Skydiving Knife

The knife is not for when you're in freefall, or when you exit. It is for when you land. Generally, if you land in a tree, or in water, you may need to cut yourself free. Also, if there is some wind on you drop site, there is a chance your canopy may not deflate AFTER you've hit the ground. If the lines happen to tangle around your neck, you may want a knife to cut yourself loose. So, it is not totally useless to have a knife... Now, in a commercial drop, people will be there with something to cut the lines with.

People tell me all day long what I need and what I don't need... "you don't need a .45, a .380 will do" or "you don't need your cylinders bored out, you got enough power already" and my favorite... "you don't need to work out and get dressed up, you have a girlfriend already"...

No, I do it cause I want to... when people tell me I can't do something, I do it twice....
 
Originally posted by MelancholyMutt
"you don't need to work out and get dressed up, you have a girlfriend already"...

No, I do it cause I want to...
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But why would you want to get dressed up if you have a girlfriend already???
 
WOW! Who'd a thunk it? Not only do so many of us go nuts for knives, we have now also found that many of us are gun nuts AND skydivers! (Well, if not "skydivers," we've "skydived.")

The last time I jumped, there was a TFR (temporary flight restriction) just south of Spadaro Airport on Long Island, where the recovery effort for TWA flight 800 was still underway. That was 1996. Only now am I getting ready (since I have enough money now) to get certified. The five jumps I've done are simply not enough to last me a lifetime. I want more!

I agree with what was said: it will be some of the best money you'll have ever spent. Good luck, and have fun! :)
 
My thinking was more along the lines of Mutt's--not so much for freefall problems, but landing problems/tangles/etc. Thought it might be a stupid question, though.

My friend jumped in normal clothes (jeans, t-shirt, etc.) so I won't have any problem with a jumpsuit limiting accessibility. I'm thinking about the rescue hook, but I think I'd just as well do the paracord thing for my peace of mind.

I had no idea I would get so much response to this thread. Didn't realize that so many would have experience in this area since I now know a total of one person who has done it. Now I'm really getting into this.

Alan, I really have no idea how "steady" I will be getting ready to jump out of a plane. I think it's one of those things that you never know until you get there. But if I chicken out, I'll never live it down.
 
You'll be fine, especially tandem.

If your knife is visible though, I'd expect them to ask you to leave it behind. And it will be his/her call - can't stuff about up there.

Jump rigs are made for disengagement. The instructor will not want you 'adding' and risking damage (to property and/or selves) I'd expect.
 
My 1st five jumps were 'static line', on a carved out red dirt airstrip down in the 'piney woods' of lower Alabama, in civies, using the old style round military chutes...

The plane was an old Beechcraft 9 seater, with the seats and doors removed, and vertical hand rails bolted on the outside of the door frame.

The 'flight crew/jumpmaster's were real close cousins, a pair a 'good ol' boys' with names something like BillyBob, and JoeBob, and the 'training' consisted of jumping off an old wood table and rolling on the ground...

On my 1st jump, we were all 'nuts to butts', and I was second out the door behind a cute blond chick...She got her legs out the door, then decided that she wasn't gonna jump...

"C'mon darlin', you gots ta jump, everyone jumps" JoeBob said, but she wasn't going for it..."Ah'll rate, 'mon back in...' When she released her grip on the hand rails, he pushed her out! :eek:

Turning to me with a nearly toothless grin, he simply said "Next" (I jumped twice that day, so did she...lol)

It gets easier with each jump, but transitioning from static line to free fall is a real eye opener...lol Enjoy yourself, it's a hoot...only, leave your knife on the ground for at least the first few jumps eh?

Gravity is a bitch; so, if you panic and cut yourself free...well, you know, 'LawnDartsRUs' ;)

Mel
 
WHY? is the recurring theme the assumption that some guy is gonna cut himself off a fully functioning chute?

It's like saying... "hey, don't have a gun in the car cause you might decide to shoot yourself in the head while you're driving".
 
Originally posted by johnniet
But why would you want to get dressed up if you have a girlfriend already???
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In case something better shows up, or you two meet another cute girl.:D
 
I'm (almost) sorry if I didn't follow your line of thought through this thread so far, but going back and reviewing your posts, I don't see anywhere in the thread where you say that you, yourself, have personally jumped...

It could be that you have, or did post that somewhere, but I seemed to have missed it...

That said, and this to answer your question "WHY?"

Simply because MOST people initially 'freak out' on their 1st few jumps...that's WHY. And yes, most people overcome their fears pretty quickly after getting 'out there', and just 'go with the flow'...this is especially true with tandem jumpers, but not all people do...some are crapping their pants all the way down.

Much like the non-swimmer that pushes his rescuer's head under water, a panic'ed novice jumper can imperil the life of his/her instructor, giving them an additional means to do so is 'bad form' ;)

Almost EVERYONE here that has posted, that has jumped, will tell you that your mind is telling you NOT to do this thing...and during such a time of mental conflict, people do weird ass 'stuff'...

There is NO freaking way that I, as the tandem instructor, would even think to let a 'newbie' take a knife up...and remember, we ARE talking about a 1st time jumper here...not military, not experienced, just a first time commercial jumper asking what knife he should take up on a FIRST jump...as such, the obvious answer here is NONE.

If you cut yourself free of your chute during the panic that MAY occur, you WILL die. If you get hung up in a tree on the other hand, someone WILL come and get your butt down, eventually.

And that my friend is the only answer that I can honestly give you.

Hope that helps,

Mel
 
That was interesting from Mel.

I never jumped, but it sounded like common sense what he said.

Unless you're really unlucky and the instructor is having a Vietnam war flashback and you look a lot like Charlie to him.

Then you're screwed. But a knife will hardly help much anyway then.:D :D
 
Well Purvis old buddy, I have jumped... it wasn't a major accomplishment in my life so I don't feel the need to talk about it. Anyway, the thread is not about who's jumped and who hasn't, it's about how a jumper should secure his/her knife for a jump. Notice in the original post, ZhenGhost did not ask whether or not he should have a knife, only how to secure a discreet knife.

When I jumped, I did so with a Kabar, with a home modified sheath (sheet metal tacked to prevent puncture) which was secured by both the snap strap, and some paracord tied in a hangman's noose, and double looped around the handle. The Kabar was secured to my right thigh with duct tape to keep it completely clear of the harness...

As I recall, a guy can't even reach the paracord, only the risers so cutting the cord under a deployed canopy is pretty much out of the question.

Also, if you check my first post on this thread, you will notice that I agree that a novice NEED NOT take a knife with him... BUT, that is not the issue... the man, who is obviously an adult... may want to take a knife with him, and the explanations are why he MAY need a knife after the landing.

All of a sudden, there is a flurry of assumptions about panicking, tandem jump instructors and the poor guy turning himself into a lawndart.

The point is, the man asked how to secure a knife for a jump. He's already been told that chances are, he will not need one... there is no chivalry in telling me I'm an idiot because I won't continue to tell the guy what he should and should not do. There's no point in saying that I have no idea what I'm talking about if I don't tell the guy that he's incompetent and cannot function like a normal human being during stress. There's no point in jumping on my back because I think that the guy can make his own decisions.

C'mon really... an open canopy is the only thing that's keeping a jumper alive... I think he will not want to cut it no matter how scared he gets...

when I made my first jump, the last thing I thought about was letting go of my parachute. I gripped those straps till my knuckes turned white... believe me, the guy is not going to think about cutting himself loose...
 
But, as to your last comments; bro, you couldn't be more wrong.

I wasn't even aware of your involvement as you so stated, in those areas that you mentioned, nor do I have ANY problem with you, based on past posts.

FTR, and as a public announcement; I have no problems with you, personally. (kapish?)

Mel
 
As I recall, a guy can't even reach the paracord, only the risers so cutting the cord under a deployed canopy is pretty much out of the question.
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well you recall wrong, if you have short arms it might not be possible to reach the lines, but risers can be pulled down (hell ive seen people land on ONLY the risers), even on a large student canopy you can pull the very top of the front riser down to about the mudflap if you pull double fronts right out of a stall. the rear risers have even tension.

even if you couldnt cut the lines the risers and MLW are under a very heavy load, and could easily be cut by a sharp enough knife.

bottom line, theyll give you everything you need when you get there ;)
 
I don´t skydive, but if I remember correctly there was an article in an old issue of Tactical Knives about knives and parachutes, it was called "Knives that jump into danger", or something like that.
 
Originally posted by Melvin-Purvis
But, as to your last comments; bro, you couldn't be more wrong.

I wasn't even aware of your involvement as you so stated, in those areas that you mentioned, nor do I have ANY problem with you, based on past posts.

FTR, and as a public announcement; I have no problems with you, personally. (kapish?)

Mel
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Then my apologies for my percieved "persecution".
the comments will be removed immediately...
 
Originally posted by MelancholyMutt
The knife is not for when you're in freefall, or when you exit. It is for when you land. Generally, if you land in a tree, or in water, you may need to cut yourself free. Also, if there is some wind on you drop site, there is a chance your canopy may not deflate AFTER you've hit the ground. If the lines happen to tangle around your neck, you may want a knife to cut yourself loose. So, it is not totally useless to have a knife... Now, in a commercial drop, people will be there with something to cut the lines with.

People tell me all day long what I need and what I don't need... "you don't need a .45, a .380 will do" or "you don't need your cylinders bored out, you got enough power already" and my favorite... "you don't need to work out and get dressed up, you have a girlfriend already"...

No, I do it cause I want to... when people tell me I can't do something, I do it twice....
Click to expand...

I have a couple things to add about the landing in a tree idea. If you land in a tree, you better be close enough to the ground that falling isn't dangerous. If it is dangerous, then wait until somebody comes looking for you. Remember, this isn't a survival situation we're talking about here, we're talking about recreational skydiving for a newbie. If he doesn't land where he is supposed to, they will come looking for him. I suggest he hang in there until they do. Anyway, there is no need to use a knife if you are hanging in a tree, since every recreational chute comes with a cut-away handle. It is usually a brightly colored bean bag that is attached to your right harness strap. You pull it, and the three ring circus that attaches the risers to the container comes undone, and you fall free. For most student set-ups, this will also automatically release the reserve canopy, but still, I'm sure the guys that own the equipment he will be jumping would rather have to pay a rigger to repack the reserve, than have to pay a rigger to re-line the chute. As far as an accidental water landing, the absolute best thing to do when you realize you're headed for the water, is use the cut-away handle just prior to hitting the water. This completely frees you from the canopy. I would like to see a panicked newbie land in the water, try to access his knife, then try to cut the several lines holding the canopy. I still say the cut-away handle takes care of that problem. Even if you don't use it until you hit the water. Another option is to just take the whole chute off your back, because when wet, it will weigh you down bad. The only time I could ever see the need for a newbie to have a knife is on a static line jump in the event of a situation called jumper-in-tow, where the jumper's static line doesn't open the chute, and the jumper is stuck hanging from the plane on his line. Even then, I really don't see a need, because any reputable jumpmaster will carry a hook knife specifically for this rare occurenct. If you absolutely must carry a knife, then I only recommend one of the hook knives that are common when doing CReW, or Canopy Relative Works, where jumpers make formations under open canopies. This is very dangerous, and can easily result in some very bad entanglements, where you would need to cut yourself free. These knives have shrouded blades, and strap securely to a harness strap or some other accessible location. The Benchmade Rescue hook would make a good option, provided you got the molded plastic sheath, and lashed it to the harness with 550 cord. As far as using it to cut a line while in flight, people aren't talking about cutting a good canopy. There's a situation that could arise that's called a line-over, where one of the lines wraps over the canopy, rendering it uncontrollable. I would only recommend an experienced jumper to attempt cutting the affectet line, because where they attach at the riser, there are several lines side by side, and a panicking newbie trying to find the exact line that is wrapped, and then cutting it with a pocket knife is not only dangerous, but it wastes too much time under a malfunction in which they should just cut away, and use their reserve. The majority of skydiving deaths that occur, happen either under a good canopy, or when a jumper spends too much time under a malfunction trying to correct the problem, and they get too low to deploy the reserve. A newbie with a malfunction that causes a chute to be unsteerable should cut away as soon as it is determined that it is unsteerable. Again, I'm not saying that people shouldn't carry knives, but it is completely up to the Jumpmaster whether they allow it or not. This is recreational skydiving we're talking about, and there are plenty of people on the ground that can help him if he get's caught during a land. When I jumped, my JM wouldn't allow shoes that had those speed laces that hooked the laces because the danger of them catching on something was too high. If somebody wore those kind of shoes, they got duct taped several times to make a smoothe surface. Personally, I suggest that you just go out and enjoy your first jump, and let the instructors, and guys on the ground worry about the knives, and getting you out of a tree. JMHO, with a little experience to back it up.

Mike
 
Good post there Medic.

I had a line over on my very first jump. Just like you say, I was spinning, out of control, and waited too long to pull the reserve. The worst I wound up with was a broken ankle, busted collarbone and ribs but was very lucky in that. This was a fair while ago now and it still gives me the willies a bit, thinking about it. Pulling that reserve was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, as I was more than a bit 'concerned' at that stage about 'making things worse', if you follow me. I was waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat about this for a long while after.

The hardest thing I've ever had to do was jumping a second time, absolutely.
 
I can see it now -- a knifenut on a jump.

Freefall goes wrong, knifenut is plummeting at terminal velocity with a streamer overhead. Can't cut away using the cord, so pulls out $1000 custom folder to try to actually cut the cords. Once knifenut is insuccessful in attempt, goes to another option. But FIRST, mixes up prioritites and takes the time to properly close and re-stow the prized blade in the appropriate pocket before continuing to rescue himself...

Oops.

:D
 
Originally posted by Brian Jones
I can see it now -- a knifenut on a jump.

Freefall goes wrong, knifenut is plummeting at terminal velocity with a streamer overhead. Can't cut away using the cord, so pulls out $1000 custom folder to try to actually cut the cords. Once knifenut is insuccessful in attempt, goes to another option. But FIRST, mixes up prioritites and takes the time to properly close and re-stow the prized blade in the appropriate pocket before continuing to rescue himself...

Oops.

:D
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Heh...I wish I had a $1000 custom to take up with me--maybe I'll take my $500 custom bali and do a couple of finger twirls before I cut the chute away during my free fall...:p

Medic--that was a lot of helpful information you just gave there. I was unaware of the cut-away handle. One of the main problems that I have is that there was a definite lack of instruction when my friend went. I saw her vid and it showed the instructor showing her wear to put her arms and legs during the exit, and what to do when they landed, but there was not any other instruction. And even with what they did tell her, they went through it very fast (I saw it on the vid).

A couple of questions, though. If it's a tandem jump, will the cut away handle be within my reach? Say we were to land in the water and for some reason the instructor did not cut-away, and was maybe indisposed (lost consciousness, dead, whatever)--would I be able to reach the cut-away, or be able to disengage myself from the instructor? The jump site is actually on the North Shore of the island, so it's right near the beach--that's why I sound a little concerned about a water landing. Hey, maybe I can land at Tom Mayo's house...:rolleyes: :p
 
no, the cutaway handle will not be within your reach, and for good reason, when two people have access to the same handles, it can become so that neither of them can pull them (ive seen it on video, thankfully this instance turned out to be quite comical)

if by some chance you were to land in water your best bet wouldnt be to cutaway the main canopy because well, youd still have another person strapped to your ass, and that person has a 45 pound tandem rig on his back:p
your best bet would be to undo your chest strap(s) (most tandem harnesses have two) then swim out of the harness.

im guessing your thinking of going to pacific skydiving center, those lucky bastids have an A/Cd king air! but then again your not allowed to hook it in, which must suck for the high number jumpers there:barf:

the beauty of a tandem jump is that it requires very little input from the student, all you have to do in freefall is arch and smile, and put your feet and knees together when it comes time to land. :)


oh and remember to get video, cause video saves lives;) :p

edited to add, id also like to point out that in skydiving it is ussually customary, (though not required for students) for jumpers to buy a case of beer (i.e. 24 bottles) for every "first" in this case it would be your first jump. again id like to point out that this isnt at all required when your a student, but it will be very much appreciated! :D
 
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