Skyhook Video

[Toolface180 0]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rCkM9FX2Sdo

Skyhook working nicely while I was spinning on my back. Worth going through the first 20 secs frame by frame.

[christelsabine 1]

Toolface180

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rCkM9FX2Sdo

Skyhook working nicely while I was spinning on my back. Worth going through the first 20 secs frame by frame.

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[pchapman 279]

And about 12 seconds after reserve deployment to get out of the line twists.

Just noting the point for those who keep saying they used the Skyhook and don't get reserve twists, implying that the Skyhook is, like so super duper fast and cool that you don't get twists.

Well, fine, often one doesn't get twists, but sometimes it does happen.

A few harmless reserve twists may be a lot better than opening hundreds of feet lower with no RSL. But I did want to point out that a Skyhook isn't a magical guarantee of no line twists on the reserve.

[Scrumpot 1]

Love how well you've matched your hair color to your reserve! Now that's talent!!

Oh yeah, and nice save too, BTW.
Thanks for posting!

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[Deyan 36]

Toolface180

Skyhook working nicely while I was spinning on my back. Worth going through the first 20 secs frame by frame.

So where is the freebag ?! That's what I want to know.
Also the distance between the main risers and the top of your reserve is a lot more than 9 ft.
Are you sure that you've had a MARD deployment ?

Cheers

ETA: Never mind, I saw the freebag the frame before. You've had a nice RSL deployment
ETA 2: the second picture.

So tell us again how well the skyhook worked for you

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[JackC1 0]

Nah, that was a skyhook deployment. 3 consecutive frames

pic 1: RSL shackle
pic 2: RSL being pulled
pic 3: skyhook pulling reserve bridle

Blink and you miss it.

[Deyan 36]

JackC1

Nah, that was a skyhook deployment. 3 consecutive frames

pic 1: RSL shackle
pic 2: RSL being pulled
pic 3: skyhook pulling reserve bridle

Blink and you miss it.

I saw all that. Just because the skyhook started the deployment, it doesn't mean that it didn't disconnect half way.

Normal RSL deployment- as fast as the skyhook, but 250 $ cheaper

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[JackC1 0]

Since there are no photos of it disconnecting during deployment, you have no way of knowing that. Guess all you like, means nothing.

[Deyan 36]

JackC1

Since there are no photos of it disconnecting during deployment, you have no way of knowing that. Guess all you like, means nothing.

My second pictures shows exactly the same. An inflated RPC with the bridle stretched under, much closer to the reserve than to the main. Care to explain how that would happen if the skyhook completed the deployment? It's not what I believe, it's what I see.

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[JohnnyMarko 1]

What the hell did the Skyhook ever do to you? ....geeesh

[Deyan 36]

JohnnyMarko

What the hell did the Skyhook ever do to you? ....geeesh

Actually nothing. It's not the skyhook itself that I'm against. It's a safety system like any other. It might work and it might fail. It might save your life or kill you.

What I'm against is all the misinformation that's behind it. For example that it fails only once every 500 times. Or the promo video where they show 100 ft cutaway with a slider down. I know what slider down is, and I'm sure you know as well, but the average 20 jumps wonder has no idea what that means. All they see is:" Oh cool, It makes chopping low much safer" [ a real quote].
Or that it happens so fast, you can't get twists on your reserve.

Have you ever talked to a jumper who was told by the manufacturer that his 250 $ safety system didn't work because might have been misrigged instead of :" Oh well, sometimes it just happens and we still don't know why or how to fix it"?
Or to a jumper who will never jump an RSL, but he will never jump without a skyhook either believing that it will never fail?

I'm all for whatever choice you make, as long as it's based on knowledge and not on wrong or not enough information.

Does that answer your question?

Just look at the OP. He thought that his skyhook worked fine. He even was so happy that he decided to share his experience with us on his post on this forum. And of course there's a slight chance that I'm wrong and his skyhook did work fine and what I see is not what happened.
It's all about educating people and helping them see beyond the marketing. That's all.

P.S. I don't work for any manufacturer and I don't have any financial benefit of people buying or not buying a skyhook.

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[Alexg3265 0]

Of the 6 cutaways I've helped look for that had skyhooks, on every one, the free bag, bridle and rpc were still hanging on by the skyhook. One was sitting right next to the tree that the main was in. The stills do seem to show a separation. When I first watched the video, my initial reaction was huh, that seemed a little slow for a skyhook... So did you find the freebag at all?
Nice save though!

I was that kid jumping out if his tree house with a bed sheet. My dad wouldn't let me use the ladder to try the roof...

[flyhi 24]

You're alive. Good choices. Nicely done.

No problem finding the LZ out there, is it?

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[Toolface180 0]

I got everything back allright but the freebag separated from the main. We thought it was unusual but I didn't realise the skyhook came off before the reserve was fully deployed. At the time all I remember was punching the reserve handle very hard as soon as I felt something give.

Thanks for comments. I thought it was an interesting video as I was on my back for most of the crucial part.

[maggyrider 10]

I got a nice capture from the video where you can actually see the skyhook in action. I seems like the hook itself is in a bit of a strange position and the main could have been disconnected from it while deployment - therefore (IMO) no complete skyhook resevere deployment. See the attached picture for more information.

What I think is more disturbing is the emergency procedure itself. It seems like cutaway and reserve handly are pulled simultaniously (or the concerned skydiver has faster reactions than Lucky Luke) - in the video you can see the reserve handle already in the left hand of the jumper only fractions of a second after the main goes away or more specifically instantly after he moves his head down. I cannot say for sure if this has something to do with the assumed skyhook disconnection (reserve pilot chut beeing faster than the cutaway main) but I think this could be a possible explanation.

Nice words are not always true - and true words are not always nice.

[wicodefly 0]

Thanks for the info, it's helpful.

Can you tell me more about the 100 ft. cut away slider down? I'm not sure what that means and want to learn more.

I'm guessing that would make the reserve deploy faster?

Thanks!

Chance favors the prepared mind.

[skydiverek 63]

wicodefly

Can you tell me more about the 100 ft. cut away slider down? I'm not sure what that means and want to learn more.

I'm guessing that would make the reserve deploy faster?

Thanks!

Watch starting at 11:25 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-WBBLAgE_s

[maggyrider 10]

I think what he was talking about can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-WBBLAgE_s#t=690 (starts at 11:30)

I understand Deyan's point as putting this clip into a "promotional" video suggests much faster (like "allowing a cutaway in 100 ft."-faster) reserve openings when using a skyhook while in this clip the (main) reason for surviving was the slider-down packing. Under real circumstances packing with your slider down would not make any sense because every not completely slow malfunction could kill or at least seriously injure you and therefore you would also not survive a 100 ft. cutaway no matter if with or without skyhook.

Nice words are not always true - and true words are not always nice.

[Deyan 36]

maggyrider

I think what he was talking about can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-WBBLAgE_s#t=690 (starts at 11:30)

I understand Deyan's point as putting this clip into a "promotional" video suggests much faster (like "allowing a cutaway in 100 ft."-faster) reserve openings when using a skyhook while in this clip the (main) reason for surviving was the slider-down packing. Under real circumstances packing with your slider down would not make any sense because every not completely slow malfunction could kill or at least seriously injure you and therefore you would also not survive a 100 ft. cutaway no matter if with or without skyhook.

Exactly my point. You can even hear Bill's comment:" Even with the slider UP, these guys would've made it"
I don't think so!

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[turkeyphant 1]

maggyrider

What I think is more disturbing is the emergency procedure itself. It seems like cutaway and reserve handly are pulled simultaniously (or the concerned skydiver has faster reactions than Lucky Luke) - in the video you can see the reserve handle already in the left hand of the jumper only fractions of a second after the main goes away or more specifically instantly after he moves his head down.

I noticed that too and commented on the video. Doesn't seem wise or a recommended EP.

[sundevil777 102]

Nearly simultaneous punch on the handles is not unusual, I think. An RSL doesn't wait to confirm that both risers have released.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[linebckr83 3]

Was the red skyhook lanyard hand tacked to the bridle like the manual says to do? In maggyrider's screen grab, it sure doesn't look like it is. It is there to prevent the lanyard from slipping off the skyhook during a cutaway. That would explain the skyhook activation followed by a PC deployment.

"Are you coming to the party?
Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!"
Flying Hellfish #828
Dudist #52

[Deyan 36]

linebckr83

Was the red skyhook lanyard hand tacked to the bridle like the manual says to do? In maggyrider's screen grab, it sure doesn't look like it is. It is there to prevent the lanyard from slipping off the skyhook during a cutaway. That would explain the skyhook activation followed by a PC deployment.

The picture shows a skyhook made from blue aluminum which indicates that this is actually a Skyhook 2. Skyhook 2 doesn't require tacking trough the bridle.
Please check Vector 3 manual MAN-004, Rev 1 page 26 for reference.

Cheers

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[sundevil777 102]

Deyan

***Was the red skyhook lanyard hand tacked to the bridle like the manual says to do? In maggyrider's screen grab, it sure doesn't look like it is. It is there to prevent the lanyard from slipping off the skyhook during a cutaway. That would explain the skyhook activation followed by a PC deployment.

The picture shows a skyhook made from blue aluminum which indicates that this is actually a Skyhook 2. Skyhook 2 doesn't require tacking trough the bridle.
Please check Vector 3 manual MAN-004, Rev 1 page 26 for reference.

Cheers

I don't remember the change, I wonder if the change is actually an improvement? Of course it got tested...but...

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[pchapman 279]

All Skyhooks get tacked with seal thread.

Just that early on it went through the bridle, while later it would go through holes in clear plastic plates on either side of the metal hook device, to keep the tacking in the right location.