PC malfunctions?

[obi]

Dwain posted a quote from Mark Hewitt in his thread "Techical details....(long)", http://www.blincmagazine.com/forum/board/4354.html , that said "Pilot chutes do malfunction". As I have never seen a pc hesitate or malfunction and I can not see a reason for a properly assembled, packed and thrown pc not to work, I would like to know how many of you have actually seen or experienced pc hesitations or malfunctions (also in skydiving). If you did, what were the circumstances / how was the configuration?
I usually pull low and a pc hesitation of more than 1 sec would definately ruin my day on most of my jumps, so this is kinda interesting to me.
Obi

[PerFlare]

Yes I've both seen PC hesitations and have a couple of them my self.

One example,

42" F-111 PC stowed in standard configuration (mushroom). The PC had +100 jumps on it and one waterlanding.

Jumped a 100m (330ft) "A" and took an 1 sec delay, I pitched when I started falling down :) I could feel when the pilot "open" but did not feel the container open, I'm happy to say that my PC hesi did not last for more then one second.

On video you can see that the PC look like it worked the way it supposed to work. I can not explain way it did not have the drag I expected.

After that and some other reasons like I'm getting older and that you can't be lucky everytime I jump with bigger PC's from lower stuff.

If you are in to that low pull stuff (I'm not), I think you will increase your chances of jumping again if you just count in a one sec hesitation and jump with that in your mind.

But then as always who I'm I to say what you should do ...

PerFlare
Member Team Bautasten

http://www.linetwist.net/

[Neil UK]

I had a p/c hesitation on my first stowed jump.

The jump was a 620 ft power tower, with an intended delay of 4 secs. P/c was a 42" zp, large hole mesh, non-vented type. It had about 30 jumps on it and had never been wet. I`d used the burrito method of p/c packing as I was finding it very tricky to get the mushroom to sit in the pouch nicely. My mentor had 250 odd jumps using the burrito and had had no problems with it. My delay wound up short (surprise suprise) and I pitched, flat and stable, at just over 2 secs. The view from above was that the p/c reached bridle stretch ok and sat un-inflated for 1.5 - 2 secs, forever as far as I was concerned, before doing it`s thing. The whole thing scared the living crap out of me.

As a consequence I now use the mushroom style pack job. :+

Be safe, enjoy

Neil

[JJ]

Yes, "pilot chutes do malfunction" including hesitations (or as Dwain and Slim like to call them "hesi´s).

I wanted to start a thread after reading Dwain´s post, but Obi beat me to it...And yes Obi, I have seen video of your low pull at Yellow Ocean earlier this year - yep, you like to pull low - kicking Koala´s as they say in Aus...and if you had a hesi on that particular jump, you wouldn´t be writing this post. If you had a 180 on that particular jump you would at best be in a wheelchair - IMHO.

I want to address and validate, from my experiences in BASE, two particular quotes from Mark Hewitt posted by Dwain.

First off "Pilot chutes do malfunction." I have seen pilot chutes malfunction in two particular ways. I have seen, from video, a pilot chute in tow because the bridle somehow became wrapped around the pilot chute. The pilot chute was tossed from the BOC in a normal manner and it can be seen that the bridle was choking off the pilot chute - not allowing it to inflate. The pilot chute did have an external handle, and whether this contributed to the bridle maintaining to stay wrapped around the pilot chute casuing the pilot chute in tow is not apparent. One speculation is that the pilot chute was packed improperly or sloppily as the jumper had a reputation for this kind of pilot chute pack job. The jumper, who intended to execute a 3 second delay, wound up taking a 5 second delay - slider off - (luckily he had the height) and the parachute finally did deploy because the jumper situated himself in a sitting position and reached back behind him, pulling on his bridle - in additon to this action it can be seen that the bridle actually unwraps from the pilot chute and the pilot chute began to inflate. So, it is undetermined whether the pilot chute beginning to inflate opened the container, or whether the jumper pulling on his bridle opened the container. Regardless of which action opened the container, if you have a pilot chute in tow, get yourself in a sitting position and REACH BACK BEHIND YOU AND PULL ON YOUR BRIDLE - hopefully you will have the height - as the saying goes, NEVER GIVE UP!

For the second malfunction - hesi´s. I personally have had two pilot chute hesitations without the wingsuit and several with the wingsuit - all hesi´s I have experienced were for approximately one second and only while BASE jumping (any hesi I´ve had in Skydiving wasn´t really a critical problem, and you got a reserve anyway).

Without the wingsuit, I had a hesi off a balloon from 500 feet after a double gainer - that should have been a triple given that I over-rotated - which could have likely contributed to the hesi, and the other from a flat and stable cliff jump - both on video. I don´t have any explanation for the flat and stable hesi, and the only explanation for the aerial jump hesi is that the angle which the pilot chute had to pull the pins somehow required extra force. The wingsuit hesi´s I´ve had again have no explanation other than that the burble was a factor. I´ve had hesi´s with a 38 inch zp large hole mesh pilot chute - with and without the hole in the top, and with a 36 inch F111 small hole mesh. I´ve determined that wingsuit hesi´s are more common due to the larger burble.

All hesi jumps were made with standard BASE equipment - 9 foot bridles and large hole mesh 38 inch zp pilot chutes with external handles. In both jumps it can be seen that the pilot chutes are deployed normally and inflate normally without any funky pilot chute "breathing" or pulsations. I use 38 inch zp large hole mesh pilot chutes because anything larger seems to add to the oscilation factor - which is a whole subject on its own and is why I now believe F111 pilot chtes are the answer to eliminating the oscilitaion effect given that the "mesh hole in the top theory" does not reduce pilot chute oscilitation.

I also believe, as quoted from Mark Hewitt, "A low airspeed burble doesn't extend very far off of your back, as opposed to at 120mph." First, it makes sense that there will be less of a burble if a mass is traveling at lower airspeeds. Second, while flying the wingsuit (with an average fall rate of 50 miles per hour) in multiways, less burble or turbulence is felt when flying over other wingsuit flyers as compared to terminal airspeed skydiving. Maybe this lower airspeed burble is a main contributer to hesi´s, or maybe it´s something else - I don´t know.

Pulling low is fun and exiting to say the least, but if you want to live long and have the ability to walk, there are two possible senerios that you should consider on every BASE jump. Pilot chute hesitations and 180 degree off heading openings do and can occur.

Looking forward to other stories...

JJ
:-)

[JJ]

Ooops, maybe I should proof read and edit. Not all hesi´s are with 38 inch zp large hole mesh pilot chutes. I have had two with the 36 inch F111 small hole mesh while wrapped in a wingsuit....

JJ
:-)

[obi]

Hmm, now that obviously so many have seen that video...
I have to admit that I was NOT happy with that particular jump. I do like to pull low, but that one was a bit too close even for my standards. I feel comfortable when I'm under canopy 100 ft. higher (on that cliff) and I normally am very consistent on being open at exactly that altitude. What really pissed me off was the fact that I didn't plan on goin THAT low. And all the reasons for me being that low on that jump are lame excuses 'cause if you're dead you're dead, no matter why. But I learned my lesson. Pretty impressive visuals by the way :7
But thanx for the input. I allways took into account the possibility of a 180, but never really believed in pc hesi's (I make a really nice pc-packjob). I think I'll give myself a little more reserve in the future...

[Neil UK]

Hey Obi

Any chance you could post a link to the video, I`d like to see it?
:o

Be safe

Neil

[feral]

Hey Obi you german Ass Ho le how you been mate, you spoke to casba send my best to him.

Good to hear your still breathing lost to many mates this year for a while when that other german jumper went in thought it was you ...

Yes I saw the same low pull of yours in laterbrune keep up the good work mate love your work ..

bsbd feral

:-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-(

[obi]

Yeah mate, very good to hear from you too! Hope to see you again soon. Check your email.

[azbasejumper]

I have had a 48'' pc hesitate on a 425' cliff . Scared me good . I had just replaced the velcro on my rig . That is the only reason I can come up with . I now will only jump a pin closed rig .

[Jolly Jumper]

1. I had one nasty low cutaway skydiving ,nothing seemed to hapen and I cutaway and was under canopy some 500ft I found that my PC had a nice knot, with the hacky around the fabric. I have on other ocasions seen a knot on the bridle on BASE equipment (not mine). My guess is bad PC packjobb (atention on the bridle leaving the BOC!!) the knot may in these ocasions form on the bridle and not around the fabric by luck!!
2. A friend of mine found a A jump a litle more exiting than planed. The jump prior to this was a PC assist and the center cord was ripped! (check the center cord thorowly after PC assist (allways check it!))
3. If going hand-held, allways pack the PC in the pocket and take it out AFTER you have put the rig on!! The possibility that the bridle has taken a rout through your legstrap is eliminated! (failing to do so: read your warning lables!)
This may be obvious to most... but I post it anyway....

[base428]

Anyone who was at the Tombstone Challenge in 1998 or 1999 saw Tim C. tow his pilot chute for a few seconds and then barely outrun the talus for a landing on the road. Shortly after this jump, I remember him saying that he was getting ready to pull on his shrivel flap since nothing was happening.

Another pc malfunction that is rarely talked about nowadays is stowing of 48" F111 pc's. This was discussed quite a bit in the old BASE magazines in the 90's. If you stow a 48" F111 pc, the chances of a pc hesitation increase greatly due to the material (F111) and the fact that it there is so little room for a pc of this size in most spandex pouches. A friend of mine jumped this configuration in 1995 from a dam and towed my 48" F111 pc for nearly 2 seconds. It came out of the pouch OK, but remained in the same configuration as it was put into the pouch until it finally expanded.

So what is the best way to ensure that your pc doesn't hesitate or malfunction? Any thoughts? I have an idea that's still on the drawing board....

------------
Jason Bell
BASE428
Email: jbell@vertical-visions.com
Web: www.vertical-visions.com or www.bridgeday.info

[PerFlare]

Jolly,

22. Agree that you always should check your gear but if you got your center cord ripped on a PCA you are doing it wrong. Heard about that jump and it is not a good way to PCA someone.

But I agree, gear check is mandatory!

PerFlare
Member Team Bautasten

http://www.linetwist.net/

[Jolly Jumper]

That is the problem with PCAs isnt it? Its not YOU that do the actual PCA! so when ewer you make one you should check not only if the centercord is ripped but allso if it has some damage to it!
Do you have some oppinion to the knot problem? do you think its a burble problem or a packing problem? my cutaway could be either.

[PerFlare]

Jolly,

I do not agree, I is your job to verify and if needed to educate the person holding your PC how you like to have it done, if he/she disagree ... get someone else to do it for you or walk away.

I do agree that you should check your gear prior to using it.

The only time I have got a knot, or that the bridle have is routed in a manner that would make a knot is if I have been stashing my gear in a hurry. Have seen "bridle lineovers" but not a tendency that it would make a knot.

You are a Norwegian, right? I'm a Swede. Have we met in real life?

PerFlare
Member Team Bautasten

http://www.linetwist.net/