Got my first tandem cutaway!

[ccowden 0]

It took me 2300 jumps to get any cutaway at all, and now, only a few weeks later, I have my first tandem cutaway too!

Pretty funny example of how clueless a student can be. I released the drogue and it opened into a line-over, blown end-cell and severe line twists. It was spinning really good and getting worse fast. As I located my handles, got control of the students legs, menatlly went through what I needed to do to get things done and save our lives, peeled the handles from the velcro and prepared to chop; the student says to me: "Can you stop the spinning please?"
To which I replied: "Sure thing. Just give me a second." Which will happen when you cut away from a badly spinning main. So I said to the student: "Just a few more spins and we will be all done."

We had a nice landing and the student never new anything was out of the ordinary until I explained it to him. He was just like, "Really?" Didn't thank me, tip me or have any appreciation for what just occurred. But then again, that's my job and I didn't expect it. Just funny how clueless he was.

So I got my next student and went back up. Just another day at the office!

[cvfd1399 0]

I have seen 3 tandem cutways and every time the student didn't have a clue. On the last one the student even asked the TI under a reserve if he ever had a cutaway!!!!! I don't know if he told them in the air or once they landed, but I would have been cracking up inside.

Nice job on saving the database from another stat. I get mad at reserves when I hear they twisted up. Like it is their job to come out all straight and stuff

[airtwardo 7]

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...my first...

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Cough Cough....It's MILLER TIME!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[ccowden 0]

I only bought a 12 pack. But I drank them twice as fast. So in the end I think it worked out about right!

[AggieDave 6]

You know, I've got almost 1300 total jumps, nearly 400 tandems and I haven't chopped yet. I fully expect it to be a tandem, kinda waiting to use the line "did you like that? We'll we're gonna do it again..."

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[ianmdrennan 2]

Nice job buddy!

Blues,
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[airtwardo 7]

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I only bought a 12 pack. But I drank them twice as fast. So in the end I think it worked out about right!

***

...And I'm betting it NEVER tasted better!!

Good job!...
I've had 3...
Two were back to back!
(Tossin' meat...not me packing)

The 2nd one...30 minutes after the first,
was a 425 that basicly ripped in half...
Had a side by side on the same parachute!

Open up, look up...

Me: Well FUCK MEEEE!!!!

(I thought to myself...but..errr NOT!)

Student: ..is it supposed to look like that?

Me: ....naw, like this!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[sunshine 2]

I was one of those clueless students. My 2nd tandem as a student was indeed a reserve ride. It's funny to think about it now.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[dragon2 2]

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You know, I've got almost 1300 total jumps, nearly 400 tandems and I haven't chopped yet. I fully expect it to be a tandem, kinda waiting to use the line "did you like that? We'll we're gonna do it again..."

Over here you need to have had a cutaway, intentional or not, if you want to be an TM. Guess they want to be sure you can do it... Are we the only ones that require that?

One of my instructors who had to do an intentional cutaway later on had a high rate of line-overs on tandem mains (all on the same set of gear which we don't have anymore). One time, he got a passenger asking on the ground: Well now, you have got to tell me something: when I first looked up, we had a red/white/blue canopy. Then later on, I looked up, and it was green. How did you do that?!

Guy thought it was a magic trick

Sometimes tho he got passengers to help pull on the toggles to try and clear the line-over. Some passengers really are very aware: 'That's not right is it?'.

BTW for a scary bit of video of a tandem reserve, see this video of Martijn van Dam:
http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=603

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[ccowden 0]

No, we are not required to have a cutaway to become a tandem instructor. Quite frankly, that is a dumb requirement. To have someone intentionally realease themselves from a main and put themselves back into jeopardy of a malfunction that could kill them, is just plain stupid. I had to have a minimum of 500 jumps to become an instructor. If they aren't sure that I can perform a cutaway by then, there is a bigger problem. We are required to practice the emergency procedures to great extent as well as doing 3 cutaways every year from a suspended harness with a person attached to you. It is every tandem instuctors job to stay current and be prepared and able to handle the complexities that a tandem introduces. Whether it be the usual jump routine, or the worst imaginable malfunction.

We send students up, under their own parachutes, all the time without having them done a real cutaway. And they are a lot less experienced than a tandem instructor canidate. Can you imagine sending a student with 20 jumps up to do an intentional cutaway just so we can make sure they can do it before we give them their license??!

[RogerRamjet 0]

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No, we are not required to have a cutaway to become a tandem instructor. Quite frankly, that is a dumb requirement. To have someone intentionally realease themselves from a main and put themselves back into jeopardy of a malfunction that could kill them, is just plain stupid. I had to have a minimum of 500 jumps to become an instructor. If they aren't sure that I can perform a cutaway by then, there is a bigger problem. We are required to practice the emergency procedures to great extent as well as doing 3 cutaways every year from a suspended harness with a person attached to you. It is every tandem instuctors job to stay current and be prepared and able to handle the complexities that a tandem introduces. Whether it be the usual jump routine, or the worst imaginable malfunction.

We send students up, under their own parachutes, all the time without having them done a real cutaway. And they are a lot less experienced than a tandem instructor canidate. Can you imagine sending a student with 20 jumps up to do an intentional cutaway just so we can make sure they can do it before we give them their license??!

Unless intentional cutaways have changed since I did mine, you take three parachutes....

I was certainly glad that when it came time to cutaway from a real mal, I had done two intentional cutaways previously. Highly recommended.

-----------------------
Roger "Ramjet" Clark
FB# 271, SCR 3245, SCS 1519

[dragon2 2]

Of course you take a third canopy with you if you want to do an intentional. That's mandatory. Although of course I heard rumors about people cutting away the day before a repack

And, having done 2 intentionals myself, I wouldn't think it that bad, if somebody wanted to do one 'for real' (tho maybe not with 20 jumps). Not really to see if they could perform a cutaway, as I believe, like you, every jumper should be able to, but to see how their reserve flies. We still have no access to PD-R's with bridle attachments here, although they have been promised for ages. And half the people here don't jump PD-R's anyway.

I did one to check my reserve out, since the first time I needed it it opened with a closed end cell which I ended up having to land with, 128 sqft, WL 1.2, minus one cell = ouch (here's a thread about that somewhere). So come next repack time, I jumped it again, and it opened fine.

2nd time was 2 months ago, to put a jump on the reserve in my 2nd rig. I traded that reserve immediately since I couldn't land that 175 reserve, WL 0.87, without hurting myself slightly. Got another reserve that same repack, one that actually flares!
Over here we can use an extra harness with a belly round, so jumping your own rig/reserve is no problem. Of course your own reserve cannot be cutaway, which is not entirely risk-free...

I've never seen an intentional cutaway rig with 3 canopies, but I think that's the only legal way for american jumpers to do an intentional.


Dunno why the cutaway requirement was installed, I suppose some people did freeze up or do something stupid or something. Although you need 1000 jumps here for tandems, not 500.
The cutaway-rate of tandems seems to be way higher then of sport rigs, maybe they don't want your first cutaway to be a more complicated tandem cutaway, with the added responsibility, too. Just guessing here tho.

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[sid 1]

Well done Chris! There are some things I'm NOT missing since I got back to Florida.......

Pete Draper,

Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right?

[ccowden 0]

I hear that! And just so you know- your favorite pink canopy is now officially retired!

R.I.P Pinky

[ccowden 0]

Doing an intentional cutaway because you want to is one thing. Requiring someone to do one is quite another.

I will agree with most of what you are saying, but my reply was to an intentional cutaway as a requirement.

[sid 1]

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I hear that! And just so you know- your favorite pink canopy is now officially retired!

R.I.P Pinky

you should burn that bastard (or what's left of it)

Pete Draper,

Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right?

[AggieDave 6]

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Over here you need to have had a cutaway, intentional or not, if you want to be an TM. Guess they want to be sure you can do it... Are we the only ones that require that?

One manufacture still requires it over here, if you don't have any cutaways you have to do atleast 5 drills in a tandem hanging harness WITH a passenger hooked up!

Here's my thing, WTF does a sport cutaway have to do with a tandem cutaway, the systems are totally different as well as the sensation and the amount of time for the reserve to open. Never mind that thing infront of you (student). That's just my understanding and opinion, though.

I"ll get back to you to either update or confirm my opinion after I have a tandem chop (since I've done an intentional cutaway on a sport rig setup for that).

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[SniperCJ 0]

Good job saving both your and your student's butts!

Ive not yet had a tandem cutaway although I thought I was going to have my first Sunday under a buncha line twists, but we got it sorted out. Ive had 3 sport cutaways.

Strong still requires you to have had either a live or intentional cutaway. I agree with the policy personally, because although sport rigs are way different than tandem rigs, I think its the mental aspect theyre looking at. Its one thing to practice hanging in a harness, but its quite another to do it for real under a malfunctioning main. Even an intentional cutaway cant duplicate the mental stress of a real mal.

[riggerrob 643]

Strong still requires you to have had either a live or intentional cutaway. I agree with the policy personally, because although sport rigs are way different than tandem rigs, I think its the mental aspect they're looking at. Its one thing to practice hanging in a harness, but its quite another to do it for real under a malfunctioning main. Even an intentional cutaway cant duplicate the mental stress of a real mal.

[usskydiver 0]

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Strong still requires you to have had either a live or intentional cutaway. I agree with the policy personally, because although sport rigs are way different than tandem rigs, I think its the mental aspect they're looking at. Its one thing to practice hanging in a harness, but its quite another to do it for real under a malfunctioning main. Even an intentional cutaway cant duplicate the mental stress of a real mal.

The cut away I used to get my Strong rating was a Tandem Vector cut away I had while doing tandems in the U.K.

Tim Tennant
Team Paraclete

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Agreed.
I would not employ a tandem instructor who had not done at least one cutaway (emergency or intentional).
I had two real malfunctions before applying for a tandem rating and 16 after that.
All of my tandem malfunctions were under first generation Strong mains. Even with the best of packers, they still opened hard.
Nowadays we average 1 mal per 1000 jumps on SET 400s. Most modern mals can be tracked to sloppy packing.

[weegegirl 2]

Chris, you rock kid!! Right on!! And yeah... some tandem passengers are retardedly clueless. Glad everything worked out well for you!

[crotalus01 0]

my second tandem jump was a reserve ride...but i knew something was up because i pulled the ripcord and we kept falling....the tandem instructor was fairly reluctant to talk about it when we landed BTW...

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD...