Bad spot + pilot 'chute in tow = ...

[Frenchy68 0]

Another beautiful day in California. Might as well go to the dropzone...
1st jump of the day, doing a solo. Last one out the Super Otter, pretty bad spot, but nothing that pulling high can't fix! Practiced leg turns, had a little fun, pulled at 4,000ft...nothing....Nothing...NOFUCKINGTHING!!! I started worrying about 2 seconds after pulling, not feeling anything happening. Although I did not look at my altimeter, I figure I reached for the CA pillow at around 2.8k. Started pilling it off, when suddenly I felt that comforting yank on the shoulders. Looked up, looks good. Looked down, there was only a tiny corner of the pullow still velcrowed in, my hands still wrapped around it. Look at the altimeter, reads 2,100 ft. Gently put the pillow back into its velcro puch, feel the risers to make sure the cables are still in their housing, unstow breaks, so far so good. Now, to the Landing ar... WHERE THE FUCK IS IT??? About a mile upwind, that's where it is! OK, here we go, 1/4 brakes (I heard somewhere it helps), while looking for outs (hard not to find one where I was, I have to admit). At 1,000ft, I decide I have enough altitude to clear the road (Goetz Rd), which I clear at around 300ft AGL. 45° flare turn at around 200ft, another at around 150ft (I am guessing here), nice soft stand up landing in the middle of tumbleweeds. Love it! Long walk back to the packing area, cold blended Margarita. I LOVE THIS SPORT.
Now, in retrospect, I think my PC got caught in my burble, and the act of reaching for the pillow allowed it to catch some air. Maybe I should start doing that funny little thing they taught me at AFF: look over your shoulders after pulling... No harm, no foul, lessons learned. Ground rush at 2,500ft is pretty breathtaking though. Another great day in So Cal
Nick

"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."

[bodypilot1 0]

Quote

Now, in retrospect, I think my PC got caught in my burble, and the act of reaching for the pillow allowed it to catch some air. Maybe I should start doing that funny little thing they taught me at AFF: look over your shoulders after pulling...

Great answer!

-

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[yoink 321]

Words of one of my old instructors chewing me out... "If you start your goddamn EPs, FINISH 'EM!" He might have a point though... (any thoughts on this from current instructors?)

Good catch on an important part though - that twisting really does do something...

[skydiverton 0]

You did not forget to land safely in this situation.

A lot of people forget that and get injured while landing off-DZ.
So you took the correct decision

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

[Jimbo 0]

Quote

Now, in retrospect, I think my PC got caught in my burble, and the act of reaching for the pillow allowed it to catch some air. Maybe I should start doing that funny little thing they taught me at AFF: look over your shoulders after pulling... No harm, no foul, lessons learned. Ground rush at 2,500ft is pretty breathtaking though.

More often than not, I think, when a pilot chute gets stuck in the jumper's burble it is because the jumper executed a lazy throw. You can't just take the pilot chute out of the pouch and lazily let it go. You need to throw that pilot chute away from you like it's a live grenade. We all get complacent, maybe we're tired, and make this mistake from time to time. Looking over your shoulder changes your body position and allows the pilot chute to escape your burble. A good positive throw will eliminate the need to do this.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[skyhighkiy 0]

another suggestion for getting more distance out of your canopy on a long spot (although wha tyou did was good) is to pull your rear risers down and push them outwards, this will cause your canopy to flatten out and decrease your downward momentum, while letting you float on the air that you have. Just a suggestion :) if anyone has anything to say out this, plz post, I'd like to learn more

BE THE BUDDHA!

[Remster 30]

Quote

another suggestion for getting more distance out of your canopy on a long spot (although wha tyou did was good) is to pull your rear risers down and push them outwards, this will cause your canopy to flatten out and decrease your downward momentum, while letting you float on the air that you have. Just a suggestion :) if anyone has anything to say out this, plz post, I'd like to learn more

That will help if you are upwind of your landing spot. If you are already downwind or your LZ and its pretty windy, pulling slightly on the fronts may help.

Also, when pulling on the rears, you dont really need to pull them down and out, simply spreading them will pull the rear of the canopy down, and its easier to hold.

Remster

[Frenchy68 0]

You need to throw that pilot chute away from you like it's a live grenade***
Good Point. I always thought (and felt) I was doing it, but I might have gotten complacent. Will definitely pay more attention in the future.

"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."

[Frenchy68 0]

"If you start your goddamn EPs, FINISH 'EM!"***
That's exactly what crossed my mind when I looked up at the canopy finally deploying. If I hadn't pulled that high, I probably would have chopped a couple of seconds earlier and gone through the EP.

"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."

[skyhighkiy 0]

Also, when pulling on the rears, you dont really need to pull them down and out, simply spreading them will pull the rear of the canopy down, and its easier to hold.

Quote

aren't those two the same thing? cuz when you push out on them, if you push out hard enough, they'll go down, right? j/w

That will help if you are upwind of your landing spot. If you are already downwind or your LZ and its pretty windy, pulling slightly on the fronts may help.

Quote

if I pull rears and I"m downwind, will that make me go backwards? or will it still help?

BE THE BUDDHA!

[JohnMitchell 16]

Quote

"If you start your goddamn EPs, FINISH 'EM!"***
That's exactly what crossed my mind when I looked up at the canopy finally deploying. If I hadn't pulled that high, I probably would have chopped a couple of seconds earlier and gone through the EP.

Well, I think you did okay. If the damn chute opens and you haven't cut away, don't. I prefer that people use their heads as well as their preplanned, well practiced emergeincy procedures.

[yoink 321]

Quote

Well, I think you did okay. If the damn chute opens and you haven't cut away, don't. I prefer that people use their heads as well as their preplanned, well practiced emergeincy procedures.

I agree, but at the stage I got that advice (30 jumps maybe) I guess the thinking was that you may miss something critical when making a judgement call due to inexperience...

[Beachbum 0]

I sort of treat it like I was told JM's do the student on the first AFF jump ... hold on until it's yanked out of my hand. I just pull the pud and keep going away from my body with it until it's literally removed from my hand by force. To me, "throwing" is sort of asking for trouble because as stated by others ... you may get tired ... or just complacent ... and not get it far enough away from you to miss the burble. I have wondered why that isn't taught instead of the "throw" concept ... you JM's ... ????

As long as you are happy with yourself ... who cares what the rest of the world thinks?

[Fast 0]

Quote

I sort of treat it like I was told JM's do the student on the first AFF jump ... hold on until it's yanked out of my hand. I just pull the pud and keep going away from my body with it until it's literally removed from my hand by force. To me, "throwing" is sort of asking for trouble because as stated by others ... you may get tired ... or just complacent ... and not get it far enough away from you to miss the burble. I have wondered why that isn't taught instead of the "throw" concept ... you JM's ... ????

The grip that I have on my handle when I throw the PC is enough that if I didn't let go, it wouldn't be pulled out of my hand. I know, I held onto it for 5-8 seconds the first jump I made when switching from ripcord to BOC throw out.

That aside, throwing the PC gets it farther from my body and possible things that it can get burbled by or stuck on.

Your use of the word pud sounds like your jumping a pull out? Some clarification on that would be great.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[DZJ 0]

I was taught on BOC throwaway equipment and told not to release the pilot until my arm is at full extension. Haven't had any problems with it so far, but suppose its only a matter of time.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Well, I think you did okay. If the damn chute opens and you haven't cut away, don't. I prefer that people use their heads as well as their preplanned, well practiced emergeincy procedures.

[Frenchy68 0]

But if the cutaway pouch was partially pulled, do you need to worry about one riser being just a bump away from detachment? How do you verify that it is again securely stowed?***
1/ I checked that the handle had not been pulled down
2/ I checked that the cables were still in their riser housings
3/ I re-stowed the cut away handle
If I would have had ANY doubt, I would have chopped

"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."

[JohnMitchell 16]

***hold on until it's yanked out of my hand. I just pull the pud and keep going away from my body with it until it's literally removed from my hand by force.

Quote

Are you jumping a pullout instead of a throw out? With a pullout, which I jump, the container is open and you're holding onto the bottom of the pilot chute, which has a hell of a lot of pull. The throw out, you're holdin on to the top of the pilot chute, and you could very easily hold on to it for the rest of your life.

• Quote

[Beachbum 0]

it's a boc ... (pud isn't the correct term?) ... it's like a hackey sack on the top of the pc

I don't have a death grip on it, tho I guess I could hang on if I made the effort ... I just never have tried. It does get removed about the time I get my arm to full extension (I DO have long arms ... I'm 6'2")

This isn't something I ever made a concious effort to do this way ... but around my 4th jump on my own rig (student rigs were all ripcord) I just noticed that it worked like that in my case.

As long as you are happy with yourself ... who cares what the rest of the world thinks?

[packerboy 3]

If you hold onto your pilot chute rather than throwing it, is it not possible for your bridle to escape the folds and come underneath your arm? In the good scenario your pilot chute will still deploy behind your arm and if you are wearing short sleeves you could end up with a hell of a bridle burn on your arm. In another scenario the pilot chute could catch the wind just the right way and deploy around your arm (bridle whizzing past your armpit in front of you) This could really hurt and cause some problems w/ deployment.

Am I right or wrong? I've never heard of this happening to anyone, but I'm sure it has.

--------------------------------------------------
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

[Beachbum 0]

I sure can't say for certain ... but I wouldn't think that likely as long as you are deploying properly in the first place (palm facing the same direction as your back). Seems to me it would be very difficult for the bridle to go against the wind and come down and wrap your arm?

[jakee 1,563]

Quote

if I pull rears and I"m downwind, will that make me go backwards? or will it still help?

Depends on how windy it is. If you're in light winds then a touch of rears will probly still help you. If the winds are stronger and you have minimal ground speed then rears or brakes will not help and you will either stop altogether or start going backwards. Anywhere in between those two examples I suppose it just depends on canopy, WL and the input you give.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[JohnMitchell 16]

Quote

If you hold onto your pilot chute rather than throwing it, is it not possible for your bridle to escape the folds and come underneath your arm? In the good scenario your pilot chute will still deploy behind your arm and if you are wearing short sleeves you could end up with a hell of a bridle burn on your arm. In another scenario the pilot chute could catch the wind just the right way and deploy around your arm (bridle whizzing past your armpit in front of you) This could really hurt and cause some problems w/ deployment.

Am I right or wrong? I've never heard of this happening to anyone, but I'm sure it has.

If you hold the pilot chute correctly, palm up, like you said, the only way it's going under your arm is if you are unstable, especially really head high, or really thrashing around. the danger in holding onto the pilot chute is that the wind drag on the bridle may be enough to pull the pin. You could them have an out of sequence deployment, meaning the bag leaving before the pilot chute. And yes, I've watched some pretty unstable deployments and seen some good line burns over the years.

[JohnMitchell 16]

Quote

it's a boc ... (pud isn't the correct term?) ... it's like a hackey sack on the top of the pc

Quote

I think Pud is usually associated with pullouts, the throwouts are usually just called hackies or . . . what do we call those little PVC pipe handles? Anyone?

• Quote

Share this post

---

Link to post

Share on other sites