wlie 0 #1 August 26, 2002 Jump #139. At about 10k, we would all have already put on our helmets, do one more check of 3s, etc, and get ready for the pilot to make the cut. The 4-way group us was to be the first out and just ahead of us. When the exit light came on, they were barely ready - still putting on their helmets, and just opening the door - and took time for to climb out. Everybody by then was yelling at them to get the door and get out. As soon as they left, my buddy and I doing a 2 way climbed out and got ready to launch. Little did we know that the exit light had now been switched off, and everyone was yelling at us to get back in. We launched anyway, did our thing, and broke off at 4,500. When I was under canopy, I didn't think that I'd make it back to the dropzone. Judging from my decent, my choices were the trees or an alternate landing area. I saw a house with some clearing and chose to put my landing accuracy to work. So I landed on some blackberry bushes, now my lines and canopy are caught on the thorns, and I'm about a mile and a half walk away. Lessons learned: Spotting is super important. Always spot. All that talk about hi-performance canopies, swoop landings, and downsizing would not have applied in this scenario: The landing area was about half the size of a tennis court and probably a student canopy could have improved the odds. Continuously working on my landing accuracy definitely has it's payback.My other ride is the relative wind. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
christoofar 0 #2 August 26, 2002 Good save! Yup, flying a highly-loaded sub-100 elliptical ZP with a landing area the size of a peanut isn't one of the wisest things to do. That's where those big air matresses (ahem.. accuracy canopies) come into play. ____________________________________________________________ I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
