🚀 go-pugleaf

     I think Paul's mathematical approach to the snivel problem was excellent,
and I won't refute anything he said.  However, it drummed up a couple more
thoughts that I think are worth sharing, so I'll beat this horse a little more.

> The six second snivel (for discussion, the actual malfunction is
> a bag lock, so the drag does not significantly reduce your speed)...

     I have heard the term "snivel" applied to everything from a pilot chute
bobbing around uselessly on your back to a streamering canopy.  It's important
to note that the descent rates and appropriate reactions for each variety of
"snivel" can be significantly different.  The more "junk" you have above you,
the slower you will fall -- a streamering canopy, for instance, may slow you
down to about 80 MPH.  Although this gives you a little more time, a six second
wait is STILL the maximum.  Actually, I would not wait more than three or four
seconds, if my canopy was streamering.  By the way, to prevent pilot chute
hesitations, and to make opening shock more bearable, I always "sit up" immedi-
ately after dumping.  Just pull your knees up as though sitting in a chair --
but don't do a backloop!  This also puts you in an excellent position to watch
your canopy open.

> The only thing I would like to add to this is that we do not have to
> simply wait during the six seconds.  We can be watching what is going
> on over our heads!  Without taking a lot of time, a shake on the riser
> may be just what is needed to get it open.  At least you can be sure 
> that you are not chopping a good main.

     I guess I made a rash assumption that everybody watches their canopy open.
I'm probably wrong.  It's particularly important for you new jumpers out there 
to get in the habit of watching EVERY opening.  I, for one, want to be the
first to know if something is going wrong.  The "sit up" position during open-
ing is so comfortable that you won't get a whiplash or strained neck muscles
by watching your canopy open.

     Here are some remedies that may help in some situations:

Pilot Chute Hesitations:  Either sit up as I described above, or dip a shoulder
     and roll slightly sideways (I prefer the former).  If that doesn't work
     immediately, the pilot chute is probably snagged on something, so it's
     reserve time.  Remember:  once you change your position from "flat and
     stable", your speed increases and available time decreases -- so don't
     waste a lot of time trying to un-snag it!!

Container Lock:  Either your pin is bent or your bridle is misrouted.  You
     can't do a damn thing about either situation, so dump the reserve.
     (A pre-jump gear-check would prevent either of these situations, unless
     you bent the pin during exit).

Bag Lock:  IF YOU HAVE THE PRESENCE OF MIND to do it without losing track of
     time and altitude, grab a riser and give it a hard jerk, not just a steady
     pull.  If it doesn't break loose immediately, GIVE UP and do a break-away. 
     You are falling FAST in this situation!  If you do anything at all before
     breaking away, do it BEFORE six seconds have elapsed, as Paul suggested.

Streamer:  Same remedy as for Bag Lock.  BUT -- there are many accident reports
     I've read, and one which I personally witnessed, where a jumper "went in"
     because he/she lost track of time while trying to shake a canopy open.
     I probably would not bother to try.  I have had my canopy streamer for as
     much as three seconds, and then open with no assistance from me.  If it 
     went longer than that, I'd chop it anyway, but I've never yet had to.

Stuck Slider:  Grab the toggles and pump them up and down several times.  If
     the slider doesn't work its' way down with each pump, it's break-away
     time.  As long as the slider is 1/2 to 2/3 the way down, the canopy should
     be safely flyable.  But then, if it is that far down, it should be easy to
     get it the rest of the way down.

Collapsed Cell:  Cross-porting generally prevents this, but if it happens, grab
     the toggles and pull 50%-75% brakes.  The cell should immediately inflate
     unless something else is wrong, such as a blow out.  A friend of mine once
     had an end-cell blow out during opening shock, but he was still able to
     control the canopy and make a safe, albeit harder, landing.

     My own philosophy is that if there is something over my head that is 
controllable and landable, I will stick with it, even if it's not 100% good.
I consider a break-away as a last-ditch effort to be used only if those two 
criteria are not met.  Every jumper, on every jump, must analyze the situation
and make that decision -- fast.

             *
            / \
       |---/---\---|            Ken Scofield    C-9355
       |   Gone    |            Hewlett-Packard PCD
       |  Jumpin'  |            Corvallis, OR
       |-----------|
			{ucbvax!hplabs, harpo, ogcvax}!hp-pcd!kas