I’m talking to YOU, ME and EVERY ONE OF US…
SAFETY ALERT!
So here we go, again. A jumper with just under 300 jumps had an AAD fire at Skydive Perris. Once he got back to the DZ and caught his breath we had a long talk…
He was doing a 2-way. They broke off plenty high and he came in to pull at 3,500 feet. Had a hard pull and wasn’t able to get his pilot chute out. Tried again without success. Tried again without success. Realizing that more time had gone by than he had intended he came in quickly to pull his reserve but went unstable. Got back belly to earth and ready to pull… only to find out his AAD had fired and he was hanging under his reserve.
In that very gentle way I do I made sure he understood how he had totally f**ked up and that when it came down to it he wasn’t capable of saving his own life. He was saved by a device that was designed as a last hope for people who were unconscious.
When it came down to it he wasn’t capable of saving his own life”
He then said something that really hit me. It summed up the problem we see amongst so many – actually, most – skydivers. He said, “I really thought I’d be ready when this happened.” He wasn’t cocky or arrogant, he was unintentionally complacent.
And even though he thought otherwise he sure as hell wasn’t ready.
Are YOU?
Are you SURE?
The most read article on skydivemag.com for 2019 was a safety article I wrote – Dan BC’s call to action. Unfortunately I’m sure most people read it and thought I wasn’t talking to them, I was talking to those other skydivers. I’m talking to YOU, ME and EVERY ONE OF US. We are all too often unintentionally complacent. Please read and share at your DZs.
Thanks for listening!
