It's been a month to the day since Dan died. I've gone through a lot of feelings since then. I only knew him casually, but now that I've read about him, I realize that we have many common interests. I also feel a very unusual bond since I was one of the members of his last jump, a six-way RW formation.

I'll never forget that last jump. The dive was fun. My canopy gave me some problems when it opened, but I straightened them out in short order. The canopy ride was routine. I knew after I landed that someone on our plane load had "augured" in, and I knew that that type of landing configuration is normally fatal. I had some hopes that a freshly plowed cornfield might be forgiving this once. I didn't think it was one of "my guys" because I'd counted five other open canopies once I had mine under control.

After hearing that someone went in, I stuffed my unpacked parachute into my car and briefed my wife -- still hopeful that my guys were all OK. On my return to the hanger, I learned that it was someone from my group. A quick head check narrowed the possibilities. Once the ambulance rolled away, Jeanne at manifest gave me his name, and my spirits sunk even lower. Dan had been teaching me some new juggling tricks right before our load went up. He had shown me some parachute packing techniques a few months before. He impressed my wife and me with his skill and conservatism under canopy as he won the day's landing accuracy competition.

Since that day, I've had a chance to talk to the doctor who treated Dan on the scene and with an S&TA (skydiving safety expert) who witnessed the event. These discussions have helped me to come to terms with what happened. Dan had five times my level of jumping experience, and he was a very bright guy. However, the short of it is: he failed to give himself enough altitude to handle a mistake, and he failed to take the appropriate action once the mistake was made. It's one of our Golden Rules (of skydiving) "Always Have a Plan." He didn't need to be doing handstands while under canopy, and he didn't pull his reserve handle to activate his reserve parachute once he made his mistake. The reserve might have helped, it might not. The fact that he didn't use it indicates how little time he had analyze his situation. As a result, I'll remember Dan as a nice guy to jump with, who may have grown into a really good friend. Even so, I'm currently a little mad at him for getting careless. Sounds pretty weird, I suppose. I'll get over it. He really was a nice guy.

It's a faux pas to go in without all your handles pulled. Dan owes us a beer for that one.

I don't know about most skydivers, but I suspect that we really don't expect to die while jumping. I know many "old timers," some who jump and some who don't. These guys are in their 60s, 70s, & 80s. I certainly intended to collect my Social Security benefits -- no matter how high the government raise the age minimums.

Skydiving -- even if done conservatively -- is very exciting. Some of us do more "advanced" maneuvers, but we take extra precautions. For example, some people intentionally "cut-away" their main parachute in order to test their reserve. Those who do these cut-aways jump with a third parachute just in case! For CRW, which Dan was fond of, most maneuvers are completed above 3,000 feet in order to allow time to recover from a mishap.

It's likely that Dan had tried the handstand maneuver at higher altitude on other jumps and found it to be safe and fun. As a result, he might have misjudged the risk at lower altitude. Low altitude = little time to recover. I really don't think he meant to stick his neck out. It's a lot like driving, though. One second you're driving down a country lane at 50 mph, and the next second you've hit an oncoming car head on (or a tree or a train). It's all over in an instant, and the mistake that caused it was only "minor" -- maybe something you've done many times before (like changing a cassette tape).

I think that's what really got Dan. I sure wish he'd left such acrobatics for the higher altitudes. I know there's a lot of us who do.

Please remember that you participate in activities every day that could have drastic results. Don't get blasé about your own safety, don't put off your own planning, and most of all, don't leave unresolved personal issues. If you love someone -- tell them. Tell them often.

Robert

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