Reserve handle knocked loose on AFF2

[Fireflyer 0]

So I am doing my AFF2 jump this weekend, and on exit, unknown to me, my reserve handle comes free and slaps my reserve-side JM in his visor.

My dive was great and uneventful, but on the ground my reserve JM told me he and the main JM thought about pulling my reserve in freefall, in case I by chance had a mal and would not be able to find the reserve handle.

I was jumping a smaller harness this time, and the handles were more on my side. I am sure it was my dumb move knocking it free and rubbed it loose in the plane with my elbow/underarm. I had 3 solid gear checks and I checked all handles at least twice, but there you go...

So, I am all good about it all, but has this happened to anyone? What did you do? I'd especially be curious to see what any AFF rated jumpers say...

[CanuckInUSA 0]

What happened to you is a huge reason why some jumpers prefer to use reserve pillows rather than a handle. I'm still using a handle (I'm pretty much waiting for my first mal to see how I react), but if I'm around in the long run, I'm sure at some point I'll have converted to a pillow.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[rigging65 0]

As an AFF/I, I think I've only ever put one handle back into place. I have, however, unrolled a bunch or cutaway pillows in freefall. This is mostly due to the "less than perfect" harness fit student gear tends to provide.

One way to prevent this sort of thing from happening is to intentionally put a twist in the cables, such that the handle naturally wants to roll away from the body. This really helps keep the handle visible, where it should be.

I've put a couple of D-rings back into place on fun jumps for people, but most of the time it was from jamming an 8-way base into the door and getting it a bit too cramped.

As has been stated, this is the sort of thing a Soft Ripcord handle helps prevent. They do have their downsides too though, as does anything to which there is more than one acceptable option...

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[Fireflyer 0]

ever pulled one thinking the student might not get to it if they had too? my JM said he tryed to get it in too, to no avail...

[Jessica 0]

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to intentionally put a twist in the cables, such that the handle naturally wants to roll away from the body. This really helps keep the handle visible, where it should be.

How do you do that?

Skydiving is for cool people only

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

peel it off the velcro, twist it 360 degree toward the centre of the rig, reattach

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[rigging65 0]

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peel it off the velcro, twist it 360 degree toward the centre of the rig, reattach

That's it. If the handle wants to roll back in towards you, you rolled it the wrong way. Go back the neutral and twist the other way

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[billvon 3,006]

I've stopped students from pulling the cutaway handle when they couldn't find the main ripcord about a dozen times. Two of them got it out a few inches; I restowed one and just sorta prayed on the other one. (The problem was that we used to use hip-mounted ripcords; the problem went away when we went to BOC.) Note that a pulled cutaway handle isn't too big a deal since if they do release the canopy the RSL should fire their reserve, and as far as they're concerned they are still under a good canopy after they pull. The bad scenario is a release at 200 feet (unlikely) or a single riser release on opening, but at least with the single riser release it's an obvious mal.

[rigging65 0]

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ever pulled one thinking the student might not get to it if they had too?

No. And that's a tough call to make. Do you put the student out under a canopy that is supposed to be their last chance, is going to open hard, etc. just because they might not find a handle in the event that they might have a reserve ride on that jump??

I guess it comes down to the AFF/I and the jump s/he's on. Sometimes the situation changes the argument.

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my JM said he tryed to get it in too, to no avail...

It can be a pain to do. You have to actively open up the pocket and seat the handle, something that really isn't all that easy...especially if the student isn't real stable. The couple of times I've put handles back in on fun jumps, there was one I simply couldn't get in. I alerted the jumper to the situation by getting her to look down at her MLW. After she nodded that she had seen it, I gave her a pull signal at about 6K and she dumped her main. When she got down she said she understood that I wanted her to dump high so she'd have time to find the handle if she needed too.

Now, one other safety device that might help you out in this very odd situation is having an RSL. Not that I'm advocating relying on it, but (in the situation where a student's handle is out flailing) cutting away with an RSL attached would most likely get you the reserve deployment you wanted...in the unlikely event you needed it.

Again, I'm not advocating this type of thinking, but sometimes, when you find yourself in a situation, you have to lean a bit more heavily on your resources than you'd like to.

This also reinforces, to me, the idea of not putting the student's reserve out...gives him one more chance if he needs it.

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[Fireflyer 0]

good info rigging65, thank you, and to all the rest as well!

[andy2 0]

[QUOTE]As has been stated, this is the sort of thing a Soft Ripcord handle helps prevent. They do have their downsides too though, as does anything to which there is more than one acceptable option... [/QUOTE]

Can you elaborate more on this? I have wanted to convert to reserve handle pillow before I knew that was even done. It seems simpler that both handles be the same type, at least for me, being a student. Can you inform me a little more about the pros and cons?

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let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[rigging65 0]

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Can you elaborate more on this? I have wanted to convert to reserve handle pillow before I knew that was even done. It seems simpler that both handles be the same type, at least for me, being a student. Can you inform me a little more about the pros and cons?

Pros: Low profile, hard to snag. Tends to stay in place better than a D-handle (providing the velcro is in good shape).

Cons: Low profile, hard to snag (when you really need to snag it). Can't hook your thumb through it (which makes it harder to snag...either a Pro or a Con, depending on how you look at it). Not as easily identified as a D-handle is.

At the end of the day, you should really be mentally in the game enough not to need to see/feel the difference between a metal D-handle and a soft cutaway pillow...but...you might not be all that mentally in the game in certain situations (like after a canopy collision, after a mid-air, after being rammed into the door on exit, etc). And, your harness can shift radically during some spinning mals...so much so that your handles may move across your chest and be out of "position".

So, you can argue it either way you want. For day-to-day, normal circumstances (even "normal" emergencies) IMO a soft reserve ripcord is better. There are, however, a very few, very rare occasions that I could certainly see the advantages to a D-handle. For me though, AND ONLY FOR ME, the day-to-day operations and emergencies are better served by a soft-reserve ripcord pillow.

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[riggerrob 643]

This thread is similar to the thread on "bent reserve pin."
Just goes to show that if you bang any rig around long enough and hard enough you can knock things loose.
Far wiser to sit quietly in the airplane, move slowly and protect your handles.

[rigging65 0]

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Far wiser to sit quietly in the airplane, move slowly and protect your handles.

Absolutely, but even that doesn't always protect everything...you've got to be aware not only of what you're doing, but what's being done to you and in what condition your gear is from minute to minute.

Gotta be aware!

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."