The Beer Ride

[eeneR 3]

It’s a bright and sunny afternoon at the DZ, we are taking a quick break from 10way practice to eat lunch. As I am sitting in the common area inhaling my lunch Chris comes in to say goodbye before he takes of for his journey. I then am informed that we are on a 15-min call for next load. So Chris and I say our good-byes and off he goes, and off I go to go gear up. So I gear up, and watch and wave, as Chris leaves (don’t think he saw me). As we are all standing out at the mockup dirt diving with a 5-min call I realize I really have to pee. So I let our coach know that I will be right back. I run to the bathroom de-gearing on the way, do my business and re-gear on the way back out to the tarmac. I double and triple checked my straps etc. Made sure all handles were in place. Make it to the plane just as we were boarding.
We go up, the dive goes pretty well….we break off…..track, stop and pull……. Wham right on opening she spins up quickly to the right, Slider does not make it down it is stuck above the twists. So I make three attempts to untwist, try one – nothing, Try two still nothing WTF?, Try three I try with all my might…she starts to surge and dive to the right (same directions as the twists). I check my alti., I was just a hair above hard deck. SCREW THIS…Chop…..Pull reserve…. AHHHHH What a pretty yellow canopy above my head. Gained my bearings to where I am and where things are going (reserve/freebag), Shove my handles in my jumpsuit, and released my toggles.
I follow down my reserve, get and idea of where it is headed, then found an out for myself. I had to flat spiral down into a gully, as I would not make it over the trees. I land standing, then proceed to sit. First thought… Im Alive!!!! Second thought....Damn it figures Chris leaves and I have my first cutaway. Third thought…... Damn I’m glad I went to the bathroom before getting on this load. Fourth thought…..Damn I owe beer.
I gather up my reserve and start heading up the hill to the train tracks as I know I can get back to the airport by following them and I believe that my main landed just off of them. As I was headed up our coach comes walking down the tracks, he had followed me down and landed just over the trees and had my freebag. We do a quick check to see if we can find my main. Nothing quickly, it’s hot and I do not have on clothes to go hiking in the woods to look for my main. So we mark where we think it is and head back. He decides to take the high road I opt for the train tracks, as I do not want to have to climb over barbwire with my reserve out. So I’m headed down the tracks for my half-mile walk back. Laughing all the goofy things involved, Chris leaving, and that I have to call him when I get back, the fact that I had to go to the bathroom. And I made it through my first reserve ride blah blah blah..
I’m walking along, the plane is buzzing over head….A few minutes later I see a person walking down the tracks. Oh hey look they sent someone to get me cool. I keep walking they are getting closer. WTF? That looks like Chris? It was…..He had lost his cell phone and was waiting for me to come back down from the load to help him look for it…. but I didn’t come back, everyone else made it back? Then someone had told him there was a reserve ride. He did the math and it was me….The plane had radioed down that I was walking down the tracks, so he came down to get me. [eeneR with big shit eating grin]
We go back to the hanger, pick up my free back and drop off my rig to the rigger to have my reserve repacked handles and all. I go change clothes, grab some water for the journey and the next thing I know I have 4 other people who were willing to give up part of their day to help me find my main (THANKS GUYS YOU KNOW WHO YOUR ARE!!!!). We swung by the tralier so I could call Chris’ phone to hel find it, I call it we hear it ring, they guys in the truck are cracking up. We stick out heads outside, and here it ringing. It had fallen out next to where his car had been parked. Off we were on the main hunt, it didn’t take long, I got luck as it did not end up in a tree, it fell and landed on a path.
Lessons learned?
1. If you gotta go before a load…GO!!!!!!! I would have had yellow floating above me and yellow floating below me. 2. Strange things happen for a reason
3. Always, always check your steering lines. Do not rush a pack job. It can do more than just turn you off heading.
eeneR

[freeflir29 0]

Congrats!!! I hope you bought quality beer for the crowd and quality liquor for the rigger. Glad ya made it OK and it's really cool that you kept your handles! I have known people with quite a few jumps that lost them. "Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[Skyrose7 0]

eerr, I think I am going to go repack my rig now...
glad ur ok. The mind is like a parachute--it works better when it is open. JUMP.

[ChromeBoy 0]

Congrats on your first beer ride. I had the same type of malfunction on mine back in December. It's good to know those emergency procedures will kick in when needed isn't it?
ParaChat anytime!

[hobbes4star 0]

good job, my first mal ride all i could hear was my old jump-master screaming in my ear pull the reserve
why jump when you can fly

[diverdriver 6]

What eeneR left out from the story......
She bought WAY more beer and alchohol than the customary "case".
She did a textbook cutaway. She has about 70 jumps. AND brought both handles back. She asked a lot of questions BEFORE she had a real reserve ride. AND she cutaway from a canopy that some might have tried to fight longer than they should have. The canopy was over her head at first but didn't respond like typical line twists. She couldn't kick out of it even though she was under it.
She was alititude aware and hit the hard deck and chopped.
Golden rule: Land safely under an open parachute.
Well done eeneR. And nice job on your "return" jump.
Kudos also has to go out to her rigger (sorry, Nylon American) who had her reserve packed back up almost completely by the time we got the main back up there on a SATURDAY! And we found it fast.
Chris
[proud boyfriend]

[GrumpySmurf 0]

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She bought WAY more beer and alchohol than the customary "case".

Amen to that! And it was much appreciated by us plebes

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AND brought both handles back

Rub it in, rub it in

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And we found it fast.

I have a feeling we know who we are using as a canopy hound from now on.

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[Iflyme 0]

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next thing I know I have 4 other people who were willing to give up part of their day to help me find my main (THANKS GUYS YOU KNOW WHO YOUR ARE!!!!).

That's what great skydiving friends are for!!!
Glad to hear you made it thru your first cutaway so well. I hope you don't have another for a thousand jumps!!!
"There's nothing new under the sun"

[wildblue 7]

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AND she cutaway from a canopy that some might have tried to fight longer than they should have.

Just though this needed repeating. This very thing has killed more than one low-time jumper under a spinetto. Glad eeneR did the right thing.
You don't scare me! I got chunks of guys like you in my stool!!

[jtval 0]

cool job eener,
congrats, and good on ya for:
your decision
your friends
your state of mind(keeping the handles)
your quick find of your main
your safe return and MOST IMPORTANTLY
your willingness to buy more beer then required!getting high is fun, but coming down is the best part
JT