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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!poseidon!brent
From: brent@poseidon.UUCP (Brent P. Callaghan)
Newsgroups: net.rec.skydive
Subject: Re: Cutaway, Rocket reserves etc
Message-ID: <1325@poseidon.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Nov-85 09:10:51 EST
Article-I.D.: poseidon.1325
Posted: Wed Nov 13 09:10:51 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 07:20:06 EST
References: <476@spice.cs.cmu.edu> <365@link.UUCP> <1321@poseidon.UUCP> <135@nyit.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft NJ
Lines: 46

>> Cutting away the main with two canopies out is a
>> safe procedure.  The main goes off to the rear and 
>> the student swings forwards under the reserve.  There's
>> no chance of the main snagging the reserve.
>
>	I'm no expert on the subject, but I've really been
>	checking up on it.  Isn't it better to
>	come down on your main, that is if everything is
>	okay with it, than to come down on your reserve.  I
>	was instructed to deflate the reserve by pulling on
>	the lines furthest from me and bunching it up between
>	my legs.  It made sense to me, and that's the way
>	I'm going to do it because that's the way my jumpmaster
>	expects it, but is what you say better?
>
If you have been trained never to touch your capewells then
it's better to stick with the way you have been trained. I 
have had a front mounted reserve pop out a couple of times
and managed to grab it and hold it between my legs before
any lines unstowed.

At my previous club I trained students to pull the reserve
in if it was not inflated.  That's easy to do.  I'm not sure
how easy it would be to collapse a fully inflated reserve.
I'm sure it would not be an easy job given just a few
minutes of canopy time.  I doubt if it leaves enough time
to steer away from obstacles and turn into wind for a 
landing.  The possibility of injury is much less the sooner
the student is under a controllable canopy.  Our student
reserves were steerable 26' LoPos.  They had the same yellow
webbing steering loops as on the main.

Two canopies out occurs most commonly because the student
dumps the reserve during deployment of the main - perhaps
because of a pilot chute hesitation.  I never saw anyone
have any problen chopping the main or landing under their
reserve.  The only hassle was chasing down the main afterwards.

Do you know what kind of reserve you have ?  It should at least
be steerable so you can turn into wind for landing.
-- 
				
Made in New Zealand -->		Brent Callaghan
				AT&T Information Systems, Lincroft, NJ
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