Comments on: Friday Freakout: Student Cypres Save WITH Instructor… WTF?!!

By: Devon Holmes

Devon Holmes — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:01:00 +0000

i agree that there was no excuse for both a student and an instructor to do this but all i can say is that s**t happens. thankfully they are both safe, and i bet that they will both be checking their altimeters from now on!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:35:00 +0000

You need to read the User’s Guide, not the marketing information. The student Cypress will only fire at 1000ft if the freefall speed is slower than normal freefall speed but greater than 29mph. Since this student was at freefall speed at the time the Cypress fired, then the Cypress was programmed to fire at 750 ft.

From the User’s Guide:
“The activation altitude is split. In the case of rate of descent being approx. that of free fall, the opening altitude is at approx. 750 feet (the same as with Expert CYPRES).
However, should the rate of descent be lower than that of freefall but still above the limit of 29 mph (e.g. with partially opened canopy, or after a cutaway), then Student CYPRES activates the release unit when the altitude falls below approx. 1000 feet (approx. 300
meters) above ground level.”

By: Tomáš Včelička

Tomáš Včelička — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:06:00 +0000

The student has both chutes out. And the ground is really close. Reserve first. Instructor opend in same time as student but smaller canopy needs more time. The free fall time is 1:20. From 4000m (12000ft) it takes maximally 60seconds to safe altitude for opening 1000m (3000ft). The student made flips which increase speed rapidly. When I jumped from 6500m (21000f) flat it takes about 1:30 to opening. I’m afraid it’s no fake. Lucky jumpers. Never more.
Blue sky
Tomas

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:47:00 +0000

I’ve had a student take me low..to cypress fire once… i don’t plan on EVER letting that happen again! He lost AA about 6000ft and rolled over about 5000. I was giving him the pull sign when i should have been docking on him! I chased, caught, and deployed him just b4 AAD fire for him. My slow oopening canopy got me two out side by side which i landed. Should have cut the main! Had downplane twice…u dont know how strong you are until under diress.Learned alot on that skydive… The last thing you can do for your student sometimes is throw your pilot chute at them! You see me deploy…you dam sure better DEPLOY!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:12:00 +0000

a cypres expert fires at 78mph/750ft, a cypres student fires at 29/mph/1000ft
http://www.cypres.cc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=131&Itemid=94&lang=en

By: Michael Hoy

Michael Hoy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

How can all of you tell whether it is a student or expert cypress?
The last time I read the Cypress user guide, the firing altitude (at freefall speed) was the same for both the Student and Expert Cypress.
Quote:
“The activation altitude is split. In the case of
rate of descent being approx. that of free fall, the
opening altitude is at approx. 750 feet (the same
as with Expert CYPRES).”

You can look it up here…
http://www.cypres-usa.com/userguide/CYPRES_2_users_guide_english.pdf

By: Kerry Walker

Kerry Walker — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:09:00 +0000

This is the kind of thing that should not happen in this sport…

By: Jack Bradford

Jack Bradford — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:22:00 +0000

Is it possible the instructor has 2 out as well? You can definitely see yellow and red toggles on landing (and opening if you pause it on the right frame- there’s also something that looks suspiciously like a freebag (with the main opening above it)

By: Alex Verbruggen

Alex Verbruggen — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:12:00 +0000

Fake…

By: Gary Murray

Gary Murray — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Not an ideal skydiving video from anyone’s point of view [very poor cntrol by the student poor proximity by the instructor+very bad altitude awareness especially by the instructor[no checks visible] but they lived so a good skydive!!

By: Shane Porter

Shane Porter — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:39:00 +0000

Yes his rig looked really loose, made me uncomfortable just seeing it! Very low pull if the video is to be believed but as they always say, all is well that ends well!

By: Louie Hornsby

Louie Hornsby — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Who was the instructor? What dz was this at? I wanna know since I am doing my AFF next year and don’t want to be taught buy that guy. I mean for gods sake I am NOT experienced in skydiving WHAT SO EVER yet but even I thought that students right leg strap looked suspect and even I knew there was a difference between CYPRES Pro and CYPRES Student and WHY they are different for GODS sake! SLACK! JUST SLACK!

By: Adnan Sabri

Adnan Sabri — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:45:00 +0000

It’s happened to me like this awkward situation in USSR in 1988 when I opened my parachute at 300 meters altitude because I couldn’t do anything when I entered in spin like a fan

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 03:51:00 +0000

Totally f’d up, if that was a “real” instructor. Could this have been a cameraman acting as instructor-coach? At no time does this video indicate the individual has the impulses of a qualified instructor. Has NO altitude awareness, showed no attempt to pull the student when in his grasp (had his foot) below pull time….barely has the sense to save his own sorry ass, and to top it all off, once safely under canopy – and on the ground, shows NO interest in looking for student to determine whether or not he survived the double deployment! I think this person owes the student beer for life!

By: Danny Dörfel

Danny Dörfel — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:09:00 +0000

I can identify the actions of the instructor, trying to notify the student to pull. But quite frankly (and that’s the hardest part) the rule ‘your problem is your problem’ should have been applied. Feeling responsible makes people take crazy decisions… He should have bailed out.

Judging from the time of exit to time of AAD firing, I would say this was a jump from 15.000 ft. Or otherwise this amount of time wouldn’t be possible. So it can still be a student cypres, making the actual reserve ride is between 1000 ft. and 1500 ft. That’s more than 3500 ft (15-18 seconds) too late.

The instructor pulled his own chute leaving him only a couple of hundred feet for landing his main. Being around 1000 ft without parachute might suggest using your reserve in stead of a main canopy. It might also be concluded the instructor didn’t use an AAD, or did he slowed down enough to make it fail to fire at 750ft?

Analyzing the student’s body language throughout the jump, he’s seems too much pumped up and stressed. I think the hardest part of being an instructor is identifying this before going into the airplane or in the aiplane and prepare the student as good as possible or advise him to do an easier jump. But I hope we can all rely on the fact that this incident has been investigated and handled properly.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:11:00 +0000

I did notice that loose leg strap too. Scary video all-around indeed. I hope other jumpers will learn from this video. Thanks for your comments!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:21:00 +0000

this doesn’t look fake to me. You can see the ground rush. Judging by time from deployment to ground, it would appear this student had a Pro Cypres which fired just as he dumped at 750ft – why didn’t he have a student Cypres?

I disagree the video is retouched – what evidence is there of that?

Did anyone else notice the students right leg appeared to have a very loose leg strap as well? This is genuinely all around a pretty scary video

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:13:00 +0000

Yes, the instructor had an audible… but why is his last warning- tone set for such a low altitude? Maybe to remind him to brace for impact/bouncing because of no canopy??

By: Matthew

Matthew — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:26:00 +0000

There are colored reserves, and I saw red toggles. Might be fake, but they were both low when the student threw his main. I’m guessing the instructor had an audible – you can hear the tone after he’s under canopy.. Even the eyes should have been saying they were getting low and should have immediately dumped. Two very lucky jumpers..

By: Zornitsa Nedelcheva

Zornitsa Nedelcheva — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:39:00 +0000

I agree that student’s cypres realy fired, not sure at what altitude, but much higher that the next video frame – it’s totaly fake and video is retouched! Instructor is much lower just 2 seconds later – not possible and landed with main canopy – just see the colors!