11 minute reserve packing

[erdnarob 1]

Hey guys

I was at the 2011 PIA symposium at Reno Nevada about a month ago and I have seen something quite unusual, a reserve rodeo contest.
This was the most spectacular event of the symposium. The reserve rodeo is a contest where the competitors, two by two, had to pack a similar reserve from a complete deployed canopy to the last flap pin closure and doing it as fast as possible. The event was held from 8th final to final held at 5 PM every day in the Reno exhibition hall. I have only seen the final contest between Margaret Vermeulen and Mike Gruwell. Mike was barely first after 10 minutes but when using a rod thru the pilot chute to catch the pull cord, he missed it twice. Margaret using only her arm to thread the pull cord thru the pilot chute top grommet had no problem at all. Margaret Vermeulen won the rodeo with an incredible time of 11 minutes and 32 seconds. Unbelievable. Thanks to Sandy Reid from Rigging Innovations to have provided the necessary equipment for this rodeo.

BTW, at the Thursday night banquet, I had the chance to speak and shake hands with colonel Kittinger who has, in the 60's, made the highest altitude jump at about 122 000 ft. His record is still unbeaten. Colonel Kittinger was the honor guest at the symposium banquet.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[FB1609 0]

Honestly ...has to be one of the the dumbest things I've ever heard. Why rush through something that is life or death? Did they actually put seals on them? I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

Cool to meet Kittinger though.

[Arvoitus 1]

Here is a video of that event, for those that weren't there : http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=4051447;page=2;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;#4062284

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[NWFlyer 2]

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Honestly ...has to be one of the the dumbest things I've ever heard. Why rush through something that is life or death? Did they actually put seals on them? I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

It was all in good fun for the entertainment of the folks who were there. AFAIK not a single rigger who participated in the event signed or sealed any of them.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[wildcard451 0]

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Honestly ...has to be one of the the dumbest things I've ever heard. Why rush through something that is life or death? Did they actually put seals on them? I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

Cool to meet Kittinger though.

Remove stick from ass. Then, proceed to enjoy life more.

[piisfish 140]

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Honestly ...has to be one of the the dumbest things I've ever heard. Why rush through something that is life or death? Did they actually put seals on them? I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

honestly, I would have NO PROBLEM jumping these reserves. NO the packs were not sealed, and are not packed with an intention to jump.
I think it's pretty cool to watch different techniques, see with how few tools packjobs can be done, see the differences between brute force and finesse.
The goal is not to "learn how to pack fast" or "rush the job". It's just a simple fun race.
Did you notice they didn't use the manual ?? And also the stopwatch stopped after the pin was inserted, and not after they count their tools (and fingers and teeth) or after they fill-in all the paperwork
Riggers can sometimes have fun on the job too.

To me this rigger rodeo was like watching some rigger porn (no disrespect)

The only thing I regret about the video is the way it was filmed. Too "wahooo skydive" style, not enough "documentary style"

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[diablopilot 2]

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Honestly ...has to be one of the the dumbest things I've ever heard. Why rush through something that is life or death?

For fun. Remember what that is?

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Did they actually put seals on them? I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

No and yes.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[DSE 5]

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Honestly ...has to be one of the the dumbest things I've ever heard. Why rush through something that is life or death? Did they actually put seals on them? I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

Cool to meet Kittinger though.

I'd have jjmped Margaret's rig without hesitation (she's packed two of my life-saving reserves). I'd have jumped Mikes, had he finished.
It was _fun_. That was the point of the exercise. Speed, but the rig also had to be jumpable. Several judges were inspiecting the packjobs to be sure they were proper.
Chill.

[NovaTTT 2]

No rigger is going to tell you the reserve is going to work, we'll tell you it will probably work.

I'd be comfortable jumping Margaret's packjob. It would probably work.

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[NWFlyer 2]

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And also the stopwatch stopped after the pin was inserted, and not after they count their tools (and fingers and teeth) or after they fill-in all the paperwork
Riggers can sometimes have fun on the job too.

However, the results weren't official until all the tools were counted.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[billvon 3,063]

>I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

Watching the video - I would. Neatness is often overrated.

[gowlerk 2,246]

Neatness is often overrated

I largely agree with that. As long as the lines are straight and stowed properly the main reason for neatness is to control the volume in that tiny bag!

gowlerk

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[theonlyski 8]

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>I hope not but if so, would you feel comfortable jumping one?

Watching the video - I would. Neatness is often overrated.

I would also. Hell, the Racer DVD says that as long as the lines are straight, and the slider is up, it'll open.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[billvon 3,063]

>I largely agree with that. As long as the lines are straight and stowed
>properly the main reason for neatness is to control the volume in that tiny bag!

There's a phenomenon I saw at Bridge Days pretty regularly. The night before, you'd see people packing their rigs in the lobby of the hotel, taking an hour to do it, being really careful etc. Then they'd make their first jump and find a place to pack. That one wouldn't be as neat. By the end of the day you'd have people packing in five minutes on whatever surface they could find, and the openings would result in clouds of leaves, twigs and sand.

In many ways BASE pack jobs are a lot more critical than reserve pack jobs; even a guaranteed mal on a reserve isn't certain to hurt anyone. I've only used six of perhaps a hundred-odd reserve pack jobs in my skydiving rig, but a BASE canopy is guaranteed to be used on every jump. And still, the difference between the hour long pack jobs and the five minute ones was pretty minor.