Pull, Pull STABLE, Pull on time

[mcrocker 0]

Learned my lesson on Saturday and have the bruises to prove it.

Jump #241: A friend and I were going to hop-n-pop from 9k out of a Cessna 182 and fly around a bit. The weather was amazing, you could see forever. He jumped out (float exit), I watched him deploy then I dove out. I dumped my main pilot chute a bit too early as I was still a bit headdown from the dive, The pilot chute went by my right leg and the lines, turned into spaggetti around my ankle. I was now, in freefall with a pile of crap on my right foot, I tried in vain a couple times to free the lines. Thinking to myself 'I could play with these lines til I die' I turned over, belly down, cut away, pulled the shiny handle and WHAM, reserve canopy from terminal. Man does that hurt, I flew everything back home with the main still in its bag (by two stoes) and the main pilot chute dragging behind my right foot. Landed at the DZ, hugs, thanks, I'm alive. I have no idea where the handles went

Sitting under reserve at 5k'. I think it opened in 2 feet, sure felt like it.
This was my first reserve ride (case of beer)
This was borrowed gear from a friend at the DZ (smaller canopy). Mel, I still want some air time on that Specter....
She is a new rigger, this is her first save (case of beer) Thanks Mel, I owe you one :)

Lessoned learned, I broke rule #2, pull stable, it would have been better for me to either A. float exit for a hop-n-pop or B. wait til I came off the hill before I dumped with my dive exit. A couple more seconds would have save my ribs.

[sangiro 26]

Good post. I think you broke rule #3 though.

1) Pull
2) Pull at the right altitude
3) Pull at the right altitude while stable

Safe swoops
Sangiro

[polarbear 1]

I just had my second save on Sunday because someone pulled unstable. They also got tangled up in their lines. They kept a cool head and got the lines off their legs and arms, cutaway, and deployed the reserve with plenty of altitude to spare. They made good in a bad situation.

It is important to pull while stable, but statistics says pull when it's time to pull. You broke rule #3...thanks for not breaking rules #1 or #2.

"Holy s*** that was f***in' cold!"

[Costyn 1]

I've had a similar situation. Amazingly stupid, when I think about it now, thank god nothing happend:

I usually do a barrel roll in tracking to check the airspace above me. Well, this time I guess I wasn't paying attention enough, and I pulled a little early while in the roll, so I was on my back when I pulled. The pilot chute slipped by my right leg and the canopy opened with only half a line twist (I usually never have twists).

I realized at the moment that I felt the pilot go by my leg that I was in trouble... I stared at my canopy while it was opening, waiting for a mal. I thought I might have fallen through my risers during opening and that I'd have some nice risers twists... Anyways, I was ready for my reserve ride right there. It actually felt kinda good later, knowing I was alert and ready to dump my main and pull my reserve in an unusual situation.

Be safe... Complacency kills.

Costyn.

[ffejdraga 0]

1) Pull
2) Pull at the right altitude
3) Pull at the right altitude while stable

In addidtion to these Priorities, there are also landing priorities that we fomalized and now teach students:

1) Land with your wing level (over your head).
2) Flare.
3) Land into the wind.

It doesn't roll off the tongue as easily as the pull priorities, but that is the proper order.

Pass it on, save a life.
jeff agard D-16906
Jumptown, Orange MA

[kurt 0]

Change the order.
PULL
PULL at the right ALTI
PULL STABLE

[ifallout 0]

I think i like the order here better... sounds like better thinking Kurt, thank you...

Bill

have fun, love life, be nice to the humans