elfanie

I have an RSL... funny thing is that after I landed and was in the hanger, I commented to my JM that, "I think my RSL deployed my reserve before I even got a chance to pull my D-ring..." he smiled and said, "you landed with your main on your back...your RSL did you no good." Uh...DUH! Didn't think about that! But this goes back to my question.. were you nervous about how you'd perform in an emergency? And did your feelings change after your reserve ride? Were you less/more nervous about if you ever had to do it again how you'd respond? You got it! (wait..do you mean this next weekend, the 30-1st? Or NEXT weekend as in the 6-8th? just want to know when to look for you...) -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Unless he lost track of altitude. but isn't that the point of the 2-try rule? So that you don't really have to stay altitude aware in an emergency, you just know that if you tried twice then you're done, move along to the next step..? I was told that the reason for the 2-try rule is because there were people fighting mals all the way to the ground...and with a 2-try rule you know to STOP after two tries, regardless of altitude, and move to the next thing.... (which is why, even though I was under canopy at 2K, I am still kicking myself about my reserve ride a few weeks ago...because I tried 3 times. STUPID! Could have had a worse outcome, glad it didn't....) Witness on the ground. So he was close enough to where they were going to land and people actually saw him hit? Yeesh. Ya know...that's...that's just... I don't have the words. that's...ick..and gawd...and all sorts of bad feeling words. I can't even come up with the words. So they were pulling at 2K? jeez....that's 500 below my hard deck. and isn't it 5 seconds every thousand feet...so about 10 seconds from impact? (not that 4 seconds is a lot...but it can be enough sometimes!!) 2K...and I'm twitchy about pulling at 4-4.5K... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

So.... he unknowingly had his cutaway handle pulled...so when he deployed his chute left? And he didn't realize that his chute had left...so he never pulled his reserve? Is that accurate? but..but...but... first off, that's so sad. But secondly, I have questions about this... did he not feel his main leave? Even if he didn't feel it leave or know that it left, isn't there a time when you think, "this isn't working, now what"? Or is that the loss of altitude awareness that you're talking about. Me..I'm beating myself up for trying for the main 3 times... with the 2-try rule...wouldn't he try to get the main out twice and go for his reserve? As for how he actually hit...how do you know that? What I mean is..you said his dad was filming him, but surely his dad pulled HIS chute, right? So...who saw him actually hit? Did he hit close enough to the DZ for people to see him come in? His poor poor dad...that's just aweful. How was he trying to get the main out? I mean...there shoudln't have even been a PC behind him...right? As experienced as he was....he didn't notice his main was completely gone? or at least didn't go for his reserve... (although with my limited experience, I can imagine going for the cutaway, which was already pulled, and wasting time going, "WHERE THE **** IS MY CUTAWAY PUD???") -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

I'll agree with this. I had a true cutaway on a tandem ride...lineover....and yup, was definately different to feel that main release and you're in freefall again. Yikes. I have separate handles... red pud for a cutaway and a metal d-ring for my reserve. When I pulled my reserve...I was actually surprisingly stable. (at least, I think I was. I don't remember that well...I do know that I was belly-to-earth when I did...) TRUE THAT! As for saving the handles...thought didn't occur to me. quite the opposite...I wanted them GONE, and it felt like if they were in my hands they weren't truly gone. someone told me next time I will keep the handles. I'm not really anxious to findout. honestly...keeping the handles was the very last thing on my mind right then. In fact, on the ground when someone asked me where my handles were, I think I look at them with the biggest, "huh??" look...because they just kinda laughed and said, "She tossed them....." -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

ACK! This is the risk of knowing someone on the boards... I can't remember, Phil....were you on my cutaway jump? it was just really strange now I felt - something - that made me nervous before that jump. (if you were on the plane that run...did you notice how many times I touched my handles before exit?!?) I did fine...but the nervousness is still there. Not nervousness about the jump, really... just an underlying nervousness about my competancy. Will it be there when needed.... Yes! Oh gosh that was a source of relief for me. but then I start rationalizing my way into nervous-mode again. "Ok..so I dealt with a hard-pull....that's an easy decision...I needed something over my head. But what about a PC in tow?? I don't watch deployment, just wait for the jolt upright....so....what if I wait too long for it? What about a streamer....will I realize that it's not opening fast enough? Will I wait too long thinking it's just snivelling??" I guess I should take comfort in what everyone says...which is that nervousness can keep you on your toes,and it's complacency that is dangerous. *lol* that's not true. You don't land too badly most of the time.... Ya know, you and I are going to need to jump together sometime. (heck, if I can keep up with BRIAN [bsoder], I can keep up with YOU! ) Oh...ugh....don't remind me... You notice that was the last time I landed on the tarmac!!! (and that wasn't just an AFF jump...that was my level 2 jump, and was the FIRST time my family had ever seen me jump!! That sucked!) You coming out this weekend? (you can PM me if you want so we don't hijack this thread. *grin*) -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Actually, what caused me to flip onto my back was grabbing and yanking with both hands. Might have been due to body position to get my left hand over onto my right wrist...or it could have been the very hard yank which rotated my hip and caused a barrel roll... but looking at it caused me to turn slowly...didn't cause me to flip. the two handed yank is what flipped me... Nobody gave me crap this time (except one person commented on me tossing the handles..but it was a light hearted comment and he got VERY serious when I said, "I did was I was trained to do.." and he said very seriously, "absolutely..and good for you!") it's not that I got crap..it was the fear of getting crap. And you're right..it shouldn't matter what others think, I'm the only one in the sky with the rig and I should just do whatever it is that needs to be done....you're right....and I'm trying to feel that way because I know it's the right way to feel... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Yes...I was waving at 5.5 and pulling at 5K for several jumps after that. I've weaned myself back down to 4500 now..and everyone always knows where everyone is pulling..*nodsnods* I have a cypres...and did in the rig I was jumping (which wasn't MY rig, which is what I jump now). Honestly, the cypres never entered my mind until my husband mentioned it to me late that night. I just truly didn't even think about it...not even once. but now I also have a dytter in my ear that I have set to 3K (which is where, "if you don't have something over your head, you need it NOW" is for me) I dunno...maybe I am slightly nuts... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Oh yes...I do pull high. Interesting thing is...normally I pull around 4500-5000 feet. This jump I was very squirrely and nervous (had several people comment about me being nervous, and even I said, "I don't know, I haven't felt like this since my first AFF jump"...and was telling everyone that I was going to pull "VERY high..so stay away from me...I'm pulling VERY high, like 6K!" When I tracked off...I look at my alti and was at 6500 and I thought 'screw it' and waved and began my pulling attempts. the thing that makes me twitch is the fact that I lost about 3500 feet. I waved at 6500....and when I first looked at my alti under reserve I was right at 2000. That's a lot of altitude to lose. (and quickly) (edited to add...I think this is an enormous source of my insecurity. the fact that I know that I lost 3500 feet, and how quickly it seemed to happen...and what would have happened if I'd started pulling much lower than I was....I don't find this fact comforting at all. the ONLY comfort I get from this is the idea that NOW I know how fast it happens, and next time I will be quicker, because of a better understanding of how fast it happens!! I hope....) ] Oh yes...yes yes...I do, honestly...over and over again... That's why when it came time to do them..I just sort of went into robot mode and just DID them, without thinking. There was not even a millisecond of fumbling and looking for handles or thinking of which handle to grab...just did it. Practicing those EPs...yes yes...do those every single time I put my rig on...multiple times...yup yup yup.

When I became a solo jumper...I always was nervous about chopping away. I had a cutaway during one of my tandems, and the thought of cutting away always made me nervous. Not that thought that it wouldn't work...but wondering if I would be able to identify a problem in a timely manner AND would I pull fast enough or fight a mal too long....and nervousness at actually pulling those sacred handles and whether I would make the right decision. I had a hard pull not quite a month ago...couldn't get the PC out (and tried hard enough that I actually flipped myself onto my back before barrel rolling while I chopped and pulled silver). the thing is...I barely remember pulling. I remember grabbing the hacky and yanking...remember LOOKING at that hacky thinking maybe my fingers were too cold or I didn't get a good grip, and remember yanking hard...I remember thinking that someone somewhere had at some point in the past said something about pulling with two hands so I did (I actually don't know why I did this...and this is what disturbs me at night, and this was the lesson I took away from this experience...ONLY TWO TRIES AT ANYTHING!) the next thing I remember was being on my back and an "OH GOD" feeling....then a huge JERK and I saw the silver D-ring in my hand and the feel of the metal sliding against metal as I was still yanking at it (something in me wanted it COMPLETELY OUT and GONE...and I litereally threw it away from me...like, if it wasn't all the way out the reserve wouldn't come out? even though it was already out?) and I remember looking up and thinking, "Oh gawd...that's a reserve parachute...I cut away...uhh..." and just...trying to get my mind back and fly safe with the sole goal of getting on the ground safely (I had no idea what size reserve I was flying at the time...so I flew that thing the way I would a parachute half it's size...as in, very conservative, feeling it out...getting to know her) On the ground, someone told me that I wouldn't be nervous about cutting away now because I'd experienced it. Heh. right. I still think about it...wonder about it...and have the same nervousness I had before. Will I identify a problem fast enough? Will I cut away? In a way I wish I could remember more of the actually pulling of the handles. My husband (also a jumper) said that there's a good chance that the reason I don't remember much was because I didn't have to think about it, so I didn't. I'd made the decision when I FIRST started jumping that if something went wrong...this is what I would do. So all of the decisions to be made at that point were made months and months ago on the ground...so that's what I did...that which I decided to do months ago. It didn't calm my nerves, though. I still wonder....what if. What if I get a streamer...or a PC in tow..or baglock....will I recognize it, and in a timely manner? Will I execute EP's fast enough? tell me I'm not alone? Is this something anyone else thinks about? There was even a part of me that was nervous about cutting away because of what people on the ground would say! As in...I don't want to chop when I shouldn't. When my JM came up after I landed and asked what happened and I said "Hard pull, couldn't get the PC out.." he grabbed the hacky and yanked and said, "Yup...that's a hard pull..." I was as relieved as I was when I landed...I was so SO glad that it was "the right thing to do" because I am nervous about chopping and landing and having someone say, "WHY did you do THAT??" Again...tell me I'm not alone...or crazy? I talk to some people and they act like chopping is no big deal.."If it doesn't work, F--- it, I'm chopping.." with a shrug. And I see videos of people chopping and they are like, "Whoo hooo!!!!!!" like they are happy/excited and it is a cool thing they are under a reserve. Me? I was...not quite so enthusiastic. I was VERY serious under reserve...not 'having fun'. What are your experiences with reserve rides..? And did you have any feelings about it before you did it? afterwards? did your feelings change? Am I crazy? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

why don't they mean much? I mean...every tandem jump has a TM...and aren't most (all?) TMs USPA members? why shouldn't we include tandems...they are jumping out of an airplane.. another question: Do BASE jumps count in skydiving fatalities? (and do BASE jumps count as "skydiving"?) -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

I wanted to be a mommy... and then I wanted to become a midwife. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

No joke! (and dont' forget to scroll down the page...there are two groups of pictures and you'll miss a whole other half if you just look at the top pictures and stop) amazing pictures...amazing talent. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

QuoteThe numbers are closer to 1 in 1000 USPA members will die each year. With about 30-32000 members thats 30-32 deaths per year. Quote this doesn't make sense.... because we've been hovering around 30-32 deaths a year TOTAL... and not all deaths are uspa members. Sometimes tandems die...sometimes students die (not all students are uspa members)... not everyone who dies every year is a USPA member...(or, if they are, heck..I'm letting my membership expire to ensure I won't die! ) I just don't see how that figure can be right... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

When you stow the brakes, you pull down on the line... that's why you "release your brakes"..and you should notice that your canopy speeds up when you do that. That's because you stow your brakes sort of in "half brakes", when your canopy opens it's in partial brakes. It's you grabbing the toggles and releasing them that allows your canopy full flight. If one toggle comes unstowed, then you have one half-brake toggle and one full flight toggle...ie. a spin. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

when I did my tandem (very first jump) in July in Playa Del Carmen (mexico)...my TM jumped barefoot. Interestingly, it's one of the things most people comments about my pictures of my first jump. heh. I figured that he did it because we land on a beach....but he also walked to the airport/plane (which was a little ways away) barefoot and didn't blink. It was obvious that he didn't wear shoes very often. I would love to try it...but only if I was going to land on a beach (and a 'clean beach'...no big rocks and things)...because my poor feet that are always shoed are so sensitive now... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

When I first started out...I flew a Manta 288. My exit weight is 160-165 with that rig on (I weigh around 135). There were times when I thought I was NEVER going to come down. Where if there was more than a whisper of a breeze, that turning cross wind I could actually gain altitude. Every single time I landed that, I was in the air for quite a while by myself...and everyone else was already in and packing their gear before I even thought about touching down. the one thing that I noticed when moving to a smaller canopy for the first time...was controllability. With that enormous 288, I would push the toggle all the way to my ankles, and could count 1-2-3 before even a slight gentle turn was made. very sluggish. When I went to the Nav220....enormous different. When I pushed a toggle down - it actually turned!!! I could actually spiral! I couldn't spiral the 288...I could do a slow lazy turn around and around..but not really a spiral. And flare? the 288 wouldn't really flare for me...not that I really needed it to, it was so slow. But when I felt a "flare" for the first time it kinda surprised me...I'd never felt LIFT before!! -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Trying to 'show you up"? By asking questions?? See...to me, that would mean that I was listening to what you're saying and thinking about it and wanting to delve deeper into something that was said. never occured to me that you could think that a newbie would be trying to show you up. *shrug* Some would say that I am considered "Mucho experienced"....But it seems you just refuse to listen to me for whatever reason, and are shopping around for an answer that fits you better... Inaccurate. I said mucho-experienced jumperS..plural. You're right in that I refuse to listen to you...or any one source for anything. I shop around...not for an answer that i'm hoping to hear, but to get many sources through which to educate myself before making a decision/opinion. I take what you say as important, Ron...but you're not God. If I didn't take what you say seriously, I never would have questioned you. If you were a newbie with little experience, I wouldn't have had my interest peaked and wouldn't have addressed this issue in here.... Yet I was just recently told differently in a class...which is why I wanted to see if it was conventional wisdom or if it was a controversial idea, who believed which side, and what each side had to say about it... -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Quote this post is simply a continuation of this purely argumentative 'post' prompted in dissatisfaction as a result of this argument and this argument. Quote actually...the question I posed had absolutely ZILCH to do with any previous discussion Ron and I had ever had or not had. (and I'm not sure why you'd think that one disucssion would have anything to do with another?) If Ron felt that I improperly quoted him...than I apologize to him. I didn't feel that the rest of the quote was relevant, as I was simply asking the opinion of others (and Ron had already given his) whether a larger canopy is always safe - specifically since I'd been told very recently in a class that a larger canopy is not necessarily safer. But trolling? For WHAT, praytell? What could I be trolling for? What reaction do you think I was hoping for? Learning the opinions of those more experienced than myself? Like I said...whatever. *shrug* -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

*confused* How is asking a question regarding canopy size and safety in safety and training> trolling...?? How is getting different opinions about what is safe and when considering trolling? Whatever. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

didn't he walk the distance she would normally drive in 10 minutes? (ie. a 10 minute drive from the station) -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

If someone is already jumping a lightly loaded canopy...but making poor choices and having problems....would they benefit from jumping an even LIGHTER loaded canopy? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

My husband is also a licensed skydiver and we jump together nearly every weekend. My brother has done one tandem. *snort* My sister has done 2 tandems...gone through AFF training, and done 2 AFF jumps. My brother-in-law has done two tandems. My father-in-law would love to do a tandem, but he's had a messed up shoulder for a while from skiing. other than that...we've got a bunch of whuffos. *grin* -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

User Ron, in another thread, made the following comment... "A bigger canopy is safer than a smaller one." I took a canopy control course recently in which I was told flat out that a larger canopy is not always a safer canopy, and that if I felt that flying a larger canopy meant that I was safer that it was a mistaken idea. However...me, with only 51 jumps under my belt...would like to hear from some of the mucho-experienced jumpers. Is bigger safer? And let me make DARN sure to clarify that I'm not saying, "Is a wing loading of 1.8 safer than a wing loading of 2.4?" That is not what I'm asking. What I'm asking is...is bigger always safer. For someone with an exit weight of 170....is a 288 safer than a 210? or a 190? Is bigger always safer? -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

Only if you're a fat white male person. Fat people of other genders and races fall under the PC protection program. You only have to be fat and white.. because I promise you that fat white females are subjected to much much more than fat white males (who often appear to fall under the protection program...fat white males often have no problems.) -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings

You also forgot fat people. -------------------------------------------- Elfanie My Skydiving Page Fly Safe - Soft Landings