jimjumper

Not too bad but a lot of drop zones (including some very large ones) don’t teach the cutaway method you mention so it might be a bit too specific.
A lot of drop zones use a 2-hands on each handle cutaway sequence for a number of reasons. This type of cutaway utilizes the sequence of “Arch, Look red (identify cutaway handle), grab red, look silver (identify reserve ripcord), pull red, grab silver, pull silver”. The cutaway handle is thrown away prior to pulling the reserve ripcord.
This sequence has a number of advantages over the one-hand on each handle technique.
It allows the jumper more pull force for a hard cutaway and also allows the second hand to sweep the cables clear of the housings to ensure both risers release. It also frees your hands in the event that the canopy is not completely released. Think about clearing a stuck riser cover or a line entanglement after you have cutaway and you have already started to pull the reserve ripcord. You need to ensure you have completely released the canopy before pulling the reserve. With a one-hand on each handle sequence muscle memory will sometimes cause a reserve pull.
Also, as seen by a number of Instructors over the years, in the stress of a cutaway, a number of students have managed to pull the handles in the wrong order. A 2-hand cutaway makes this much more unlikely and if a MARD or RSL is used the reserve is usually open as fast as a manual pull.
Lastly, no matter which sequence you currently use don’t change it unless there is a very specific reason for doing so. You will lose the long term muscle memory you have worked so hard to get and could cause confusion in a high stress situation. Jumpers discovered back when we transitioned from regular use of modified military equipment to modern sport gear that muscle memory could sometimes cause problems if the jumper was not specifically trained in the techniques the different equipment required.
Be careful out there gang! A cutaway should not just be a mindless pull of 2 handles. It should be a combination of thought with the urgency of trained muscle memory.

Some of us older jumpers still use bungee pilot chutes which would eliminate 2 of 4 problems mentioned that can cause a PC in tow. They are non-packing sensitive and when the bungee wears out or breaks the PC just becomes a non-collapsible PC and still will operate just fine. Some times newer is not necessarily better.

An excellent article! The only thing I would change is the "hold on to the handles" advice. A lot DZ's teach a 2 hands on the cutaway type procedure and unless there is a very specific reason to change, the muscle memory of practice cutaways is more important than trying to save a relatively cheap cutaway handle. We found out in the "old days" that even changing something as simple as a main deployment handle location required extensive retraining.