Jonsmann 0 #26 July 15, 2004 QuoteGear failure is currently my only worry about skydiving. At your stage your main worry should be the mistakes you will make! Not the gear! Jacques Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Meathorse 0 #27 July 15, 2004 QuoteIn every single case it stuck to the inside of my goggles so I could re-wet it (gets all hard & crinkly) and pop it back in on the ground. I no longer feel special Good to know that losing one isn't innevitable! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shodan75 0 #28 July 16, 2004 Second scariest jump I ever did! My first jump on my new gear. I get my container and reserve and three weeks later I get my main. Two weeks after that I get my Slink in the mail complete with instructions and I assemble everything according to manufactures instructions. Check eveything over six times and pack. Next weekend get my "A" and now I can jump my gear. Ride to alt. constantly messaging cutaway handle and checking reserve ripcord. Exit the plane and in freefall thinking is this canopy gonna stay attached to the risers etc. Dump..........................................4 seconds later opening shock! Look up under a perfectly good and perfectly attached main But I do a complete gear check before evey jump no matter what. CheersOne must ensure that his or her spirit is never broken......Samurai Maxim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evelyn 0 #29 July 16, 2004 My only fear with gear is my own pack jobs. I am perfectly comfortable with having someone else pack for me but little confidence in my own pack jobs. So I just pay a packer and don't worry about it. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing ~ Helen Keller Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Liemberg 0 #30 July 16, 2004 QuoteIf I detach from my tandem master, can he catch up to me? Well, the answer is yes. Contrary to popular believe the answer is ... well...um... NO, I'm afraid... (Don't know what you have been told, what movie you saw, what you heard - but tandemmasters are not in the habit of chasing detached passengers in freefal and the probability of succesfully catching one is slightly lower than that of winning the national lottery...) But the vote of confidence is heartwarming. BTW: What IS true however is that ONE of the hooks on your shoulder is enough - strenghtwise - to remain connected to the parachute(s). Only connecting the belly band and leaving the shoulderhooks undone is also sufficient (as was proven in the Netherlands a couple of years ago...) "Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci A thousand words... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeth 0 #31 July 16, 2004 Ya, thats what I had been thinking on my tandems -- that maybe 1 hook would come undone, but I'd still be connected enough not to fall. But I never really had a fear about it. I actually didn't really have any gear fears relating to my tandems. I had total faith in my TM that he had checked the gear and it would work properly. (And it did. Now when I jump with my own gear, that's another story! QuoteQuoteIf I detach from my tandem master, can he catch up to me? Well, the answer is yes. Contrary to popular believe the answer is ... well...um... NO, I'm afraid... (Don't know what you have been told, what movie you saw, what you heard - but tandemmasters are not in the habit of chasing detached passengers in freefal and the probability of succesfully catching one is slightly lower than that of winning the national lottery...) But the vote of confidence is heartwarming. BTW: What IS true however is that ONE of the hooks on your shoulder is enough - strenghtwise - to remain connected to the parachute(s). Only connecting the belly band and leaving the shoulderhooks undone is also sufficient (as was proven in the Netherlands a couple of years ago...)"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tfelber 0 #32 July 16, 2004 I have 100% faith in my gear!!! But that is because I take care of it. However, I was looking at buying a guys rig and he said he would let me jump it. It had just come back from the rigger and the reserve and main were IR'd. I asked the DZO if he knew the rigger and whther or not he thought I should repack the main or jump it. He told me to jump it. About halfway up I started thinking...This guy could have just handed me a rig packed with his dirty laundry. I didn't even check to see if there was a canopy in the thing. Well everything worked out fine but I was quite concerned for the rest of the trip up and during freefall. Since, the Stephen Hilder incident though, I don't jump my own equipment without verifying the reserve risers and bridle in addition to the routine checks of the webbing, three rings, and such... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #33 July 16, 2004 I'd love to know how you inspect your reserve bridle before jumping. Same with the reserve risers. If someone cuts them anything more then about 4 inches up from the attachment point on the front of the harness they can shove them back in and you can't tell the difference.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tfelber 0 #34 July 16, 2004 Not my reservebridle, my main bridle. I pull lightly on my reserve risers to ensure they aren't loose. That's the best I can think of to do... I also keep a close eye on my gear by either staying near it or locking it up, but I've always done that. That is one of the reasons I rent a car for the WFFC every year so I have a locker to store my gear. But when I was a newby, renting or borrowing gear, I wasn't nearly as concerned. I just grabbed it and jumped it. Probably just due to lack of experience with the possble hazards. BTW, the two times I went to my reserve were on borrowed/rented gear... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pccoder 0 #35 July 16, 2004 Of course, it's probably healthy to remember that your gear was made by humans, who make mistakes, and it's critical that you take the necessary steps to ensure your gear is in good shape. That and a slight bit of luck and you are going to probably be ok. PcCoder.net Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sburkart 0 #36 July 16, 2004 At 11 jumps and 3 years away I'm too much of a newbie maybe, but I aint real happy about having to use Student Javelins the next couple of jumps. By rule and common sense they are inspected on a regular basis, but failures of the main lift web at two large DZ's have gotten two killed. Each DZ says all rigs were properly inspected, Sunpath says it's a maintenance issue. Great. I guess I should be preparing for the sliightly head-down deployments that will be inevitable from grabbing for the chest strap with my left hand to try to keep it from breaking my neck while throwing with my right? Anyway, Sunpath says to inspect the MLW, the DZ's say they do.... It doesn't much matter to those of us thinking "WTF?!", because we have no choice in the matter. This sucks. The only thoughts that enabled me to get in the door and jump in the first place were confidence in the mechanics of the gear used and the obvious skills of the instructors. You can strike the first bit now, as I don't know what to think of the gear, other than: "Electron microsope inspection of the gear used by a man killed skydiving last weekend revealed visually undetectable damage..." Sheesh... but given the responses it's either undetectable damage or some people are not too observant- or worse. An aside: Just how big a step-down is it from a 230 Sabre 2 to a 190 Lotus 2 loaded 1.1 anyway? At this point I'm willing to argue that I should be allowed to risk a funky landing using my own new gear than possibly getting my neck broken by a failure nobody can explain. To me, the 45 minute waiver process ought to cover that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #37 July 16, 2004 Does your DZ have the adjustible MLW Javelins?Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trish 0 #38 July 16, 2004 Quote*** Contrary to popular believe the answer is ... well...um... NO, I'm afraid... (Don't know what you have been told, what movie you saw, what you heard - but tandemmasters are not in the habit of chasing detached passengers in freefal and the probability of succesfully catching one is slightly lower than that of winning the national lottery...) But the vote of confidence is heartwarming. That's rather surprising that a TM can't catch up to you. I read it in a book somewhere...I'll try to find it again. It was the same book that told me that if s/he caught you it still wouldn't help at all. Thanks for setting the record straight. And Jonsman - A rookie can be scared of messing up and be worried about gear. Actually, it probably should be a prerequisite that a rookie be worried about pretty much everything to an extent. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, and loudly proclaiming, Wow…what a ride! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dgskydive 0 #39 July 16, 2004 QuoteNow I have a strange fear that the glasses are going to blow off my face and my contact's going into the back of my eye. Talk about a ridiculous fear That isn't such a ridiculous fear. They won't go into the back of your eyes, but I know people that have lost one in freefall becuase of the wind when they lost their goggles.Dom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sburkart 0 #40 July 17, 2004 Quote Does your DZ have the adjustible MLW Javelins? Yes. If they are still being used after the latest incident is the question. I anticipate if they are inspected (yet again) I'll be expected to use them. At this time I have no confidence in them at all, I don't care how many people have jumped them and lived to tell the tale, and it doesn't matter if they were just inspected- even by a Sunpath rep. Here's my take based on what I've read, with a little conjecture: The thing that the two incidents have in common is that the MLW adapter of the rigs that failed were for the most part rarely adjusted- the two DZ's involved are so big as to have a relatively large number of these rigs setup in a range of sizes, and therefore the adjusters are more likely to be left relatively un-touched as compared to the rigs you might find at a small DZ. The part of the webbing that is threaded through the adapter gets some degree of damage every opening, however small, and over a period if time said damage becomes visible. As those responsible say these rigs are properly maintained and inspected, and the manufacturer says that this is the key, I can only come to the conclusion that the culprit is a undocumented failure mode of the webbing produced by the conditions outlined above, the indicators of which do not redily lend themselves to visual inspection. The failure mode I envision: the damaged webbing doesn't so much fail in the manner of a tear/break across its width (as could be demonstrated with a light fabric) as snap/break through its thickness (like a sheet of plastic). Counter-intuitive and improbable, perhaps, but it beats the bleep out of thinking people are doing pencil inspections. Sorry about the length of this post. I'm usually just a little freaked, this Student Jav thing has me reaching for the Some Fear catalog. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rjoseph14k 0 #41 July 19, 2004 I dont see many jumpers dying from gear failures. Low turns with perfect gear however.....well you know. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverton 0 #42 July 19, 2004 QuoteI dont see many jumpers dying from gear failures. Low turns with perfect gear however.....well you know. Agree, low turns and canopy collisions Kill. Both happens under perfect open canopies. Gear issues are becomming rare, but as the label says: There might be a gremlin inside ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Using your droque to gain stability is a bad habit, Especially when you are jumping a sport rig Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #43 July 19, 2004 >Gear issues are becomming rare Gear issues are becomming rare but there are still 2 deaths in the US in the last year due to gear failing. Learn all you can about your gear... the life you save will probally be your own.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chopchop 0 #44 July 23, 2004 Quotequick story, round jump #85, I was sit flying in some borrowed gear. all of a sudden it felt like there were no leg straps, I flipped onto my belly. At pull time I grabbed onto the risers thinking that perhaps, incase something went weird & they fell off or something I'd be able to hold on. I believe that's the gear fear you speak of. I KNEW those straps couldn't've come off, they can's slip off your ankles w/o noticing, but still.... I had a similar thing happen to me at my first American boogie.. too much of that string beer the night before.. I was jumping my javelin.. and suddenly I was paralyzed with fear in freefall that it had fallen off. I got through freefall and then under canopy, I was still terrified and literally was holding onto the risers thinking I could climb up them if my straps failed.. I ended up landing almost in the canal, my pilot chute in it.. decided that was my last jump of the boogie.. haven't had anything that freaky since.. I wasn't sure if I was going to jump again but the next weekend in Perris, I was fine. It was around jump 300... give or take a hundred.. chopchop gotta go... Plaything needs a spanking.. Lotsa Pictures Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
