Have you looked at your altimeter during a malfunction?

[popsjumper 2]

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I hope no youngsters are reading this thread.


Guys bragging about not knowing altitude.
Guys bragging about dependence on their "time clock".
Great examples...and then wondering why the youngsters do some of the oddball stuff they do.

Low pull - screwed up, though. I thought the main would come out and inflate before the AAD fire...

~I hear ya, no wonder the youngsters think they can survive anything!

Guilty as charged. But I knew my altitude!!!!

Fortunately, this youngster learned his lesson and grew up to be an old skydiver.


So, I walked the walk and now I talk the talk. I got myself convinced it's credibility....been there, done that kind of a thing, eh?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[JohnMitchell 14]

Out of a dozen or so reserve rides, maybe once or twice. I'm pretty "by the book" as far as "2 tries to clear, then pull the reserve." Plus I'm usually pretty aware of my altitude the whole time. I once used looking at the ground in lieu of my altimeter. The trees told me it was time to chop.

[Marksman 0]

In my case, 3 line twists, looked at the altimeter in all 3 situations, all fixed.

cheers.

[rehmwa 2]

3 mals - depends on the scenario

1st - CrW Wrap - looked at it several times - discussed the issue with the other pilot, worked on the wrap, discussed where tonight's party might be, worked on the wrap a bit more - argued about cutting away too soon - came to an agreement - cut away

2nd - Slow speed mal (tangled steering line) - looked at it several times while seeing if it was landable - cut away with plenty of time

3rd - High speed mal (some kind of container lock) - didn't look, elbowed the rig a couple times and then straight to sliver.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[skyrider 0]

7 mals, (didn;t pack a single one, always paid packers)

Only one low speed, so checked altitude numerous times, test flaired, test steared , then said See ya...Bad part was, it was borrowed gear, (world champian rig, Thanks Kurt) Was kewl to wesr that Red White and bvlue rig for that jump..

BTW, it was a borrowed rig, becuase I'd had to cut away my two rigs, the day before! (both high speed, not wasting time looking at clocks during that)

3 in one weekend!

[joephus 0]

The only malfunction I've had so far was a spinner from line twists. I'd pulled at 3,500' had some serious line twists and as I tried to get out of the line twists I transitioned on to my back and started spinning. As I started spinning I checked my altitude and was at 2,800' so I knew I had a little bit of time to fight it some more so I tried to regain control of my canopy. After a few seconds I checked my altitude again and was at 2,000' which is my decision altitude. It wasn't much of a decision.

So yeah, I always check my altitude on my malfunctions, well so far anyway.

[Ron 7]

9 mals... Looked at the ground or cutaway right after opening.

1. Line twist Stiletto 120.... It opened and 'locked' in the spin. If you have been in this, you know its over. I looked at the ground and punched out.

2. Line twist Stiletto 120.... It open and 'locked' it was gone.

3. Line twist Stiletto 107... Long story, it 'locked' and I had a problem getting my handle.... I did't use my alti, I looked at the ground for reference...I cutaway LOW with a FAST reserve pull. My freebag was found tangled with my main.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liq4HYJZaho&feature=channel_video_title

4. Line twist Stiletto 107 (notice a trend yet?). It 'locked' and I left.

5. Line twist Velocity 96 (HA not a Stiletto!). I was flying perfectly straight and trying to kick out of it. I used my alti and at 1200 feet chopped.

6. Line over Stiletto 107. Looked up, saw crap, punched out.

7. Tandem line knots. Tried to fix it, could not, left.

8. Tandem started as a bag lock - reached for handles, changed to snivel - reached for handles changed to an open canopy with tension knots... Looked at alti, said screw it and left.

9. Tandem... Tension knots again. Look at alti and left.

So if it is high speed, I fix the problem or glance at the ground and fix the problem. If it is low speed I look at the alti.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Jockeyshifter63 0]

No cutaway yet but one pretty serious line twist all the way up to the slider and man was it tight. I noticed that when I placed my hands inside the risers to pull out and kick my feet, that I had a really good view of my hand mounted alti the whole time. Glad it worked out that I could deal with the mal and be checking alti at the same time.

[Joellercoaster 6]

I am nil from one :(

It was a low-speed mal (canopy mostly open) at a normal opening height and it certainly had to go, but I have since started looking at my alti during my visualisation and drills for the next time that happens.

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[popsjumper 2]

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No cutaway yet but one pretty serious line twist all the way up to the slider and man was it tight. I noticed that when I placed my hands inside the risers to pull out and kick my feet, that I had a really good view of my hand mounted alti the whole time. Glad it worked out that I could deal with the mal and be checking alti at the same time.

Good stuff. So simple a caveman could do it, eh?
Even 1st-jump students can do it! Even I can do it!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[popsjumper 2]

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I am nil from one :(

It was a low-speed mal (canopy mostly open) at a normal opening height and it certainly had to go, but I have since started looking at my alti during my visualisation and drills for the next time that happens.

More good stuff. My hat is off to you.
Now spread that attitude around to all the youngsters out there, eh?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[popsjumper 2]

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On all my mals I have, but on all of them I had an altimeter mounted in my line of sight, I carry two normally, my wrist and my rigs Hip Junction. The one on my wrist was visible when I needed to deal with things. I would see my altimeter at deployment, during the Mal and after my reserve ripcord was pulled.

See now guys? THIS is how it should be done for maximum safety. Simple as that.


For all you guys thinking in terms of time...
Consider all those "pulled to late" fatalities. I'd be willing to bet that they were not altitude aware. I would bet that they were thinking, those that were thinking at all anyway, "I have enough time".

Somebody mentioned looking at the ground. In the big scheme of things, that's all well and good...for those who have trained their organic altimeters well. Youngsters? Not so much.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[EppyNephrine 0]

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Might want to look into some TruLok toggles perhaps?

I have TruLok toggles on both of my rigs. But this summer alone, I've had easily 20+ breakfires with them.

I double checked with UPT to make sure I was setting them correctly (hard to fuck up nonetheless) which I was.

[crotalus01 0]

3 chops- I looked at my altitude on 2 of them. The one I didnt look was a low pull (waved at 1800' ) and I was spinning on my back as soon as I deployed, so I did my EPs immediately - under my reserve (with massive linetwists) at 1100' - that jump pretty well cured me of low pulls.

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD...

[Jockeyshifter63 0]

Good stuff. So simple a caveman could do it, eh?
Even 1st-jump students can do it! Even I can do it!
_________________________________________________

Hey Pops. How did you know my wife calls me a Caveman.
Also being a newb I have started doing a solo jump, everytime I have a full day of jumping, for the sole purpose of just bellyflying looking at my alti and looking at the ground. I am trying to get a real good idea of what everything looks like at certain altitudes. Of course I am assuming that'll change at each new DZ I visit. We are lucky enough to have a tunnell here and I try to make it a habit to LOOK at the back of my wrist frequently while flying in the tunnell just to get that "habit" cemented in my thick caveman head.