Hit by the riser on opening (Tandem)

[subterminal 0]

I’d like some input and thoughts from other tandem instructors, as I’m quite a fresh tandem instructor myself. Two days ago, I experienced a very hard opening, on which the right riser hit me across the face, resulting in a deep cut on my chin (six stitches), and cracks in both upper front teeth, where also a small chip came off

This was my fifth tandem jump of the day, and I’d been jumping the same gear on every jump. (Strong Dual Hawk, with EZ384 main) On the last two jumps the openings were hard, and on both jumps I was jumping with students about 90 kg (198lbs). With the tandem rig on my back I weigh 110 kg (242lbs) so in total we weighed around 200 kg (440lbs).

Unfortunately there is no video of the jump, which could have given me an idea of what happened. We were stable during deployment, and I’m quite sure I did not look to the right.

My employer wants us to hold the students head on deployment, to avoid them getting a neck injury if the canopy opens hard. This is something I’m very uncomfortable with, as I’ve heard of at least two fatalities due to students grabbing the instructors arms. I’ve done both the Vector-, and Strong-Rating within the six last months, and both urges instructors not to put their arms so that the student can grab them. I wonder if my holding the students head might be a leading factor to being hit by the riser. I believe my face would be more exposed to the right side, when holding the students head with my left hand.

Very thankful for any inputs, and experience shared.

CJ

[drenaline 0]

Quote

My employer wants us to hold the students head on deployment

Is your employer a TAN-I?

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[iowa 0]

I can sympathise. I've had a lot of riser welts on my neck and even bloodied my ear through my frap hat. IMO it's from getting your head off to one side of the students. If it ain't off to the side it going to hurt your nose so we just deal with them. Seems like it happens every 5 to 10 jumps, but not as bad as yours was, just welts. Maybe just a fluke or some sloppy packing. The only real painful opening I had was from ripping 3 ribs nose to tail.

also, I wouldn't hold thier heads. I like to keep my hands free so I can smack thier hands if they reach over thier shoulders toward MY handles.

Keith

''Always do sober what you said you would do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.'' - Ernest Hemingway

[Cajones 0]

I've been struck by risers hard enough to damage my pro-track mounted on the side of my helmet. I've gotten some scrapes and bruises, but never bad enough to need stitches. Riser strikes are the core reason why helmets are so strongly (no pun intended) recommended. Bill Morrisey uses the example of TM's losing an ear! Ouch!

Holding the students head on opening sounds like another invitation for problems. Keep your hands free to do whatever chaos gives you. Maybe the DZO should go along to hold your head for the "possibility" of a hard opening. If you do support the passengers head, and smack them with your face and bleed all over them, it'd be a different kind of ugly. Instead of spending time making rules for the TM's, spend some time teaching better packing so openings can be tamed and consistent.

The laws of physics are strictly enforced.

[Deuce 1]

Christian, I'm a video flyer, not a Tandem Master, but I've seen lots of tandem openings up close. We use Vectors. Our TM's generally pull the students head back to their right shoulder by the forehead while they reach back with their left hand to deploy the main.

[JohnnyD 0]

This is not a practice I have ever heard of. Personally, I never put my hands below the students. Occasionally, they contort in an unusual fashion and can get my arms or hands anyway, but I would never invite that to happen. I've had openings hard enough to nearly knock me out, but I can honestly say I've never had a problem with riser strikes.

[riggerrob 643]

I have been whacked by Strong tandem risers so many times that I traded my leather hat for a ProTec. I drove one colleague to the hospital after a riser knocked him silly and another colleague had to get his ear sewn back on.
Holding the student's head was common practice in BC before I moved here. Since I never saw the logic to holding the student's head, I never did it. The only logic I can see is that F-111 canopies tend to open hard, but since we retired F-111 mains I cannot see the point to continuing the tradition.
Good point about keeping your hands so far back that the student never sees them.
Your time would be far wiser spent ensuring that your slider is all the way up and your line stows are tight.

[billvon 3,085]

1. I would avoid contact with the student's head during opening. On a _very_ hard opening your hand or arm will become another weight their spine has to bear, and it might be the extra force that breaks something.

2. Riser slap seems to be pretty common; I got hit a few times, but since I always use a hard helmet it was just an impact, and didn't hurt.