The moment after a cutaway is when your training truly counts
There are many different variations of the emergency procedure, but for the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on what happens after you’ve pulled the reserve handle. Before we get to that, I’d like to kindly ask you to stop reading, stand up, and practice your emergency procedure, go through the full sequence.
Great! So, you’ve now practiced your emergency procedure. But how many of you went through the motions and, after pulling the reserve handle (“RESERVE”), just relaxed and stopped? Just because you’ve pulled your reserve handle doesn’t mean your reserve will open or that it will open perfectly. Don’t worry, this is a very common reaction among skydivers, from beginners to world champions. But if you’re willing to continue reading, you might change how you practice your emergency procedures in the future.
My Emergency Procedure (After Pulling the Reserve Handle)
ARCH – RESERVE – ARCH – 1 THOUSAND, 2 THOUSAND, 3 THOUSAND – IS IT THERE? – IS IT BIG? – IS IT SQUARE? – TWIST FREE? – BRAKES, LEFT AND RIGHT TURN, PRACTICE FLARE.
If you went through the full sequence when you practiced earlier, amazing work. It takes roughly 1,000 repetitions for something to become muscle memory. Let’s break down why it’s recommended not to just assume your reserve will open perfectly and what you can do if it doesn’t.
ARCH
Arching helps you whether you’re in an upright or freefall position. It resets your body to a symmetrical position, aiding in a better reserve deployment.
RESERVE
Pull the reserve handle all the way through to ensure the reserve pin is successfully extracted.
ARCH (Again)
Arch again because you may have dropped a shoulder while pulling the reserve handle. By arching, you create more speed and less surface area. Most of the time, the reserve pilot chute (under spring tension) will launch into clean air and inflate, but there are cases where it may fall into your burble, especially if you’re wearing camera wings or a wingsuit. So arch strongly (collapse your wings if applicable) and help the pilot chute do its job.
1, 2, 3 THOUSAND
If your pilot chute is stuck in your burble, looking back over your shoulder after about 3 seconds will allow air to flow and help it inflate.
IS IT THERE?
If your reserve hasn’t opened, start working hard. Use your elbows to push on the container and loosen it to help the freebag come out. Fight for your life to the very end.
IS IT BIG?
Is the canopy inflated? If your slider is stuck high, grab the toggles and perform big flares to bring it down. Fight for your life to the very end.
IS IT SQUARE?
Imagine this situation: you’ve cut away, pulled your reserve, and notice a brake line over the middle of your canopy—creating a line over and deforming your parachute.
If the line over is near the wingtip, you might be able to clear it with a strong flare. If it’s in the center (“bow-tie” shape), you can use your hook knife to cut the single brake line, releasing the line over and restoring a square canopy.
Keep in mind that you’ll now have only one brake toggle, so your best option is to land using the rear risers.
Have you practiced rear riser landings?
TWIST FREE?
There’s a reason we all have a hard deck for emergencies—it gives us enough time to deal with our reserve canopy and find a safe landing area.
Now imagine this: your AAD fires, you’re below 800 feet, your reserve opens with line twists, and you can’t clear them before hitting the ground. What do you do?
This scenario should be discussed with your canopy instructor or an experienced BASE jumper.
Hint: It’s possible to land safely with line twists if done correctly.
BRAKES, TURNS, AND FLARE
Have you ever flown your reserve parachute in a controlled environment? Is your reserve larger or smaller than your main canopy? Do you know if it requires a different flare technique?
At low altitude, under a new type or size of canopy, isn’t the best time to learn new skills. That’s why I recommend practicing with a reserve canopy in a controlled environment—for example, by demo-jumping a reserve canopy hooked up to your container as if it were a main. You’ll still have two canopies in your system, but your “main” will be an identical model to your reserve.
If you don’t have that option and you’re flying your reserve for the first time in an emergency, perform a quick control check. This will give you a sense of how the canopy handles and help you identify any issues before landing.
Conclusion
There are many different emergencies, situations, and procedures, but if we all build the habit of following through after pulling the reserve handle, and continue the full sequence, we’ll improve our chances of making better decisions under stress.
