My first reserve ride.

[Deuce 1]

Yesterday I got to jump my reserve, a PDR 143 loaded at about 1.55:1, as my main parachute. This is a program that Bonnie, owner of Gravity Gear, does every winter at my dropzone in Byron, California.

My regular main is a Spectre 150, so many folks will say that they are both 7 cells with similar flying characteristics. I really didn't think the PDR was that much like my Spectre, so if you're used to a 9 cell (I have zero 9-cell experience) the PDR at the same loading will probably be VERY different. The flare was shorter, and I was able to stall the PDR when I kept the toggles down. Oh, I tossed the pilot chute right out the door at 14K, so I got some good flying time in. The PDR is very, very ground hungry in toggle turns, but flat turns better. In general it seemed like the PDR also had a generally steeper descent. Probably because although it's about the same size as my Spectre, it's not zero-p. It was suggested that I bring a little speed into the landing flare, so I did a little front riser on my straight-in approach, and surfed the landing a little bit. The landing required a constant, single flare-stroke. In straight flight the PDR seemed very controllable and stable, but toggle turns and riser turns seemed very steep and fast.

More and more, I'm hearing of people making it into the thousands of jumps before having to chop. I hope I can be one of them. I've also heard jumpers say "I'm glad I had to do a cutaway, just to get it out of the way". My gear is precious to me, and I don't want to cut my main loose to be run over, snagged on a barbed wire fence, or lost, unless it is to save my life.

So yesterday I had the best of both worlds. I got to jump the same reserve that's in the top of my containers, I got to fly it to sea level from 14 thousand feet, and I got to walk out a landing under it. My confidence level, knowing I may have to chop and fly that PDR down from only 1000 feet is much higher.

So if you're not blessed to have a gear store owner like Bonnie do a "Reserve Days" at your DZ, maybe contact PD, or your reserve manufacturer about demoing an identical reserve to the one your life depends on.

[Cornholio 0]

Nice post, Deuce.

I also was able to "Test" out my reserve yesterday in Byron. Although my experience was a bit different. I found the turns on my pd193r to be quite doggish and slow, but the stall point in the flare was a bit higher than my Spectre. I didn't have a chance to run out my landing as the winds were a tad high. I did however land it standing up, although slipping a bit on the grass, I mean swamp...LOL

I also was planning to deploy out the door at 14k, but the DZO suggested I not do that since there was a lot of traffic around the airport and upwind that might be hazordous for me. And I did not want to dump at terminal speeds as the slider had a huge hole in it! And he did not want me to do a HnP from 5k in the KingAir cause fuel costs were so high. So I pulled off that flight and contemplated deploying it at terminal and also tried to get some peeps together for a Cessna HnP. Other people that were jumping reserves that day suggested to deploy at terminal but be ready for a hard opening. So I got on the next flight and opened higher than normal - about 6K. I can say without a doubt that the opening was brisk, but it definitey was not a hard opening.

If anyone has not had the opportunity to fly their reserve, either in a cutaway situation or a test flight, I would recommend it in a safe environment like we had the chance to do yesterday. For me, it really re-inforced my belief that I would have no problems landing my reserve when the time comes

Butthead: Whoa! Burritos for breakfast!
Beavis: Yeah! Yeah! Cool!
bellyflier on the dz.com hybrid record jump