Body position on deployment vs camera helmet

[johnboy 0]

Greetings. I'm still pretty new with flying a camera with some 100 jumps or so with a camera. I've looked through the posts here and am not having much luck in finding what most camera guys are doing at deployment. So what is the general consensus?

I ask, because last weekend I had such a brutally hard opening, I'm pretty sure I broke suspension lines on deployment. I've not been able to inspect the canopy as I chopped it as it was not even close to controllable (sp?) and it floated off into never never land. Two Cessna flights at 500 feet with the door open still did not reveal where it landed. Damn trees! Anyway, to get back on point, my neck is still twinging a bit from that one, and I'm debating on whether I should be getting hands under my chin to help support my neck should I get another whiz bang opening. It seems to me that hands under chin would put you more head down, but isn't this happening a little anyway, if you're trying to collapse wings so as to not induce a spin at deployment time?

I still haven't figured why that parachute smacked me so hard. It was a Hornet 190 that treated me wonderfully for the last 250 jumps or so. I will miss that canopy. (sigh)

Help would be much appreciated on this one. Thanks!

[Peej 0]

There's quite a bit of info here:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=forum_7&search_string=head+position+deployment+&search_type=AND&search_fields=sb&search_time=&search_user_username=&sb=score&mh=25

I don't do anything particularly special, i keep my head and neck in a straight line and try and stay symmetrical through deployment. Personally i'm more worried about doing funky things with my body that might induce a mal than i am about a hard opening.

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[johnboy 0]

Thanks. I'm not sure why I didn't think to search for head position....

[gearless_chris 1]

I don't do anything different than normal, same head and body position.

"If it wasn't easy stupid people couldn't do it", Duane.

My momma said I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, so I became an a$$hole.

[tetra316 0]

Do not look up at the canopy on opening! Otherwise I do the same thing as normal.

[Peej 0]

Haha, no worries dude

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[Icon134 0]

I don't do anything unusual on opening other then letting the parachute do its job, letting it stand me up, and looking straight out at the horizon...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[DSE 5]

Once I've released my PC, I begin to draw my knees forward. This assists in putting me into an upright position as the bag comes out and the canopy begins to open. If you throw your knees forward, it can put you towards your back, so you have to be careful and move slowly. After a couple of tries, you'll figure it out.

[johnboy 0]

Thanks DSE. I tried that this weekend, and yes, it will take me a few shots to get it, but I defenitely see what you're getting at.

The prodigal parachute returned, btw. It was about a third of the way down a 125 foot tall tree hanging way inside some branches. Freebag was in the blackberry bushes about 300 feet away. Paying a tree climber was an awful lot cheaper than a new canopy!

Thanks again the help everyone!

[DougH 270]

Tree climber??? You sissy!!!

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[johnboy 0]

LOL
I freely admit to my sissyness when it comes to trees! Heights don't bother me so much, but trees...