Chopping your canopy

[mikewdiggler 0]

Just a quick one about having to chop your main. If you loose your main through having to chop due to a line over or other choppable malfunction are we as members of our respected associations covered in any way for the loss of our canopy or do we just resign ourselves to the fact that we are still alive and have to buy a new canopy regardless of insurance through our governing bodies?

Santa Claus cum down my chimney and emptied his sack on my tree!

[phoenixlpr 0]

Been there, done that, got 0 bucks from insurance...

[dragon2 2]

In some countries you can get insurance, but in some, not. I'm covered to only a slight amount compared to the gear I have, but I figure, I won't lose EVERYTHING at once. Unless the hangar get's caught on fire

Coverage varies, lost stuff may be seen a s thievery and may not be covered, damaged stuff usually gets covered, some insurance is for a fixed amount, some is for specific items (serial numbers).

I had to claim once, for totalling a rig during a crosswind landing in turbulent conditions landing on pavement. Ouch. That was the 750 way demo 2004....

I doubt any skydiving association covers you for your damage, some do cover damage you caused to others. Keep this in mind when renting gear and when borrowing gear! You may end up owing the person you borrowed a rig from a new main, repack, handles and freebag. $$$$$$

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Reginald 0]

As in USPA insurance? No. AS in private insurance? It depends on if you bought private insurance specifically covering loss of sporting equipment.

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[TrickyDicky 0]

In the uk I know some people put their rigs on their home contents insurance, and some will cover them while in use. Most contents insurance policies cover your stuff while its not actually in your house.

UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

[Andy9o8 2]

The short answer is that a canopy is usually NOT covered under property insurance policies for loss due merely to a chop, but it MAY be covered for theft or if it's destroyed NOT on a jump.

Reason: insurance (any insurance) covers you for "an event that is neither expected nor intended by the insured policyholder." So, if your canopy is stolen from your car, it may be insured, since you neither expected nor intended that. If it burns up in an accidental fire, ditto. But if you lose your canopy after a chop, the insurance company will deem that "expected or intended", since you intended to jump it, and you expected that there would be some chance of a malfunction that would force you to chop it, and it's certainly anticipatable that a chopped main might easily be lost in the ordinary course of events.

Grey area: sometimes a jumper will chop his main, and then some bozo on the ground will find and keep the canopy, or deliberately destroy it. If you can prove that that's what happened (and I'd think the burden for proving that would be on the jumper/policyholder), some insurance companies will cover it as a theft and/or unintended loss.

[Yossarian 0]

how common is it to lose a chopped main? is it the exception rather than the rule?

[Miami 0]

I've heard of a case where someone chopped and the main landed next to a somewhat busy road. Someone else on the load witnessed a car stop, pick up the main and keep going, never to be seen again. They reported it as a theft to their insurance company and were reimbursed for their main.

Miami

[phoenixlpr 0]

If it happens to you? Does it matter?

[Miami 0]

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how common is it to lose a chopped main? is it the exception rather than the rule?

From what I've seen about 5-10% of the time. I usually jump in areas that are very woodsy...I'm sure it's less at dz's that are more open.

Miami

[PhreeZone 20]

DZ's in the midwest have the issue of corn fields acting just like a wood in that the canopy sinks into the corn and can not be seen from above and you need to walk the corn to find it.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[squirrel 0]

Where have I seen those advertisements for a locater beakon attached to the main? Parachutest?

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[Tonto 1]

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how common is it to lose a chopped main? is it the exception rather than the rule?

19 chops so far. Lost a cutaway handle once. Gave it to the pax and he dropped it.

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[freakflyer9999 1]

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how common is it to lose a chopped main? is it the exception rather than the rule?

Out of 4 chops, I've lost one freebag.

I did have a main land near a major highway where a couple stopped to "help" about the time one of our DZ jumpers pulled up behind him and thanked him for his assistance. I was landing about 100 feet away at the time, so I don't know whether he would have taken my main or not.

[peckerhead 0]

I have had 8 cutaways and never lost a canopy or even a handle or freebag. I did lose a kicker plate once though. Even had one chop at 10K and we still found it the same day.

But I do know many who have lost their trash. In most cases farmer McNasty was involved.

[firstime 0]

The key is "intentional" insurance speaking. Then there
is zippo coverage, trust me ,I have been in the the biz
for 18 yrs and unless you can convince a claim rep of an unintentional cutaway after he talks to everyone at the DZ
(which he or she might do) chances are you will not be paid. I used to schedule my rig to find it was a waste of
money

[precision 0]

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If you loose your main through having to chop due to a line over or other choppable malfunction are we... covered in any way for the loss of our canopy

It wasn't too long ago that one of my good customers sent a page from Para Gear catalog to his insurance company to document the cost of a cutaway main canopy, and the insurance company (State Farm) sent us a check for the retail amount to replace the cutaway canopy.

George Galloway

[Yossarian 0]

whats a kicker plate?

[cpoxon 0]

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whats a kicker plate?

A metal disc placed under a sprung-loaded pilot chute in order to give it a solid platform to launch from and also prevent the spring from burrowing back into the free-packed canopy. Commonly used in belly-mount reserves.

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[Yossarian 0]

ah, retro, bet one of those would hurt if it bounced off your swede

[peckerhead 0]

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whats a kicker plate?

Used for round reserves. You don't see them anymore.

[kkeenan 14]

Looks like this...

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[jakee 1,489]

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If you loose your main through having to chop due to a line over or other choppable malfunction are we as members of our respected associations covered in any way for the loss of our canopy or do we just resign ourselves to the fact that we are still alive and have to buy a new canopy regardless of insurance through our governing bodies?

Hell no!

The BPA insurance doesn't cover damage we do to ourselves, let alone our gear! The cover we get through our association is 3rd party only, and the premium is expensive enough with just that!

Do you want to have an ideagasm?