I busted my rear this weekend

[bmcd308 0]

So I'm turning onto final a little bit low (but not terribly, or so I thought) with a slow, flat (or so I thought) toggle turn, and when I'm facing into the wind, I have plenty of time to let my toggles all the way up to fly final in full flight (or so I thought). Next thing I know, I am a good ways behind my canopy with very little altitude available. What to do? Stab both toggles to my hips, pick my feet up, and put three hell-acious bruises on my ass where the bones impacted the ground. I hit so hard I chipped a tooth.
Don't try this at home.
Hope you guys flew smarter than I did this weekend.
Brent

[freeflir29 0]

Wow....glad it wasn't any worse! Always stay ahead of your canopy!!!
"Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[AndyMan 7]

Repeat after me! PLF.... PLF... PLF
Feet and knees togeather. Hit with your feet, roll to your thighs, your shoulders, then your back. You SO should've walked away from that without even a bruise.
Practice your PLF's!
_Am
ICQ: 5578907
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[bmcd308 0]

There's more stupidity to this story than meets the eye - I can't really PLF because I injured the cartilage in my left knee about a month ago, so I have been landing on just my right foot. When I realized it was going to be a hard impact, I picked my legs up to protect that knee. I actually thought I was going to slide it in, but I would have needed another 12 inches or so of altitude to get the slide.

[jlmiracle 7]

Brent, are you going to jump your new gear - provided it shows up, this weekend? or do we need to reserve the student gear with the 300 in it.
You didn't mention the chipped tooth. Hope you feel better soon.

[bmcd308 0]

I realized the tooth was chipped in the pool later. This injury has led me to realize certain shortcomings in my chair here at work, by the way.
My new gear is supposed to show up this week (hopefully on Friday), but it will not be assembled. I will give it to Dane this weekend to put it together. I am assuming that I will not be able to jump it, but stranger things have happened.
Given my recent decision-making under canopy, the PD-300 is probably a good choice for me.
My work e-mail is mcdadeb@mercer_nospam_capital.com - remove nospam and all underscores for correct addy.

[billvon 3,112]

>There's more stupidity to this story than meets the eye - I can't really PLF
> because I injured the cartilage in my left knee about a month ago, so I have
> been landing on just my right foot. When I realized it was going to be a hard
> impact, I picked my legs up to protect that knee.
Yikes! I would suggest that, even if you have to land on your feet to PLF, knee surgery is preferable to spinal damage (from landing on your butt.) Knees are easier to fix than your back.
-bill von

[bmcd308 0]

The plan, in the nanosecond before impact, was to slide it in on my butt like a tandem. The reality was that my descent rate was too high to do anything that even resembled a slide.
I agree that I got lucky.

[jfields 0]

Brent,
Glad you are mostly okay. It doesn't sound too serious.
You lived through it, so if you learn some lessons from it, consider it an education. Next time, try to learn without the bruises. Justin

[drenaline 0]

Brent what medicine you are taking? happened to me 3 months ago, took diclofenac twice a day for 2 weeks, made some hot pad therapy and now some days it hurts. What happened to me was kinda funny, when you see the video you can see my butt touching the ground and then you see the canopy making the flare taking me up and giving me another bump, damn floor was hard like cement, couldn't sit for a week.
"Life is full of danger, so why be afraid?"
drenaline