MakeItHappen

This thread could get very ugly, very quickly. I suggest that you re-read what I posted. I suggest that you take into consideration that I have been on ALL of the JFTC jumps. I suggest that you take into consideration that I turned down a plane captain slot on the first JFTC. I suggest that you take into consideration that I was a plane captain on the last JFTC. I suggest that you realize that I do not see 'eye-to-eye' with the JFTC organizers with every aspect of the event. I will re-emphasize that the differences have been expressed directly to the organizers. I will add for those that may not know, that I do contract work for Square1. It's important to realize that jeopardizing one's income for values and integrity over-reaches petty slander. I have never been accused of 'not expressing my opinion' - even if it is a minority view. I think that JFTC is a wonderful event that has been embraced by most jumpers. It does have blemishes, so to speak. I choose to correct those blemishes. I could not or was not effective before. An excerpt from an email to Mary: 'I posted that tiny bit so that maybe, just maybe, you will ditch the T&A aspect and go for REAL skydiving photos.' That is and was my motivation. I do not want to see JFTC become a T&A exhibition, even if that's what the media likes. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

'These women'? I dunno. I am one of those women that have been on all of the JFTC dives. Do I feel better because a few women are pushing a T&A calendar? No - absolutely not. That's ok. I am one of the old folks. I'm used to it. We agree. It's not a water cooler?? I actually do not know what you mean by that. It was a beer cooler for bottles that had 'tittys'. The price markup (or really the lack thereof) was my biggest beef. Sheesh, I sort of helped Val sell some of those by holding her beer (in one of those coolers) while a bunch of us were chatting at the end of day. Sometimes I wish I could do that. And for the statement above....DO NOT ASSUME that even on your best day you could possibly know what I might need.....in this sport or out of it. I will support this ANYWAY I can....not because I don't value who I am..or what I am made of...entirely the opposite.. I support it because I am a woman who isn't afraid to be a woman. This is a wonderful opportunity to help other women who have accomplished the unselfish act of giving of themselves to others..... My beliefs or feelings or views in WWR go back a long time. They have not changed (very much) in substance very much over the years. The organizers of JFTC know this, as I have always provided my direct comments to them. This is news to you, but not to them. . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Part of the reason it is 'so' hard to raise funds is because part of the 'donations' go to pay for the jumps of the participants. No they are not. It is ILLEGAL to sell alcohol without a license. An organization that raises funds for a well-respected cancer research facility should not condone illegal activities upon the part of their participants. The titty beer coolers that Val made last time were the epitome of our sexist stereotypical culture. 'Hey - these have tittys I can fondle' was said by a number of men purchasing the coolers. This reinforces the stereotype that women are here on the planet to be 'of service' to men and to define themselves in terms of men's wishes and wants. I do not have the numbers handy at this minute, but the numbers showed that for the sale of these types of items, only 30 cents per dollar actually got to The City of Hope. I suggested that people sell these items at a much higher mark up to gain a higher percentage to City of Hope, but that fell on deaf ears. Watch a PBS fundraiser sometime. They sell videos, worth $10, for $50 to obtain a good ratio to the non-profit entity. This is unbecoming to anyone raising funds for any organization. Most people, with money to donate to charities and organizations, are knowledgeable enough and have their favorite charities or organizations to support. No one, absolutely no one, should harass or pester someone - just cuz they are your friend (for now anyway) or relative to donate to YOUR favorite cause. Let people donate to whatever organization or charity that they deem worthy. You have no right to impose YOUR values as to what organization should get their donation monies. One thing I could not stand during the past JFTC events was the continual and persistent 'begging' of people to donate while I was trying to have a good old time at the DZ. I go to the DZ to have fun - not to be solicited by a dozen jumpers for their favorite cause. I have and continue to donate to organizations that I believe in. I do not need you or anyone else harassing me for monies to YOUR favorite cause. This is counter to the need to even do a Women's World Record in Skydiving or any sport for that matter. A WWR is about raising the status of women in the entire sports arena. It is about giving credibility to a woman's athleticism. It is about changing the stereotypes that say women are weaker and less skilled. It is about demonstrating, through proven challenges, on the same level as men or mixed gender playing fields, that women have strength, courage, endurance and the will to set and follow their goals. It is NOT about providing T&A bait. I am absolutely positive that Sally Ride and Mary Ellen Weber would not see a 'sensual, seductive pose, revealing lots of cleavage' in their space suits as a positive image to their credibility as an astronaut or mission specialist. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Umm... hmmm.... you want to rethink that statement? The key to having a hard-deck, at least in my opinion, is that something has to be done above it. If I believe that I am 1ft below my hard-deck and I still can't land what is above me, I am dumping the reserve to get as much nylon over my head as possible. WITHOUT chopping. That is what a hard-deck is to me, something that I don't chop below. There are TWO altitudes referred to in these statements. One altitude is the decision altitude. This is the altitude that you decide to execute emergency procedures by. Common slang for this altitude is 'hard deck' or 'black line'. The other altitude is the no-cutaway under altitude. This altitude is also commonly called the 'hard deck'. Recommendations by USPA: Decision altitude: 2500 feet AGL for students and A license holders 1800 feet AGL for B, C & D license holders No-cutaway under altitude: 1000 feet AGL You mileage may vary. The key to making these guidelines work, is to maintain altitude awareness. That means you have to make a conscious and deliberate effort to check altitude. Look at the ground more than the canopy. It is all too easy to get your attention sucked into that main. You also do not have to wait until you get to the Decision altitude before cutting away and pulling reserve. Sometimes, you KNOW right away that the main won't open. SIM Reading Material: Sec 5-1 Cat A . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Quite. That's where I'm at. My goal is to provide only up to date, current model rental equipment - and that stuff ain't cheap even at dealer prices. But I also have a goal of having happy customers; I want the rental agreement to be considered a fair arrangement by the majority of them. Just to make it more real-life… Would a retailer 'pay-for-repack' policy be associated with the rental of the main or the rental of the H&C??? The failure of the main is what precipitates the use of the reserve , except for the occasional loss of altitude awareness and subsequent AAD fire. My impression of the folks that want the retailer to pay for a repack are thinking of the case when someone rents a complete rig - maybe even all packed up. Perhaps there is some policy carry-over from student rental gear policy? Students rent gear all packed up. They do not have to pay for handles, AAD fires or repacks. I think handing the customer a main separate from the H&C is the way to go. So you get two customers. A rents only a main or maybe demos a main for free and uses his rig. B rents the entire rig with the main detached. Assume that the rental rig that B used was identical to the rig owned by A. Both jumpers were handed a main disconnected from the rig. Both jumpers had the main attached and packed identically. Both rigs get packed (I don't care by who & that really shouldn't matter). Let's say they both have a total because of a packing error. Should a retailer pay for the repack? New packer now… (that guy was no good anyway) Let's say they both have mega line twists & are spinning on their back. They cutaway and pull reserve. Should a retailer pay for the repack? Another new packer…. Let's say that both jumpers lose altitude awareness. The AAD fires and they land under a reserve. Should a retailer pay for the repack? Insurance: I'd nix that idea. A large California retailer once offered gear insurance on stuff they sold. They ended it within a few (2) years. There are not enough people that will buy insurance to provide the capital for payouts. There was also another mfg that offered insurance. They too stopped it rather quickly. Most jumpers think 'You pay your money and take your chances.' What the market will bear: The market will bear a policy of rental fee plus extra if you use the reserve and/or cypres. This keeps the rental cost as low as possible. [You make more people 'happy'.] The people that have a malfunction pay their way with no additional burden to those that pack properly. [Most jumpers will be agreeable with this policy. Those that are not, are probably those customers you don't want anyway.] . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Rental Gear Agreement: [US] be sure to consider if the AAD fires too. be sure to consider 'clean-up' if they land in the mud etc There are three groups of jumpers to consider: - 1. student - not cleared to self jumpmaster aka freefall self supervision - 2. student - cleared to self jumpmaster - 3. licensed jumper The endorsement for freefall self supervision is Cat E and above at a DZ that follows the ISP. It must be noted in the jumper's logbook, with an Instructor's signature. Photocopying the endorsement would be prudent. Most gear stores do not rent to group 1. Most gear stores can rent to group 2. There is a consideration about accessory equipment, namely RSL and AAD. For group 2, the AAD is mandatory. The RSL is optional but does require an Instructor to endorse the student's logbook in order to jump without an RSL. In practice, the vast majority of Is will not give this endorsement because of the additional liability concern. You may rent equipment with an RSL, but what if the student does not hook it up? You should take a long hard look at this too. Say the RSL is hooked improperly and in such a way to cause a fatality. Who would get named in a lawsuit? you, the dz, the Is, the packer….. Make sure you read the BSRs and you know what proficiency card the dz school uses if you rent to this group. The documentation is different and means a LOT when an incident or accident happens. All gear stores can rent to group 3. Verify the license & make a photocopy of it. To set the rate you can: 1. set lower rental rates and specify additional charges when the reserve or AAD are used. 2. set higher rates for all renters and do not charge extra when the reserve or AAD is used. Either of these are viable- just make sure your customer knows which plan you have IN WRITING. Lost stuff: Group 2: This is a student. They should not be expected to pay. Talk to your local instructors about this too. Group 3: This is an experienced, licensed jumper. They should pay for lost equipment. Comparisons to car rental & such, fall down because parachutes are NOT guaranteed to work. But apparently, some of the newer jumpers think that they do always work - even reserves. Another thing is to make sure that the jumper is within the placard weight and speed limitations of the harness & container system, as well as the main and reserve. [This might limit your rentals to flat flyers.] Actually, weigh them with the equipment at the time of rental. One thing I would NOT do in regards to mals is: "Judgement call I guess. I'd say if a piece of the equipment failed - ie blown out cell, broken line(s) - then the owner of the gear would pay. If the person who packed it packed a line over or p/c in tow then the renter would pay." because someone with a mega line twist spinning on their back, that cuts away and pulls reserve, *may* intentionally damage the main to claim it had a blown out cell. [You know those people are out there.] Re: "One thing that crossed my mind, is that if they person KNOWS they will have to pay for the repack and possible charges for a lost freebag or main, are they going to try to fix their mal for just "a little bit" longer? I know I sure wouldn't, but I can only speak for myself. And I have seen enough out there in my short time in the sport to know that some dumbass would." If they have this attitude on rental gear, they will also have it with their gear. See Humility section of Who Lives and Who Dies? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

This is typical of today's 'Gas-n-Go' jumpers. This jumper is not the first, nor the last jumper, to loose altitude awareness. The fact is that the jumper DID execute proper emergency procedures by an appropriate altitude. The jumper landed safely. This jumper lived because their actions made it possible. Please do not diminish or undermine this fact. This jumper needs to know that their actions in dealing with the emergency situation were acceptable. This jumper was pro-active in the face of uncertainty. This jumper corrected their course (saw the ground & became altitude aware). This jumper had the self-confidence in emergency procedures. This is BS. No one, absolutely no one of any experience level, has to come down from a malfunction and write a novella about how the main was this way or that way. They do not need to know this line was trapped over this part of the canopy-blah-blah-blah. All they need to know in that it was not working. When in doubt - whip it out! [Is that old school, nowadays?] This may be because the difference in equipment rental to students and experienced jumpers was not carefully and completely explained to the jumper. It could also be because the jumper is a dick. I do not know. There is a double standard in renting equipment to students and experienced jumpers. Students are in training and experiencing new environments that can become highly stressful. One of the tenets of student training is to assure students that 'do not worry about the equipment if or when you have an emergency'. This changes once people become experienced (aka have a license). We say 'do not sacrifice yourself for a $50 repack, but you will be responsible for that fee.' etc for the rest of the equipment. Apparently, this is where the 'problem' lies. This was not an incident. The DZ might not have explained the terms and conditions of equipment rental to the jumper. The jumper might have had something more important to do. It appears to be a moot point about the main, since it has been recovered. The DZ might want to make sure others that rent their equipment understand the differences that go along with being an experienced jumper vs when they were a student. To any student jumpers that read this: DZS want you to execute proper emergency procedures, if or when the need arises. The vast majority will not charge you or even expect you to recover equipment, while you are on student status. Once off student status, this changes. This varies from DZ to DZ, so you will have to check locally to determine what is expected of you. I wanted this to be re-read. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Most rigs are always 'soon due' for a repack. Most DZS do not have insurance on their equipment. Those that do, are usually under-insured. I know of one DZ that has a policy for catastrophic losses with a high deductable. The DZO told me that the policy is for something big, like a fire that wipes out all of his equipment. Stuff like a lost canopy, helmet or altimeter, he would replace (for student jumps). Students do not get charged for lost mains (to my knowledge anyway). Students get charged a nominal fee from lost main ripcords (as long as the jumper did not have a malfunction) - at least when most dzs had RC mains on student equipment. Once a jumper attains a license and starts renting gear, the arrangement changes. You lose or damage a canopy that you rent - you replace or fix it. If the jumper feels the quoted price is unfair, then they should go buy a replacement, acceptable to the DZO, directly. Replacement costs are generally greater than the value of the equipment lost or damaged. [Look at most home owners insurance policies. Homes are insured for replacement cost - not the purchase price.] No packer anywhere, not even riggers packing reserves, guarentees that the canopy will open. There are packers that sometimes pay for a reserve repack when their main pack is cutaway - but that is not the norm. No. I would call this jumper successful. The jumper maintained altitude awareness: 'saw power lines'. That means the jumper was looking at the ground more than the main. That's a good thing. Too many people have lost altitude awareness by giving undivided attention to the main. This has lead to two-out situations when the CYPRES fired. Before the CYPRES, some of these people died. Other people have died landing a lame main, without any type of corrective inputs because they became engrossed with a problem and never looked at the ground. The jumper was under the reserve by 1500 feet. That's what is supposed to happen when you have a malfunction. A jumper does NOT have to have 100% accurate recollection of whatever was wrong with the main. I would call this jumper successful. I wanted this to be re-read. This is true too. What about others on the load? Didn't they watch where the main went? Yes - at Square1 . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

dumbfounded: to confound briefly and usually with astonishment I am dumbfounded as to why new jumpers think ordinary mals are considered Incidents. I am astonished as to why new jumpers think ordinary mals are considered Incidents. I am amazed as to why new jumpers think ordinary mals are considered Incidents. I am surprised as to why new jumpers think ordinary mals are considered Incidents. Grant, you should take me off whatever pedestal you have me on. I have an opinion and a view - just like everyone else. I am puzzled, confounded and dumbfounded about how new jumpers see things. I seek to understand how they see things. You can ridicule me for that - it won't bother me - but I will continue to ask the questions to clarify how jumpers see things. If you some how think that I know everything and understand how and why everyone thinks, you are sadly mistaken. I ask questions because I do not understand the views or thought processes. I am absolutely dumbfounded about this thread. What if an explanation was just a simple statement that 'I thought an Incident was any type of problem, not a scenario where there was an injury or death.' Perhaps, this all boils down to semantics. I will reconsider posting under a pseudonym - so as not to offend people that judge a post by who says it as opposed to what is said. BTW, I am only supposed to be confounded briefly. I still want to know why new jumpers think a regular, ordinary malfunction is considered an Incident. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Yes, please do, that would be enlightening. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I have read and re-read my original post looking for the phraseology that pissed people off. I'll admit I am not a graduate of the BJ Worth School of Diplomacy and cannot always see what words unintentionally create offense to others. For the life of me, I cannot figure out what or how I worded my question that pissed you off. The viewpoints from new jumpers are one of the great features of DropZone.com. These views never appeared on rec.skydiving. I made a post asking new jumpers why they thought a certain way because I am dumbfounded as to why it exists. I do not understand why new jumpers think an ordinary, run of the mill malfunction would be considered an Incident. I supported my statements with 'assumed' education and training that US jumpers would most likely have experienced. I clarified that ordinary, run of the mill malfunctions are not Incidents by showing two threads that were moved out of Incidents. A moderator of Incidents also supported this view with his reply. I am not debating the rules on DropZone.com. I am asking why ordinary, run of the mill malfunctions are considered Incidents by new jumpers. Why is that? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

This is what I said in the post : [reply to most everyone] Are you people dense or what? Look - do you think Jan Chandler would continue to futz with a hung brake line if she KNEW she was 20 feet off the deck? You can take this as however you want. You can take it as a personal insult. I really do not care. It was not meant as a personal insult any more than "don't lose alti awareness, dummy"' was. It was meant to illuminate the fact that someone dicking around with a problem that was not fixable in real time lead to the death of a friend of mine. If some new jumper tends to propagate the story in some other way - well I just do not have the volition or desire to fuck with it. You did not read the part about: Let me explain my motivation for asking this question. If run-of-the-mill-mals get elevated to 'Incidents', then people may start thinking that this is abnormal. They might think parachutes work all the time. They might even think reserves work all the time - just cuz they have a TSO (in the US). I don't know about you, but this stuff is 'to-be-expected' on any given jump. Normal stuff. ..... And you know what --- That post about Who Lives and Who Dies It was precipitated by Bill Von's replies on the no AAD -no jump thread. Think about that for awhile . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

See these threads that were originally posted in Incidents and later moved: 1st Out Close Call Packing Mal What's with the animosity??? This thread has a jumper bitching about newbies attitudes too: ………………………………. I'm sorry... I should have been more precise when I explained the mal... yeah... it was a 'step through' on the left side but not the right. The same side that had the line over had a twist in the riser from my packing mistake. Make it happen: Incidents include: malfunctions, cutaways, wraps, collisions, crash landings etc. While I appreciate your critical nature, maybe you should read the rules before asking questions. Thanx everybody... Chaps doh! - I think I read the 'rules'. Before you start a thread in the Incidents Forum or reply to post please consider the guidelines below: * The purpose of this forum is to report, discuss and learn from fatal and serious non-fatal incidents. * Most, if not all, new threads here should start with the report of an actual incident. General safety issues or small and potential incidents should be posted to the Safety and Training forum. * Incidents include: malfunctions, cutaways, wraps, collisions, crash landings etc. I trust everyone will use their good judgment before starting a thread or disposing of advice. * In case of a fatality please post your condolences to the Talkback forum and keep this forum for discussion. was this a fatal or serious non-fatal incident??? seems to me to be just an ordinary run of the mill malfunction.. That's something everyone ought to expect some time or another while jumping. USPA wouldn't even expect an incident report on this. Why is this an 'Incident' as opposed to a 'General safety issue'??? IMHO, this is not an incident. Let me explain my motivation for asking this question. If run-of-the-mill-mals get elevated to 'Incidents', then people may start thinking that this is abnormal. They might think parachutes work all the time. They might even think reserves work all the time - just cuz they have a TSO (in the US). I don't know about you, but this stuff is 'to-be-expected' on any given jump. Normal stuff. I repeat - this is not an incident. You are not the first person to pack a step thru & probably won't be the last. Remind people to do a brake line check at the start of a packing & it most likely won't happen to them. General Safety Issue: Do a brake line check at the start of packing. . . Make It Happen (This post was edited by MakeItHappen on Jan 11, 2004, 7:55 PM) Chapsta Enthusiast Jan 11, 2004, 9:39 PM Post #9 of 20 (810 views) Re: [MakeItHappen] packing mal [In reply to] Can't Post Right on man... I wasn't trying to flame you. I just had an accident and this seemed like the place to put it. I was hoping to get feed back from others or to let others know that it happened to take from it what they will... which is probably that I'm an idiot for packing a step through. You've shown me I shouldn't have posted here. Maybe one of the moderators could move it for us. ………………… Grant - Who's opinion do you think I write here??? Mine - that's who's - in case that is not obvious. Read your posts here Tell me what the difference between how you write your opinions is so very different than the way I write. Tom - I had my first malfunction on jump number 7 (still on SL - I was a slow learner). That makes me 'qualified' to see the world of first malfunctions thru the eyes of new guys. If you want more info on that see Too Scared to Jump. I did not and do not consider any of my malfunctions 'Incidents' - altho the water jump on a round reserve on a demo jump in high winds would come close. Tonto - I seriously doubt that JP or any other jumper has filled out an incident report for a run-of-the-mill malfunction. I asked a simple question: So why do so many of you think that ordinary, run of the mill malfunctions are Incidents? and I still want to know the answer. Smart asses can continue to call themselves dense. Makes no difference to me. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Why are 'regular' malfunctions considered 'Incidents' by new jumpers? I am dumbfounded at the number of new jumpers that post stories about regular, ordinary, to be expected malfunctions as Incidents. Why do you think like that??? On student status (non-tandem jumps) your are taught about malfunctions. They are expected events. Sure they do not happen often, but they are expected and known events. They have known cures. One day you have a partial mal, cutaway, pull reserve and land safely. Normal stuff. Everything (except the main opening) went as planned. The main not opening was in your list of 'it might happen this way', so it is expected. Why is this an Incident? Maybe the mal is an incident in your life, but in the big picture of skydiving - this is to be expected. You are taught about mals from jump one. (ok-exclude the tandems). Malfunctions are a fact of life in skydiving. So why do so many of you think that ordinary, run of the mill malfunctions are Incidents? And pulling at 3500 feet is not pulling in the basement! Jeesh! . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

A greater danger is when someone hooks the rsl shackle around the ring AND through the 3-ring loop. There are other configurations that would be 'undesirable' too. Who makes these risers???? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

An additional topic to discuss on Safety Day is: What can I expect when traveling to a new DZ? What things should I check and learn about at a new DZ? - Logistical: tickets, organizers, manifest, boarding, landing and returning to packing area - review an aerial photo before first jump at new DZ - prevailing wind direction (usually along the runway) - Weather Phenomenon: turbulence, thermals, thunderstorms, local [Santa Anas, Raeford Dragon, etc] - no fly zones - no land zones (hazardous areas, Farmer McNasty, fines, etc) - jump run directions - jumpruns: RW, FF, CRW, Birdsuit, student, parallel, etc - spotting and exit procedures: lights, door, traffic check, exit, go-arounds, Birdsuit - pull altitudes: what constitutes a high pull, CRW jumpruns - wind indicator locations: wind socks, blades, tetrahedrons, water, smoke/dust - canopy patterns: left, right, east, west, north, south, no sprialling, over fly runways, etc - landing direction: north, east, south, west, into the wind, etc - landing areas: general, swoopers, students, by license level, outs, beer lines, alternate - Special Instructions - temporary restrictions or landing areas - Miscellaneous Gotchas: example-Do not land in front of the main hanger/manifest area at Eloy when aircraft are refueling. Each DZ may have something similar. Ask these questions and know the answers for your DZ. When you get to a new DZ, you will (hopefully) remember to get these answers. At Safety Day, you can ask about such-n-such DZ, there might be someone around to provide preliminary information. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Hummm.... I happen to have another article in the works, but I doubt if I'll be able to finish it before safety day. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words. So you can look at a draft version. This really bugs me, why would you even consider this??? The only reason I can guess about is that you wanted to see the ground moving as you would when winds are less than your canopy's airspeed. see also Get-Home-itis . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Just out of curiousity: Is that dead guy still jumping? Yes he is, but not very often to my knowledge anyway. Another part of my conversation with him - that day was: Me: 'How does your family - wife or GF or parents feel about your jumping?' Dead Guy: 'I'm married. My wife doesn't worry about it. At least now I can tell her that I had a reserve ride and dealt with it. I landed ok.' Me: 'Well, I think that while your reserve is getting packed up you should take a long, hard look at why you jump and really see if you have what it takes to jump. You almost went in because of $200 worth of equipment. The only thing you did right was turn on your CYPRES.' Several months later, we are sitting next to each other on the ride up to altitude. It was all I could do to keep from saying to him at 12 grand 'Do you have your helmet fastened?' Later that day, he told me that he realized what happened and how he screwed up. He did refresher training on EPs. I *think* he's ok, but no one will know for sure until he is faced with a 'save myself' situation. BTW, He recovered his helmet. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Go read this post You have something like 70-80 jumps in a time span of over two years. You should NOT be providing tips for any jumper. Emergency Procedures are 'Cutaway - Pull Reserve' for partial malfunctions. They are 'Pull Reserve' for total malfunctions. There are no EPs that say 'cutaway' [only]. You might think the difference between saying 'Cutaway and Pull reserve' and 'Cutaway' is a minor point. I beg to differ. I have lost friends that cutaway and never pulled a reserve. It is an important point that most any JM can educate you on. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Thread spawned by this one You do not need any experience to know if it is fixable. I am 99.99999% sure that every jumper was told about decision altitudes on their first non-tandem jump. You were told about an altitude to decide to execute emergency procedures. Nowadays, for US students and A license holders, decision altitude is 2500 ft. The B-D license holders have a recommended decision altitude of 1800 feet. (Your mileage may vary.) The SIM used to state execute by altitudes, but that has disappeared (I'll check into that.????) Proactive in the face of uncertainty means your thoughts go like this: 'It's not open.' 'Check altitude.' 'It's not open.' 'Check altitude.' 'It's not open.' 'Check altitude.' 'I am at my decision altitude of xxx feet. Time to execute emergency procedures of Cutaway and pull reserve.' Make sure you replace xxx feet with an altitude that works for you. Mine is 1800 feet. 'Wow - what a pretty blue reserve!' '1000 feet - Decide where I will land. Set up for landing in that wide, open area right under me. I am too low to make it back. Nice conservative downwind, crosswind and base legs. Flare. WooHoo!' Some Examples: 1. One of my partial Malfunctions (first hand account): Pull at ~2300. Man - it's snivelling. Beep - Beep - Beep My Dytter went off. (It was one of the original Dytters that only went off at one altitude. It was set for 1800 feet.) Check altimeter. Damn I am at 1500 feet. Cutaway and pull reserve. My pink Raven was open by 1300 feet. Right over the top. Land ok. This illustrates course correction. I lost altitude awareness. I was surprised by the beeper going off. I resumed the proper course of executing emergency procedures. I still have my beeper set for 1800 feet. But I changed what I do under 'questionable' openings. I look at the ground more often and longer than looking at the parachute. FMI see Altitude Awareness and Wake Up Call [This happened after I wrote Wake Up Call.] 2. New Guy VERY Low Pull: (I knew the jumper and talked to him immediately afterwards.): Everyone was looking at this guy waaaay low. (It was at Perris, late 80s. He was over the area where the planes refuel on the north side of the apron.) He was low enough to see the light between his fingers. He finally pulls. The DC-3, 6MA, was parked. From my vantage point on the sidewalk about halfway between the manifest building and the tree, his body disappeared behind the nose of the DC-3 as his parachute got line stretch and primary inflation. He landed before secondary inflation (round reserve). This illustrates all 6 attributes. The jumper told me that he pulled his reserve when he looked at the ground and saw how big it was. Turned out the guy did not officially graduate from student status. (He lied on the waiver) He did not know the try 3x only for the main pull. He lived because of his actions. 3. 100% CYPRES Save Guy (I witnessed this and met the guy after this and talked to him extensively [2003]): Jumper is screaming towards the Earth below 1000 feet. We see a main, then it was apparently cutaway, then reserve. The jumper takes 10 seconds to turn into the wind. Lands ok. Turned out the jumper's helmet was not clasped. He used his right hand to hold it on. When he noticed others pulling he thought he should be doing that too, so he lets go of the helmet and it flys off. His prescription goggles were then about to fly off. He sees the ground - pulls his cutaway, pulls his main. (Yes in that order and no reserve pull.) His CYPRES fired. He didn't understand at the time why his main was not over his head. 'That looks like my reserve, but I did not pull the reserve. How did it get there?' These jumpers used to go in. This is one way you get a story from a dead guy. This illustrates the lack of the 6 attributes. The 'test' question to see if you 'get' this is: When do line twists become a malfunction where you would have to execute emergency procedures of cutaway and pull reserve? Assume that the canopy is completely open and not diving. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Who Lives and Who Dies???? This is a tiny brain-dump from my mind - only meant to make you think. It is a combination of fact (that I can verify-if you really want me to), intuition and conclusions (or speculation). It is a work in progress. I will not debate my POV, but will accept evaluations about it. I have known well over 100 people that have lost their life on a jump. Many others I have read about. I often wondered what the difference was 'Who Lives and Who Dies?' Then there are the friends, several hundred now, that have injured themselves so badly that they often regret ever jumping. I have met jumpers that everyone said that guy was going to go in. Sure enough, he did. The sad part was that sometimes they took someone with them. I have met jumpers that did everything right, asked all the right questions, never did anything reckless, and then they went in doing something that was completely unexpected. All we could say or do was that it was such unexpected behavior and scratch our heads with bewilderment. I have met jumpers that did everything right on their last jump and still died. Is there a way to determine 'Who Lives and Who Dies?' In an absolute sense, no there is no way to absolutely, positively know 'Who Lives and Who Dies?' On another more intrinsic, emotional or sixth sense level, there are certain factors that tell us 'Who Lives and Who Dies?' These are factors that I think are relevant: - independence of thought - independence in action - proactive in the face of uncertainty - self-confidence - humility - course correction I will exclude the jumpers that did everything right from the rest of this discussion - mainly because they had all of these attributes. Their gear or someone else ate them up. Independence of thought This is a jumper's ability to go beyond the rote information he is taught and apply it to new situations. A common lesson - even for students - is to apply a landing pattern to a field that is 'off-target'. A common lesson for experienced jumpers is to apply a modified pattern into a tight landing area with high winds. IOW, you take the generalized version of the knowledge you know and apply it to a new, perhaps completely unforeseen, situation. Independence in action This is a jumper's ability to execute his independent thoughts. It happens when you say to yourself 'Well - no one ever showed or told me EXACTLY how to do xyz like this, but I think I can do it this way and I'm going for it'. It is kind of like doing a sashay to avoid a collision, 20 ft off the deck, when no one ever told you that could be used for that purpose. Proactive in the face of uncertainty This is a jumper's ability to DO SOMETHING to save his life. All too often, my friends went in dicking around with something that could not be fixed in real time with the belief that they knew what the problem was and could fix it in real time. I think that if we have an attitude that 'I don't care what the problem is, I'm outta here' cutaway and pull reserve, we would see fewer fatalities. Bottom Line is that you do not have to come down from any jump, malfunction or not, with 100% accurate description of everything that happened. Some stuff you just do not know. Deal with it! Self-confidence Jumpers' usually have a lot of self-confidence. There are times when this is not true. Some jumpers get self-doubts if they have the same malfunction again. This has bounced more than one person. You have to believe in yourself and your abilities to react properly. If not, stop jumping. Humility This is a jumper's ability to say 'Yo - main - you ain't working. I'm cutting away and pulling my reserve.' You do not have to know which line was over what line or what brake stow did whatever - you have to be able to -say 'You ain't working. It's not my ego on the line. I'm going for the reserve.' I have heard way too many stories and read too many fatalities about people that let their pride kill them while they tried to 'fix' something. Course correction This is a jumper's ability to steer back to the right path. We all screw up. We all make bone-head decisions. We all have the ability to get back on track. … I think you need all six attributes, in sufficient quantities, to Live! If you lack in any of the attributes or only have 4 of 6, then you just might die. It's only a theory. .. I'm not done - but this is the first installment - flame away . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Yeah, yeah yeah - tell me about it. I finally met Cary Quattrochi (Ive been told it is pronounced 'Cock-roachi') at the BOD meeting. When he saw SkyRide on the main agenda and unethical advertising practices on the GM Comm agenda, he took notice and wanted to address the BOD. Most of the BOD did not believe what he said. Some were peeved about the way he portrays his virtual network of DZs. Even the President of NAA expressed displeasure at what he was doing. Anyway, all USPA is going to do is send him a letter requesting that he stop his deceptive advertising. This has been done before with no results. By far, the fastest way to shut down SkyRide is to get all DZOs to refuse to accept their certificates. This can be done by educating dzos about their tactics. FMI: SkyRide on this page is a link to another page that has domains that are owned by Ben & Cary or one of their companies. There is a gathering quorum of people that have the same problem you do. Compare: http://PhiladelphiaSkydiving.net http://PhiladelphiaSkydiving.com http://sandiegoskydiving.com/ http://skydivesandiego.com/ . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

What about putting these words on T-Shirts? been there - done that. paraphrased it came out as: Blue Skies - Black Death COD - Impact [pre-cypres days anyway] Don't be a Dick [ there was more to this tshirt] somethin' like "See Dick hook, See Dick crash, Don't be a Dick" Somehow 'jump, and accept the responsibility' or 'real skydivers don't sue' on a tshirt would not stir the emotional response 'COD - Impact' does. People problem and solution - but no one will believe me. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Try the sites and contacts listed at Parachute Pages -> Manufacturers -> Textiles There have been a few, very short descriptions of mfg processes in some AIAA articles from the Aerodynamic Decelerator Conferences over the years. For the most part, the mfg do NOT give specific details on how they mfg the textiles. They do not want to give away trade secrets. Sort of related -- when Kevlar first came on the scene: Kevlar fabric is used in many space and military recovery systems.The mfg of kevlar fabric was very expensive. It was because when a kevlar thread got hung up, the machine would break before the kevlar thread. For most other materials, the thread would break first. . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I think the reserve might NOT have opened properly if it was activated by a ripcord pull. See my cheesy graphic. The trapped suspension line would see tension before any other of the lines. If the suspension line did not break, it would tend to slide off the end of the cutter. As it moves, it could trap the closing loop against the cutter. Perhaps, preventing the closing loop from sliding out of the cutter opening. At this point, there may also be twists imparted to the suspension line that would make it even harder for the closing loop to slide out. Twisting motion could also make the free end of the closing loop get twisted into the suspension line twist. One could only hope that the channel for the cutter would rip off and help relieve pressure of the suspension line against the cutter. . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker