moth 0 #1 December 29, 2004 is it a good idea to practice locating youre reserve handle and cutaway pad in free fall??? btw i will check with my instructors next time im at the dz. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
winsor 236 #2 December 29, 2004 Quoteis it a good idea to practice locating youre reserve handle and cutaway pad in free fall??? btw i will check with my instructors next time im at the dz. I suppose so. It really depends on what you're doing, and you want the people jumping with you to be on the same page. Your instincts to go over it with your instructors are sound, so they don't wonder what you are doing if you start reaching for your handles at odd times during the skydive (it can be a bit unnerving if they don't know what are your intentions). Since over 90% of the time that you deal with an emergency you will have something out (line twists, lineovers, tension knots, hung slider, etc.), it is most important to ensure that your handles are clear and reachable in general. If your harness fits properly, a full gear check before boarding and a final check before exit tend to suffice. The only time I pulled silver at terminal was when I couldn't find a deployment handle, so the location of the cutaway handle was immaterial. Having checked the reserve handle's position before boarding the aircraft, and again before exit, it was no problem to find it. I consider it a sound practice to drill your handle location and emergency procedures very regularly; if you then find yourself with an unlandable canopy overhead, you need only to make the decision and the process itself is automatic. Again, talk it over with your instructors, regardless of what any of us say here. Blue skies, Winsor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverek 63 #3 December 29, 2004 Also, touch them under the canopy, since they will be in a different place than in freefall or on the ground (since you will be hanging from the harness, they will be higher). 95% of reserve procedures are done while hanging in the harness. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tdog 0 #4 December 29, 2004 Quoteis it a good idea to practice locating youre reserve handle and cutaway pad in free fall??? I know on one of my first solo jumps I practiced touching both in freefall and under canopy. No one told me to do this, and I didn't ask since it was a solo jump... I figured it couldn't hurt because no one was around. It made me feel better at least that I found them quickly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dumpster 0 #5 December 30, 2004 We have our students do practice touches of both cutaway and reserve handles as part of thier transistion training, and I also suggest they locate thier handles again under canopy, to familiarize them with where they will be under canopy, too. Easy Does It Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,116 #6 December 30, 2004 >is it a good idea to practice locating youre reserve handle and cutaway pad in free fall??? Yes - especially if you decide you want to open your reserve instead of your main of you ever get below 1000 feet in freefall. That needs to be practiced if you are to have any hope of doing it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Liemberg 0 #7 December 30, 2004 Quoteis it a good idea to practice locating youre reserve handle and cutaway pad in free fall??? btw i will check with my instructors next time im at the dz. Both good ideas... BTW: TI's are supposed to touch all their handles on every jump after the drogue pull and lots of them do it religiously. Me? (but then again, I never was very religious...) "Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci A thousand words... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #8 December 30, 2004 I've not done it in freefall, but have checked positions under canopy. I was also taught during FJC to do a handle check anytime I have to move in the plane, just to make sure everything is in place.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckbrown 0 #9 December 30, 2004 My advice would be to check positions 1) in freefall 2) during the opening sequence, and 3) under a fully opened main. You'll find the handles are in different places depending on the scenario. For instance, during freefall your handles will be where they were when you were doing EPs in the plane, but during the opening and under canopy they're likely to ride higher on your body. They won't be where you think they'll be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bartje 0 #10 December 30, 2004 It was a piece of the "hand deploy" test in the day's when I started skydiving and switched from "ripcord" to "hand deploy". A FreeFly Gypsy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
