[longerthoughts]

Yep you’re describing an RSL - it’s a line that should deploy the reserve as the main gets cut away (although good practice to pull the reserve handle anyway as a precaution).

In my hypothetical failure case you referenced it wouldn’t help because the instructor didn’t cut away the main - they went straight to their dedicated reserve handle.

Cutting away should automatically deploy the reserve, but deploying the reserve from the reserve handle doesn’t automatically cut away the main.

[outcoldman]

I believe they describe AFF Level 1 jump, where there are two instructors waiting for the student to pull the "line and you are on your own" which they describe a bridle of main pilot chute to main canopy. The idea of this jump is an altitude awareness and for students to pull their main canopy at the right altitude. When they don't - instructors do it for them. Which happens pretty often with students who never done tandems before.

Nobody tells students anything about the RSL at this stage, just teaches them basic Emergency Procedure - "Look at Red, Grab Red, Look at Silver, Pull-Punch Red, Pull Silver".