How often do cut away mains get lost?

[kunosoura 0]

Yeah a good point was made about the durability of adapting a system like that to jumping a few posts back, and I can understand that. But then again if you can make a digital altimeter skydiver-proof, then I can imagine you can do it with the little box on the dog's collar without too much grief.

[councilman24 37]

I guess you and I have a different definition of readily available. It was certainly on the market.

You got a lot closer to one on a rig than I ever did. It becomes a case of which comes first. Receivers on DZ's or transmitters on rigs. Tough to market. Maybe if you gave away transmitters with a group order of retrofits.

I think still a hard sell to individual jumpers. A tandem factory DZ with many rigs and a swamp nearby might be the best customer.

Stuff still available on the open market for falconry. 3.5 to 5 grams and $150-$300 for transmitter. $500 to $900 for receiver. (Quick search, seems like George's weren't quite that much).

BTW range on the ones I found was 15-20 miles. Farther than I thought. Now that's a BAD spot.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[RMURRAY 1]

I have lost a JVX in Deland.

I had real trouble finding a second JVX not too long ago in heavy bush.

I feel I was kinda lucking to find a Sabre 170 many years ago.

I think your idea is excellent even if it was simply an intermittent LOUD audible device. In fact, I talked to a rig manufacturer about it once.

[tbrown 26]

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IMO the folks that lose a main are the ones that chop and head for the barn on the reserve..

Chasing a main is fine for a handful of jumpers, but I'd wouldn't reccomend it for most.

If a jumper takes a look straight down after their reserve opens, they can use that info get a good idea of where the main will be.

Most jumpers have little no experience flying their reserve canopies, or any 7 cell canopy for that matter. If they can make it the DZ, that's where they should go. That's where they planned to land, and they should stick to the plan.

If they can't make it, the alternate LZ should be selected for being the safest choice, and not it's proximity to the main.

Again, it's good for some people, but for most just making a safe landing should job #1.

The main idea is to not get hurt. May be'spensive, but you can always buy another canopy if you have to. Once knew a woman who chopped and lost a brand new Stiletto.

It sort of depends on the terrain around the dropzone, whether you're on the edge of town, around forests, corn fields, rivers, lakes, all that happy stuff.

At Perris, we're blessed to be out on a lot of flat & sparsely inhabited desert. We're also SUPER blessed with a fantastic recovery crew ! If you cutaway, or land out, or even at a far corner of the DZ, a pickup truck will come and get you in minutes. Their recovery rate for cutaway mains is almost perfect and they manage to recover MOST of the freebags.

From what I've seen at other dropzones, they don't seem to give a crap. You cutaway and land a half mile out, you - and your gear - are completely on your own, unless you brought some good friends with you.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !