Hard opening nightmare - help

[rchamseddine 0]

Hi SD's,

I'm very new to this sport, did my 6th AFF jump two weeks ago (repeating 5th). My bad luck we were in hurry to catch the plane in 20 min so the packing was a bit quick than normal.
During deployment I felt like been hit by truck, just performed the quick check for canopy followed by pause as I could not breath for 15 sec, my goggles dropped to nick. My worry that I will loose consciousness during landing.
The pain in the chest was so bad that I could not lay down that day anymore.
Next morning I performed x-ray and doctor mention muscle ruptured between 3rd and 4th rib. So prescription are pain killers and relax for a week. No more jumps as long as the pain not totally disappeared.
Fortunately, the action was caught by instructor camera. I played that many times and my conclusion (from reading around) that slider was not in stop position.

I need your opinion from the video I placed in youtube (HD) so I can monitor the packing as this incident is the only nightmare in SD for me now.

http://youtu.be/1uWw291jprA

Your inputs will be really appreciated.

[wasatchrider 0]

what is a slider in stop position?

BASE 1519

[rchamseddine 0]

Honestly I've no clue. May be they mean all the way up?

[peek 21]

rchamseddine

I played that many times and my conclusion (from reading around) that slider was not in stop position.

I think you meant to say "the slider was not up against the stops", however, from what I see, that may not be the case.

What kind of canopy is it? (Manufacturer and model?)

[Hellis 0]

Agree, it seems as if the slider is in it's position.
Or it got "pushed up" to it's position.

But what is clear is that the canopy did not inflate and then spread.
The cells has very little pressure as the slider comes down, you can see that especially on the center cell as it deforms during end of the opening.
Why it happened. No clue.
Sometimes they just "happen" I guess, but usually less dramatic than that.

[Arvoitus 1]

The only way to get over it is to jump more.

After I had my hard opening (rib fracture and muscle issues) it took me somewhere around 40-50 jumps until I could relax around opening time. My body just kept waiting for the massive pain spike even though it only happened once.

Your rights end where my feelings begin.

[rchamseddine 0]

Thanks all for these encouraging tips, as a conclusion I'm sure then the issue:
1) I was not prepared for this as it was not covered during theory, we focused on what might go wrong during or after deployment and how to mitigate that. Its always good to have first time experience in order to be ready next time.

2) Weight, this would be good motivation to loose couple of 10s of pounds

3) Lack of sleep, if I remember correctly everything went wrong during the two jumps that morning from forgetting to mixing up the tasks. The 50sec FF felt like only 5sec.

I hope this would help fresh SD's like me.

[peek 21]

rchamseddine

... as a conclusion I'm sure then the issue:...

I don't think you can conclude anything. Once again, what kind of canopy is it? (Manufacturer and model?) Do you know? Parachutes are not supposed to open that hard. There is nothing you should need to learn to "prepare for".

[RMURRAY 1]

excess speed will cause hard openings. maybe the instructor can tell.

[chuckakers 425]

That was indeed a snappy opening and yes a sloppy packjob can cause hard openings.

I would see if your instructor had a fallrate device. Higher freefall speeds can definitely be the cause of hard openings so I would also work on trimming down a bit. Doing so will also help you be a better skydiver. You will have more range of fall rate and will have better maneuverability when jumping with people who naturally fall slower than you.

Packjob and fallrate aside, understand this. Any canopy can hammer any jumper on any jump. Even fatality.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX

[riggerrob 643]

Keeping your hands wide will help with stability during opening shock (e.g. reduce line twists).
Yes, losing a few pounds will also help reduce opening shock.
Yes, that was a quicker opening than normal.

In comparison, after my last hard opening (tandem reserve) I needed ten days and a massive massage therapist to straighten out my neck.

[AlanS 1]

I've only got an A-license so will defer to the more experienced here.

But do I see a line twist on opening? Could a line twist prevent the slider from coming down and as a result change how the chute opens (i.e. either quicker or slower)?

[rchamseddine 0]

Canopy Aerodyne Solo 250.

Well I mean by prepared that you expect something like that could happen which is better than caught by surprised. Take things into account like suggestions above and may be harden a bit after throughing PC.
I never thought of reading or watching videos of 'hard opening' bcs it was unknown.

I'm glad to hear that things seems to be normal at least during packing. Get more jumps and experiance is the key factor here

[peek 21]

rchamseddine

Canopy Aerodyne Solo 250.

A search resulted in this, which might be helpful:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4531247#4531247

[stayhigh 2]

Sometimes hard openings just happens randomly.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[riggerrob 643]

AlanS

I've only got an A-license so will defer to the more experienced here.

But do I see a line twist on opening? Could a line twist prevent the slider from coming down and as a result change how the chute opens (i.e. either quicker or slower)?

..................................................................................

Massive line twists (more than 6) might prevent the slider form coming all the way down, but you would still have a large enough canopy overhead to survive the landing.

OTOH The original poster only have minor line twists (less than 360 degrees). Some people call that an "off-heading opening."

[JohnSherman 1]

It appears that the opening peak had already occurred before the video begins.
Opening shock is divided into 2 modes. Snatch and inflation. What we see on the video is inflation not the snatch. The stress in the jumpers body as he is pulled up and out of the frame suggests that he has endured a strong snatch force. This interpretation is not consistent with the movement of the goggles, described by the jumper, but that is not uncommon.

I would speculate that he had a line dump.

[pchapman 279]

peek

***Canopy Aerodyne Solo 250.

A search resulted in this, which might be helpful:
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4531247#4531247

Oh, that was my thread from a year back. Not much has changed -- Here's a pic of another student's Solo opening this year. Sucked to be him. Lots of canopy out while only slightly above his instructors, plus twists and a broken line.

[peek 21]

pchapman

******Canopy Aerodyne Solo 250.

A search resulted in this, which might be helpful:
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4531247#4531247

Oh, that was my thread from a year back. Not much has changed -- Here's a pic of another student's Solo opening this year. Sucked to be him. Lots of canopy out while only slightly above his instructors, plus twists and a broken line.

Yes, my point was that it may just be one of those canopy designs that open hard (or inconsistently), like the original Sabre.

In both the video and photo you can see the Solo with some cells that are inflated to a great extent early on. With canopies that open "well", this major inflation of the cells does not happen until later. Some really nice opening canopies spread mainly on their bottom skin only, then have cell inflation.

[Keithor 0]

Peter you wrote that not too long after my opening.

To thestarter of this thread, I could also stand to lose a few pounds, but I don't think my 185lb body on a 270 Solo was what did it. I had an opening that caused whiplash and had me doing physio for months. Put me out for 30 days and like someone else said my body tensed like crazy for the next 50 jumps expecting a hard opening. This one opening was a big determining factor on purchasing a storm due to its very soft openings.

pchapman

******Canopy Aerodyne Solo 250.

A search resulted in this, which might be helpful:
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4531247#4531247

Oh, that was my thread from a year back. Not much has changed -- Here's a pic of another
student's Solo opening this year. Sucked to be him. Lots of canopy out while only slightly above his instructors, plus twists and a broken line.

[RMURRAY 1]

most have but if you have not watch the PD vid by John LeBlanc about factors affecting speed of opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVAoiLl2B6M

[Krip 2]

Learn how to pack.
I agree with Mr shermans theory about the possibility of line dump, causing the hard opening. Its another type of packing error.

Practicing packing may also help you lose weight.

Good luck.

One Jump Wonder

[Pablo.Moreno 0]

For what I can deduced, I think the slider was in the right position, but the end cells where exposed letting the canopy get air in, before the slider coming down making the inflation of the canopy a lot more abrupt since it is half way inflated already, instead of the progressive inflation while the slider is coming down on a normal opening.

Next time tell the packer to center and pull the nose down.

Sometimes with students, until they have become a little more experience we let them get "quick"(Mantas packed for HnP) openings, so they don't panic during opening and start taking action when is not needed, once they have a few skydives and start going to terminal we teach to roll the nose and shit to slow down the openings.

[sundevil777 102]

What do you mean by, "center and pull the nose down"?

I've not heard that before.

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

[Pablo.Moreno 0]

sundevil777

What do you mean by, "center and pull the nose down"?

I've not heard that before.

What I have done on every pack job (not a reserve obviously ) Including Tandems, student, my JVX and when I was jumping a velocity...(So far, only one reserve ride on my JVX because I over compensate on rears on opening) was:

Hold the nose with the right hand
Then as I am applying pressure downwards ( I have the lines on my left hand) I center (hide the nose) In the middle of the pack job (Tightly and with no much extra movement so I don't fk up the pack job itself).

Then finish quartering the slider.

This seems to help the slider to do its job properly as the canopy stream for air (with out inflating) until is slow enough for the slider to come down and then parachute open nice and soft as it inflates

It works awesome, again for tandems and JVX