sammielu

My dz does have SOS gear. What I was taught matches the SIM; deploying a reserve without cutting away is not considered an option. I get that you 'could' pull on the reserve cable itself, but this seems like a nightmare solution to a problem that should be avoided. The idea to pull the RSL lanyard to deploy the reserve blew my mind and I was trying to clear that up...The link given to skydiveschool.org has two handle gear and standard EPs. I'm hoping this is a miscommunication by internet and that jumper gets his EPs straight, or that it was one of those conversations that come up when students ask too many questions and want the hypothetical solution to a problem that is best avoided in the first place. I would leave them with this: pull on time and address malfunctions immediately and don't get in that 1k position where your options suck.

2000 - 3500 ft is a range for choosing whether to emergency exit on main or reserve, the specific altitude for you will depend on: your dz (hills nearby? good spots to land out of necessary?), your main (docile, high performance where you have to fly that opening, slow opener that will burn altitude), and your experience level (minimum deployment altitudes are there for a reason). Think through the worst case scenarios, talk with instructors, and have a plan. For me, in an emergency, I want more time under canopy to get my body safely to the ground. I jump a big reserve and use it if needed. SIM 5-1 Partial Malfunction 3. At some point during descent under a partial malfunction, it becomes too low for a safe cut away and you must deploy the reserve without cutting away. In first jump courses, this is 1000ft, and that works for me as well. (FJC reference SIM 4, Cat A, H. 9) Please clarify for yourself the plan you came up with when talking to your S&TA. Pulling the RSL buckle unhooks the RSL and does not deploy anything. Pulling the reserve handle does. I don't know why you would skip the big, easy to grab reserve handle and go for the tiny metal cable itself when you're wizzing through 1000 ft so you should rethink that too (or maybe this isnt making sense because were typing, either way, you are freaking me out). But, I don't need to understand your procedures, you do, so talk them through, think them through, and practice until you can do it without thinking.

Reserves deploy (and inflate) much faster than main canopies and are more docile. Mains can snivel or have a slow opening that takes 1000 ft. If I'm low I'm not taking that chance, especially if starting at 1000 ft. I don't know what you mean by going for the RSL or pulling the reserve cable directly (not the handle) - make sure you know what that means and have practiced it until you're sure can do it. Muscle memory for emergency procedures is very important.

Mine was a general comment addressing any newer jumper looking to buy a first rig and planning to get as many downsizes as possible. Then there was talk of a 210 fitting in the same container with the goal being a 150 or smaller main after hundreds of jumps = alarm bells for me. Appropriate reserve size - for the jumper - needs to be included in any discussion of container sizing.

Be sure to include appropriate reserve size (for the jumper, not just the container) when considering equipment. Ex: If planning for the long term to go from a 210 main to a 170 over hundreds of jumps, is a 160 a good plan? Is that 160 going to save your life style of walking, running, skydiving, or just ensure you have a pulse?

Its an FAA requirement in the US on the surface, during takeoff and landing, and up to 1k (dz's have different altitudes where they let you take them off, some are 1500ft). If there were an emergency landing like the incident a few days ago, a properly fastened seatbelt protects you and everyone else on the plane from you meat-missiling into them, and secures the load of the airplane from shifting while the pilot is busy trying to save our lives. Sometimes people don't want to go through the 30 second hassle because they are so busy sitting and ??? I don't even know what the reasoning is. If folks don't want to wear it to protect yourself, wear it to protect me (and everyone else on the plane). Oh, and secure your helmet too; it only protects your head if its on there.

Here's how I did it: Talk to your tunnel instructor! Do some fwd/back drills so they are comfortable with your control in the tunnel. Then the plan is: -Instructor stands at the wall and gives you a hand signal to come forward. -You move forward (using legs only) until the instructor's hands are on your shoulders. -Slowly transition into track position. -Instructor shakes a foot to tell you to stop tracking and go back into neutral arch position (so you can have your face down just like in a track). The instructors would let me track for about 15 seconds, and signal to stop if they felt too much forward drive from me. These drills taught smooth transitions with stability, and I could gauge my body position (speed if I was in the sky) by the pressure I was putting on my instructors hands. Being a flexible female with only male skydive instructors, no one was able to tell me in the sky that my boobs were in the way and for me, tracking means 'fly your boobs'.

I learned the body position NOT to use on my first coaching jumps, where I was watching my students over my shoulder, all the way into line twists for me! Eyes on the horizon through opening, even if the opening turns your body off heading, and your body will turn you back on heading.

Regarding emergency exits or going straight to reserve: If I know my altitude is above 3000' I will use my main. If I don't know, (ie I don't know my specific location over the ground and might be over a hill) or if I'm below 3000' I would go straight to reserve.

SIM Section 5-1 E. Equipment Emergencies Partial Malfunction 3. At some point during descent under a partial malfunction, it becomes too low for a safe cut away and you must deploy the reserve without cutting away. (p104) So the SIM doesn't have a specific recommendation. Think about what works for you and your experience level regarding: 1. Your actual response time to notice a malfunction, decide to cut away, and take that action. 2. Ability to safely land the reserve you are flying on that jump after it opens - taking into account where you deploy your reserve. I.e. if you cut away at 1800ft and are under your reserve at, say 1100ft, are you confident that you can land yourself safely? Without injury or a whole bunch of good luck?

When's the last time you un-twisted the brake lines? More importantly: revisit your emergency procedures. Your actions are much more important than "what is this malfunction". At what point do you plan to stop fighting a mal and go to reserve? How do you make that happen? Counting, checking altimeter, 2 tries 2 seconds, whatever tools you want to use... If your plan was 'fight a malfunction until 1500 ft', consider you need more altitude to safely stop fighting, cut away, deploy reserve, and have an inflated reserve over your head to navigate to an acceptable landing area. If you did not have a plan to save your life in the event of a malfunction, consider that you should make one.

I recommended planning your emergency procedures to START with an altitude check. And decide where your hard deck is (to stop fighting and go reserve) before you get on a plane again. You've probably heard this before but it didn't come through in your explanation of your opening... and thinking about and planning for and visualizing good emergency procedures is always a good idea. That said, good info from the other responses. Good job handling common canopy problems that hit you in a combination. Body position at pull time is important for all of us!

Areas of altitude change in the surrounding area. Flying over a hill or next to a mountain is pretty important in the event of an aircraft emergency.

Jump twenty six attempts to clear up the verbiage confusion, but it is certainly confusing, especially to a beginner who is learning the sport and the terminology. To be clear, this is what we teach at my DZ: Decision Altitude: where you decide to keep your canopy or not; as in quit monkeying around trying to fix a malfunction and cut away and deploy reserve. For students, this is 2500ft. Do not cut away point: where you are too low to safely cut away and deploy a reserve and have enough time and altitude for reserve inflation. 1000 ft. If you did not take action at your Decision Altitude and you're at that 1000 ft mark, do not cut away. Just deploy your reserve because something above your head is better than nothing (as in a cut away main and a reserve not yet inflated). I have heard both these points referred to as a Hard Deck, which is totally confusing. Talk to your instructors for what makes sense for you and your DZ and equipment. Good job being heads up and asking these questions!

Fyi- Tunnel waivers specifically prohibit shouder dislocation sufferers from flying. You should consult a doctor about appropriate levels of stress for a damaged joint and approproate solutions... My opinion: Everyone has a side or part of their body they lean towards or which is stronger, by default or due to previous injury (I've read some articles on here I believe). I 'leaned' on one ankle when I started flying, but learned to compensate as I learned to fly my body. You will learn how to fly YOUR body as you progress in the sport. In my experience, building muscle to support a weak or damaged joint helps the most, braces or tape helps as well but be sure you retain flexibility as well.

^^^^^ The dealer can measure properly, probably show you fabric options (color samples you can feel), and provide important input on fit and suit options (ie tight fit, etc).

I bought an M2 a year ago and am happy. It was less expensive on an annual basis (lifespan + services required), it doesn't have scheduled service time where my rig will be down (and I have to pay my rigger for installation each time) and it was available on-site from a local dealer (saving shipping $ and time). The way I figure, there is the possibility for an error or a service recall with any product, so that factor is a wash between any AAD. In my experience, this year, multiple new Vigils have had issues requiring sending them in for service or replacement, and I don't know of one example of that happening with a M2. $999 well spent for me.

A good exercise is to not take grips. Put your hands flat onto the other person's body, no grabbing. This helps me get out of my head and just fly! As an example, I like to do a standard linked exit, but before turning any points with a new group of jumpers, we transition from grips to flat hands on each other. Hold it a second and proceed with the jump. It makes a big difference! And eye contact for sure, especially during turns, always be looking at your target.

It's a good plan. I've done the same with my rig. Consult with your local rigger on the adjustments that can/can't be made, though. For example, width of the shoulders, called the yoke, is not going to change.

If the intention is to have one canopy to switch back and forth, consider the difference between hooking up a canopy to a container (taking risers, slider, dbag, and pilot chute with it), and using the same canopy only changing out all of those things every time you want to switch between deploying from terminal or not. What a pain!

A TI friend had similar issues. In that instance it was determined to be a software issue. Return it.

^awesome summary of the local dzs. Also: Rental rigs for you are available at each dz, with average canopy sizes like 160+. For your Tandem passenger friend, Snohomish uses handcam video so the whole jump and canopy flight are captured. Kapowsin has outside video that gives a wider perspective of the skydive but can't include canopy flight. Have fun playing in our sky!

Skydive Radio did a review on the most recent episode. Seems really cool. I plan to get one. Any additional way to stay altitude aware makes sense to me!

I do think there is some some grey area where renting makes sense between getting that A and getting your own gear. Renting through the transition between oversized student canopies down to something reasonably sized (for a beginner - like a 190 or a 170) makes much more financial sense than student-jumping a 210 or 230, purchasing a 190, then needing to purchase a 170 after 70ish jumps to put a jumper closer to a 1:1 wingloading. For a newly licensed jumper with 25ish jumps, there is also benefit to continuing to jump while they take the time to find, purchase, and assemble a complete rig. New skills fade fast, and rigs can take a long time to find! Also, the jumpers with bright shiny new custom gear scare me; shiny and new means money, but $$ doesn't mean safety, or smart, or current, or heads-up.

I agree 100% with Lee above.