Find the nearest camera and pull!

[LearningTOfly 0]

I watched the "Crazy Train" video off of skydivingmovies a few times, and noticed a peculiar habit...

In a few instances, when a formation reached breakoff altitude, certain jumpers would, instead of tracking, find the nearest camera and pull. I'm sure they had the intention of tracking, but the camera was convinently close. My issue with this is that in both cases, the jumpers gave a single wave, but then dumped so fast afterwards, that IF there was someone above them, the higher jumper wouldnt even have a chance to react. Therefore I recognize this 'find the nearest camera and pull' habit extremely dangerous...

Any comments? Has anyone seen this occur at their dz? Insight into the stupidity?

[The111 1]

I haven't seen the video, but you don't necessarily know the full story behind those jumps. It could have been planned. My friends and I pull very close to each other all the time, in wingsuit jumps (planned, or at least impromptu planned ). Watch the intro to my Keys Boogie video (link in my signature).

The obvious answer to your question is yes, throwing away intelligent breakoff procedures to search for a camera is not a good idea.

www.WingsuitPhotos.com

[pilotdave 0]

Link: http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=3541

Dave

[LearningTOfly 0]

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I haven't seen the video, but you don't necessarily know the full story behind those jumps.

True, and I considered that for a second, but if you see the nature of the two pulls, they looked *very impromptu...

I guess this topic doesn't hold much intrest, but I thought I'd say something becuase seeing such lack of procedure by 'experienced' jumpers really surprized me.

[wildcard451 0]

looks like a good time to me. Most of those looked like belly jumps where you can easily see the people as you break and know they are all there.

don't be a chicken.

[Squeak 17]

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don't be a chicken.

Quite possibly the WORST advice I have seen on this site

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[pilotdave 0]

Screen capture attached in case anyone can't download the video. The people pulling in front of the camera don't seem as bad as the people that just aren't tracking more than a couple seconds for no good reason. But I think everyone should stick with the plan, whatever it is... Both people that just pulled in that pic pulled as some others STARTED tracking, or before.

Dave

[wildcard451 0]

I pity the fool that looks for serious advice in the bonfire.

Just do not, I repeat, DO NOT hurt the camera guy.

[LearningTOfly 0]

Thanks for that frame grab- that was the one that had me thinking 'wow'.

The distance between those two deployments is a bit close in my opinion... given differnt opening speeds on the canopies and an off-heading for one of those two, and the margins for safety become slim.

I guess one question would be: is stuff like this really a safety hazard- such close quartes when deploying is something I would not be comfortable with- but there really seems to be little oppostion or criticism to this... it seems close deployments are just the punchline of a joke when everyone lands.

[wildcard451 0]

you haven't seen close deployments until you watch CRW teams leave the plane.

if you're gonna do that shit on Freefall jumps, have a plan, be ready, and steer that bitch with your head on a swivel.

[pilotdave 0]

I don't know anyone in the video, but I'm guessing the person in the background that turned around and pulled instead of tracking wasn't very experienced... Probably not someone you'd want to be heading toward while in line twists or something like that.

I agree that you can get away with that stuff if you really plan for it and maybe are a little lucky... check out the movie Cutaway. They turned away from each other and pulled over and over in that movie cause it looks good on film. But that's very experienced jumpers that carefully planned it. This was (probably) not.

EDIT: scene from cutaway http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1012

I don't think this was the most dangerous thing in the world... but I do think it's dangerous to have the attitude that tracking is optional.

Dave

[Squeak 17]

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I pity the fool that looks for serious advice in the bonfire.

Just do not, I repeat, DO NOT hurt the camera guy.

So a low time jumper that mistakenly posts in Bonfire instead of General, has to suffer the ill thought out words of people such as yourself, are you incapable of reading a serious post without being flipant?

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[wildcard451 0]

Nope. Please don't insult my intelligence. I think my words out very carefully.

If they are too stupid to know I am joking, then they are too stupid to skydive.

[pilotdave 0]

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If they are too stupid to know I am joking, then they are too stupid to skydive.

But they're probably already skydiving if they're reading this.
Dave

[wildcard451 0]

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Quote

If they are too stupid to know I am joking, then they are too stupid to skydive.

But they're probably already skydiving if they're reading this.
Dave

Then they should stop.