airann 1 #1 April 21, 2002 After you cut away..... What were you taught to do???I was taught to or ...it was implied that I should ...Follow my main. I have always thought that is what you are suposed to do. Follow your main down, land by it and get your stuff.I hear about cutaways all the time whereby people do not recover their main. What is up with that?I understand if it is in trees and swamps or something.....But it was real easy to land by my main and get the freebag and hop in the van. Instead of landing at the dz going to get my main, then coming back to dz....Just a thought that has been buggin me........Maybe its me... I land better off airport than I do on airport.... But that might be my non conformist attitude.... I dont want to land where I am suposed to. I want to land where- I want to land. Besides.... peas??? I thought they said soy beans ... I can hit a soy bean field real easy.Ann ~ www.AirAnn.comAnyone want a Kitten? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbarnhouse 0 #2 April 21, 2002 There are many reasons that folks may not land with their main. One may be lack of experience.I had my first cutaway on a coach jump. Another jumper caught the free bag, but the main is still 30 feet up in a tree.(Course it is similar to a fish story, keeps getting higher in that tree)Sometimes...there are cranky people that won't allow you on thier property. Sometimes an old main isnt worth the effort.It only takes a little pixie dust...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #3 April 21, 2002 Some times the Anti-Aircraft Artillery opens up on yah and you have to take evasive action. Oh wait, that was a dream I had.....nevermind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #4 April 21, 2002 I thought you were to follow the freebag since it would be harder to find (smaller) in most cases. Then, if you could watch your main land, you could go back for it after landing.That is just what I have heard around here, we'll see what happens when the time comes. JumpinDuo.com...come and sign the guestbook. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airann 1 #5 April 21, 2002 I guess my thinking is for here in Texas? Around most of the drop zones that I can think of, Houston's 2, San Marcus, and Dallas all have loads of area around them to land and get your main. Maybe that is why - I must have listened to Texas skydivers. But I do remember - " Always try to land with your Main"Ann ~ www.AirAnn.comAnyone want a Kitten? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #6 April 21, 2002 Funny story.....Summer Fest last year at Skydive Chicago. I'm jumping on the 40 ways. I see a chop. Follow the free bag. We're over corn. See a narrow strip of grass. Swoop my 107 in there nicely. See my buddy Rainbo land near by doing the same thing. Look up and watch person under reserve fly back to the landing area. I jump into the corn. Ranibo and I search for about 45 minutes looking for that dang thing. Row by Row. (we were about 5 rows short in our search) Never found it. Never saw a main. We decide to hike out finally figuring we are losing our slots on the bigways. On the walk back we curse the jumper who just flew away with no care for their gear or us that had tried to follow it. We cursed him repeatedly cuz it was hot and humid and searching in corn alone sucks. Especially when it's not my gear and the owner isn't helping. 20 minutes later we walked up to the hangar and they are dirt diving the next big way. Jim Wallace yells out "We saved you guys two slots so get packed and you're on!" We're beat, we're pissed. We want to know who the YO YO was that didn't follow his gear. We want to know why no one ran a golf cart out to pick us up on the north end of the airport. Then, our fearless leader, local jumper/organizer Max Meijer (aka Poppa Smurf) calls to us "Did you find my gear?" Rainbo and I are floored. But just like good troopers on a big-way not wanting to lose our slots we said "Oh Max! That was YOUR gear? Can we walk back out there to find it again while you guys go up again without us? Really, we don't mind." All was forgiven cuz it was Max. I don't think he knows how much we cursed him on that walk back. Very funny for Rainbo and me.Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airann 1 #7 April 21, 2002 Man, there must be tons of mains in that damn corn feild then.... Ramon lost his there at Summerfest..... Far out.....Mental note- After summerfest this year grab a bunch of girl scouts with walkie talkies and we work on their Skydiving Ground Crew Merit Badge.... LOLAnn ~ www.AirAnn.comAnyone want a Kitten? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rgoper 0 #8 April 21, 2002 Chris:that is a funny story. but did you return to find the lost gear?Richard"Gravity Is My Friend" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viking 0 #9 April 21, 2002 Where i jump its very rough terrain. I would land at the DZ if possible and then go hiking to find it. I helped a buddy find his main/freebag for a reflex (at the time they didn't make freebags for them) So not trying to find it wasn't an option. Well it landed in a tree. We had to hike back out and go to home depot to buy a small saw. We hiked back in cut that bitch down got his freebag and got back to the DZ intime to finish picking the Foxtails out of our socks. If he had tryed to stay with his main he would have broken something. I say land at the DZ and then get a car and go find your shit. I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Levin 0 #10 April 21, 2002 QuoteFollow my main. I have always thought that is what you are suposed to do. Follow your main down, land by it and get your stuff.I hear about cutaways all the time whereby people do not recover their main. What is up with that?sometimes after a reserve deployment you might not have time to do anything but get ready to land. but in that case your stuff (or at least your freebag) should be close by. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Levin 0 #11 April 21, 2002 QuoteMan, there must be tons of mains in that damn corn feild then.... Ramon lost his there at Summerfest..... mike ortiz told ramon and i that he lost his flyboyz logo canopy there as well but down on the other end of the property Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trmnljnky 0 #12 April 21, 2002 In my case my only cutaway was at night, so I landed at the bright spot. Fortunantly my main and freebag were well trained and they followed me. Found them the next morning about 100 yards from were I landed.Byron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #13 April 22, 2002 Dang, I should have ended the post with: At the end of the day a whole bunch of us went out and found both main and freebag. Like I said, we were about 5 rows to short in our first search. Aparently, Rainbo and I both saw the freebag and went for it and like circled the main the whole time and never saw it. NO, I don't get target fixation. Just never saw it for some reason. We both thought that funny. Everyone saw us circling down to chase stuff and they saw the main but the two of us circling down never realized there was a main. Weird.Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spy38W 0 #14 April 22, 2002 Quote After you cut away..... What were you taught to do??? Hrm, I never was told anything about what to do afterwords. After the first one, I just flew back to the DZ and barely made it back. The DZ manager drove me out in a truck to find it (I couldn't believe how difficult it was to find), and luckily the people at the airport were really nice, and a retired cropduster took a pleasure flight checking the fields from air and pointing it out to us.After the second one, I just headed for the landing area b/c the main/freebag landed 5' from manifest (still in the bag, glad that didn't hit anybody).Since the second one I decided to try hooking, riserdiving, whatever to catch the freebag with my leg (if I had to chop at an appropriate altitude). Something I really hadn't thought about until it happened. Thanks for posting this Ann.--Words I hate: Streamer, Horseshoe, Baglock... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diverdriver 5 #15 April 22, 2002 Umm, if you see the freebag of a Reflex in flight and it has the Catapult still attached you may not want to try and catch it. It has TWICE the drag. I did this once and I told myself I won't try to catch it inflight again. I'll follow it. But I won't grab it again.Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
