Jasmin 0 #1 August 13, 2003 Its not everyday you go to pitch and instead watch someone fall away on their back with a hoop about their middle.... Its not everyday you get a pilot chute in the face as you start tracking... Its pretty rare to see a pilot chute pitched through a hoop... But its VERY rare that it all happens in one jump!!!!!! Ok I should give a little background: I'd got permission to do some hoop jumps. I'd got a gf (thanks Wendy!!!) to "borrow" a hoop from the school she works at. The biggest one she could find was about 0.5 of a metre wide ie about 3 feet. Not very big...but hey, we were bored. The deal was supposed to be: I take out the hoop, at 5 we stop playing, someone else holds the other side of the hoop while I pitch. Straight forward, right? Wrong! Hoop gets broken at 5 and the guy holding the other side lands with the hoop instead of me. Then, we find a hoop about 1.5 metres wide. ie as BIG AS ME!!!! This is much better...or so me thinks... First try gets a little hairy, but we are getting out of the skyvan (rear door exit), and it all works out. JUMP 3 is where it all goes wrong...... We are now exiting out of a beaver: low tail plane, 10 people aboard, very cramped and the side-door is 3/4 the size of the hoop..... Normal people would have given up.... not me.... I make the hoop into a figure of 8, stack the exit up like an 8-way and try not to get the hoop caught up on the tail!!!! Jump goes ok, I hold the hoop alone, as everyone is having too much fun buzzing me as they go through the hoop... Finally, Johnny Mac takes the other side for awhile and nods at me to pitch as we pass 5.500ft...as planned. I wave off but everyone's ditters are still at 5 from the last jump and they are still aiming for the hoop! Its Trev's 300th jump so I wait for him to go through as we hit 5.... He somehow manages to get caught up on the hoop on his way through (its as big as me in diameter, remember!!) and wrenches it from my and Johnny's hands!! He is now in freefall, at 5 grand, on his back, with a hoop around his waist, looking very very shocked!!!!! He takes it off with his right hand and goes to pitch but realises he can't with a bloody big hoop in his right hand. He transfers it to his left, (moving all over the sky in the meantime) and proceeds to pitch a pilot chute into my face as I'm starting to track!!!! I track, and he pitches his pilot chute THROUGH THE BLOODY HOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He realises its all going wrong (meanwhile his bag is out, lines unstowing....all through that damn hoop!) and tries to pull the hoop down, not realising his gear is deploying in the hoop! His tugging causes him a bag lock, but as he releases the hoop to cut it all away, the hoop fliesoff and, ending the tension on his lines, and clears his bag as his main deploys. He lands ok and we are all screaming and laughing in shock. Lessons learned? ALWAYS follow the plan. Set your dytters right and remain height aware: your dytter is your back up, not your main alti!! If you are at 4000, have just rolled onto your belly and have a 1.5 metre hoop in your hand...let it go!!! If you are Trevor AKA "lucky", don't bother buying a lottery ticket for awhile. This could have resulted in a main-hoop entanglement and maybe worse if the hoop had gotten caught on his rig... We were lucky, you might not be!! If playing with hoops/rafts/toys or anything unusual realise the risks, play by the rules and your plans.....and then have fun!xj "I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lazyfrog 0 #2 August 13, 2003 scary and lucky indeed...---------- Fumer tue, péter pue ------------- ourson #10, Mosquito Uno, CBT 579 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #3 August 13, 2003 QuoteLessons learned? Next time get video! Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyingfrog 0 #4 August 13, 2003 yep that's for sure something which should be captured on a vid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Staso 0 #5 August 13, 2003 Quote The biggest one she could find was about 0.5 of a metre wide ie about 3 feet. Not very big...but hey, we were bored. man, you would really have problems with 0.5 m hoop. 0.5 m is less then 2 feet !!! stan. -- it's not about defying gravity; it's how hard you can abuse it. speed skydiving it is ... Speed Skydiving Forum Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CornishChris 5 #6 August 13, 2003 I can't believe I left before all the fun started... I was on the same load as "Hoop 1" and it was about 2.5 feet in diameter, maybe three at a push. That's why it broke I assume. Glad to hear everyone is OK - Jas, up for some Hoop jumps this weekend? CJP Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #7 August 14, 2003 holy christ Jaz, that is insane Glad everyone landed safely.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sundevil777 102 #8 August 14, 2003 A hoop that big is a bad idea to try to fly through, just in case that is not obvious.People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
