On 2/28/2020 9:37 AM, wrote:

As someone who spent their youth engaged in the parachute arts I don't
think a practice jump is going to help.

Chiming in here in the BTDT sense of things, I didn't think (or find) the
absence of anything but "the usual adolescent reading about aviation stuff
like WW-II 'adventures'", eventually followed by soaring-specific 'similar
crud'...and associated pondering...to be a handicap in any perceived sense of
things when - in a galaxy long ago and far, far, away, I put whatever
mentally-acquired preparatory skills I'd gained to firsthand use. It did seem
more than a tad unfortunate for the glider, though.

To the point, "What Gregg sez," pretty much covers the critical basics, IMO,
i.e.:
snip... Which at its simplest is: Look for the handle, reach for
the handle, pull the handle.
Everything else is gravy and 'fluff.' The only thing I'd'a maybe changed in
hindsight woulda been swapping the glider's landing spot(on the airport) and
mine (in the adjacent county dump); woulda saved everyone time! (You can't
make this stuff up!)

Bob W.

P.S. My only 'injuries' were beautiful multi-hued harness bruises from the
'chute's opening. Kids, tight is good!