goose491

My aim was to correct the portrayal of RSL as the primary reserve activation means and of the jumper pulling the reserve handle as the "backup, secondary or whatever" That was all. I realise why our gear has backup devices. It's just UBER-important that we not become backup devices to our gear. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Oh my goodness. Puh-lease! This at the 4th grade level? ....Each kid in the class should have gotten their cootie shots years ago! My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Who are you? My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

OMG! shocking... truly shocking... There, I fixed it for ya... this is the way it's actually done in the real world. NOTE: There are many a thread on the topic of trying to avoid teaching BRAND NEW SKYDIVERS what you have just posted as you basic line of thinking. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Are you kidding me? I think you should go back a few posts.. Even what you have quoted says: "It's not an argument against using one." My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

I'm not just being difficult for the sake of being difficult. You state with such certainty that an RSL would have saved him. I notice you (or PilotDave) didn't bother to comment on what a one hand on each handle technique would have done for the jumper. Is it not equally feasible for me to say that using one hand on each handle would have saved him? And to say it with the same amount of certainty? (The RSL throwing him into a spun-up reserve is used in conjunction with this... perhaps a pre-response to Kelpdiver's chiming in with: "Doesn't the one hand on each create an out of sequence issue?") Anyway, there is obviously more then one way that this jumper could have been saved. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

That's right. Dead is dead. And it's easy to say after the fact that xyz WOULD have saved him/her. Rather then COULD have... I'm just saying that the RSL could have given him a malfunctioned reserve anyway, due to body postition. It's not an argument against using one. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Personal Observation. But I know better then to get into it with you about samples. lol My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

I'm afraid I don't understand your comment. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

I'm not downplaying the fact that an RSL could have saved him... but there's always the "also"s. -This jumper would also have been saved had he been using the one hand on each method of EP (rather then the two hand on each, requiring you locate and grasp the reserve handle after you chop) -This jumper could also have had his RSL fire a malfunctioned reserve due to poor body position after the chop. The "also"s are just as heavy IMHO. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

I am called Legion for we are many. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

"The Stand" was my second favorite King book... The first was "The Talisman" Bad guy in both was named "Flagg". I always thought that was cool. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

You have twisted my posts, replying only to pieces and tidbits which suit you. It was simple: As it stands, there is a small number of fatalities to which the RSL was a contributing factor. This is downplayed by those that push the device, by the argument that there are a great many more saves attributed to it. I present that because a great many more experienced jumpers do not use RSLs then do, and because "incidents" and "hairy situations" tend to find experienced jumpers more often the students and tandems, that the comparison is not valid. That if everyone jumped one, then we may very well be able to see a greater number of incidents/fatalities where it was a contributing factor. p.s. I'm not about arguing Pro vs. Con of the RSL. Been there, done that... tired of being judged. But what I say above is valid and should be considered. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

No, it very much IS the point. RSL or no RSL, students don't go in as compared to experienced jumpers. Students don't experience nearly as many "hairy situations" as the experienced... again, for a number of reasons not including the RSL. But the vast majority of experienced jumpers do not use the RSL whereas all the students do. You are comparing apples to oranges when you use the above to say: "RSLs save more then they kill, period." My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

The jumpers and the jumps of course. Who do we see more of in incident and fatalitie lists? Why? There are a great number of reasons why there are more experienced jumpers getting hurt or killed in our sport then students and tandems... are you looking for me to explain those to you? ...perhaps you are! Does it not suffice to say that of all the fatalities, more of them are experienced jumpers then are students and tandems? So my point was that more experienced jumpers do not use RSLs then do and that if everyone jumped one, there may very well be a greater number of incidents and fatalites where the RSL was a contributing factor. This point is not counterable with: "Yeah well, there are more students then experienced jumpers at a given DZ." because: -Students make less jumps then the experienced, therefore (in theory) experiencing less chops -Students have a high burn out rate, therefore experience less chops -Students jump larger, more docile canopies, experiencing less violent malfunctions and a lessor chance of the RSL deploying their reserve in an unforgivingly unstable body position. -Students are leaving later and pulling higher. They therefore have lower exposure to the possibility of a canopy collision or entanglement. .... etc.... etc.... My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

So what? My sentence was: Different animals. Experienced jumpers are doing different skydives then the students and tandems. They are using different gear then students and tandems. We are discussing the use of RSLs for those that have the choice. Students don't but they are doing much simpler skydives, pulling higher with much more docile gear... etc... It seems we talk apples until someone makes a point... then it's on to oranges to counter it. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

An unstoppable force vs. unmovable object. Of course, the flaw in your comparing these two little factoids is that the existence of one negates the other. There are many more experienced jumpers who do not use the RSL then there are who do. Therefore, you see fatalities that "could have been avoided with an RSL". However, if everyone jumped with an RSL, who's to say that we wouldn't see many more a case in Ron's list of incidents where RSLs were a contributing factor? Nick My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Yes. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Now that's pretty crazy dude. Perhaps you'd do well to purchase some lotto tickets? My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Om-rizey! That's not the way ya sing dat song mon! My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Omri? That boy... I'm surprised he ever remembers himself! My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

Congrats man. It's good to see proof of someone actually weighing the risk vs. reward and making what is obviously a tough decision. I would make one suggestion though. Unless you need the funds for something in particular... or are 200% certain you won't get that unbearable itch... hold on to the gear... at least a year, before selling. It's yours, you are comfortable with it etc... it would be nice to have kicking around should you want to return sooner then later. But either way, best of luck with "the next thing" !!

What is it? "Yes please." ? My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

The knife in the picture was pretty hard to come by as well. Looks to me to be German Issue, WWII. It's the model they gave SS and Hitler youth. I've got one at home. Bought in Austria. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!