It is OKAY to throw your handles!!!

[douwanto 22]

, but I've never handed them to the passenger. Bet they'd lose 'em for sure.

[wmw999 2,452]

I'd always practiced throwing away the handles (main ripcord and reserve ripcord -- capewells required dexterity).

So on my first cutaway, there I was landing with both ripcords, AND the hand-held camera I'd brought up on my first camera jump. No thought whatsoever attached itself to keeping them -- I was astounded when I noticed.

Wendy W.

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)

[WrongWay 0]

Good thread.

Right on. Who cares if you kept your handles, as long as you're around to buy beer that night.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.

[billvon 2,998]

>but I've never handed them to the passenger. Bet they'd lose 'em for sure.

I've done that; after my second tandem cutaway I had a little 'bouquet' of handles (two drouge release, two-pin reserve, two cutaway cables for a total of six cables flapping about) so I gave it to them. It gives them something to do with their hands since the reserve toggles don't have extensions for them to steer with.

[ManBird 0]

Hey, my packing kicks ass. I only have one canopy malfunction (rental gear that I did not pack at 38 jumps).

<= Just so you know I know you aren't being serious.

But on that topic -- the other three had little to do with the main. Two reserve rides were high speed mals -- PC in tow and stuff entangled with unzipped wings on a wingsuit. The last was a total -- impossipull (I didn't pack the PC, but should have). Went back into flight and pulled my reserve right-handed at 1600ish -- FOR FUN! So, I guess I've only chopped three times, but had four reserve rides.

I'm happy to report that I've now made it through TWO consecutive repack cycles, and my reserve ride rate went from 1/150 to 1/230. I'm almost back to the normal 1/300. That IS normal, right?

I am actually considering the handle thing, just for shits and giggles.

"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"

Click

[CharlieAt 0]

Quote

>but I've never handed them to the passenger. Bet they'd lose 'em for sure.

1st cutaway Aff Level 4, torn main, docile, played with it till my hard deck kept the handles.

2nd cutaway borrowed gear, stuck slider, didn't play with it at all, kept the handles.

3rd cutaway tandem, broken steering line, you enjoy the freefall? good, because we're going to do it again .... here, hold these, it you drop them, you pay for them (they were all there after we landed)
4th cutaway line twists+spinning main, it played with me, came out of the coma 5 days later in hospital, my girlfreind greeted me with: you had a double malfunction, you're going to be ok, and guess what, you kept all the handles.

though on the last one it was only a spinning reserve malfunction. if it had been something serious i would have chucked them, honest!

if *you* feel hampered by them -> feed the handle gods!!!!! otherwise save your money as someone sure as shit will find a way to spend it for you (is that your first: sudent reserve/borrowed gear reserve/tandem reserve/...)

[skydiverton 0]

It's ok to land ok.

The rest, who cares!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Using your droque to gain stability is a bad habit,
Especially when you are jumping a sport rig

[murps2000 86]

I've done that; after my second tandem cutaway I had a little 'bouquet' of handles (two drouge release, two-pin reserve, two cutaway cables for a total of six cables flapping about) so I gave it to them. It gives them something to do with their hands since the reserve toggles don't have extensions for them to steer with.
***

'Bouquet', I like that. (Don't know why, but I also liked the term 'Jennifer landings' from another thread.) On my one tandem cutaway, I was happy to have kept them all, after pausing to reflect on the dollar value of what was in my hands. I'll probably catch some heat for this, but I do think this should be a small consideration. I don't mean a priority, but it could be somewhere way down the list, well after determining that deployment of a functioning reserve was successful. Further, I do think it is a bit indicative of the situational awareness exhibited by a jumper during a cutaway. But I certainly don't fault anyone who tosses them, particularly if that's what they trained.

[steve1 5]

My only two cut-aways were back in the olden days with a belly reserve, capewells, and a big D-handle for a main. On the first mally I kept both handles. On the 2nd malfunction I cut away and had a hard pull on my belly reserve. I ended up throwing my main rip cord before the reserve started stringing out. It took almost three weeks to find another main handle that would fit my B-12 container....Steve1

[tsampson 0]

As a girl with rather short arms, I was taught my EP's with me grabbing each handle with both hands, two hands on red, looking at silver, then two hands on silver after cutting away. It would be imprudent of me to hinder my grip on the silver worrying about keeping the cutaway pillow. Hopefully, it will be a long time before I find out if I keep the silver.

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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As a girl with rather short arms

if your arms are short, they are still short with two It might have more to do with strength than arm length. If you don't have a lot of upper body strength, it might be difficult for you?? I had no problem with one hand on each, but have pretty good upper body strength.

Angela.

[Travman 6]

I did my Stage 1 AFF a few days ago. After feeling opening shock I looked up to see line twists, so I did what I was trained and reached up for the risers and started to kick. However as I reached for the risers I opened my hands and then realised and thought "Damn, just dropped the rip cord"

[Ravan 0]

I'm a total newbie but was trained to toss the cutaway pillow and save the reserve handle, not for the monetary value, but for the simple fact that it is a hard object falling from x number of feet....so when you toss it do you yell "look out below?"

Food, Fornication, Freefall

[TOT 0]

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So... you are plummeting towards the earth in a high speed malfunction with a pile of shit over your head. Are you really going to stop and think to yourself... "SHIT!! I better not throw my handles... that wouldn't be the COOL thing to do!!"???

It sound retarded but on my first and only reserve ride, Jump #183, as I looked down at my hands, still at full arm extension, I thought "Good, I still have my handles."
I had always thought it sounded weird that people would think about this, but I believe it now.

[Frenchy68 0]

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I'm a total newbie but was trained to toss the cutaway pillow and save the reserve handle, not for the monetary value, but for the simple fact that it is a hard object falling from x number of feet....so when you toss it do you yell "look out below

I'm a total newbie as well. But bottom line, when it's time: YOU DON'T GIVE A SHIT! (at least the first time, IMHO) You end up with them or you don't. I was told to throw them away. When I had my cut away, I remember clearly the silver being gone right away, but the CU cables still being dangling around near my head. Didn't care, and by the time I landed, the cables were gone (both handles never to be found again...). And the handles were (and still are) the least of my worries...

"For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return."

[LiveLifeGoJump 0]

Judging by the response this question has received the it confirms that there is no hard & fast rule about it.
Whether you keep the handle & pad depends on the situation you are in and, as no two mals are the same then no single answer is would fit all events.
It's your life so it's your decision, If it's safe to keep them then keep them, if not then throw them when it's safe or necessary to throw them.

I've not had a reserve ride yet but had to grab handles due to a bad snivel burning up 1,200ft before opening fully. Decision to wait before pulling reserve was a conscious one based on opening height, wind speed, available safe landing area etc (cost of reserve re-pack did enter my head as well). Had the situation been different then so would my reaction.

Get out, Land on a green bit. If you get the pull somewhere in between it would help.

[JohnMitchell 16]

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Whether you keep the handle & pad depends on the situation you are in and, as no two mals are the same then no single answer is would fit all events.

I don't know. After more than a dozen reserve rides, some malfunctions start looking pretty deja vu.

I still say it boils down to training. I trained myself to hang onto the handles, and it has never caused a problem, nor hindered my ability to stay stable while the reserve deploys. That's all in the body position, which I see some people totally ignore. Some people are trained to chuck the handles. Well, okay, but I think that's rarely necessary.