Quote:
Originally Posted by LaughingGravy
Now, I say this since our neighbor's niece plummeted to her death last month, leaving behind a husband, two kids, and very grieving parents.
She was 39 or 40 years old.
I don't know the details, tandem, solo, etc. but it did happen.
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I'm sorry to hear about that.
It does happen but it's extremely rare.
For a beginner you have the main chute and reserve chute w/built in altimeter. If you go past I think 700ft or so at a high rate of speed the reserve will open automatically.
There are so many different kinds of chutes. And people who do it a lot own their own equipment. I have never seen anyone with their own equipment that has that automatic safety feature.
Also the "pro's" tend to pull at a much lower altitude. And they also pack their own gear, so if there is a failure they have no one else to blame.
It's a split second decision. Do you cut away the main or do you try to fix it?
If I had to take a guess I would say she was too low to pull the reserve.
That's what the classroom training is for. We did practice over and over again. Pull cutaway cord, 2 hands straight down. Pull reserve chute, 2 hands straight down. Back into position. We probably did it over 100 times. If my chute failed I would have known exactly what to do without hesitation.
This is where I went:
http://www.skydivedeland.com/index2.htm
Danny