did not pull the reserve. How did it get there?' These jumpers used to go in. This is one way you get a story from a dead guy.

Just out of curiousity: Is that dead guy still jumping?

Yes he is, but not very often to my knowledge anyway.

Another part of my conversation with him - that day was:

Me: 'How does your family - wife or GF or parents feel about your jumping?'

Dead Guy: 'I'm married. My wife doesn't worry about it. At least now I can tell her that I had a reserve ride and dealt with it. I landed ok.'

Me: 'Well, I think that while your reserve is getting packed up you should take a long, hard look at why you jump and really see if you have what it takes to jump. You almost went in because of $200 worth of equipment. The only thing you did right was turn on your CYPRES.'

Several months later, we are sitting next to each other on the ride up to altitude. It was all I could do to keep from saying to him at 12 grand 'Do you have your helmet fastened?'

Later that day, he told me that he realized what happened and how he screwed up. He did refresher training on EPs.
I *think* he's ok, but no one will know for sure until he is faced with a 'save myself' situation.

BTW, He recovered his helmet.

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