Reflections on my reserve ride

[tibby 0]

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When I saw that I was at 1200, that was after I had checked to see that my reserve was fully inflated and after I unstowed the toggles.

So how long did that take you? a few hundred feet???

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I could already tell visually that I still had plenty of altitude

From which (in my opinion) you consumed quite a bit.

[lummy 4]

Way to go Andi!!!

You kept your head and executed emergency procedures just like you should and you are here to talk about it!!!

and Who knows. when it comes time for me to have my beer cutaway, I'lll be thinking of something you wrote on DZ about it..


P.s. two other things, 1) I recall that the Skyhook is only available on Vector's and I beleive Mirages. If I took Mr Booth's post correctly, it is not available for other containers until the manufacturers contact him and work out TSO issues for that particular brand.

Second, does anyone know if you can test drive the Raven Dash M series as a main? I remember the original Raven's could be jumped as either a main or reserve, but the DASH M is a ZP top skin and I presume would fly differently. I also recall that it was only offered as a reserve?

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[mikeat10500 10]

>I didn't look at my altimeter throughout the whole process, I just tried to do everything as quickly as I could.

[Rdutch 0]

Saber2 $1200
Vector3 $1750
PD 143 Reserve $750
Getting your rig packed by cutaway Chris
$45
(I bet you thought I was going to say Priceless.)

Parody not to be taken seriously, chris packs at least 20 rigs a day and only has one or two malfunctions. Actually not really Andrea just had bad body position.

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[skymama 35]

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PD 143 Reserve $750

that would be a 160.

Aw, don't be mean to Chris. In his defense, he had to have already packed me over 100 jumps with no problems. Everyone makes mistakes, he gets the benefit of the doubt from me, and he packed my rig on Sunday.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Iflyme 0]

Way to go, Andrea! Thanks for sharing your story. Always good to learn about the malfunction process...

[weid14 0]

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but the DASH M is a ZP top skin and I presume would fly differently. I also recall that it was only offered as a reserve

won't fly any different than any other canopy when it's new (in that class). its the wear and tear that makes the flight characteristics change on canopies. so a zpo topskin reserve will fly the same as an all 0-3cfm design when new.... by the way I think the -MZ is the Zpo top skin, the -M was the updated version of the Raven, and I don't think you can jump them as mains any more (although the older designs will fly similar I think)

[betzilla 56]

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I'm glad I didn't have an RSL hooked up since I was on my back. I know there are a lot of advocates for it, but I don't even want to think about what might have happened if my reserve deployed before I was stable, or even while I was flipping myself over to my stomach

RWS has a sweet new RSL device, the Skyhook, which gets a reserve over your head before you have time to entangle with it. Check out their website -- it's pretty hot.

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I'm glad I practice my cutaway procedures on every single jump run. It may not be cool to do it on every jump...

I do it on every jumprun too. We expericened jumpers need to set the standard for what "cool" is, so that new jumpers will practice it on every jumprun too.

Glad it all went the way it should for you!

[betzilla 56]

Second, does anyone know if you can test drive the Raven Dash M series as a main? I remember the original Raven's could be jumped as either a main or reserve, but the DASH M is a ZP top skin and I presume would fly differently. I also recall that it was only offered as a reserve?***

You can put anything you want in your main container. Resevres are built so that you can attach a d-bag and pilot shute to them, and use them as mains. But I'm not sure whether precision has a demo program for their reserves.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Second, does anyone know if you can test drive the Raven Dash M series as a main? I remember the original Raven's could be jumped as either a main or reserve, but the DASH M is a ZP top skin and I presume would fly differently. I also recall that it was only offered as a reserve?
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You can put anything you want in your main container. Resevres are built so that you can attach a d-bag and pilot shute to them, and use them as mains. But I'm not sure whether precision has a demo program for their reserves.

The -MZ has a ZP top skin, the -M does not. The -M and -MZ do not have bridle attachment points for use as a main. It can still be done though.

Hook

[JeffGordon 0]

Just out of curiosity, how would you do that?

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Just out of curiosity, how would you do that?

I would either build a disposable D-bag and PC or use an old D-bag and PC. I might find it or I might not, like a free-bag. Another option is to have some direct-bag static line you. I don't think billy would let you get away with this (static lining) and that would be my fault . So best option is old/disposoble D-bag and PC. You can tie a long peice of Spectra to the D-bag and stow the extra line in with the suspension lines so that the D-bag trails behind you on opening, but be careful. Have Dr. Bob rig something like that up for you.

Hook

[bwilling 0]

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Aw, don't be mean to Chris. In his defense, he had to have already packed me over 100 jumps with no problems. Everyone makes mistakes, he gets the benefit of the doubt from me, and he packed my rig on Sunday.

I've had one of those openings too... massive amounts of line twist, below the slider, and there at line stretch... the canopy finally did inflate all the way, forcing the slider down, further bunching up the twists... the canopy was initially flying straight, but in my efforts to kick out of the twists (it was my first jump in this canopy and I had opened high), I managed to get the thing spinning, so I ended up chopping it...

I talked to a lot of people afterwards about what could have caused this, and it was the general consensus that a corner of the bag had likely snagged on the container during deployment, making it spin while the lines stretched out and the canopy came out of the bag... I was told at the time that the only packing factor that greatly influenced that type of thing, was how much 'free' line is not stowed on the d-bag and placed in the bottom of the pack tray before the bag is put in... you need enough free line to allow the bag to be pulled clear of the container before lines start being stripped out of stow bands...

so... it may not have been packing related at all... it may have been body position (when I had mine I was pretty sure my body position was 'normal' when I deployed), or it may have been one of those sh*t happens things...

congrats on handling it well!

"If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

[GroundRush1 0]

I have a few questions here, why did you flip over? I know you were spinning because of the line twists, so having an RSL would have put line twists in that too, but from what I understand, if you cut away in an upright position you shoud still be in an upright position, but still spinning in your case.

The second thing is, well that could have happened with your reserve, severe line twists that you would have to ride down with. On line twists that are really, really severe, I wonder if they would still clear themselves.

Another question, knowing you didnt have an RSL, did you have one hand on the cutaway and the other on the reserve handle, or did you use the two hand method?

Looks to me like if you have an RSL, its a good idea to cutaway right when you start spinning, but then again, that may be on minor line twists, right? Something that can be cleared right away.

[skymama 35]

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if you cut away in an upright position you shoud still be in an upright position, but still spinning in your case.

I wasn't upright. I cut away while I was spinning on my back. As soon as I felt my main cutaway, I flipped myself over.

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Another question, knowing you didnt have an RSL, did you have one hand on the cutaway and the other on the reserve handle, or did you use the two hand method?

As soon as I decided to cutaway, I had a hand on each handle and pulled with my right for the cutaway and my left for the reserve. But, that was just what worked for me, I'm not recommending it for anyone else. Consult with your instructors for the benefits of the double handed method.

There are many many threads on the site where you can get your questions answered about the RSL.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[mikkey 0]

Thanks for sharing. I am just a little concerned about your decision to land on your behind (being concerned about the fare characteristics of the reserve). I would not recommend this - if you had a bad flare you probably could have broken your back. In this situation I would recommend a PLF.

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When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.