My First Reserve Ride.. (Birdman Jump)

[kevin922 0]

Let me preface this by saying the only reason i'm posting this is for people to learn from others mistakes.. don't tell me something I already know in my "lessons learned" section.

This past weekend I had my first reserve ride in my skydiving career. I was on load 1, sunday afternoon
doing a birdman. The jump it self was uneventful,
exit was great, fall was great.. came pull time (for
me on a birdman this is around 4,000 - 4,500 feet). I collapsed my wings threw out the PC and waited, just like normal only this time I waited, and waited (or so it seemed). With the birdman and the standard bridle the PC hesitation does occur occasionally, but it isn't too dramatic -- maybe a second or two longer than normal, because I thought it was a burble collapsedased my wings thinking it would fix itself.. it didn't.. I looked over my shoulder to see a fully inflated PC getting clean air. I went for the silver. The reserve came out on heading and in under 3 seconds. When I got to the ground, what we found was unbelievable.

Pic 1

Pic 2

The bridle was routed underneath the right flap on my rig, making it impossible for the pin to be pulled.

Okay with that being said, here are the facts as I
know them.

I had my rigger (who will remain nameless) pack my
reserve December 3rd, before I made my trip to
Florida. For some reason or another he did not put
his seal on my data card (filled everything else out).
I went to 4? dropzones in Florida with no problems.
I came back to VA read an incident with a birdman and a spinning mal which resulted in a hard pull due to no riser inserts, I immediately had my rigger put them in. He did them while I waited, I watched him work - and saw he is very meticulous about things being right. He did a very professional job with the riser inserts. He and I talked about various safety related areas on the rig and he noticed my closing loop was a little loose. He also noticed my PC could be folded in a different way that would help with safety. He popped my main open shortened the closing loop and showed me a better way to fold the PC. We briefly talked about how I should practice folding the PC some more and I went on my way. Took the rig home and never got around to practicing, it sat in my APT for 2 weeks, until this weekend. I took it with me to a demo just in case something came up, then I went to Orange on Sunday to jump. I came to Orange, manifest
wanted to see my data card because they hadn't seen the reserve repack - showed it to them and they caught the seal not being on there. Had to call the rigger to confirm it was packed, he confirmed it and off I went.

I know my rigger - I know he is a good rigger. The
reserve opened like it was supposed to, I feel part of
this is my fault for not catching it on the gear check. For whatever reason it happened - if it was
the fact we were distracted while talking, if it was
the fact I was supposed to practice the PC packing, I
don't know. I do know the rigger took responsibility
and offered to pay for everything. My rigger loves
the sport, and was very torn up that is could have
happened. I have no qualms about continuing to use him and I can't badmouth him.

Lessons Learned:

1) Do a better gear check.
2) Get a PD reserve.
3) Do a better gear check.
4) Training and practice pays off, I was calm
throughout the whole ordeal.

The tempo reserve I have was very very unresponsive. Full toggle turns resulted in very very slow turns (my first canopy was a cruiselight 220 and it turns at least as twice as fast as the tempo). It also had little to no flare. From a reserve standpoint it worked pefectly. I'm alive and limping. (hard landing)

Exit wt 155 - tempo reserve was 150. Main (though it never made it out) was a hornet 135.


Also the freebag & PC weren't found immediately, however my previous rigger had me write "RETURN TO NEAREST DZ - REWARD $35.00" on it, and someone walking their dog returned it a few hours after I left. A great idea.

Kevin

[ladyskydiver 0]

Glad to see you're alive and well. Congrats on your first reserve ride. Need I say it.....BEER!

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[kevin922 0]

Quote

Glad to see you're alive and well. Congrats on your first reserve ride. Need I say it.....BEER!

No you didn't need to.

[jlmiracle 7]

_____________________________________________
The tempo reserve I have was very very unresponsive. Full toggle turns resulted in very very slow turns (my first canopy was a cruiselight 220 and it turns at least as twice as fast as the tempo). It also had little to no flare. From a reserve standpoint it worked pefectly. I'm alive and limping. (hard landing)
____________________________________________

Just curious, why would you want a really responsive reserve? If you are unconscience, or incapacitated under your reserve, do you really want it to respond to every body movement? A tempo 150 saved my life once. Only reason I got rid of it, it didn't fit in the Rig I bot.

It probably sounds like I'm preaching - I don't mean it that way.

Glad to hear you are okay.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[pringles 0]

We have a rigger that loves to talk. He sounds just like your rigger, very meticulous, while he isn't talking. If this rigger is working on my gear and I see someone talking to him I try not to be rude and get his focus back to my gear. People should learn that rigging is very tedious work and conversation should be kept to a minimum. You would be surprised what kind of things can be missed when there are distractions. I have even seen where a rigger being distracted forgot to route the closing loop through the Cypres cutter. Another example is the latest base fatality. Speculation is that at some point this jumper while attaching the bridle to the canopy became distracted. In turn only passed the bridle through the attachment point never completing the larks head. I guess my point is that rigging work takes more attention than just packing your own main. Riggers not only assemble rigs and pack reserves they do it on all different variations (Javelin, mirage, vector, I think you get the picture). All these different rigs have different ways to route bridles etc. So the less distractions the better.

Matt

Matt Davies

[TALONSKY 0]

With the birdman and the standard bridle the PC hesitation does occur occasionally

In the 35 birdman suit jumps I have made I have never had a PC hesitation. I could be an exception to the rule but I doubt it. When you pull are you collapsing all the wings as per Birdman manual? Oh I just have a standard length PC also.
Blue Skies
Kirk

[kevin922 0]

Quote

With the birdman and the standard bridle the PC hesitation does occur occasionally

In the 35 birdman suit jumps I have made I have never had a PC hesitation. I could be an exception to the rule but I doubt it. When you pull are you collapsing all the wings as per Birdman manual? Oh I just have a standard length PC also.
Blue Skies
Kirk

I have about the same number of birdman jumps and have had PC hesitation maybe twice. I still feel the deployment is a little slower than a "normal" skydive, my typical fall rate is between 70 - 80 mph.

[skydivegirl 0]

I'm glad you're ok Kevin!

I had a reserve ride under a Tempo 150 and I don't remember mine being unresponsive. And I had a soft landing. ^
Also, a guy at my home dz routed his own bridle just like this (obviously a newbie at the time). I agree... pin check = good.

Pink Mafia Sis #26

[freekflyguy 0]

Quote

I feel part of
this is my fault for not catching it on the gear check.

Dude, its all your fault. Once you took that rig from your rigger it ceased to be his responsiblity.

I am curious to know whether anyone checked you prior to emplaning?

Here at RAPA we run under BPA rules./ These state that you must have an equipment check.

You can always tell the Brits at a foreign DZ as we are the ones checking eac other before the lift.

Glad you lived and learned bud.

Buzz

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

[diverdriver 7]

Kevin,

First, nice job on staying cool and using your emergency procedures. Nice job on breaking the links in the chain leading to a very different outcome.

Now, you did say not to repeat what you already learned in your comments at the bottom. But, I do have a question. Did you check the main pin before that jump? Or did you check it and not catch it? And believe me, you are not the first to have done either one.

Also, did you have a gear check done by a buddy before exit? If you did why did they not catch it?

Thanks for sharing with this group. I know many will learn from it.

edited: Just to add that I didn't mean to harp on this point but Freakallguy beat me to it. -CS

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[Rdutch 0]

Pilot chute hesitation with a Birdman is normal, 2-3 seconds more), I have had it happen a few times and I have around 75 birdman jumps.
Collapsing your wings fully is just to allow an even deployment, your recomended to fly normally during deployment to allow air to pass over your back and inflate your chute.

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[weegegirl 2]

Thanks for the lessons. Glad you are okay.

Only one note... by the looks of those pictures, it is hard to imagine that you did ANY gear check. Things happen over time. If your rig was sitting around for a couple of weeks, don't you think you should at least do a once over?

Still, this could happen to anybody. We should all take mental note.

[kevin922 0]

Quote

Kevin,

First, nice job on staying cool and using your emergency procedures. Nice job on breaking the links in the chain leading to a very different outcome.

Now, you did say not to repeat what you already learned in your comments at the bottom. But, I do have a question. Did you check the main pin before that jump? Or did you check it and not catch it? And believe me, you are not the first to have done either one.

Also, did you have a gear check done by a buddy before exit? If you did why did they not catch it?

Thanks for sharing with this group. I know many will learn from it.

edited: Just to add that I didn't mean to harp on this point but Freakallguy beat me to it. -CS

Yes, believe it or not I did a quick pin check.. but didn't catch it. no one else gave me a gear check.

Lesson learned.. won't happen again.

[TALONSKY 0]

This is taken directly from the Birdmand suit flight manual

Since you cannot use your arms to wave off, you have to wave off with your legs. Click your legs together twice,while watching the airspace around you, so that anyone near you can see your intention to pull.
PULL
The most critical portion of your wingsuit flight is the pull. ""The huge burble behind you caused by your large wings and your forward speed could cause a pilot chute hesitation resulting in line twists."" An asymmetrical body position could cause you to become unstable and can also lead to line twists. Since your bag will come off your back at a 45° angle you should keep your legs FULLY EXTENDED while you pull. While learning to fly the wing suit start your wave off and pull sequence higher than normal. (We recommend 4500´ to 5000´ to start.)
HERE IS HOW YOUR WAVE OFF AND PULL SEQUENCE SHOULD GO:
.Tap your feet three times. On the third tap keep your legs together and arch slightly.
.Symmetrically bring both your arms in for the pull. (Your legs should remain straight and closed the
entire time to decrease the burble.)
.Throw your pilot chute vigorously and symmetrically in to clean air.
.Close your arm wings once you have released your pilot chute (to decrease the burble.)
AFTER THE PULL
You are right that the manual states PC hesitations happen it also states by keeping all wings closed during openning sequence you decrease the burble and chance of PC hesitations. Which was the reason I asked if he deployed according to the manual
Kirk

[kevin922 0]

After getting down and thinking about things, it freaked me out about the possibility of a reserve becoming entangled with the PC in tow. Which got me thinking even more, how much of a risk is it? and with a birdman pilot chute (the longer ones) how much more of a risk is it??

Kevin

[diverdriver 7]

Kevin,

Good for you. This should go to show to everyone that when we check our gear or check someone else's gear we should check what's there. NOT what we expect to see. The mind is a powerful thing and it can trick us very easily in this respect. And especially if we are in a hurry or have distractions. We will see what we want to see and not what is actually there.

That is why it is good to have a gear check (not just pin check) in the aircraft just before exit by another jumper. Chest straps, bridle routing, 3 ring assembly, handle position......and of course pin position. It is all important.

A jumper a few years ago had a 3 ring mis-assembled and made around 20 jumps like that. Not one person sitting in the plane looked at their buddy's 3 ring to prevent a very preventable fatality.

Situational Awareness. It's not just what is going on with yourself.

Chris

[Rdutch 0]

I talked to Kevin from Bird-man just yesterday, and we discussed any difference between Skyflyer deployment and classic, ect. He said he teaches and reccomend's deploying in full flight after waving off. I also have never seen anyone keep their legs closed during deployment, and I have seen a few well know'n bird-man pilots deploy. Either way if that is how you choose to deploy, and it works for you then by no means change it. But I think that the web site might be misleading. Ie: when you deploy you close your legs and arms, because if you just closed your arms with your legs open it would put you in a downward dive. I think they forgot to mention to open them back up after. Also to point if you had your legs closed and just opened your arm's it would effect your flight also.

Look here:
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=353772;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[TALONSKY 0]

When I bought my GTI I talked to Kim at Birdman and she suggested to deploy exactly how the manual states. I have heard from others that they ball up after pulling. Myself I have always done as the manual states, however after today I think I might try going back to full flight and seeing which works best for me.
Thanks
Kirk

[Gravitymaster 0]

Not trying to bash you here Kevin, but unless you haven't updated your profile in a while, it indicates you have around 200 jumps and a "C" license. Birdman suits recommends a MINIMUM of 500 jumps before even beginning to "learn" to fly one. Perhaps you should think a little about why they recommend 500 as a minimum and consider whether it's advisable to continue at your level of experience.

Bob

[kevin922 0]

Quote

Not trying to bash you here Kevin, but unless you haven't updated your profile in a while, it indicates you have around 200 jumps and a "C" license. Birdman suits recommends a MINIMUM of 500 jumps before even beginning to "learn" to fly one. Perhaps you should think a little about why they recommend 500 as a minimum and consider whether it's advisable to continue at your level of experience.

Bob

Bob, thanks for your candor however Jari himself checked me off and gave me the 1st jump course (and he knew my jump numbers then). The profile is correct and as you can see I handled myself just fine with the suit on the jump. If you're implying that based on my jump numbers I should have caught this mistake I think you're out of line. People make mistakes and i'm sure you're not mr perfect (and if you are, by all means accept my apology but I don't know you so I can't really say for sure). Keep in mind someone with far more experience than put the mistake there.. so accidents happen.

So not to bash you or anything but unless you know me and have jumped with me or seen my abilities keep it to yourself or have the decency to PM it to me.

Kevin

[Kris 0]

Quote

Birdman suits recommends a MINIMUM of 500 jumps before even beginning to "learn" to fly one.

Not true, Bob. BirdMan recommends 500 if you want to learn to fly it on your own with no instruction, and only 200 jumps (with great currency) if you want to learn to fly one after being evaluated and taught by a BM-I.

See: http://www.bird-man.com/html/instructor.htm

Kris

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[Gravitymaster 0]

I was referring to what they recommend in their Flight Manual

http://www.bird-man.com/pdf/Flight%20manual.pdf

There does seem to be some conflict as to what experience they recommend and I don't have time right now to research it. According to Kevin, he was check-out and given the OK.
I do appologize to Kevin if it is true that even with as little as 200 jumps, Birdmansuits is OK with him jumping, my personal view on this notwithstanding.

Bob

[skymama 37]

Please remember that the purpose of this forum isn't to bust someone's chops, it is to report, discuss and learn from fatal and serious non-fatal incidents. Kevin already knows that he should have caught the problem on a gear check. Knowing Kevin personally, I have a lot of confidence that it won't happen to him again.

I encouraged Kevin to post this Incident in here so everyone else can learn from it. Seeing the picture really helped me to be able to visualize what a misrouted bridle could look like. And, reading about it will make me look a little closer whenever I do a gear inspection on myself or someone else. Thanks for sharing, Kevin.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[rgoper 0]

i think Kevin is to be commended as well. it took some rocks to post that. the thought of even a remote posibility of my bridle being miss-routed like that never even crossed my mind until now. thanks Kevin, good save!

--Richard--
"We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

[hookitt 1]

I've already sent my props to Kevin via Private Message. I suppose it would have served well out in the open.

It takes balls to share mistakes in an open forum. He did so for the benifit of others. Skydivers are so damned critical of each other when not speaking face to face. No one likes to admit mistakes. And I commend Kevin for sharing this for the benifit of others with out regards to his own comfort.

Thanks man

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto