peek 21 #1 October 9, 2011 I can't believe he did this, and I bet he can't either. My buddy Larry is a very experienced and conservative skydiver, but this shows how distraction can affect anyone under certain conditions. None of us are immune from this. Larry is such a nice guy that when a man and his two little girls came by the DZ to watch skydiving, he showed them all about his gear, and even let one of the girls pull out his pilot chute. So when he was repacking the pilot chute he must have gotten distracted by talking to them further, and after pushing the pilot chute all the way into the pouch, he forgot to pull the handle out where it could be reached. But the bad thing was that he forgot to check his handle before he got out of the airplane! Now we know why we do that, huh? (The reserve ride was nominal as he was planning to pull high anyway.) So folks, when your buddies tell you to check your handles, whenever they do it, please thank them and pass on the favor. This reminds me of another time that distraction caused a problem. Todd was converting a student rig from the freefall configuration to the static line configuration for the cute blond girl standing there, and he got distracted and connected the static line to the top of the canopy. When she jumped the attachment point got ripped off the canopy. No reserve ride, but costly. So guys, what have we learned from this?. It's not just the "big" girls that can distract you! Ha, ha, snicker.... Be vigilant everyone and don't let distractions get you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 425 #2 October 9, 2011 QuoteBut the bad thing was that he forgot to check his handle before he got out of the airplane! Sounds as though he also forgot to check it before he put on the rig and again before he boarded the aircraft. Apparently whoever gave him a gear check also missed it. He did get a gear check, didn't he?Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #3 October 10, 2011 I bet he starts doing his "checks of threes" from here on out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #4 October 10, 2011 QuoteSounds as though he also forgot to check it before he put on the rig and again before he boarded the aircraft And again before he climbed out of the aircraft. I call BS blaming the whuffos for this one. Long after the whuffos were no longer commanding the jumpers attention, he missed several chances to check his handles. It makes me wonder if this jumper actually had a habit of checking his handles in the past, or he just had a habit of packing correctly, and thus his missed handle checks went un-noticed, as they were always where he expected them to be. Just like 'getting away' with not checking your handles by packing correctly is an accident waiting to happen, so is blaming your own failures on others. If the jumpers only remedy is to quit talking to whuffos while he packs, then he's learned very little. If he can accept responsibility for his mistakes (missing the gear checks), then he's learned a great deal more. To anyone out there who is 'soft' on their gear checks, it's time to firm up your game. Let's remember that when the door opens, it's literally 'go time', and the only thing standing between you and death is the parachute system on your back. Leaving an airplane without the personal and timely knowledge that the parachtue system is properly donned and configured immediately before exit is taking a chance with your life. No offence to most of you jumpers out there, but all your handshakes, high fives, and fist bumps, should take a back seat to checking your gear after the 2-min call. You want a high-five? Look for me back on the ground in 10 min when you've actually achieved something and survived a jump, then I'll give you a high-five. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piisfish 140 #5 October 10, 2011 Quote No offence to most of you jumpers out there, but all your handshakes, high fives, and fist bumps, should take a back seat to checking your gear after the 2-min call. You want a high-five? Look for me back on the ground in 10 min when you've actually achieved something and survived a jump, then I'll give you a high-five.some people actually deserve a high five In the face With a chairscissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #6 October 10, 2011 Quote Let's remember that when the door opens, it's literally 'go time', and the only thing standing between you and death is the parachute system on your back. Leaving an airplane without the personal and timely knowledge that the parachtue system is properly donned and configured immediately before exit is taking a chance with your life. No offense to most of you jumpers out there, but all your handshakes, high fives, and fist bumps, should take a back seat to checking your gear after the 2-min call. Nice post, Dave. I hope it gets heeded. And don't worry about the high fives and handshakes. By the time everyone is hucking those around, I've already done 3-4 gear checks and inspected every chest strap I can see. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,998 #7 October 10, 2011 >And again before he climbed out of the aircraft. Agreed. But a note on this - do NOT do pin checks just before climbing out of the airplane with the door open! If you do want to pull on pin protectors, wiggle cables, extract a PC handle from a pouch etc. do that with the door closed, so that an accident during a pin check does not have more serious repercussions. (Not a direct response to you, just wanted to point that out to people reading.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DougH 270 #8 October 10, 2011 People need to use common sense. That being said, what is wrong with a final feel for your pilot chute handle with the door open? Open your main pin cover not a chance, but I see no issue with a reach back for quick touch to verify where your hackey is. We check our drogues and handles one last time before exiting with tandems. You need to on a 182, a lot can happen during the time in between the check after hooking up the student, and getting the student ready in the door! Same thing with everyone getting set in the door for a larger formation. It is good to know that your pilot chute fell out while every one was setting up in the door before you go rushing on out with everyone once the count is given."The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kuai43 7 #9 October 19, 2011 Quote>And again before he climbed out of the aircraft. Agreed. But a note on this - do NOT do pin checks just before climbing out of the airplane with the door open! If you do want to pull on pin protectors, wiggle cables, extract a PC handle from a pouch etc. do that with the door closed, so that an accident during a pin check does not have more serious repercussions. (Not a direct response to you, just wanted to point that out to people reading.) If you're going to go apeshit manhandling your gear, you've got a good point. Sliding my finger under the main flap one last time to be sure the pin's fully seated works for me.Every fight is a food fight if you're a cannibal Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man. - Anthony Burgess Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
