"
Before I die, this is REALLY going to hurt! "
January
1996
George Galloway
Precision Aerodynamics, Inc.
Dear George,
I was on jet load number one at the
World Freefall Convention in Quincy
last August doing a three way. The spot was terribly
long, so I decided to pull at 3000 feet. I reached
for my pilot chute on my leg strap and I threw
it out. I waited for a few seconds but when I
realized nothing was happening, I looked back
and I saw the bridle flapping in the wind. I reached
again for my pilot chute, but it was definately
already out there.
I
assumed I had either a bag lock or a container lock,
so I pulled my RSL cutaway handle. (I was trained
on an SOS system which deployed my reserve when
I pulled the cutaway handle) Of course, there was
nothing out there to cut away, but in my confused
state I thought I was experiencing a double malfunction!
In desperation I turned on my side and started
pulling at the bridle in an effort to get something
over my head. I was still plenty high and I was
going to have a long time to ponder my predicament.
I
knew I was going to bounce, and I had resigned myself
to death, but strangely enough at this time all
I could think of was "before I die, this is
really going to hurt!" All of these things
were racing through my mind when all of a sudden
my long forgotten Cypres fired and I instantly had
the most beautiful Raven 2 over my head.
I
was going downwind very fast, but I grabbed the
toggles and turned back into the wind just as I
landed.
At
my feet was my main canopy, still in the bag with
the lines deployed to the second stow. My Cypres
and my Raven 2 had intervened to give me
the chance to live and jump again.
Thank
You!
Robert
A. Waspe
Alexandria, VA |
