Look – Look at the handle. Do not waste time blindly groping for the handle. Numerous reserve deployments in skydiving were unsuccessful because the person was pulling on something other than the reserve handle. When you’ve decided to throw your reserve, look for the handle and then reach for it.
Pull/Throw – After you have looked at the handle, grasp it firmly and pull the deployment bag out of the harness container and throw it firmly down and away from you. Pull and throw all in one smooth motion. The reserve needs tension to release the locking stow loop and open the deployment bag. We can use gravity to our advantage by combining it with the force of the throw. We don’t want to throw it straight down though, as we could fall into the opening reserve. Instead, by throwing the reserve to the side and down at about a 45° angle, we can achieve a faster opening time, and the reserve will open away from the glider avoiding entanglement. If you are rotating, try to throw the reserve in the direction of your rotation, away from the glider, this will also aid in avoiding entanglement. Clearly, if the 45° out and down direction is not into clear airspace, you will need to locate clear space to throw into.
Retrieve – Retrieve the bridle. If the locking stow has not released for some reason, this step should release it or give you the opportunity to reel the deployment bag back in, figure out what is wrong and re-deploy it. After you have thrown your reserve, immediately sweep your hand down to the bridle and give it a hard yank towards you. If your throw was sufficient, the reserve should already be deployed and pulling you by your shoulders before you get a chance to yank on it. If it has not deployed after 2 or 3 attempts at yanking on the bridle, reel it back into your lap, pull the locking stow open, and throw it again, taking care that the lines don’t get tangled up. This event is extremely unlikely, however, it is a good idea to have a plan, and not to waste any time in the event you have a stuck locking stow. A properly packed reserve should never have a stuck locking stow. You can check for this by trying to lift your reserve, while out of the harness container, by the reserve bridle. If the loop does not release, it is too tight.
Avoid – Get your arm out of the way. This step is only necessary for bottom or front mount reserves. When the reserve opens and puts tension on the bridle, it will pull through the velcro routing system. Often this routing system runs under your arm. If your arm is over your reserve bridle when it rips through the velcro you may dislocate your shoulder making the next steps difficult and painful. As soon as you see or feel that the locking stow has released and the reserve is deploying, put your hand on your chest to get your arm out of the way. When the bridle has fully torn through the velcro, you should proceed to the next step.
Disable – Disable your paraglider. Once the reserve opens the paraglider will dive forward and fight against your reserve. This is called down-planing, and will increase your descent rate substantially. To avoid down-planing, the paraglider needs to be disabled by pulling any symmetrical set of risers other than your A-Risers. Pull the risers down to your chest and hold them there until you land. The B risers are preferable, because they disable the paraglider in the most stable configuration. The glider will settle into a B-Line Stall and provide extra drag for a slower decent. Do NOT reel one side of your glider in. The other side will try to fly and may wrap around your reserve, or at least result in a wild oscillation. It also wastes time that you should be using to prepare for landing. You may have to be creative when disabling your glider if you can’t get to the B risers easily.
PLF (Parachute Landing Fall) – Be prepared for a quick landing by assuming the parachute landing fall position. Having your feet and knees tight together (slightly bent) should be second nature as a novice pilot. Your arms should be to your chest, holding the B-risers. As you come down, you should be watching the horizon, not the ground. As you touch down you should exhale. Your body will dissipate the energy better if you are relaxed, not tense. Roll to the side; feet, knees, hip and then shoulder.