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From: kas@hp-pcd.UUCP (kas)
Newsgroups: net.rec.skydive
Subject: Re: To cutaway or not to cutaway...
Message-ID: <41800054@hpcvlo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Dec-85 13:40:00 EST
Article-I.D.: hpcvlo.41800054
Posted: Tue Dec 10 13:40:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Dec-85 01:13:11 EST
References: <144@nyit.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 51
Nf-ID: #R:nyit:-14400:hpcvlo:41800054:000:2554
Nf-From: hpcvlo!kas    Dec 10 10:40:00 1985


     
>       I'm told pulling in an inflated reserve is difficult,
>       especially at the end.  There is a good chance of accidently
>       letting go of it and having it inflate again.

     Whoever told you that has never done it.  And even if you did let go,
yes, the reserve would reinflate -- but so what?  You would be no worse off
than you were before.  The already-opened main would continue to support you
before, during, and after your attempt to collapse the reserve.

>       Actually, they trained me to come down under the main if
>       at all possible.  When I look up to check my canopy and
>       see its plural, then the thing to do, that I left out
>       in my previous description, was to check the main chute.
>       If the main chute is okay, then come down on that.  If
>       it's not, then I should use the capwells and cutaway.

     Yes, you should come down under the main if possible.  But what are you
supposed to do with the reserve if the main is OK?  You can't cut it away,
and apparently you've been taught not to pull it in.  It's generally OK to
ride down under both, but you won't be able to steer (at least not very well),
which may be a problem if there are landing obstacles in the area.

>       The reserve is a round 28 (I'm not sure of anything else
>       about it) and the main is what they called a 'jumbo'
>       paracommander (I'm a big guy, +200 lbs). The reserves are
>       steerable, but don't have toggles on them; the steering lines
>       have to be identified while under canopy.  They're very
>       simple and have no sleeves or other dampening devices on them.
>
>       What it comes down to, I guess, is that if you have to
>       down under a canopy (which is the preferred way of course),
>       it might as well be the main chute.

     >>GASP<< I can't believe that you are not taught to cut away, since you
are jumping a PC for a main.  With a T-10 canopy, it is possible (although not
desirable) for the reserve to open up inside the main, and still land safely.
If this happened, you would definately NOT cut away the main, because it would
foul the reserve.  But with a PC, the center-lines make it impossible for the
reserve to open up inside the main, and cutting away the main would only make
the problem worse.  Fortunately, it is extremely rare for a reserve to go up
inside the main -- but if it happens with a PC....

             *
            / \
       |---/---\---|            Ken Scofield    C-9355
       |   Gone    |            Hewlett-Packard PCD
       |  Jumpin'  |            Corvallis, OR
       |-----------|
                        {ucbvax!hplabs, harpo, ogcvax}!hp-pcd!kas