Tuna-Salad 0 #1 August 19, 2008 Ok so this one is likely to get ugly. A month or so ago I made a jump with Randy Lopez at skydive city. I'd asked for video because I have no tunnel time and wanted to see how my body position was etc. We completed the skydive and once on the ground he asked what happened to break off. I told him I had done as planned break at 6 and open at 5 .. his response being "I pitched at 3 and you were still going" So apparently at 3,000 i and turned and tracked away then opened.. My altimeter was fine in the plane and read about 13,200 when we made our exit and i checked it several times through the skydive so I had altitude awareness. Has this happened to anyone? When I really think about it now I was very close to becoming a dent in the ground and figure I must of opened around 1200 ft or so. My alti read between 2000 and 2100 ft when I was on the ground. Let the flaming begin.Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
denete 3 #2 August 20, 2008 Get it in a pressure chamber and/or consider buying a new one. The cost versus not dying is a pretty easy comparison for most people.SCR #14809 "our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe" (look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratostar 5 #3 August 20, 2008 Learn to use your eyes, falling out of the blue umbrella and into the green bowl, around 3K or so.you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tuna-Salad 0 #4 August 20, 2008 I have since gotten a new altiMillions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iluvtofly 0 #5 August 20, 2008 Just out of curiosity was it a low tech (meaning no computer stuff what-so-ever) alti or high tech (such as a neptune or alti-track) alti? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #6 August 20, 2008 QuoteMy altimeter was fine in the plane and read about 13,200 when we made our exit and i checked it several times... That's a piece of equipment that you REALLY need to be able to trust. Rent a student altimeter, and jump them both side by side, and compare readings. If yours isn't accurate to within a couple of hundred feet, send it back for maintenance. The maintenance shop will have a pressure chamber where they can check it to see, not only if it's accurate, but if there's any lag in the readings as you descend. Do it soon. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #7 August 20, 2008 If it was one of the analog ones that you zero manually, is it possible that you bumped the dial when you were in freefall? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LloydDobbler 2 #8 August 20, 2008 Quote Has this happened to anyone? When I really think about it now I was very close to becoming a dent in the ground and figure I must of opened around 1200 ft or so. My alti read between 2000 and 2100 ft when I was on the ground. Let the flaming begin. Yep. I'd venture to say it's happened to a lot of us. As a student, I made a coach jump where I looked at my altimeter at 5500', took one last grip, then turned to track. Came out of the track, it said 5000', so I tracked some more. Came out of the track, looked at my alti - which STILL said 5000' - and saw my coach deploying in the background. Big yikes for me. Main lesson to be learned - yes, you want to be able to rely on your altimeter...but it ultimately is a backup. Equipment fails, but your eyes are less-likely to, once they're trained. Get started noticing the position of the horizon around you once you reach deployment altitude - you'll find it's pretty easy to see the difference. Still, this is one reason why I switched to a digital altimeter from the Galaxy I was using - if there's a problem with your altimeter, it's pretty darn obvious. You buy yourself a bit of extra time that you might otherwise spend thinking you're still at 5000'.Signatures are the new black. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #9 August 20, 2008 QuoteStill, this is one reason why I switched to a digital altimeter from the Galaxy I was using - if there's a problem with your altimeter, it's pretty darn obvious. You buy yourself a bit of extra time that you might otherwise spend thinking you're still at 5000'. Don't be so sure... people have reported having digital altimeters lock up in freefall. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnDeere 0 #10 August 20, 2008 I have had my digital stop while in the air a couple of times and another on my 2nd night jump Nothing opens like a Deere! You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LloydDobbler 2 #11 August 20, 2008 QuoteQuoteStill, this is one reason why I switched to a digital altimeter from the Galaxy I was using - if there's a problem with your altimeter, it's pretty darn obvious. You buy yourself a bit of extra time that you might otherwise spend thinking you're still at 5000'. Don't be so sure... people have reported having digital altimeters lock up in freefall. Dave I know. Been there, done that. However, with a digital, it's much easier to see the altimeter change from 5.5 to 5.4 - if it stops there, even with a sidelong glance, you'll likely notice the lack of a change. Additionally, more often than not people report digital altimeters resetting themselves in freefall, rather than simply locking on a number. A search of this forum shows that it's more common. Once again, much easier to spot in freefall than trying to discern if an analog altimeter is ticking away the altitude. (I speak having experienced all 3.) Like I said, all altimeter devices are backups for the Mk-1 Eyeball. But given my experience, I find it much easier to tell when the digital is all effed up.Signatures are the new black. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tuna-Salad 0 #12 August 21, 2008 was a regular analog altiMillions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tuna-Salad 0 #13 August 21, 2008 probably, i found it to be really loose when i got on the ground.. now i always compare to several others on the ride up and also mark where the clouds are when we pass them Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deisel 38 #14 August 21, 2008 My Viso has recently locked up on 3 occasions. Once under canopy and twice in freefall. But only on one of those jumps did it give me a false reading; it read 2900 during a big way that the break off alt was 4500. People were still turning points so that was a huge clue that it was wrong. The other mals gave me an error code which was an immediate trouble sign. Now I jump with a digi and an analog.The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azureriders 0 #15 August 21, 2008 Altimeters will fail. Forget to put batteries in them, slam them on the plane door, or simply leave them on the ground, for what ever reason, they will fail. For that reason, use the one that you feel is the most dependable, and perhaps use another with it. HOWEVER, even with only 50 jumps, you should not need a mechanical device to keep you from impacting the earth. Use your enternal clock and your eyes, however under developed they may be, your eyes will still not fail you. In time you will, or should, develop your eyes to the point that THEY are your primary altimeter, and anything else is simply a back up. Glad you did not hit the ground and now have a chance to learn from this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
