How often do cut away mains get lost?

[mrluky 0]

I have been doing some research, and it looks like it is possible to create a device that will keep track of your main(where ever it is) in the event of a cut away.

It would consist of a small beacon, and a hand held device. An added benefit is that if your rig gets stolen or lost, you can easily find it.

Some questions that I hope you all can answer.

How much is it worth to you to be able to know where your cut away main is immediately after you land?
Have you ever lost your main after a cut away?
Have you ever had your rig stolen?

How much would you be willing to pay for something that would ensure that you would never lose your main after a cut away, could be used to track your location if you land off and are injured, and can be used to locate lost or stolen gear, and required no maintenance other than replacing/charging a battery?

[shropshire 0]

Only once

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[c10edges 0]

If you do a search and get lucky, there are a couple threads about this type of device. The end of all the threads is that, it is simply not economical.

[surfrgrl1 0]

This type device does exist at at least one dropzone I know of. It's relatively inexpensive to install (approx the price of a new audible), and it helps quite a bit retrieving gear. I know the DZO will ship the tracker to you if they install the device on your main, but it would definitely be more convenient to get your dropzone's buy-in on the tracker (easier sell if you're over woods or a swamp).

When you're paying upwards of $2K for a new main, it's worth every penny.

[wmw999 2,444]

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The end of all the threads is that, it is simply not economical.

So far.
Such a device would have to be able to be manufactured for a low enough price that people would buy it as insurance. By going through the threads, they might be able to determine what that price point is, and see if they can come up with something that hits that price point.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

If memory serves me corrctlly this product was on the market recently and the firm seemed to fade away... presumably due to lack of sales. I can't recall the firm's name right now.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[kunosoura 0]

I'm not going to search to see if this was mentioned in the other threads, but I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest one of those devices that hunters use to track hunting dogs. That would probably work. And apparently it's cheap enough to use on dime-a-dozen hunting dogs and still be economical.

[MarkM 0]

I think it's fairly rare for mains to get lost. Freebags on the other hand...

[airtwardo 7]

Yeah but is it SKYDIVER proof?



We are harder than stuff than most hunting dogs!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[mrluky 0]

I understand that there is some speculation as to whether or not this will be economically feasible, but please, answer the questions that I have asked, as that will help me determine how to proceed.

[councilman24 37]

This business has been started, marketed, available for incorporation into all major rigs, and went out of business. The equipment is available on the open market.

Company name, Paratelemetry.

What range are you talking? Not much help for stolen if range it 2 miles.

I've always know where my cutaway main was.

Nope haven't lost a main.

Part of the problem was the cost of the receiver. Several hundred dollars. Rig cost was $100 or $200 IIRC. May not.

Me, I'd pay $20.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[airtwardo 7]

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This business has been started, marketed, available for incorporation into all major rigs, and went out of business. The equipment is available on the open market.

Company name, Paratelemetry.

What range are you talking? Not much help for stolen if range it 2 miles.

I've always know where my cutaway main was.

Nope haven't lost a main.

Part of the problem was the cost of the receiver. Several hundred dollars. Rig cost was $100 or $200 IIRC. May not.

Me, I'd pay $20.

Me...I just follow the main down, that's why I bought a steerable reserve!


I've never lost one either...for that matter never even had to walk far to pick one up, the walk back IN -now that's another story!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[councilman24 37]

My price was based on being able to find a stolen rig anywhere.

And finding that damn main that I saw land in the corn without having to spend 3 hours. But I bet even with George's falcon beacon you could walk by the damn thing in an August corn field.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[airtwardo 7]

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My price was based on being able to find a stolen rig anywhere.

And finding that damn main that I saw land in the corn without having to spend 3 hours. But I bet even with George's falcon beacon you could walk by the damn thing in an August corn field.

Yeah...and August corn is pretty sharp!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Dazzle 0]

Recco reflector from skiing equipment. The reflector is pretty small, a couple of cm across, requires no power etc. Only a couple of £ each. Its just sown onto the equipment. To find requires a detector which is bigger and more expensive (few hundred / early thousands not looked)

The reflector works by passively doubling the frequency of the transmitted signal so easy for it to spot.

It would take a significant installed base for it to be worth DZs getting the equipment

[airtwardo 7]

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Recco reflector from skiing equipment. The reflector is pretty small, a couple of cm across, requires no power etc. Only a couple of £ each. Its just sown onto the equipment. To find requires a detector which is bigger and more expensive (few hundred / early thousands not looked)

The reflector works by passively doubling the frequency of the transmitted signal so easy for it to spot.

It would take a significant installed base for it to be worth DZs getting the equipment

Easier and cheaper to train a bloodhound to track it down, and
when it's slow, the packers would have something to screw and 'or' eat.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[kimemerson 7]

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Me...I just follow the main down, that's why I bought a steerable reserve!

Not a lot of dense forest where you've been skydiving I guess.

[airtwardo 7]

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Me...I just follow the main down, that's why I bought a steerable reserve!

Not a lot of dense forest where you've been skydiving I guess.

Actually I jump a lot of places and I have had a cut away over a fairly dense forest.

I landed in a reasonably open area on a direct line (the wind line) from where the canopy was going down, dropped my gear in the clear and walked straight to the main, which was 250 yards into the woods.

IMO the folks that lose a main are the ones that chop and head for the barn on the reserve...exception being CReW dogs.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[davelepka 4]

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IMO the folks that lose a main are the ones that chop and head for the barn on the reserve..

Chasing a main is fine for a handful of jumpers, but I'd wouldn't reccomend it for most.

If a jumper takes a look straight down after their reserve opens, they can use that info get a good idea of where the main will be.

Most jumpers have little no experience flying their reserve canopies, or any 7 cell canopy for that matter. If they can make it the DZ, that's where they should go. That's where they planned to land, and they should stick to the plan.

If they can't make it, the alternate LZ should be selected for being the safest choice, and not it's proximity to the main.

Again, it's good for some people, but for most just making a safe landing should job #1.

[mutumbo 0]

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I'm not going to search to see if this was mentioned in the other threads, but I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest one of those devices that hunters use to track hunting dogs. That would probably work. And apparently it's cheap enough to use on dime-a-dozen hunting dogs and still be economical.

my thought EXACTLY.

Thanatos340(on landing rounds)--
Landing procedure: Hand all the way up, Feet and Knees Together and PLF soon as you get bitch slapped by a planet.

[antonija 0]

Look at:
1. animal tracking
2. model airplane and rocket tracking

and if you have too much time just google for plans for DIY transmitter/responder.

You'll find really small stuff that works out of the box and costs up to 100$, maybe 200$ USD. No need to "invent" it.

I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

[kimemerson 7]

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I landed in a reasonably open area on a direct line (the wind line) from where the canopy was going down, dropped my gear in the clear and walked straight to the main, which was 250 yards into the woods.

Which, of course, is not the same as following the main down on a steerable reserve, What it is is landing in a safe clearing, dropping your stuff and doing the hard leg work of searching. I've known far too many people who have spent days searching in the woods. There are still canopies out there. So it's not at all like people who don't land with their chopped mains are anything less or couldn't use some sort of help.

So to answer the OP's question: Often enough to make it a valid discussion. At least among those who don't "just follow the main down on steerable reserve" except when they don't because they can just "walk straight to the canopy."

[pilotdave 0]

I think reserve size changes things too. We had a jumper lose his main on sunday. He landed (off the DZ) before his main touched down, as far as I could tell anyway. And the main had balled up, so it wasn't coming down slowly. He had no chance to follow it.

I think that if a canopy tracking product was made readily available, it would be far more popular in some parts of the world than others. At some DZs, people generally walk to their cut away mains... others have canopy eating woods surrounding them and not so many convenient outs.

Dave

[councilman24 37]

It was readily available. George Galloway created a separate company to market it and had most manufacturers lined up to integrate the magnetic switch pouch into their rigs. When you cut way the transmitter left with the main. Leaving the magnetic pouch turned it on. Based on falconry locators. Off the shelf with a little sewing and a couple of magnets.

Company now out of business as best I can tell.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[pilotdave 0]

Well, it won't be readily available until it's an option on the rig order form and the receivers are on the dropzones, ready to go. I ALMOST got a great demonstration of it when we had a skyhook demonstration. The rig was normally equipped with the device, but since the battery in the receiver was dead, the transmitter wasn't installed. The canopy went missing. A quick call to george galloway confirmed that the receiver uses standard batteries which could have been replaced easily. Doh! We did find the canopy eventually.

Our DZ was looking into these systems earlier this year after we lost a tandem main. I think that's where you'll motivate DZs to get the receiver... high value gear that they own. Then once the receiver is on the DZ, jumpers are going to be much more willing to buy into the system. But without transmitters and receivers in common use, it's not readily available and never was.

Dave