What jump number was your first cutaway?

[illusioneer 0]

Tell a Little about the malfunction and the reserve ride... Did you stand up the landing?

Mine was on jump 20. It was the first jump on my first (and only) rig that I had bought used. I had a brake come unstowed on opening and on that side 1/3 the canopy did not inflate. Being a brand spanking new jumper I fooled with trying to fix it a few times and then cutaway. After a perfect butt slide landing I spent the rest of the day trying to get my canopy out of a tree. I now believe I could have fixed the malfunction, but after no response on the third try....by by piece -o- junk, see you on the ground.

[dharma1976 0]

ditto on your scenario

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[jtval 0]

Jump # 286

My photos

My Videos

[Peej 0]

Jump number 32 iirc. i was jumping rented gear, a Skymaster 200. I opened normally but when i tried to unstow the brakes there was a pressure knot in one of the toggles. I think it was the right. The canopy started a slow turn, i messed about with it for a while and then chopped it. These days i would just land on the risers.

Advertisio Rodriguez / Sky

[pinkfairy 0]

Haven't had one yet, you forgot that option.

Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet.

I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

[TALONSKY 0]

Jump # 1402 & my 564 paying tandem.
Mal was tension knotts

[illusioneer 0]

Quote

Haven't had one yet, you forgot that option.

There is no room here for wanna-be reserve pilots

[brierebecca 0]

I haven't had one yet.



Brie

"Ive seen you hump air, hump the floor of the plane, and hump legs. You now have a new nickname: "Black Humper of Death"--yardhippie

[stacie 0]

I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who cut away from a brake fire.

It was jump number 24. At that skill level I was by the book and very rigid to the guidelines. I was jumping an Eclipse container which has been out of production for years. I threw both handles just like we were taught in AFF. Errr. Expensive lesson.

As my slow spin gradually got faster and faster, I looked at all the possible malfunctions I could think of...except for the brake firing. When it dawned on me to grab my rear riser to stop the spin I was approaching my hard deck and still didn't know why my canopy was acting the way it was. So I chopped it. I took a deep breath and said "Here we go." Then I took another big breath and said "Lord, this better work". (No RSL) I had one of the softest openings ever and a beautiful stand up landing. Which didn't happen again until about 30 jumps later.

I still hold my head high for making the right choices, but it's embarrassing to admit to seasoned skydivers.

The biggest thing I learned from this is to ALWAYS CONGRATULATE someone for chopping. I can't think of any circumstances, preventable or not, that by chopping and saving your own life was the wrong decision. That's a whole lot less embarrassing then being an experienced jumper who doesn't chop because he / she thinks they can "fix it" and goes in as a low pull - no pull.

Life is short. Live, laugh, love often!

[illusioneer 0]

preach'n to da choir sister good job btw

[stacie 0]

Thanks Ray. I hope to be doing my first naked jump when I'm 80 and I want my friends to be around for that torture.

Life is short. Live, laugh, love often!

[stratostar 5]

Six, don't let others strighten out your crown lines and not reattach the sleeve to PC line, ya know the one that pulls off the sleeve, and no I didn't stand up the 26ft LOPO as I was hanging only by the high mounted D rings, cuz the velcro on the bottom of the reserve had let go on opening shock, this lets hang at a funny angle.

And jump 106 too.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[MrHixxx 0]

696, borrowed a mirage with a velo 103 (Tyler Lawson's) for a video jump of my sister's team. When I was pulling the slider down over the toggles I dislodged one of them and the slider locked down on the other against the riser and I couldn't unstow it. I messed with it briefly, then chopped it away.

Yes, I did stand up the landing on a Tempo 150...

Tyler was cool enough to let me buy a new bag and p/c and repack it for him. I was lucky to get the Velo back as it only had 12 jumps on it.

-Hixxx

death,as men call him, ends what they call men
-but beauty is more now than dying’s when

[BikerBabe 0]

Jump number 9, 2 canopies out.

Was using a student rig with a ripcord, and had a hard pull. Pulled the reserve, and when the reserve opened, the main came out and opened as well. The two canopies immediately separated into a fast downplane, so the decision to cutaway was an easy one ;)

What happened was the plastic ripcord had a slit in it, which caught on the main closing loop. The release of the pressure on the main container when i deployed my reserve knocked the caught ripcord out of the main loop, allowing the main to open.

I can't remember if i stood it up.

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[illusioneer 0]

YIKES! SCARY STUFF.

[beowulf 1]

I guess I would qualify for the over 1000. I made it past 1000 jumps with out a cut away and who knows I might make it to 2000 with out one.

[mktoson 0]

Haven't had one yet!!!

So far, this is the oldest I've ever been.

[stacie 0]

Curious about the psychy behind that. For me having a cut away so early it's a relief and a confidence builder. It's not unknown and therefore not such a scary thought. Even though I've had a couple malfunctions where my mind went into emergency mode and the adrenaline kicked in once my feet hit the ground. But to have over 1000 jumps and no cut away, does that mess with your head at all? And congrats by the way. Nice job packing...or paying for your pack jobs.

Life is short. Live, laugh, love often!

[BillyVance 34]

Mine was a spinning malfunction due to line twists and tension knot at around my 400th jump.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[beowulf 1]

Nearly all my jumps were packed by me except tandem and AFF jumps and about 30 jumps on a brand new Sabre 2 150. Not having had a cut away doesn't seem to bother me. I didn't make it to a 1000 jumps with out one intentionally. I jumped pack jobs that I knew weren't done very well.. I was in a hurry and basically trash packed. I have finished a pack job and then start to think that I might have packed a line twist. I jumped it anyway instead of repacking it. I was fine. It untwisted as it deployed. I have had only a few jumps where I thought that I might have to cut away. I was ready to cut away if I needed to. I feel confident in my ability to react to any emergency situation with the correct procedure.

[stacie 0]

Just razzing ya about paying for pack jobs.

Do you think your confidence is common? Are there jumpers that feel like not having a cut away is a black cloud hanging over 'em? Do you recommend doing an intentional cut away by a certain jump number if you haven't had one? If so, what would that jump number be?

Life is short. Live, laugh, love often!

[beowulf 1]

Quote

Do you think your confidence is common? Are there jumpers that feel like not having a cut away is a black cloud hanging over 'em?

I don't know. I am sure there are people that I know that have over 1000 with out a cut away, but I don't know who they are.

Quote

Do you recommend doing an intentional cut away by a certain jump number if you haven't had one? If so, what would that jump number be?

I think an intentional cut away is a good idea. I don't know what the recommended number of jumps is for it. I would guess 100 jumps would be required.

[EPX 0]

My second cutaway was similar to yours, could not get the entire canopy to inflate... very scary...

Jump No. 43 ( on mothers day no less) My first cutaway was from a perfectly good main, when my cypress fired under 1000 feet. I started waifing and looked back realizing all the weight came off my back... Seeing the reserve, still in the free bag flopping around was scary... so i made the decision... watching the main flutter away like a butterfly pretty much convinced me my life was over.

It was not much of a delay after the reserve inflated before i touched down.. stood it up but didnt stay standing long

What was even scarier was seeing the DZ owner marching over towards me... after he asked about it, and I told him he points a finger in my chest like a cop inquiry... and says "Good job" I still dont know which part was the scariest!

you want me to do what???

[DSE 5]

I know one person with 4800 jumps, no cutaways. Another that has 2100+ jumps, no cutaway.
Me...only 500 and no cutaways. Have had one that I was tempted to chop and should have, but I did land it OK, even w/two broken lines and a nasty tear in the topskin (that I couldn't see while under canopy.
I'm very tempted to take a tertiary harness and do an intentional. Personally, I think they should be required for one of the higher ratings, such as a C or D license (a cutaway, whether intentional or not). If you have to have one as a TM, why not one as a coach, AFFI, or other rating?

[stanlholmes 0]

Jump number 5! The year was 1979, I vaguely remember. My last static line. I had a bag lock w/ a Paracommander. Somehow I managed to get the Capewells open, get my thumbs in them and release them at the same time. No, I did not stand up that big, white round no-name reserve. As a matter of fact, I sat on the ground for a while to make sure I wasn't actually dead.

The rules were, you had to make your last static line and first free fall on the same day, so I did a hop and pop that afternoon. It was perfect. I was sure I was going to die anyway, so why not have a good arch off the step!

Stan