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Skwrl

Canopy Entanglement Video

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https://vimeo.com/37991877 or (typo corrected) https://vimeo.com/37998866

This is a re-edit of an old video that I made of a horseshoe malfunction I had (the main caught on my camera helmet's ring sight; I cut it away, and you get to watch the helmet and canopy fall all the way to the ground). I edited it to cut the boring parts (uneventful free fall) and to add more intelligent commentary.

I cut away the main canopy out of sequence (i.e., I should have cut away the helmet), and that should have snapped my neck... But it didn't kill me (or if it did, the afterlife disappointingly similar to being alive), so I thought that you all might enjoy it - it's a bit of a warning to folks who are sloppy with their packing, are too willing to add cameras without thinking through the consequences, or who are complacent on their EPs.

Thanks to Dave Gerstein (Pilot Dave) for saving a copy of this video and making it available to me.

I revised it for my DZ's upcoming Safety Day.
Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography

Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

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Glad you're OK.

Just curious, did you think of releasing the stowed brake line to stop the spin?



At the time? No. I didn't realize exactly what was entangled - I thought it was a steering line, not the excess break line. Panic and inexperience made it worse.

In retrospect, I wonder if it would have helped given how spun up it was. I'm guessing it would have, but...
Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography

Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

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Glad you're OK.

Just curious, did you think of releasing the stowed brake line to stop the spin?



At the time? No. I didn't realize exactly what was entangled - I thought it was a steering line, not the excess break line. Panic and inexperience made it worse.

In retrospect, I wonder if it would have helped given how spun up it was. I'm guessing it would have, but...



Something didn't seem quite right the first time I watched the vid so I took another look.

I think you may have a few things going on there...

After the deployment starts you do about a 180 as it's opening.

As the canopy inflates, it appears as if one side is loaded a lot more than the other...even prior to the snag one riser group is several inches higher than the other.

Also as it's opening it looks like the left group has a twist in it?

Am I seeing things or did that pack job really suck? ;)










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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Glad you're OK.

Just curious, did you think of releasing the stowed brake line to stop the spin?



At the time? No. I didn't realize exactly what was entangled - I thought it was a steering line, not the excess break line. Panic and inexperience made it worse.

In retrospect, I wonder if it would have helped given how spun up it was. I'm guessing it would have, but...



Something didn't seem quite right the first time I watched the vid so I took another look.

I think you may have a few things going on there...

After the deployment starts you do about a 180 as it's opening.

As the canopy inflates, it appears as if one side is loaded a lot more than the other...even prior to the snag one riser group is several inches higher than the other.

Also as it's opening it looks like the left group has a twist in it?

Am I seeing things or did that pack job really suck? ;)


I think you're right, but I'd also factor into our thinking that it was a wingsuit deployment and I was just learning how to fly one. I was notorious for having crappy body position, which can cause spin ups (although based on the video, I don't think I had a lot of lateral motion in that particular jump). I think you've identified an additional factor, though!
Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography

Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

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Glad you're OK.

Just curious, did you think of releasing the stowed brake line to stop the spin?



At the time? No. I didn't realize exactly what was entangled - I thought it was a steering line, not the excess break line. Panic and inexperience made it worse.

In retrospect, I wonder if it would have helped given how spun up it was. I'm guessing it would have, but...



Something didn't seem quite right the first time I watched the vid so I took another look.

I think you may have a few things going on there...

After the deployment starts you do about a 180 as it's opening.

As the canopy inflates, it appears as if one side is loaded a lot more than the other...even prior to the snag one riser group is several inches higher than the other.

Also as it's opening it looks like the left group has a twist in it?

Am I seeing things or did that pack job really suck? ;)


I think you're right, but I'd also factor into our thinking that it was a wingsuit deployment and I was just learning how to fly one. I was notorious for having crappy body position, which can cause spin ups (although based on the video, I don't think I had a lot of lateral motion in that particular jump). I think you've identified an additional factor, though!


if you've just learning how to fly a wingsuit why did you add a camera gear on a top of it?

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Glad you're OK.

Just curious, did you think of releasing the stowed brake line to stop the spin?



At the time? No. I didn't realize exactly what was entangled - I thought it was a steering line, not the excess break line. Panic and inexperience made it worse.

In retrospect, I wonder if it would have helped given how spun up it was. I'm guessing it would have, but...



Something didn't seem quite right the first time I watched the vid so I took another look.

I think you may have a few things going on there...

After the deployment starts you do about a 180 as it's opening.

As the canopy inflates, it appears as if one side is loaded a lot more than the other...even prior to the snag one riser group is several inches higher than the other.

Also as it's opening it looks like the left group has a twist in it?

Am I seeing things or did that pack job really suck? ;)


I think you're right, but I'd also factor into our thinking that it was a wingsuit deployment and I was just learning how to fly one. I was notorious for having crappy body position, which can cause spin ups (although based on the video, I don't think I had a lot of lateral motion in that particular jump). I think you've identified an additional factor, though!


if you've just learning how to fly a wingsuit why did you add a camera gear on a top of it?


Did you watch the recommendations at the end of the video? One of the things I pointed out was that it was a mistake for me to have done that.

Keep in mind the video was from a jump in 2007, but I added my commentary and thoughts about it as of 2012 - a major one of those would be "learn both but take your time to do so."

In my opinion it's important for people to acknowledge their own mistakes so that they (and others) can learn from them.

EDITED TO ADD: But to answer your question, at the time I thought I had the necessary skills. I was wrong.
Skwrl Productions - Wingsuit Photography

Northeast Bird School - Chief Logistics Guy and Video Dork

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drunken skwrl :) thank you for posting! I didn't read all 'lessons learned' from your video. It was just a first thing popped into my mind after seeing this vid and your comment on learning how to fly a wingsuit.

Edit: at least there is one positive thing about that camera gear: the f* up is saved to be learned from. Next time a new skydivers underestimate the evil powers of cams we can point to this one :)

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