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From: jerrys@mobby.umiacs.umd.edu (Jerry Sobieski)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: my first reserve ride (don't try this at home!!)
Message-ID: <34854@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 24 May 91 18:20:17 GMT
References: <1991May22.195426.17798@ge-dab.GE.COM> <1991May24.131353.29231@eng.ufl.edu>
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Reply-To: jerrys@umiacs.umd.edu (Jerry Sobieski)
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In article <1991May22.195426.17798@ge-dab.GE.COM> coleman@sunny.dab.ge.com (Richard Coleman) writes:
>Well, I got my first reserve ride this weekend.  ...
>I was using a different rig than what I had been using in the past, and
>it had the pilot chute in a *slightly* different place than what I had
>been using.  ... Well, guess what,  when it was
>pull time I couldn't find my ripcord.  I tried 3 times, then popped
>the reserve 

A couple thoughts here...

There is an old saying; "You always go in on borrowed gear".

It seems there are two things going on in these descriptions of 
reserve rides:
  
First, as mentioned before, is the lackidazical (sp?) pull sequence.  As
a student or a novice, I really cannot stress this more:  You must Look, 
then reach and pull.  Students are less accustomed to where all these
handles are than experienced jumpers.  And this is further complicated by 
the fact that they will probably jump several different rigs in their 1st 50
jumps (even student rigs vary considerably from one manufacturer to the next).

Secondly, is the "borrowed gear" problem.  Jumping unfamiliar gear is
a prime way to get into trouble.  This may even be more important than the
first issue of looking- particularly as you progress and become more reliant
on handles being in a certain spot and on specific deployment systems.
To witt: the Racer pull-out deployment pud is attached in such a way
that you can not physically see it unless you take the rig off and look from
behind.  The jumper simply finds the right-lower corner of the container,
and by doing so has located the pud completely by feel.  A pull-out system
verses a throw-out system is also a complicator.  Placement of puds/throwouts
has become a bit more regular in the last few years which is good.  Make sure
you are familiar with the deployment system you're renting/borrowing, its
not enough to just "know where the handle is".

Some student rigs come in either dual action cutaway systems or single-point
operation systems, i.e. the former has a conventional cutaway handle and
a seperate reserve handle, the latter has one single handle that performs 
both the cutaway and then the reserve deployment.  Jumpers just off 
student status should be particularly mindful of these types of 
considerations if they find themselves jumping rental gear at some new DZ.

As more schools transition to sport student gear (with square mains *and*
square reserves), there are some students/novices that may never have been 
trained on round canopies.  Don't assume your reserve is a square.  Its 
a hell-of-a-time to find out as it opens.  Always ask when you 
borrow/rent gear whats in it, even if it is a nice new student Vector.

Complacency kills.

I'm outta here...gotta go do 3 days of 20 way...
Blue Skies - hope everyone has a good M-day weekend!
Jerry
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Domain: jerrys@umiacs.umd.edu		     Jerry Sobieski
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