sgt_ludy 0 #1 May 14, 2006 on my 4th jump yesterday, during a camera freefly jump, at 6500ft my helmet decided to say goodbye and went off.. with it my camera, my pro-track and my optima. never saw them again, and probably never will, man i´m really pissed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 4 #2 May 14, 2006 What type of helmet?My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 9 #3 May 14, 2006 QuoteWhat type of helmet? ... it would probably be one of those helmets with a crappy latch on the chin-strap... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueSBDeath 2 #4 May 14, 2006 Sorry for your loss, I lost a helmet in Hawaii, yes we were over the ocean. About a month later someone brought it back to the DZ, it was beat up, missing the Dytter, and had lots of sand in it, but it came back Have faith!!! ArvelBSBD...........Its all about Respect, USPA#-7062, FB-2197, Outlaw 499 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dzjohn 0 #5 May 14, 2006 I know of some one that lost a helmet on exit caught it on the door, Video cam was stuffed but was a good spot and the helmet was found about 20meters away from were we landed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyhy 0 #6 May 14, 2006 Know how you feel, happened to me before on a mal. Have you tried to find the helmet? If you have an idea of where you were when it happened grab a few mates on go out on a little search mission could be worth it.. I was able to carefully break the tape out of my camera which recorded all the way to the ground, great footage :) Also it's a good idea to keep the camera for spare parts if your new camera will be the same model! You dytter will still work if it was in a hard shell dytter pocket.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meltdown 0 #7 May 14, 2006 I lost a helmet once. Like a dumbass I forgot to fasten it and it flew right off on exit. I was so pissed. Luckily, a friendly farmer turned it in the next day! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgt_ludy 0 #8 May 15, 2006 the chin strap was closed, somehow the wind just got hold of it and pulled it right of my head. i couldn´t believe it! too bad no one on the ground saw it fall down, because on the same jump someone had a reserve, so everyone was watching it. when i looked down i saw that i was over a huge forrest, so finding the helmet is gonna be pure luck, but who knows... i did not have time to search, because i had to work this evening... hopefully there´s gonna be some bad weather on one of the next weekends so i can go for a SAR... i bought the helmet on ebay, didn´t know the manufacturer, i think it was something like Sidewinder or so... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joellercoaster 6 #9 May 15, 2006 Much sympathy - I did the same thing a couple of weeks ago. That was the second jump with the new Optima... not happy at all. My new helmet is so shaped to my head I don't think it could come off... but let's face it, I'm never going to forget my chinstrap again. Right? -- "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? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingbunky 3 #10 May 15, 2006 similar story, happier ending. i went up to do a hop'n'pop after we threw some students out at 3500. first student gets dispatched, i stick my head out to wath the deployment, and my helmet leaves. forgot to buck the chin strap after i took it off at 1500 feet, then decided i might as well wear it since there was no place to put it down. after i landed and packed, i went searching around in the area of the spot, but no luck. went back and looked at our aerial photo with the dzo and he suggested that i look a little further than i had gone, and on the other side of the runway. off i go, and there, glinting in the sun, is my helmet. abotu 20 feet off the runway in the short grass. not a scratch on it. of course, it was only a protec i had just bought for my bike and was trying out for jumping. didn't even have my ditter installed in it. had it been a $400 camera helmet with a new video camera attached it would have shattered, been stuck in a tree and eaten by bears. "Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart." MB4252 TDS699 killing threads since 2001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danger 0 #11 May 15, 2006 Helmets don't just fly off if they catch wind. Sounds like it wasn't fastened correctly. What make/model of helmet was it? Danger Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrazyL 0 #12 May 16, 2006 Ya SAR, go for it. The more buddies you can entice to help you the better. It's out there! As a longtime jumper there are things that I practice on each and every jump. Pulling is of course one of them. In hopes of preventing incidental removal of gear while skydiving I made a choice in what happens when i put gear on 'no matter what'. Here's a few of my 'no matter what' scenarios. 1. The Harness: Put the harness on completely before getting on the aircraft. Regardless of distractions watch the harness while putting the rig on, legstraps are easy to get right. The chest strap on the other hand is easy to get wrong. Watch the webbing being threaded through the chest strap properly EVERYTIME. ( Do not watch anything else during these moments).Do not walk around with the cheststrap undone(bad habit if you do). 2. Goggles around my neck all day except when being used. 3.Alti on my wrist all day. Goggles and alti will always be there if i'm wearing them. 4. The Helmet : Good habit is to fasten the helmet to my head everytime i put it on, no matter what, while at home ,dz,on aircraft, walking to aircraft, showing it off, fitting it to my head etc....Bad Habit is to put the helmet on and not fasten it except just prior to sporting activity. Sorry to hear of your loss. Keep your chin up! Check out the Bonehead Illusion. Larry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 4 #13 May 16, 2006 QuoteGood habit is to fasten the helmet to my head everytime i put it on, no matter what, while at home ,dz,on aircraft, walking to aircraft, showing it off, fitting it to my head etc....Bad Habit is to put the helmet on and not fasten it except just prior to sporting activity. Simple thing, but some of the best advice I have see here in quite awhile.My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrazyL 0 #14 May 17, 2006 Thanks for the compliment. Simple yet effective. Glad that my last post was taken as advice. Really i just felt the need to share with all yall a little bit about how Crazy Larry does it. Someone long ago said 'keep it simple' I listened. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gemini 0 #15 May 17, 2006 We've had people lose helmets quite a few times. A Dequello team member was sitting on the floor by the door and zip .... out went his helmet when he set in on his lap. Another jumper lost her helmet in freefall. When she got down, she bout another Z-1. A short time later she lost it in freefall too, but thought she saw where it fell. Went to the field and while walking around couldn't find the second helmet, but found the first one! Go figure... Blue skies, Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popeyefireman 0 #16 May 17, 2006 About your dytters, I would suggest contacting L&B and telling them whats up. They have great customer service and I have heard that they will replace you dytters. I am not sure what qual. you for the replacment though "I Yam what I Yam" I am not afriad to die, only to die without living. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dorbie 0 #17 May 17, 2006 QuoteHelmets don't just fly off if they catch wind. Sounds like it wasn't fastened correctly. Shit happens, if only I'd been there LOL. This guys strap was tight and was a bitch to get back on, sometimes shit happens. It's a chin not a hook. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1629807;search_string=chin%20strap;#1629807 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lauras 0 #18 May 17, 2006 QuoteAbout your dytters, I would suggest contacting L&B and telling them whats up. They have great customer service and I have heard that they will replace you dytters. I am not sure what qual. you for the replacment though I doubt that he'd catch a break from L&B... after all, it wasnt' their equipment that failed, broke or damaged the helmet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popeyefireman 0 #19 May 17, 2006 ya I know, but I have heard of them being real cool about stuff like that. I just dont know for curtain "I Yam what I Yam" I am not afriad to die, only to die without living. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pbla4024 0 #20 May 17, 2006 I lost Pro Dytter two weeks ago and they sent me new for 100 EUR (shipping included). It is about 20% discount. Fido Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LyraM45 0 #21 May 20, 2006 I lost a bonehead over sebastian. I kinda knew the strap wasn't as tight as I usually had it, but the helmet fit so snug and we were first out the door as I was getting ready I figured it would be OK for just one more. At about 5 grand it slipped off, but I happened to catch it over my head as it came flying off. I didn't know what to do, so I tracked over a golfcourse and let it go figuring I could find it there, but it never turned up and we never found it afterwards when we went looking. It's a good lesson though....I'm a freak about checking my helmet now before I get out the door.Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasonRose 0 #22 May 20, 2006 I had something simmilar to this happen to me a while back although I didn't have a camera attached. On deployment of my main my bonehead helmet and it's cheap ass seat belt type strap came off my head. I sat and watch my helmet fall from 3500 feet to the ground. I was able to find it after the jump and I was lucky that a tree broke it's fall so I got everything back.Sorry about your luck, you never liked that helmet anyways.. Some day I will have the best staff in the world!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sgt_ludy 0 #23 May 21, 2006 QuoteSorry about your luck, you never liked that helmet anyways.. know what? you´re right! ...but the cam wasn´t too bad, neither was the pro-track nor the optima... damn... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigSky 2 #24 May 23, 2006 I was doing a six way this weekend and as I was docking on a dudes, legs he lifted up his foot and kicked my chinstrap up to my nose and you know what the first thing to come to mind was.........This thread! Probably the last thing I should have been thinking about but it came to mind about you guys losing your helmets. I just reached up with my left hand and used my right hand grip on his leg to keep stable wile I pulled it back down and all was fine. It did cause the formation to whip around abit when I did this (sorry guys) but I damn sure dident want to lose my Protrack, or the helmut. On a four way jump later in the day I got kicked in the nose very hard and I realized why the Mindwarp is a freefly helmut and not an RW one. Damn it!! one more thing Im going to have to buy“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, th Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenneth21441 0 #25 May 23, 2006 I am sorry for the loss. I am sure this is a minder to us all to also make sure that we have our names and contact number so if someone does find it that they could reach us. I of course have a modifed helmet with a recoverey chute to take my down alot slower. But of course I had to make and test it myself. Never had to actualy use it but in test drops the parachute deployed and brought the helmet down safe with no damages except a few marks on the side. For those who may ask its a sixty inch parachute packed away inside the top of my helmet with the apex secured with some cotton thread. that when it comes off the thread acts liek a static line and brings the canopy out of the helmet the risers are just ties near the top out of the way......... Not bad but hope that it pays for itself one day.. Just my two pesos here,,,,, thansk Ken.Kenneth Potter FAA Senior Parachute Rigger Tactical Delivery Instructor (Jeddah, KSA) FFL Gunsmith Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
