BigM 2 #1 July 15, 2004 I know this will seem a little like a Safety and Training post but bear with me and you'll understand why I am posting this here. Shooting a tandem out of a King Air that has no camera step, and a bar above the door. Left foot barely inside the back corner of the door, left hand on the bar, chest to the exterior of the fuselage, head positioned to get the camera in their face during exit. Uneventful free fall and deployment. I make all my normal checks and adjustments. Flying back and a little under 1k a feel a "pop". I look down and see my cut-away pillow off the velcro and dangling with about 4 or 5 inches of cable pulled out. #%*#*!!!!! I check the 3-ring release and can't see the tip of the yellow cable so I know I've got a little bit to play with. Efforts to push the cable back in don't work, therefore making mating the velcro a little tough. Hands off the toggles and I am baby-sitting the cut-away pillow. Harness turn adjustments. At about 150 feet I take the toggles and land. Said all that to say this: It must have gotten pulled about 90% off of the velcro on exit. I absolutely am positive of checking all my handle 2 seconds before climb-out. We looked to try and see if there was anything protruding that it might have got caught on during exit (there wasn't) it must have got caught on the edge of the door. If you jump this type set up, please watch yourself. Even with a camera step on an Otter, we sometimes might get our chest on the edge of the plane. Just wondering... anybody else know of any incidents like this? Blue 111- Jeff "When I die, I want to go like my grandmother, who died peacefully in her sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in her car." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #2 July 15, 2004 I'd also be inclined to think you snagged it on the door frame while climbing out. It would definately be possible to catch either of your handles and in the case of a reserve handle in the tracks of a Twin Otter or similar door . . . whee! Y'all be careful out there.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #3 July 15, 2004 Next time, keep your left hand hooked on the rear edge of the door about mid-door, and your chest off of the plane. Your right hand can be either up on the floater bar, or just above your left on the door frame It seems if you are reaching up to the floater bar with your left hand, you are having to look over your left shoulder/arm to see the tandem, which can be akward. Also, with your chest against the plane, you can only get a profile shot of the tandem. Using the grips described above will let you lean out a foot, and shoot back in at the tandem in the door. The shot looks much nicer this way. Yeah it's windy out there, but nobody ever said video was easy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chachi 0 #4 July 15, 2004 thank you very much for the update, i was getting scared as i was reading it as i do the identical climbout/exit on our king air. no step or camera handle. i also lean don to get top mount camera in the students face too. i will be more careful with my handles. THANK YOU. ~chachi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigM 2 #5 July 18, 2004 QuoteIt seems if you are reaching up to the floater bar with your left hand, you are having to look over your left shoulder/arm to see the tandem Good catch. Yes I SAID left hand on the bar, but I actually have my right on it... with the left somewhere on the door frame. Blue 111- Jeff "When I die, I want to go like my grandmother, who died peacefully in her sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in her car." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
