Keep Handles On Cutaway? Procedures?

[Hazarrd 1]

I had my first cutaway yesterday (high speed total) and I lost both handles. I never really trained myself to do anything but pull the handles in the right order. Now that I have done it once, I'd like to keep both handles in case I ever have to cutaway again. What do you guys train yourself to do so that you keep both handles??? Thanks!

.-.

[billvon 2,991]

I'd put keeping both handles way below doing a safe cutaway in order of priorities. When I had my first cutaway, I held onto the reserve because I never trained myself to throw it away, and the cutaway cables were long enough that the cable end stuck in the housing, so I didn't lose that. When I got my tandem rating I had to switch to one hand per handle, and it's easier to hang onto both if you have one hand on each.

[hookitt 1]

When I had my first cutaway, I kept my handles. It was not a conscious effort. After I finished AFF (and to this very day) I continued to train my emergency procedures but throwing the handles was not part of the training. It wasn’t intentional, but since I re-trained to use one hand on each handle, the part of throwing them wasn’t necessary.

To my surprise, right after the reserve opened, I realized the handles were still in my hands. I remember actually saying to my self, “What do you know… I didn’t drop them”

I’d toss em in a heartbeat if it were necessary.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[Aviatrr 0]

Don't worry about losing the handles. Don't make a conscious effort to keep the handles, either...you may miss something that could cost you your life! If you hold on to 'em, great....if not, no big deal.

That said, in my nearly half a dozen cutaways I have held onto my handles every time - not by any conscious effort on my part, though. My very first jump resulted in a cutaway, and when I landed I had the handles in my hands along with the toggles. I sure didn't remember hanging on to 'em. A couple more ended with the same result....I realized the handles were still in my hands when I was unstowing the reserve toggles, and stuffed 'em in my jumpsuit. On the most recent one, I was finally in the saddle under my reserve around 400', right over the landing area.....I went to unstow the toggles, realized I still had the handles, and just threw 'em down. Made a 180 into the wind and landed about 25' past 'em. Not that I planned it, of course.

I have always used the one hand per handle method, so I guess that is what has kept me from throwing 'em....it was never part of my initial training.

Mike

[sundevil777 102]

You had your first reserve ride.

A real cutaway can be a lot more fun.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[nathaniel 0]

$0.02

don't worry about it... your emergency procedure works, don't fix it!

If you're really concerned about the way you look after a cutaway, get an extra set of handles and keep them inside your jumpsuit

nathaniel

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[phoenixlpr 0]

Hey! You survived! Thats the main point. You can get more cables....but you cannat get new life for cables!!!

[michaelflying 0]

I had my first one on sunday and handles were still in my hands did not think about it just happend bonus I guess

www.skydivekzn.co.za

[lazyfrog 0]

depends on your procedure... if it's a 2 hand on the handle or a 1 hand per handle... the 2nd one might be easier to keep the 2 handles...
never had to use any though... but I learnt the 2nd...hope it happens, quite soon, and in good conditions.
glad you made it back.
don't worry too much about the few $$$ of the handles.

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Fumer tue, péter pue
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ourson #10, Mosquito Uno, CBT 579

[Ron 10]

Quote

I had my first cutaway yesterday (high speed total) and I lost both handles.

Well you actually had a reserve ride....You will still owe beer for the first cutaway main.

As for the handles...Do you use both hands on the cutaway then reserve? Or do you put your right hand on cutaway handle and your left hand on the reserve?

If you do the both on cutaway, then both and reserve...don't bother trying to keep them. You have more than enough going on, don't mess with sucess.

If you do the r hand cutaway, l hand reserve...When you practice you procedures from now on just pull and hold them, don't throw...And then when you have another mal, don't worry about it...

Handles are not worth your life. If you keep them great...If you lose them who cares? You are alive.

Congrats, and you still owe beer.

Ron

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[petetheladd 0]

Having initially trained on static line where you had to buy your own dummy handle to do practice pulls and when you were finished with it, you sold it back.

It was the same with the ripcord deployed mains back then, 'lose it and you pay for it'

This gave you a natural urge to hold on to a handle.

Also given the fact, I have been trained from day one to put a hand on each handle for reserve drill, its kinda natural - all going well on the cutaway - that I would end up with both handles.

On my only cutaway I landed the reserve with both handles still in my hands - without any conscous thought to do so.

However if something requiring my hands needed doing in the midst of a bad reserve deployment, its not hard opening your hands.

Certainly, guys with the radical elipticals that tend to spin up every so often always seem to land with handles.

However if you are a 'two hands on one handle' type of guy, lose the cutaway pad but I'd hold on to the reserve handle after pull - again all going well.

No, Not without incident

[sssbc99 0]

Quote

$0.02

don't worry about it... your emergency procedure works, don't fix it!

If you're really concerned about the way you look after a cutaway, get an extra set of handles and keep them inside your jumpsuit

nathaniel

It is about saving yourself the money of buying new ones rather than what you look like on the ground.

[riddler 0]

Hooknswoop has a good story about a guy that chucked his handles and one flew up into the reserve slider and it's cable went into the slider grommet. That's a rare case, but it seems like there are advantages and disadvantages to whatever you do, so do what you're comfortable with.

Personally, when I had my one cutaway, I flung my handles into the next county. Next time, I'll probably try to keep them.

[headoverheels 333]

Quote

I had my first cutaway yesterday (high speed total) and I lost both handles. I never really trained myself to do anything but pull the handles in the right order. Now that I have done it once, I'd like to keep both handles in case I ever have to cutaway again. What do you guys train yourself to do so that you keep both handles??? Thanks!

Throw them away.

On my last malfunction, the only breakaway I've had on "modern" gear, I threw away my breakaway handle and kept the reserve handle. I pulled both handles with my right hand. No plan to keep the reserve, that's just what happened. Another jumper walked out in the field and found my breakaway handle (thanks, Jan!).

[Tonto 1]

Congratulations! That rig's nice and light when you walk off the DZ, eh?

I'm with Hookitt here. I've always hung on, having also been trained on the one hand per handle method.

I think the key issue is it's not about the handles. It's about surviving - and if that means losing a handle, or a freebag, or even a main canopy - then you did the right thing.

t

It's the year of the Pig.