Reflections on my reserve ride

[skymama 37]

On jump number 245 yesterday, I had a reserve ride. It was my second, but it had been about 2 1/2 years since my first one. A lot of people told me that they have had this type of malfunction, so it wasn't a spectacular enough cutaway to post it in Incidents. But, there were things that went through my mind that other people had posted about or told me about, so I want to post it here in the hopes that I will be able to help someone else out too.

Everything went well with the jump and I opened at about 3200 and it started out to have a nice, smooth opening. But, when I looked up, I had a mass of line twists. I reached up to grab my risers to try to clear it, and it was then that I started to spin on my back. I don't know if it was my movement in the harness that caused it, but nonetheless I started in a spin and realized I was going to have to cut away very quickly. I cut away, flipped over, pulled silver and by 1200 feet had a beautiful yellow canopy overhead. I was already wearing a brace on my ankle, so not wanting to possibly hurt it further by not being familiar with the F-111 flare characteristics, I decided to slide in my landing on my butt. I didn't save my handles, but to me it was the perfect cutaway because of the thought process that I had....

First, when I started spinning on my back, I remembered an article Missy Nelson wrote last year, I think, about a situation that she was in where the G forces got so strong that she had a hard time cutting away. So, as soon as I started in the spin I thought of that and said to myself, "that's it, ditch it!" So, thanks to Missy for sharing that experience.

Second, I'm glad I didn't have an RSL hooked up since I was on my back. I know there are a lot of advocates for it, but I don't even want to think about what might have happened if my reserve deployed before I was stable, or even while I was flipping myself over to my stomach. Other people might not agree with me, but I'm confident in my skills to do the sequence right, so not having one worked for me. So, thanks to all of you great debaters here on the forums and to Sangiro for providing a place for us to learn.

Next, I'm glad that Skymonkeyone shared his experience with a cutaway on his birdman suit and talked about riser inserts. Most people tell me I really don't need to worry about needing them with the size canopy I have (Sabre 2 170) but I installed them anyway. I like erring on the side of caution. So, thanks Chuckie, that was one less thing I had to worry about and wish in hindsight that I would have done.

Most importantly, I'm glad I practice my cutaway procedures on every single jump run. It may not be cool to do it on every jump, but I think the muscle memory I have from that definitely gave me an advantage. I was able to put my hands directly on my handles and pull right, and then left without even second guessing myself that I was doing it correctly. My whole thought process went, "pull right, flip over, get stable, pull left." I have no recollection of even seeing the ground coming at me, I was so totally in the zone of the sequence.

Many thanks to Tim at Jumpshack for my beautiful reserve pack job. And, many many thanks to Louie at Relative Workshop for completely stopping his day of jumping so he could go back to work and get me handles and pack me up to get my flying again when Tim was unavailable to do it. As it turned out, it started raining as soon as we were done, and by the time it cleared I was feeling a little spent after the big adrenaline rush that I had, so I didn't jump. I'm hoping to go today if the skies clear.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[slotperfect 7]

Andrea,

First, I'm glad your emergency procedures went well, and I champion your decision making process.

Next, I want to thank you for the way you shared your experience here in this thread. It was clear, concise, and objective.

The way you have learned here in these forums, put what you have learned to good use, and shared it with us in this way, is what I see as the basis for why this website was created to begin with.

I can't, of course, speak for Sangiro, but this thread is what these forums are all about.

[Bows deeply]

Arrive Safely

John

[Jessica 0]

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but I don't even want to think about what might have happened if my reserve deployed before I was stable, or even while I was flipping myself over to my stomach.

I do want to think about what might have happened, because I jump with an RSL.

Can someone complete this scenario? I might be visualizing this wrong, but I don't think rapid reserve deployment would have been a problem.

Good work on your cutaway Andrea, and thanks for sharing.

Skydiving is for cool people only

[Mixoligist 0]

Congratulations Andrea !

Your a bad ass skydiving mama. Taking this sport seriously and having a level head pays off again.

I do emergency procedures on EVERY jump...I know my first cutaway is out there waiting for me and I want to be as ready as I can.

I agree on the RSL.....IMHO I feel RSL are great for students and some others but personaly I want to deploy my reserve once away from the main and stable.

I wonder how the new skyhook would have worked in your situation ???

Congrats to you again.

Blue skies

BOB

..................................
Better you than me
..................................

[matttrudeau 0]

In response to the riser inserts. Don't let anyone tell you don't need to put them in because the canopy your flying isn't high performance. I believe they should installed on every rig. I mean, why not? Can anyone think of a reason for not installing such an inexpensive device?

[Deuce 1]

Thanks for sharing, glad you're allright.

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I was already wearing a brace on my ankle, so not wanting to possibly hurt it further by not being familiar with the F-111 flare characteristics,

Sounds like the only solitary thing you hadn't practiced was landing your reserve, the rest all came as muscle memory. That's really cool. Traintraintrain. I had the opportunity to jump a PDR 143 (the reserve in my containers) as a main a few weeks ago, and it really gave me a lot of confidence. I'm glad I won't be flying it for the first time after an emergency procedure. I'd suggest people demo their reserve as a main if they have the opportunity.


400 and something jumps, no reserve rides.

[jt40ronin 0]

I saw that landin JP, me thinks ya need to ride the 143 more often . j/k

blue skys

jason

p.s. miss ya all at Byron, wish i was there

[Kolla 0]

Hey Andrea!
I missed the cutaway, but I caught the landing - good job girl!!

I'm not sure if you guys know that you can demo a PD reserve - set up as main (on risers and with a pilot chute attachment point) just like any other canopy. It's something I would highly recommend, as being familiar with your reserve will definitely
definitely come in handy when the time comes to use it
Blue ones!
Kolla

Blue Skies Magazine

[robskydiv 0]

Great job! You didn't quit skydiving, but kept a level head and executed just as you had in your mental preparation. Who can argue with that?
May God richly bless you Skymama!

[bbarnhouse 0]

Mama~
You rock the ever livin hen house...well done my friend, well done.

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I'm not sure if you guys know that you can demo a PD reserve - set up as main (on risers and with a pilot chute attachment point) just like any other canopy. It's something I would highly recommend, as being familiar with your reserve will definitely
definitely come in handy when the time comes to use it

We included this program as part of our safety day. Thanks PD,Sunpath and Square2. I am sure it helped alleviate some concerns from folks that have never flown a 7 cell canopy.
Cheers!
BB

[freakflyer9999 1]

My fourth cutaway was a similar spinning mal and I did have an RSL as I did on the other three cutaways. The result was a couple of minor line twists on my reserve, which I quickly kicked out of. It could have been worse I guess, but it wasn't and the main reason I cutaway was a conscious decision concerning my lack of altitude awareness due to the few seconds that I took to figure out what was wrong as the G-forces of the spin began to increase. I knew I was losing altitude rapidly, but didn't know how rapidly and since my opening had been only slightly above 2,000 feet I decided to chop it. Since my mal was caused by a brake line that came loose during opening(packed by my rigger) and tied itself into a knot, I could have stabilized the whole mess by pulling down on the opposite toggle. In hindsight I probably should have, but my thought process immediately assessed "What altitude am I at?". Since I didn't know the answer I chopped and as I said the RSL pulled as I spun, but the result was only minor line twists. Had I stablized the mess, I could have taken a moment to decide whether to disconnect the RSL.

[mikeat10500 12]

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but I don't even want to think about what might have happened if my reserve deployed before I was stable, or even while I was flipping myself over to my stomach.

I do want to think about what might have happened, because I jump with an RSL.

Can someone complete this scenario? I might be visualizing this wrong, but I don't think rapid reserve deployment would have been a problem.

Sure...not taking anything away from Skymamma
who did exactly what she should have" and I hope she is taking up CRW"...The rsl should function as
designed only to open the a reserve little faster.
I do not use RSL's but have deployed my reserve
wile not face to earth...I was low, spinning in a CRW
entanglement "not a rap" and cut away sliding through the sky on my back rolled to my side and
dumped" no burble". Now I continue the roll to face
to earth and wait for line stretch.
There is a difference between not being face to earth and
unstable." ask those head down dudes/chicks".
Furthermore unstable deployment at higher alt's is
safer on average than getting to line stretch after impact.
RSL's are not for everyone" or me" but they are cost effective life saving devices and it scares me to
hear so many people with experience shooting them
down in front of people with >100 jumps and no
cutaways under their belts.
p.s. I used to be one of them. too many people have died from low cutaways and no reserve pulls to
discorrage the use of RSL's. Some with >4000 jumps.
my $0.02 worth cdn.

-----------------------------------
Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1
Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists.

[skymama 37]

Thanks for the good thoughts you guys. I wholeheartly agree with everyone who mentioned that it would be a good thing for me (or anyone) to have demo practice under a reserve canopy. And, there's really no excuse for me not to have done it with PD right there in the neighborhood. Like a lot of people, I'm a victim of having little time and money to jump, and I put my desire to have fun in front of training. I'll be giving Kolla a call within the next few weeks so I can go out and do some hop n pops on a reserve.

As for the suggestion for me to do Crew, that gave me a good laugh. I was on a wrap that caused my first reserve ride so nothing scares me more than having someone near me under canopy!

I really hope this thread doesn't turn into another RSL debate. But I do want to mention that my first reserve ride had a RSL (it was a student rig) and I still pulled the handles instead of relying on it to do the work for me. Because I had done it before is why I mentioned that I was confident in my abilities to do the proper cutaway sequence. Like I said, it worked for me. It's one of those personal decisions like using an AAD.

I jumped today and had a very uneventful and wonderfully normal jump and landing. And for more good news, I took a little walk and found both of my handles!

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[crazy 0]

Quote

Quote

but I don't even want to think about what might have happened if my reserve deployed before I was stable, or even while I was flipping myself over to my stomach.

I do want to think about what might have happened, because I jump with an RSL.

Can someone complete this scenario? I might be visualizing this wrong, but I don't think rapid reserve deployment would have been a problem.

Well, it could be a problem, but you summarize it perfectly here:

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unstable deployment at higher alt's is safer on average than getting to line stretch after impact.

Put a skydiver under a lightly loaded intermediate canopy (~1.1), opening with a shitload of line twists and a spin. Now evaluate these scenarios:
-1- No RSL, reserve opened 2000 feet lower than the main opening altitude
-2- A RSL and the reserve pin is pulled while unstable

which one is more scary? When you think about the whole meaning of these 2000 feet, or when you witness it, scenario -1- can be really scary.

--
Come
Skydive Asia

[indyz 1]

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I really hope this thread doesn't turn into another RSL debate. But I do want to mention that my first reserve ride had a RSL (it was a student rig) and I still pulled the handles instead of relying on it to do the work for me.

Just so long as you understand that an RSL isn't designed only to, or even primarily to, "do the work for" you. That's gotta be the biggest misconception about RSLs.

Further reading (results 1, 2, 4, and 7).

[Michele 1]

Mama, you rawk. Good job all the way around, from practicing each and every time to walking out and finding your handles. I am thrilled to see that information you learned on these forums came in handy - that's what it's there for...learning, being serious, and using that information when needed.

I'm proud and thrilled and happy for you!

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[tibby 0]

Glad you're OK, and thx for sharing.
My question:
Being in the reserve-saddle at 1200 means you must have pulled silver well below 2000, which seems quite low to me.
Interesting would be at what altitude you cutaway, i.e. how long did it take you to get belly to earth...

[Kris 0]

From Bill Von's "Top 5 RSL Myths" article here on DZ.com:

1. You should get stable before you open your reserve, and so you should disconnect your RSL.

First off, you should _not_ be stable face-to-earth when you open your reserve. The Racer manual spells this out explicitly - you should be head-high if possible to ensure a cleaner reserve deployment. Fortunately, you are head high the instant you cut away from your main, and that is the point at which an RSL will open your reserve.

Secondly, there are two universal truths in skydiving - you won't do it if you don't practice it, and you _will_ do what you trained to do. If you practice "cutting away and getting stable" you _will_ do that in the air, even if you someday cut away at 500 feet. If you do that, the only thing that will save your life will be your RSL.

Finally, before you decide that it's a good idea to cut away and then get stable, I'd recommend you do an intentional cutaway from a rapidly spinning canopy and see how long it takes. (Hint - it does not take just a second or two.)

Kris

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[rmsmith 1]

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...and realized I was going to have to cut away very quickly.

When that time arrives there's no mistaking it!

[Bruno 0]

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My whole thought process went, "pull right, flip over, get stable, pull left." .

This habit could kill You, in case of low cutaway.
Low cutaway happen!!
Bruno

[flyhi 24]

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I wonder how the new skyhook would have worked in your situation ???

The article in Skydiving said they tested it under these conditions (back-to-earth) and it worked.

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[R00tj00se 0]

Nice work on the cut away. All this discussion reminded me of a 'minor' incident I had a while back. Check out the link for details:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=72134;search_string=interlude;#72134

Phew, got sweaty palms after reading that again.

However, a couple of months back I had another cutaway from a rotating mal this time under a spectre 135 (I've had the p1ss taken out of me for not attempting to kick out of it, but if it's not flying straight with twists then I'm off it.). Cut-away, went straight on my back but my previous experience helped me to stay calm - so I just did a flip over sideways and pulled the reserve. Was slightly head down when I pulled and felt the freebag bang my heel on the way past and reserve opened with half a twist. The difference this time was that I had deployed at 3,500ft so I knew I had time to flip over -- whereas with the previos one time was running out fast.

Not going to state any lessons here - you can all take away what you can from this. As for RSL's, I don't have the answer to that debate.

[skymama 37]

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Being in the reserve-saddle at 1200 means you must have pulled silver well below 2000, which seems quite low to me.
Interesting would be at what altitude you cutaway, i.e. how long did it take you to get belly to earth...

When I saw that I was at 1200, that was after I had checked to see that my reserve was fully inflated and after I unstowed the toggles. I could already tell visually that I still had plenty of altitude, so I didn't look at my altimeter first thing. I didn't look at my altimeter throughout the whole process, I just tried to do everything as quickly as I could.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[Rdutch 0]

Lucky girl, her canopy landed right in front of her, and her handles were found the next day in pretty much the same area. Now SKymamma has a spare set. Congrat's on the ride, maybe you might want to consider getting a Skyhook, but that's a different story.

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[weid14 0]

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I took a little walk and found both of my handles!

good job! (ya didn't see my freebag did ya?)