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dropoutdave

AFF Malfunction Training

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I'm just curious to know if any and or how many dzs show their AFF students a video on malfunctions and cutaway drills.

I wasn't shown one when I did mine but luckily one of the guys at the dz lent me his copy of Cutaway. Watching it could save my life one day. I had no idea after completing my AFF that there were so many different malfunctions and ways to deal with them. It definatley made me prepare mentally for if and when I have to pull silver.

Good idea to make AFF students watch it or not? Too early a stage to watch it?

I reckon it would be a good idea to make it compulsory for student to reada this forum, it has definatley taught me alot so far.;)

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May Contain Nut traces......

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Cutaway is a neat video, but I'm thinking that when the time comes to cutaway you'll probably know it. After all, you were taught to do a controlability check after the canopy is open, weren't you? If you can't control the canopy then away it goes, do students need a video to tell them that? I hope not.

Good idea to make AFF students watch? I think AFF students would be better served by a video that explained what ISN'T a malfunction. :S

-
Jim
"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

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I think the best thing about it was to be able to see what a malfunction looked like and how the canopy reacts in say a line over. It could save a few seconds of your time if you know exactly what's happening.

Still, i've never had one, touch wood, but if I do i'kll let you know if it helped.;)

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May Contain Nut traces......

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We had laminated place mats with photographs of malfunctions, but no video. The instructors had me do practice pulls in a practice harness and held one of the photos overhead and said what are you going to do. The response was to be physical, e.g. cut away, try to clear it, etc.

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the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

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"Watching it could save my life one day. "

No. Doing your reserve drills could save your life one day.

There is a lot of info for a student to absorb on the 1st jump course. It's not a malfunction course. I usually give students my copy of "breakaway" after AFF and before A licence. That helps round things off a little.

t
It's the year of the Pig.

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Tonto has the right idea. First time students have to absorb huge amounts of information, so we try to keep it simple for them: good canopy, nuisance canopy, bad canopy.
By "nuisance canopy" I mean minor nuisances like line twists and closed ends cells that the jumper can easily cure.
CSPA insists on more detailed malfunction training when they do their Solo Certificate, A Certificate, B Certificate, etc. Frankly, it is a good habit to review malfunction procedures every year - like USPA recommends. And every time you review malfunction procedures, go into more detail.

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Personally, I'm glad I didn't see it until a couple jumps in. One, like others have said, I had so much information thrown at me, I would have been overwhelmed. But, mostly, when I saw that video, it honestly scared the crap out of me. Something about seeing that second fall, that sudden drop again, just made my stomach churn. From that time forward, I was absolutely terrified of having one because of that video. However, it was very educational and I think it's a great video - I just don't think I was ready to see if after only a couple jumps. The pictures in my AFF class were good enough for that point in time.
I also recommend getting a student in the holding harness when practicing emergency procedures so they can actually feel the drop and the heart rate increase. Our practice harness wasn't raised, so I didn't feel the drop until I really had a cutaway - will never forget the feel of that or hearing the metal clicking on my shoulders. Now, I tell all my friends to get in the harness at reserve repack time and feel the drop - it helps.

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"If you've never jumped out of a plane, the best way I can describe it is it feels as if you've just jumped out of a freakin' plane."
David Whitley (Orlando Sentinel)

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We had laminated place mats with photographs of malfunctions, but no video. The instructors had me do practice pulls in a practice harness and held one of the photos overhead and said what are you going to do. The response was to be physical, e.g. cut away, try to clear it, etc.



We did the same thing, and I can tell you from experience... The malfunctions look just like the pictures!;)

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I completed AFF1 & 2 this past wknd. Skydive Sebastian (freefall adventures) did in fact show me the video on the first day at the end of the course. Then, they show you clips, and ask what you'd do, and whether it is a low or high speed malfunction. This helped a lot, imo. I had twisted lines on jump 2, and knew right away that it was a low speed problem, and it was easily fixable... and reacted accordingly.

I think it should definitely be shown, never too early. If someone is affraid, then it is better they find out before they leave the ground, imo.

Angela.



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"hearing the metal clicking on my shoulders"

At last! I've told people I've heard the "clink" of the rings release on a low speed chop... but I don't think anyone believed me! I have 17 cutaways now - so my awareness is very high.

I'm not alone!:)
t
It's the year of the Pig.

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Oh yeah, I heard it. I also felt my left shoulder drop, then my right shoulder drop, then fall.
And when I have dreams (uh, nightmares) about malfunctions, I hear that distinctive clinking. I told someone here that I heard it and he thought I was crazy.
Thank goodness I'm not the only one!
Thanks

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"If you've never jumped out of a plane, the best way I can describe it is it feels as if you've just jumped out of a freakin' plane."
David Whitley (Orlando Sentinel)

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When I started, one of the drills was to practice cutaways by being strapped on a harness hanging from the rafters, and a safety rope. We had to cut away and pull silver which makes us drop about a yard or so. And again, before the first jump of the year. This in addition to simulate as many times as possible the cutaway procedure.
All I know is that when that time came, it went smoothly. Although landing under a round reserve was quite "rough" :P

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

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We did the same thing, and I can tell you from experience... The malfunctions look just like the pictures!;)



Same here. The instructors also pushed/shook us in the harness (one even doing a bad loud wind noise :D) which added to the realism.

Here every skydiver needs to sit in the practise harness once a year - it's in the regulations. Is it not so in the US?

Santa Von GrossenArsch
I only come in one flavour
ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

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