Getting back on the ground after an successful cutaway is an experience like no other. That extra adrenaline really had my head spinning.

Thanks to you and your team for being so supportive and involved. I can’t rave enough about the incredible people who work for and support PD.

Nice story! Pleased to hear that everything went well. It brought me back to memories of my first cutaway 32 years ago. After one particular jump it became obvious that I wasn’t dealing with little problems (closed end cells and stuck slider) quickly enough. I was still messing with that stuff down near 1400 feet! After that jump I was really wondering if I would be able to handle a malfunction or whether I’d just continue to sit there like an idiot. After reflecting on this thought, I decided right then and there to go back to the basics, and religiously stick to my “decision altitude.” I would cutaway by that altitude without hesitation if anything wasn’t flying right. The very next jump, number 73, I had a spinning line twisted thing with the slider stuck up high. I checked my altitude and I was already at the decision altitude, so I just pulled the handles. What a feeling to have that reserve over my head! It still feels like it was yesterday, and it was a real confidence builder for me 32 years ago. There were people cussing me out for cutting away instead of sorting it out, but they didn’t phase me at all. They weren’t in the harness. I was.

One final comment: Don’t worry about landing on a hard surface. Don’t let the self-talk get the best of you. Just pay attention to making your landing flare really spot on, then PLF if you need to. People don’t hurt themselves landing on asphalt, they only hurt themselves by crashing on it…. so wings level and be determined to perform your flare just right!

Lonnie – thanks for the support! It’s nice to hear from people that have been there for me from the beginning. I’m definitely still learning from this experience, and now I can take up a little more confidence with me on every jump, knowing that I can handle the situation as it comes at me.

Joyful – I LOVE that! I’ll definitely be using that saying in the future… it’s hard to know if the mal was caused by me, the packjob or a combination of factors, which is exactly why I didn’t blame Aerodyne. That thought never crossed my mind. And I hardly consider myself a web celebrity…hahaha…but thanks for the ego boost

SB – Typically I’m not a fan of jumping pack jobs that are not mine, either, however I assumed this would be okay since he packs so many Pilots on a daily basis. Regardless, I was incredibly nervous on the first jump back, but now I’m right back in the game. I still have faith in my pack jobs and now I know that if the time comes where I need to cut away again, I can. And no, that picture is from Google – we didn’t get any shots of my chop, unfortunately.

tazmwl – thanks! definitely a story I wanted to share. the more people can learn from each other in this sport, the safer we all will be!

I don’t like jumping other peoples pack jobs. I must admit that if I was in the same situation, I probably would have pulled the main out and repacked it myself. Although being a new canopy it would have been very slippery and hard to get in the bag.

Regardless, I’m glad your ok.

Blues.

But too, it might not have been the packing that resulted in your line twists, but your orientation on opening. It was your first jump on the canopy, remember. Aerodyne might have been reacting a bit defensively that you would blame them (since you are a web celebrity, even though it doesn’t appear that you’d jumped to any conclusions yet) — testosterone, eh?

You walked away and so of course you did the right thing. Give it some time — it will come full circle.

On a side note, I rarely trust anyone else but me, Bear, and the packers to pack my gear anymore. When I was still learning to do it, a visiting jumper got all condescending and insisted I was doing it wrong and just packed my rig for me. On that jump I had a steering line malfunction. (I probably should have cut it away as it was only my 15th or so jump and I didn’t have the skill to navigate it with the rear risers.) I landed so hard I fractured my pelvis. (Itty bitty hairline fracture. No big. Drove to a hospital 1.5 hours away from my home DZ and found the night nurse was a jumper at Cross Keys!)

Anyway, congrats on surviving, right? And you got the requisite case of beer, so good on you.