What to do when Your Chute Malfunctions

It’s every skydiver’s worst nightmares and it’s one reason why many people don’t feel brave enough to ever try the exhilerating sport of skydiving – the main parachute has malfunctioned. So what do you do? Well, while you’re in the air is no time to be thinking of strategies so here are the very basics of what to do when something’s gone wrong with your chute.

Don’t panic. Yes, it’s frightening but remember that you still have some options. Panicking will only make you forget emergency procedures and could lead to disaster.

Know your altitude. Many emergency procedures depend on the altitude you are at, as different altitudes require different procedures. A small problem could be made into a major one if you forget you don’t know your altitude and therefore, don’t know which procedure to use.

Only cut-away if you’re above 1,000 feet. For almost every parachute malfunction, it’s recommended that you cut away the main chute and use your reserve. However, if you are under 1,000 feet you will hit the ground before your reserve has time to inflate. Still open the reserve chute but keep the main canopy open just to be safe.

The ABC’s of Skydiving: D

DC-3: A type of aircraft that can hold 40 skydivers.

De-arch: This is accomplished by placing the body in the opposite position of the standard arched box man. The result is a decrease in falling speed.

Dacron: This is the material that suspension lines are made from. They are stronger than microlines.

Data card: This can be found within any parachute and it contains information regarding the reserve chute such as when it was last packed, the type, and serial number.

Dead spider: Another name for a de-arch.

Decision altitude: This is the altitude at which the skydiver must determine that it is time to begin emergency procedures.

Deployment system: This is the system that deploys the parachute and it includes the pilot chute, bridle, and bag.

Dirt dive: This is a skydiving trick or position that is practiced on the ground.

Dive floater: This position is only in large formations and it’s the diver in the airplane who is in the exit lineup but is jumping before the base.

Dive loops: These are loops (sometimes called ‘blocks’) that are located on the front risers to make it easier to grab the risers and steer. Generally only advanced skydivers use these.

Diver: A skydiver that is leaving the plane for a large formation.

Door jam: This is practicing leaving the airplane door before it’s actually done.

Down plane: This is when two canopies are in the air and are both pointed down. Although this is usually reserved for group formations, a single jumper can also do this with both their main chute and the reserve chute.

Drop zone: This is what a skydiving center is called in skydiving lingo.

Dytter: A type of audible altimeter.

The ABC’s of Skydiving: C

Call – This is the amount of time you have until you board the airplane.

Canopy – Parachute. More commonly used to specifically refer to the rectangular-shaped chutes made from small pockets of air.

Cascade – This is where two lines meet and form one line. You can cascade the suspension lines to decrease the amount of drag in your chute.

Cell – This is the complex ‘pocket of air’ that canopies are made of.

Center point – The actual center point in movement. With group formations it refers to the center of the formation and with an individual, it usually refers to the torso.

Cessna – Aircraft manufacturer.

Chute assis – A French term which refers to sit flying.

Closing loop – After the container has been closed and the pin has been guided through the loops, the closing loop holds the container closed.

Coach – An experienced skydiver that can assist and instruct during freefall.

Container – The part of the parachute that holds the canopy.

Crabbing – This can be done by flying the canopy across the ground sideways as well as forward.

Creep – A technique used when practicing formation skydiving.

Creeper – This is the board that skydivers use when creeping. It has wheels and is used as a stimulator for freefalling.

Cross ports – Small holes at the sides of the cells in a canopy that allow air to be passed from one cell to another.

Current – This is the status of a skydiver. They are ‘current’ if they have recently jumped.

Cut away – This is an emergency procedure that relies on breaking free from your parachute and relying on the reserve.

CRW – Canopy Relative Work. Essentially, it’s the formation of canopies.

Cypres – A type of AAD.

Understanding your Canopy

There’s no doubt that when you’re in the air, your canopy is the most important piece of equipment you have. It’s what allows you to enjoy a scenic glide to the ground, instead of crashing towards it at alarming speeds. So before you strap on your pack, you really should take the time to fully understand your canopy.

The chute you will be flying with is most likely a canopy, a rectangular-shaped chute made from cells of inflated air. These are huge improvements on the balloon-style chutes that were first used in the sport. The canopy uses an angle of incidence, which is built right into the canopy and consists of two lines: the lines in the front, shaped like an “A”, which are short; and the lines in the back, shaped like a “D”, which are longer. These lines cause the canopy to descend down and slightly forwards.

The toggles on a canopy can be used to slow the chute down or to turn it. To slow down and turn right, you pull on the right toggle, which causes the back right corner of the canopy to be pulled down slightly. It’s important to remember when you are making any turns with your canopy, that it will always cause you to fall faster than when you are just gliding alone. Forgetting this can cause you to turn or land far too quickly and is the biggest reason for parachute injuries.

However, pulling down on both toggles at the same time will result in the canopy sloping slightly downward and the entire chute will begin to slow down. Normally chutes are flown ‘toggles up’ so that the maximum amount of air can pass through it and you can get a great dive! Experienced skydivers will sometimes fly ‘toggles down’ and may even completely stall their canopy in mid-air but for those who don’t know what they’re doing, this should not be attempted and the movement is actually restricted on most student canopies.

Before the Jump

The sport of skydiving starts long before you’re in the airplane getting ready to jump and even if you have taken all the required lessons and are simply out for a fun dive, there are still some things that you always need to keep in mind before it comes to the fun of the freefall.

While on the ground, one of the most important things to remember is to never be late. You will most likely not be the only one jumping when you go and the other twenty people in the airplane won’t wait just because you’re running late. Also make sure that you know exactly how the jump will go, whether it’s your first or your fiftieth, before  you get into the plane. When you’re in the plane is no time to be sorting out the details so make sure you can picture it perfectly in your head before boarding. One thing that you can do in the plane is back out and that again is whether it’s the first of fiftieth jump. Sometimes you just don’t feel it when you get up there and it’s perfectly okay to go back down with the plane.

The ABC’s of Skydiving: B

Backslide – This is when the diver is falling backward during freefall. It’s usually caused by poor form and is something to be avoided.

Bag – This is simply the bag that the parachute is packed in.

Base – This is what a formation centers around. It can involve one or more skydivers.

BASE Jump – BASE stands for building, antennae, spans (or bridges), and earth (such as cliffs.) BASE jumps are then jumps that are not made from an airplane but from one of these locations.

Beech – Nickname for the manufacturer Beechcraft, who specialize in aircraft. Although they are not very popular today, they were once a top name in skydiving.

BOC – This is short form for Bottom of Container and it refers to the position of the pilot chute.

Body Position – This simply refers to the posture of the body while it is in the air. It can be changed during the dive to accomplish different freefall maneuvers.

Boogie – An event held for skydivers. These events are all about loving the sport and sharing that with others and does not focus on competition.

Bounce – This is when a landing is made so fast that it’s impossible to survive it. It’s a rarity in skdiving and is also sometimes called to frap, or go in.

Box Man – This is a trick that can be done while in the air and is usually done while in formation. This is a face to earth position in which the arms are bent at a forty-five degree angle and the legs are also bent at about forty-five degrees.

Brakes – These are the brakes of the parachute, which are also used in conjunction with the steering lines. Using them together will result in the parachute slowing down while only using one set of lines will cause the chute to turn.

Break off – To leave a formation by moving away from the formation before deployment.

Bridle – This is part of the system in the parachute that deploys it. The other parts are the pilot chute and the bag. The bridle is the webbing from the pilot chute to the canopy.

BSR – These are Basic Safety Requirements. Although they are not legally enforced, it’s generally preferred safest to follow these guidelines.

Burble – This is the turbulent air that is left behind once a moving object has passed through it, whether it’s a plane, person, or parachute.

What to do Once You’ve Landed

You may think that once you’ve sailed through the air and are back with both feet planted firmly on the ground that your skydiving experience is finished. Well before you bask in the glorious ride you just had, there are a few things you have to do first.

The first thing is to make sure that you and all of your equipment make it back to the hangar safely. This means looping all of your chains and cords so they don’t become mangled and damaged, packing things such as your ripcord, goggles, and gloves into your helmet and making sure that your canopy doesn’t rip or snag on anything. Be extremely careful with all of the equipment – it is your responsibility until you make it back and any damage could cost you hundreds of dollars!

Once you are out of your gear and have passed off all of the equipment, you want to review the jump thoroughly with an instructor or someone else who was there. This is not only important so that you can take time to review mistakes, focus on what you did well, and allow you a moment of basking, but it’s also necessary if you ever want to earn a license. When you apply for a license, only jumps that have been documented, witnessed, and signed by another party are considered so you may as well start doing it from your very first jump!

The Different Levels of Skydiving Licenses

For those who want to take their love of skydiving beyond just a hobby, you can become a student at a recognized skydiving school and start training to earn a license. Licensed skydivers are much more capable of doing certain things, both while in the air and on the ground, and are also given more responsibilities than just the hobbyist or student skydiver. However, just like most things that are licensed, the licenses for skydivers vary depending on which license the skydiver holds. Here are the different levels of licenses that you can try out for, should you choose to really jump start your love of skydiving!

An A-license shows that the skydiver has taken all of the necessary schooling to become an advanced skydiver and is now recognized by the USPA in the most basic of ways. License A skydivers can perform many tricks in the air including water jumps, basic relative work jumps, they can be their own jumpmaster, and they can assemble their own parachute.

A skydiver who holds a B-license can also be their own jumpmaster, assemble their own chute, and perform the relative work jumps as well as night and water jumps. They are considered to be an Intermediate Level and can also try to break and set records.

C-License is considered to be an advanced level and not only can most of the air work be performed at this level but skydivers can also be other’s jumpmaster as well as their own and can compete in formal competition. Skydivers recognized as having a USPA C license are also eligible for the USPA Jumpmaster rating.

Needless to say that the most advanced license of skydiving is the D License, or the USPA D. Not only can one do all that the above-mentioned licenses can do, they are also eligible for being appointed Safety and Training Advisor, a very respected position!

The ABC’s of Skydiving: A

If you are just entering the world of skydiving, or have been taking the plunge for quite some time but need to brush up, welcome to the ABC’s of Skydiving, a series of the blog that will walk you through, step-by-step, the different terms and definitions of this fantastic sport!

AAD – This is the short form, most commonly used, for an Automatic Activation Device. If the diver is descending too quickly, this is a reserve parachute that will automatically open should the diver not open theirs in time.

A/C – Aircraft.

Accuracy – This is also known as Precision Landing is an extremely difficult trick to complete. The diver needs to land on a ‘target’ and in professional competition, the target is generally no larger than 3cm in diameter, about the size of a quarter.

AAF – Accelerated Free Fall. This is a something that can be learned in advanced training, where the student can learn to free fall for 40 seconds or longer, compared to basic training, in which free falls last only approximately 20 seconds.

AGL – This means above-ground level. Altitudes are in relation to sea level and this is what skydivers are referring to when they refer to altitude.

Airspeed – This is how fast objects in the air, like chutes or planes, are going.

Altimeter – A device for measuring altitude.

Angle of Attack – This is how the wing of the chute is facing the wind. With canopies that are square, this angle will change once the brakes are used.

Angle of incidence – This is the angle of the parachute that is designed to coast through the air.

Apparent wind – This is what the wind looks like to someone observing a skydviver. It may also be referred to when describing current wind conditions.

ASP – This is Arizona’s version of AFF. The course is an advanced version of AFF and includes two tandem jumps.

ASTRA – This is a specific brand of AAD that is manufactured by FXC Corporation.

Aspect ratio – This is the ratio of the width of the chute is from side-to-side to the breadth, which is the measurement from front to back. Chutes that have 7 cells generally have a 2.2 to 1 and chutes which use nine cells generally have a ratio of 2.8 and 3.0 to 1.

Get your Kids Involved!

Skydiving is a wonderful hobby and if you’re an avid skydiver, you may want to get your kids interested in your hobby as well but may feel a little queasy at the thought of letting them jump out of a plane. Getting children involved in skydiving is easy, but it’s something that must be done slowly as it can be very scary and intimidating and you don’t want to turn your children off right away. A great way to introduce the subject is to make a toy parachute – it’s super easy and will show your kids how much fun skydiving is!

1.) Get a white handkerchief and have you and your child decorate the outside of it with markers, stickers, and anything else that comes to your imagination.

2.) Gather fishing line or string and cut 4 – 14″ pieces of it. Tie one piece of string to each corner of the handkerchief, being sure to tie them very tightly.

3.) Tie all ends of the string not attached to the handkerchief to a cork. Again, tie them tightly or your parachute may fall apart mid-air.

4.) Stand on a chair and drop your parachute with the cork pointing towards the ground. Watch your child “oohh” and “aahh” as it glides gracefully to the ground.

« Previous Page — Next Page »