Nightingale 0 #1 October 2, 2003 Ok... I know that pull the cord, throw the pilot chute, which pulls the big chute out... but what makes all that happen smoothly? mechanically, what makes it work? also, how does the cutaway work, and the reserve? you don't throw out a pilot chute with the reserve...?? or are these questions that would be better answered by my instructor with a rig so I can actually see? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andy2 0 #2 October 2, 2003 once you've deployed a parachute in freefall and looked over and done gear checks and had your instructor explain all the FJC material you probably wont have to ask. It's very intuitive. We are creatures of flight. --------------------------------------------- let my inspiration flow, in token rhyme suggesting rhythm... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrenchyDiver 0 #3 October 2, 2003 Quoteor are these questions that would be better answered by my instructor with a rig so I can actually see? That will be the best and usually your instructor will be more than happy to explain it to you. There's a combination of different factors involved during the opening, such as packing techniques, slider, ect... Same with the cutaway, best described by somebody, perferably an instructor with rig on hands. The reserve has aspring loaded pilot chute. Basically whel pulling the reserve handle, the container flaps open and the spring (which is inside the pilot chute) jumps out of the container, catches the wind, and pulls the reserve out. If you have a chance of seeing a reserve chute repack, that will be very instructive in visualizing how it works. Hispas Brothers President HISPA #2, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #4 October 2, 2003 Quoteor are these questions that would be better answered by my instructor with a rig so I can actually see? Yes. I'd highly recommend getting your hands on and reading cover to cover "The Skydiver's Handbook" (Dan Poynter and Mike Turoff, authors; Para Publishing) and/or "Jump" (Tom Buchanan; McGraw Hill). Both are excellent sources of all the info you need to know right now - from what to expect on your student jumps to what each piece of gear is and a basic explanation of how it works. They're available from just about any skydiving gear store (I know Square One has 'em in the shop at Perris). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #5 October 2, 2003 thanks so much! I'll pick up those books after AFF 2 on sunday. -K- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
payback462 0 #6 October 2, 2003 QuoteWhat makes a parachute work air Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrazyIvan 0 #7 October 2, 2003 This might help you a little.__________________________________________ Blue Skies and May the Force be with you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chrisky 0 #8 October 2, 2003 Quotealso, how does the cutaway work, You did do an AFF jump without doing a drill cutaway in a hanging harness??? Kick your instructor if that applies! Apart from that, just take a rental rig and pull out the pilot chute and all that comes out after, and have a packer, instructor or rigger explain the deployment to you step by step...The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open. From the edge you just see more. ... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #9 October 2, 2003 QuoteQuotealso, how does the cutaway work, You did do an AFF jump without doing a drill cutaway in a hanging harness??? Kick your instructor if that applies! of course we did the drills in the hanging harness! lol. what I was asking is... how does pulling the little red pillow thing cutaway the main chute? what are the mechanics to make it work? I know how to make it work, I just don't know why it works. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #10 October 2, 2003 QuoteThis might help you a little. That was an awesome link!!! Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks so much!!!!!!! {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}} -K- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lazerq3 0 #11 October 3, 2003 Quotehow does pulling the little red pillow thing cutaway the main chute? what are the mechanics to make it work? Again ..no disrespect but if that wasnt shown to you by your instructor at the time QuoteKick your instructor if that applies students should never jump unless they understand how there eqipment works!!! I mean I'm not talking allthe physics and pull forces and equations,, but at least the basics!! But thats just my opinion!!! jasonFreedom of speech includes volume Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casch 0 #12 October 3, 2003 We weren't taught the specifics in my FJC, we were taught what we needed to know to save ourselves. Everything was kept pretty basic, there reason being that there is so much information and a person can only retain so much. After hanging out at the DZ some more, and asking a few questions I was shown exactly how pulling the cutaway handle releases the white loop which releases the 3-rings etc etc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lazerq3 0 #13 October 3, 2003 Well I guess every instructors different but we had a rig laid out and the J/M went over everything and how it worked for us but like I said everyones different!! So yeah I guess as long as you know how/when to pull the handle the rest will come in time!! jasonFreedom of speech includes volume Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #14 October 3, 2003 Shelly was a great instructor. She taught us everything we needed to know to save ourselves if something went wrong in the air. The mechanics of the cutaway handle weren't important. knowing how and when to use it and what the end result would be if I pulled it was important, and that's what she taught us. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #15 October 3, 2003 I know a training course verges on info overload... But knowing why you do something and knowing how something works really do help you apply the knowledge you gain. You will probably know exactly what I mean as you are now asking those very questions. When I teach the students in our club how to pack its not just "put the slider here, make sure these lines are here". I make sure they know why its importatnt to control the lines and exactly how the slider works on opening. These things aren't just things you should know as a qualified skydiver, but things that help you to understand what you are doing and assess the risks involved before you volunteer to accept those very risks. If someone cant grasp the basic concept of how a cuttaway system works they are not really intelligent enough to skydive. This sport is not best suited to dumbies. (caviat - not saying you cant grasp these concepts, just that you should have been told them by your instructors (IMO) and thus been given the oportunity to demonstrate that you realy do have that ability before they chuck you out of a plane). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonto 1 #16 October 3, 2003 Air. Nothing works without the air moving past you. That same scary, swirling stuff in the door that seems scary, is your best friend. Ask your instructor to show you the deployment sequence on the ground. (If you were not shown this on your 1st jump course..) tIt's the year of the Pig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevin922 0 #17 October 3, 2003 I'd check out this greaet article from howstuff works.com, it's how i learned to skydive! (ok that's a joke, talk to an instructor - though this article may answer some questions) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BASE813 0 #18 October 3, 2003 Nice work! Asking questions like this after your first jump is surely positive. I know of people with circa 100 jumps that dont know how the 3 rings work, how the reserve works, what their knife is actually for........... starting to ask questions at such an early stage is a refreshing change.......... most are so focused on the jump and making it through to the licence and then once that is done having fun and progressing they forget to think about finding as much as possible about the equipment they rely on to save their lives......... Thats my take anyway - but perhaps i am just an equipment freak!! be safe always Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sducoach 0 #19 October 3, 2003 Quote I know a training course verges on info overload... But knowing why you do something and knowing how something works really do help you apply the knowledge you gain. Why - how - and (my add) WHEN to correctly execute EMP. I can understand the tandem jump not covering the mechanics of the rig however, you should have completed a "real" first jump course prior to the Cat A jump. If you did not, ask your instructor Why - How - When! Blues, J.E.James 4:8 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #21 October 3, 2003 What we were taught: look red. grab red. look silver. pull red. grab silver. pull silver. and when it is appropriate to do so. she didn't go into the mechanics of how it worked, but she made damn sure we knew how to make it work if we needed it to. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #22 October 3, 2003 AH, a product of the Jim Wallace Sky School... Id recognise that cuttaway drill anywhere. I dont like it NEVER CHANGE IT though Once you've been trained on a cuttaway drill your pretty much stuck with it for the rest of your life. If you try an mess with it (certainly whilst a newby) you'll prob end up doing half of one and half the other when you really need it to work right. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 259 #23 October 3, 2003 Quoteshe didn't go into the mechanics of how it worked, but she made damn sure we knew how to make it work if we needed it to. That's the way I used to teach an FJC too. If a student asked about how the cutaway/reserve system worked I'd explain it, but it wasn't information that they needed to safely make their first jump so it wasn't included in the "normal" course I taught. There is a limit to how much information a person can absorb in a 5-6 hour class... I think it's better to teach survival skills in an FJC and leave the detailed gear information for later levels when the student has more time to absorb it. btw, I happen to know the instructor who taught Nightingale's FJC. Known her for years. She's a very good instructor - I'd have been just as happy if she'd taught my kid's FJC as I was with the guy who did. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #24 October 3, 2003 QuoteAH, a product of the Jim Wallace Sky School... Nope. Wasn't Jim Wallace. it was Perris Valley Skydiving School. Same DZ, different school. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #25 October 3, 2003 that'll explain the same cuttaway drill then Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
