Jump #29 reserve ride - maybe this isn't for me...

[tbrown 26]

It's tough enough as a newbie to get over the very real and natural fear of jumping out of an airplane. It's not the best time to be having problems, but it's not unknown and other people have had - and overcome worse.

As some people have pointed out, using the reserve is often a huge confidence builder. I know a few people who have gone for several hundred, or even more than a thousand jumps and haven't used their reserve yet, and they tell me they wish it would happen so they could just get it over with. So you're lucky in that respect.

Learn to pack. then do your own packing, even if you're renting gear. Pull it out of the container and pack it yourself before you jump it. Packing build confidence - as well as give you the opportunity to check out your gear every time. I don't like to use packers because it disconnects you from any intimacy with your own rig, even when you buy your own. People who do their own packing are ahead of the game when it comes to confidence.

And buy your own rig. Renting is necessary for a while, but you never really know what you're getting, or who packed it. Get your own rig and pick a good rigger. Develop a relationship with your rigger, asking questions about your gear and listening up if he's trying to point out something that needs work.

To stay or to leave is a personal decision that only you can make. I'd like to encourage you to stick around. But do it soon, because it's only going to get harder the longer you wait.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[chuck411 0]

YOu see TK's avatar... LOL I started jumping in the AFF Program at Zhills when TK was still walking around with hardware from that:)
If TK could get back in the air after that lovely pond swoop LOL anyone can... :) I envy you in the fact that you know you can deal with a MAL where as I have yet to Chop one and that kinda bugs me...
Get back in the plane and JUMP!

Hey TK.... Rosy says HI:)

[Bill_K 0]

Michael,

One of my best friends in this sport had two cut aways in the first I believe it was 35 or 40 jumps she did. She now has close to 400 and is a fantastic skydiver and coach. Keep the faith, it sounds like you did everything right. You have something I don't yet, and at times I still let it f with my head some too. In some ways your lucky, you got to answer that question early in your skydiving career. Now you know how you'll react and that your reserve is there and works!!

Take care, blue skies and stay safe,
BK

[UDSkyJunkie 0]

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Obviously at this point in time I'm a little upset and I don't know 100% if the rewards are worth it in this sport. I've raced rally cars for a number of years and have always been good at dealing with emergency situations. I was collected enough to follow the emergency procedures this time and feel like I could do it again. I've always liked pulling a little high in case something went wrong. What are the chances this much crap happens to the same guy in his first 29 jumps?

Only you can decide if the risk/reward profile is worth it. As for odds, all I can say is things tend to come in groups, and by mostly random chance. I've got over 1000 jumps and one reserve ride, and that one was due to faulty gear (still my fault for jumping it). On the other hand, I dated a girl who had a reserve ride on jump 17, tension knots that she should have cut away on jump 25, and another reserve ride somewhere around 300 jumps. I was on a team with a guy who hadn't had a sport canopy malfunction in 20 years, and then he had 3 in one season.

I remember we had a guy who had a reserve ride on his 1st tandem, and still came back. He had another one on his 3rd tandem, and quit the sport... too bad, because he just plain got shitty luck.

it'll balance in the end... but if you're handling this stuff at 20 jumps, I'm guessing you'll be fine.

"Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

[skydude2000 3]

Hi there,

I just had my cut-away on my last jump a couple weeks ago. Although I don't feel so much like you do about quitting the sport, I do feel guilty for letting it happen. I was bordering on un-current status and I hooked up my canopy wrong, even though I've done it dozens of times. Was one of those things where you feel really guilty and totally stupid at the same time. But, I landed about ten feet from the peas, hung on to all my handles, we got the main & free-bag back, albeit after quite a bit of searching. I'll definitely be buying a bottle of some sort, I just don't drink beer. Yes, I'm a freak, a non-beer-drinking skydiver.

Blues,

Skydude.

P S. Glad ur okay :)

PULL!! or DIE!!

[airathanas 0]

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HI'll definitely be buying a bottle of some sort, I just don't drink beer. Yes, I'm a freak, a non-beer-drinking skydiver.

Hey I don't drink beer either, so does that make me a freak?

Good job on your EPs. I know it can by psychologically draining when you have a mal (or two) early on. I packed myself a mal on my 39th and 53rd jumps. I took three years off, and have since learned to pack quite well. I used to have skydiving nightmares even.

Good for you that you are using this experience has a learning process. The most IMPORTANT thing is that you didn't get hurt. Kudos!!

http://3ringnecklace.com/

[hackish 8]

Ok, just got my jumptrack that I had ordered before this ordeal. Guess I couldn't have quit with a box of goodies from paragear on its way. Just thought I'd attach it.

As you can see the main deployment initiated at around 3100'. Around 55 seconds you can see the descent rate was almost normal (that was with one toggle buried which almost stopped the spin) Spent about 10 seconds attempting to clear the entanglement and get it to fly straight.

Cutaway was initiated at 2670' and the reserve was open at 2319. From there you can see a pretty conservative canopy ride down to the ground.

-Michael