Saves, Cutters and Value

EVOLUTION

The CYPRES unit was invented for use by sport skydivers. It needed to exist, and Airtec was required to prove to an initially sceptical community that it worked to a nigh unimpeachable standard. The ultimate success of the technology means that AAD protection has become largely mandatory all over the skydiving world, which is excellent for our collective safety but means additional investment for getting into and staying in the sport.

Airtec believe that all skydivers should jump with a CYPRES in their rig, but also that doing so should not be prohibitively expensive. This is a careful balancing act, as the units are very precisely manufactured from high-quality, specialist parts that simply must work to the expected standard. The growth of skydiving over the years, plus development into lucrative markets such as military and aerospace has allowed Airtec to limit increases in the price to just two occasions since the initial release in the early 1990s. Back then, a CYPRES would cost you about a thousand dollars (using USD for convenience here). Thirty years later, it will still cost you about that much.

In real-world relative terms, the CYPRES has become cheaper over time.    

GETTING SAVED

Being saved by your CYPRES can be pretty dramatic. Hopefully, you are fine, having neither yourself been injured or caused injury to anyone else. Also, it is nice when you can get your rig all put back together without having to look for too long or lose any of it.. At the very least though, a bunch of things have now happened that require extra effort. You need your reserve re-packed now and probably have to do paperwork for the dropzone (plus tell a hundred other people what happened because they are all definitely going to want to know). You are also going to need a new cutter because while your CYPRES unit is reusable, the cutter itself is not. By far the safest and most reliable choice is to fire the bit that snips your reserve closing loop with a small explosive charge – which makes them single operation. Your rigger or local dealer will likely have one ready to go, but they are not free. 

Unless you help us out.

STORIES

For Airtec, the circumstances under which someone is saved by their CYPRES often contain valuable and useful information relevant to the unending pursuit of safety and quality. The data can be useful at the factory, and the story of your save can be of interest and educational value to everyone who skydives. When a save happens, we want to hear about it and share it in a way that means we can all learn. For CYPRES, these save stories are second to none when it comes to demonstrating the features, functions and reliability of the product. 

For the skydiving community, there can be a great deal to learn from what happens when someone is saved, as when you get into examining all of the factors involved, each saved life is entirely unique.

BALANCE

The march of time has seen our sport grow more expensive. Especially recently, we have all become weary of the inevitable announcements of annual price increases for the bits of equipment we need. The CYPRES was created for sport skydivers by sport skydivers, and while it has happened twice since release (over more than three decades), we wish to never have to increase the price. The best result of owning a CYPRES is that you never have to be saved by it – but if you do we don’t want replacing the cutter to be a concern on top of things. We have recently been assessing ways to both balance the books and prioritise who to offer support – ultimately deciding that if you are saved by your CYPRES then share the story with us, we will give you a replacement cutter for free.

Hooray!

Here you can find every info and apply for an exchange cutter:

Submit your save story