How often???

[rebellogan 0]

Since I am a newbie I a may be asking a question that has been asked a thousand times but here it goes...... How often do "incidents" happen? I am about to start my AFF and I read about cutaways etc. and how often do things like this occur? Should I expect one every 20 jumps or might I make it to 1000 without one. I know there are no definite answers but I would like ya'lls feedback on this.

Logan

[Patman 0]

Had my first one at 70 jumps on my first rig. The guy I bought it from never had a cutaway until around1010. You just never know. It depends on equipment, packing skills, are you being rushed, body position on opening, the amount of beer you owe... Too many things can happen to tell you truthfully. Be safe, double check, ask for help or tips, buy beer...

Don't tell me I can't! I already know that! Haven't you seen my x-rays?

[Chrisky 0]

Well, although you are _never_ safe from a malfunction, there is a lot you can do to prevent them or to lower the risk.
A friend of mine had a total mal (tension knot on D-Bag) on his first AFF jump, i never had a mal myself yet in 350 jumps.

Most cutaways are not from total mals but from malfunctions of a partially or fully inflated canopy which prevent the jumper from controlling it and thus landing safely. Thus he cuts away.

A good rule: Always expect a malfunction, so be in training and practice your emergency procedures _all_the_time_.
It will help you once your expectation is met, even unexpectedly.

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[mikkey 0]

Firstly talk to your instructors about your concerns.

I think I read that the "average" is about 1 reserve ride per 2-300 jumps or so. BUT that is very mis-leading as many factors play into the likelihood of malfunction, including type of canopy, quality of pack job, experience, etc. etc.

The good news is, that malfunctions and reserve rides are (in my experience) not that common during student status. Reason being that very experienced people are looking after you and checking your gear again and again and that good DZ's take good care of their student gear.

For example here in Australia we have not had a student fatality for over 10 years and I do not hear about many reserve deployments (and then it is mostly the student panicking and pulling the SOS handle ).
This said - it is important that you make yourself very familiar with the possible mal-functions and the emergency procedures.
But again best thing to do is discussing these issues with your Instructors at the DZ where you are going to do the AFF.

---------------------------------------------------------
When people look like ants - pull. When ants look like people - pray.

[quade 4]

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How often do "incidents" happen? I am about to start my AFF and I read about cutaways etc. and how often do things like this occur?

First things first, in skydiving the word "incident" is usually a euphemism for what most people would call a fatality. Fortunately, nation-wide those only occur about 30 times per year and in a vast majority of cases are preventable.

Cutaways and other malfunctions happen with some frequency, but determining it can be pretty frustrating since no records are actually kept and anecdotally things can be pretty strange.

I know some folks that have had cutaways on their very first jump but I've had over 1700 jumps and never have cutaway at all and I'm not the upper limit on folks without cutaways either.

People also biff in on landings even under the best of conditions. Some on their first AFF jumps get busted up, but again, I've never gone to the hospital for anything in over 1700 jumps and again, I'm not the upper limit on that either.

There's a bit of skill involved and a bit of luck as well. Generally speaking you want to develop the skill so you don't have to rely on luck. Use good judgement, learn all you can and you'll probably be just fine.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[FrancoR 0]

As far as i know a reserve ride happens every 700 to 1000 jumps. I was tough it happens in average every 800. But thats just numbers fact is it can happen any time, so be ready for it on every jump.
Once you are under a good canopy that still doesn't mean you are save. One of the major reasons for fatalaties is landing problems, most of them under high performance canopies among them a lot of jumpers with low experience but not all of them. But having a big fully functional canopy still should not make you feel totaly save.

I have 221 jumps no cutaways, only a mini malfunction, that was due to my pilot chute getting cought up in the steering lines. Consequence was it did not fly totally straight.

If it does not cost anything you are the product.

[velo90 0]

My first cutaway was at Jump #860 after 3 years in the sport.
My second 4 days after the 1st .
That was an expensive week for reserve repacks.
Worst reserve rate from people I know is 3 in 110 jumps.
Best is 0 in 2500 jumps.
But I am sure there are people here that can beat those figures.

[Zoter 0]

A good friend of mine had his 1st reserve ride on his first jump following gaining his Category 8 !!...
As far as he was concerned....it went a smooth as butter because all the training was still totally fresh in his head.

On the same DZ there are guys who have gone 1000's jumps without incident.

So tell me what to stats tell you here..? not a great deal
What they do say is don't jump unless your are happy with reserve drills...and keep practicing those reserve drills like you will need them on your next jump......In that way , you will be prepared .

How does the saying go again?

" plan for the worst.....hope for the best, and it will usually happen"

[Tonto 1]

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How often do "incidents" happen?

Cutaway's every 220 skydives.

Except for fractures.

They're every 1987.5 jumps.

Or aircraft emergencies.

They're every 993.75 jumps.

Girlfriends happen every 220.83 dives.

Fuck

That's one per chop....

t

It's the year of the Pig.

[edith 0]

Had my first reserve on jump 13- bag lock (rented gear)!
Second reserve on jump 26 this time I had tension knots and was spinning fast under some nylon. Did not manage to cut away until ~1000 feet . The good thing about it all is I know now that I can handle a mal and that I do not panic. Be prepared and work on your packing.

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[Squeak 17]

So do you get lucky after every chop or do you chop after you get lucky

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Tonto 1]

Dunna.

I guess the one that makes it through multiple mals is "the one" while the others are just there for a couple of 100 jumps!
t

It's the year of the Pig.

[redtwiga 0]

There are people out there with thousands of jumps who have never had to cut away. That is not necessarily a good thing. I had a cutaway on jump 68 on a rig that did not have an RSL. I have since gotten one, but that experience tested me. A combination of factors saved my life. I opened at the proper altitude, I identified my problem and the need to cutaway, I kept a clear head and followed my training. Almost. I had one hand on my cutaway and one hand on my reserve handle, but had trouble pulling the cutaway. I transfered both hands to it without looking at my reserve handle and cutaway. I forgot to watch my D-ring as I cutaway and my harness shifted, leaving me momentarily unable to find my reserve handle. I remember thinking "this could be it", not even thinking about the Cypres factor. Luckily I found the D-ring and all was fine.
The good thing about having had a cutaway is that I now know I'm capable of carrying out my emergency procedures. I feel very confident about it. Also, the rush is like your first jump all over again!

[Scrumpot 1]

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That's one per chop....

That's about the ratio I've been experiencing as well.
Unfortunately though, it took me up to almost 12 years in my 1st (and not so good) relationship to get there (my 1st chop) to finally be where I want to be now ---AND HAPPY!

Also been almost 3 full years now since then too. Guess at this pace it's gonna be 8-9 more before I find whether or not this one's gonna "pass the test".

-Grant

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[skydivejersey 0]

A friend of mine had 3 in 10 jumps on his Stiletto 120.

[PrivatePyle 0]

I had my first cutaway on jump 22 (same day as redtwiga. Hi Aviva!)

Always expect it but don't let the anticaption freak you out. Easy to say I know, what helped me during and after training was focusing on what I needed to be doing at that moment all the way from getting in the plane to landing the parachute: i.e. arch, check my altimieter, keep good body position, wave off, pull, count to 3, pray, etc.

If you include the training harness in your dive flow before each jump: training harness, dirt dive, mapping a landing pattern you will be putting yourself in a better position for handling the unexpected.

-Private Pyle (fellow newbie)

[feagajk 0]

I had my first cut away last weekend after 44 jumps. I had a inflated canopy, just one steering line was in a tension knot at 2/3 travel (rental gear). Then again I know people who have gone 1000s of jumps without one. If you didnt pack it, it might be luck of the draw. Be prepared! I practice my procedures before every jump and touch my handles on the plane EVERY JUMP!

Joe

[phoenixlpr 0]

I have 5 from 124 jumps. 2 was my fault. ! was someone else packing fault, one was a broken (steering)line, one remained unexcplaned anyway it was a high speed mal.

[skydivejersey 0]

You have the highest cutaway/jump ratio of anyone I know with more than 100 jumps!!!!!

[phoenixlpr 0]

It true, but Im alive.....

[StevePhelps 0]

If you were to look at PARACHUTIST magazine (granted these are NOT ALL the injuries, just the reported ones) You'll see how few there are in the estimated many thousands of jump made every month. Take away the swooping and high performance turns accidents and the numbers are even lower.

HOWEVER, statistics really mean little when you have one -- then it is 100% (to you)

[D22369 0]

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I have 5 from 124 jumps. 2 was my fault. ! was someone else packing fault, one was a broken (steering)line, one remained unexcplaned anyway it was a high speed mal.

WOW, thats wild!! I had 5 in my first 700 jumps, knock on wood I have had 900 without any...... of course...now that I have said that I am screwed...LOL
Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[phoenixlpr 0]

I dont like to cpllect them. Id like to have several hundreds of jumps without any.

[dkf1979 0]

From what i've read the ram-air chute malfunction rate is supposed to be like 1 in 1000. From what i've learned talking to people at my DZ.. One instructor has made over 3000 jumps, and has had to cut away 3 times. Another I talked to said he's made over 6000 jumps!!! and has had to cut away 3 times. In my mind, practice your emergency procedures religiously.

http://bodypilot.bounceme.net

[DrewEckhardt 0]

If you jump elliptical canopies, don't deal with them while they're opening, and do silly things with them (like your first few birdman jumps where you might be a bit wobbly) you can expect frequent cutaways. I used to cutaway real frequently until I figured that out (four in a couple hundred jumps).

Have a nice pack job, replace your lines when they go out of trim, repair/replace your pilot chutes when the kill line shrinks or they get porous, interact with the openings, change canopies when your favorite parachute is inappropriate, and the number will be much higher (1 in 500? 1 in 1000?)