bullin82 0 #26 August 17, 2009 This is a great questions. im a student and take my instructors advice and teachings to heart, but i know in the military (i know total different monster and chutes) we would jump at 800' be around mid 700' when chute deploys and if there was a malfunction by the time you realized it and when to reserve you were anywhere from 500'-300'. like i said i know there completley different and i should go by military experience (which i dont) but i will go with what im tod until i feel im ready to decide myself. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinkfairy 0 #27 August 17, 2009 The hard deck is not only about how long it takes to get rid of the main and inflate the reserve, it's also about how long it takes to find and pull the handles, and then find a suitable landing area if you can't make the main landing area. Mine is at 1500'.Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet. I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drewcarp 0 #28 August 17, 2009 Hard deck traditionally means the lowest you would fight a mal to before cutting away, correct? Brian Germain said his hard deck was 2200 feet in the latest segment on Skydive Radio and he has like 13000 jumps. That sounds reasonable. At 1,000 feet every 5.5 seconds how can anyone justify a hard deck below 2,000 feet? I know a a lot of people pull at 2,000 but that's a different question. If you decide to cutaway at 1500 feet you have less than 3 seconds to find your cutaway handle, peel off the velcro, pull cutaway, find your reserve handle and deploy your reserve without a possibility of SPLAT, going by the "dont cutaway below a grand" philosophy.. That is like the time it takes to take a breath. What if your hand slips off a handle? Not knocking anyone, I know it's a personal decision but that seems like not enough time to me. Can someone who listed a hard deck lower than 2,000 explain why less than 3 seconds is enough time for you to save your life when you could have 8 or 10 seconds and still get a reasonable free fall? Is my math off? How do people pull at 2,000 with a modern canopy that might snivel for 800? AAD's can fire as high as 1200 right? Where is the room for EP's there? Or is it just treated more like a BASE jump where you are just fucked if the main doesn't work or do you jump faster opening canopy's or what? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,111 #29 August 17, 2009 >At 1,000 feet every 5.5 seconds how can anyone justify a hard >deck below 2,000 feet? Because often the extra altitude allows me time to deal with someone near me during breakoff. If my assigned pull altitude is 2500, and I have to wait three seconds for someone right next to me to get line stretch, I would rather deploy my main than my reserve. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drewcarp 0 #30 August 17, 2009 Would you do that with a Pilot or Sabre2 and an AAD turned on? I get the reasoning, it just seems to be cutting it real close. If you are cool with 2-3 seconds to respond or be seriously close to deep shit then good for you, I just don't see my self having quite that kind of confidence. You obviously wouldn't have made it to 5000+ jumps without being smart about it, or you are just really, really lucky Guess if I ever get a few thousand jumps it might not sound that scary. Thanks. >edited to not look like an idiot. Thanks for the info guys you all know much better than I do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jacketsdb23 49 #31 August 17, 2009 Quote At 1,000 feet every 5.5 seconds how can anyone justify a hard deck below 2,000 feet? Thats at terminal velocity. Most malfunctions happen with some sort of fabric out which allows additional time. Just something to keep in mind. My hard deck is 1800ft. I've had a spinning malfunction from 3500' down to 1800' and I cut-away at my pre-determined alt. It worked for me.Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #32 August 18, 2009 Quote If you are cool with 2-3 seconds to respond perfectly or die good for you. You'd be surprised how long 2-3 seconds can be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,586 #33 August 18, 2009 I have a Pilot, and I'm with Bill when it comes to what I open when my assigned pull altitude isn't high. Of course, I pack it to open quickly -- a 1000' opening is a malfunction in my book. I can get consistent sub-500' openings from my main, and that's exactly how I like it. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NiteQwill 0 #34 August 18, 2009 1800""Fail, fail again. Fail better." -Samuel Beckett Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UDSkyJunkie 0 #35 August 19, 2009 Lowest I would initiate a main (intentionally)? 2200 ft. This is the altitude where I won't take it any lower due to traffic, ect. My preferred altitude is about 2800. Decision altitude (chop if I haven't fixed a mal yet)? 1500 ft. Hard-deck (if still in freefall, go strait to silver)? Also 1500. Too much risk of a 2-out situation below that with a Cypress and Sabre2 that typically takes ~800 feet from initiation to being in the saddle."Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KermieCorleone 0 #36 August 20, 2009 2500' ... newbie you know - Neil Never make assumptions! That harmless rectangle could be two triangles having sex ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
