The Bad, the good and the BEER

[FallinWoman 1]

THE BAD:
My reserve came in this week and my rigger packed it for me. He even went so far as to hook up my main for me. So, my brand new baby was ready to go as soon as I packed her up. As I was getting started, a very experienced skydiver started watching me pack. We were all on a cloud hold, I was the only thing gooing on!
So....one of the first things I did was check to see that my lines were all clear. I always check the brake lines, but I checked them all because it had just been hooked up. THIS VERY EXPERIENCE SKYDIVER CHASTIZED ME FOR CHECKING MY LINES.
I think that we should all encourage each other to be overly cautious, and super safety concerned. I could not believe he was giving me grief for checking out my lines!!! I was so pissed I left the hangar for almost an hour.
THE GOOD:
Did a simple two-way with this guy Murel, who has gotten really good really fast. I was really focused on keeping my energy towards the center of the skydive and not reaching for grips. The dive went great. SWEET!
THE BEER:
Yes, I finally made my first jump on my own gear.
I hope your weekend was great!
Anne

[mountainman 0]

That is awesome!! I can't wait to start doing some jumps at the boogie. I owe so much beer that it's not even funny. At least there is free beer at the boogie. Have fun, be safe, and check your lines!! --------------
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[sangiro 26]

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THIS VERY EXPERIENCE SKYDIVER CHASTIZED ME FOR CHECKING MY LINES.

Just for interest sake...what was his problem with you checking your lines?
Safe swoops
Sangiro

[PLFKING 4]

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I think that we should all encourage each other to be overly cautious, and super safety concerned. I could not believe he was giving me grief for checking out my lines!!! ]

Next time, tell him to stuff himself !
I've been ridiculed on a few occasions (asking for more pin checks when shuffling around in the Otter, landing far away from the peas because I didn't like the amount of traffic, taking an extra second to check the spot after others have jumped, pausing in the door for one second to check my hackey.....and one time for unpacking a packer's pack job because she twisted the risers, and I was worried about what ELSE she may have twisted !)
I told them all the same thing....I don't think it's "stupid" or "pussy" for wanting to be as safe as I can, and if they don't like it, then keep your opinion to yourself....but if you wish to speak INTELLIGENTLY, then I'm all ears......
It is, after all, YOUR ass up there.
Don

[FallinWoman 1]

This guy has a title within USPA.....it is hard to tell him to stuff himself or anything else for that matter!!
There was some interest around the DZ because my main is one size too big for my container. Everyone was interested in seeing how much effort it was going to take to pack it. I think this guy just really wanted to see how it would all work.
I am really glad I left it and the situation for a bit. I came back clear-headed and was left alone to pack.

[Aviatrr 0]

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THIS VERY EXPERIENCE SKYDIVER CHASTIZED ME FOR CHECKING MY LINES.

Remember - very experienced and very smart don't go hand in hand.. Anytime I hook a main up to risers, I always check the lines.. Everytime I pack - I run the lines(from the 3 ring) to make sure there is no step through.. Everybody makes mistakes - I'd rather catch it packing then at 2.5k just after I deploy - and end up with a wildly spinning mal..
The guy that chastized you - USPA official or not - is a bozo..
Mike

[Kelly 0]

Anne,
screw that very experienced jumper who chastised you. lemme tell you this story...
on thursday i rented gear. I set my risers down, put a weight on them and start running my lines.. i get back to my break lines and i realize that theres a knot in one. i didnt like it, square 3 didnt like it, so we got the rigging loft to remove it. i got it back from the loft and packed it.. never got to jump it.
the next day i get the SAME canopy and start to assemble it. I run my four line and then just for shits and giggles i do a very vigerous line check. i mean checking every line. I see something doesnt look right... the outside line on my right front riser runs clear for the most part but then it loops over the other lines and then back under. i cant clear it. i get three other people over and we discover that it was a RIGGING error and that this canopy has been jumped many times like that. the line was just routed back to the inside then back to the outside. Perfectly jumpable. Perfectly safe. but i wasnt jumping it. so for the second day in a row i had to send the same canopy to the loft. I missed it the first time, i found something else wrong. i found it the second time and got that fixed too.
Ive gotta thank fruce for not pretending that he knew how to solve it. instead he called somebody else over, who called somebody else over, who said "send it to the loft".
The problem wasnt noticable with a regular line check. I may be explaining it wrong, maybe fruce can explain it better. the whole point being, with only 28 jumps i found two things that had been overlooked many times. why? because im a freak about safety. I limit myself in many ways, and sometimes Im a bit ridiculous about it (not jumping when AFF students are, but hell, their on radio, they have instructors. i have me. if winds are funky im not jumping)
Ive gone back on radio 2 times since being cleared on jump number 14. the last 2 jumps i used zero raidio assistance, first time was because i landed off).
we all have limits, but we all have some really developed parts to us. do what you feel comfortable with. its YOUR life! NOBODY ELSES!!!!!!!!!
kel

[apoil 0]

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This guy has a title within USPA.....it is hard to tell him to stuff himself or anything else for that matter!!

oooh.. Now this is getting juicy.
You are obligated at this point to name names.
Having a title with USPA makes him by definition a public skydiver and his actions should be held up to greater scrutiny than just another asshole shooting off his mouth on the DZ.
If he was elected, then his constituents on this forum deserve to know about his behavior. So they can make an informed choice next time.
And trust me, it's easy to tell someone to stuff it no matter who they are. I suggest you practice these techniques until they become second nature.

[freeflir29 0]

Well....I watched in horror earlier this year as I saw a tandem with two out. The main was successfully cut away and the landing uneventful. The next week I saw the video. I was absolutely dumbfounded. The TM never hooked up the student handle. He then spent a very long time AFTER pull time looking for the PRIMARY handle. He finally found it but deployed around 2500 ft (videographers alti was visisble) which caused the Cypress to fire while the main was sniveling. The video scared me shitless. The TM is a USPA officer and shouldn't have made a mistake like that. He has many thousands of jumps and it is beyond me how this could happen. Moral of the story I guess is that nobody is perfect. Skydiving is an inherently dangerous sport no matter how many jumps you have survived to date.
"Don't give a F$#ck if I'm comin or leavin"-Pappa Roach
Clay

[Grogs 0]

Kelly:
I can relate to your story completely. While we were at the Easter Boogie, my friend demoed a Cobalt 170. The demo canopies were already set up on risers, so all you had to do was cutaway your main and reattach the demo canopy. We attached the Cobalt to his canopy, and we did a continuity check (steering lines and stabilizers) and it just wasn't checking out. We called Cobalt Dan over and after about 30 minutes the 3 of us determined one of the D-links had been put on the risers backwards and fixed it. Then I did another continuity check and it still wasn't checking out. We called Dan over again, and after another 30 minutes of looking at it, he gave up and got one of the local riggers. Turns out that not only had the D-link been put on the risers backwards, the lines had been put on the D-link in the wrong order. Turns out the riggers at that DZ had goofed when they put the canopy on the risers. It probably wouldn't have hurt anything, but you can never be sure and my friend didn't want to find out at 3k he had a big problem.
As an interesting side note, my friend had a cutaway during that boogie, and after seeing what had happened when they put the canopy on the risers, he chose to take his gear back to our home DZ for a repack rather than getting it repacked at the boogie.

[cobaltdan 0]

for the record,
we hired the dz rigger at css (leland) to assemble several canopies onto risers.
people make mistakes.
this is why you always do a line check when connecting risers to your rig.
sincerely,
dan
atair

[freeflir29 0]

Dan....if I meet you at a boogie someday remind me to buy you a beer. You sure get bashed a lot on here....LOL
"The cab driver said... he recognized my girly by the back of her head" -Beasty Boys
Clay

[PalmettoTiger 1]

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Dan....if I meet you at a boogie someday remind me to buy you a beer. You sure get bashed a lot on here....

I'll buy you beer too CobaltDan, but not because you get so much flak. I'm glad to see a manufacturer taking time to participate on these boards by offering his advice, expertise, and humbling stories. THAT'S what the beer will be for.
Blues, squares,
PTiger

[bbbilly14 0]

I can't believe this actually is a question!

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It is, after all, YOUR ass up there.

Hell yeah, that's YOUR ASS! If something is not right, who else is to blame for your mal, if YOU let it happen!

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The TM never hooked up the student handle.

This is (or was) SOP at Skydive Las Vegas. My 10th and 13th we done there, (both tandem, as I wasn't current at those times, and still an AFP student--separate incidences!). At my 13th jump, my tandem master (at SDLV) was pissy about the fact that I wanted an altimeter. I really don't mean to ever write bad stuff about a DZ, but this is really really dangerous! Skydiving, whether it be tandem or SL or other is NOT another rollercoaster. It is a life or death decision.
Knowing what I know now, I would NEVER jump there again! Period. I have my own rig, and I try to read all I can and experience all I can about skydiving (now), and though this isn't a thread to chastise Skydive Las Vegas, I think everyone needs to be aware of the practices they have!
Just a thought...
Love,
Billy
"Light a candle for the sinners---Set the world on fire!"
Marilyn Manson

[freeflir29 0]

"THAT'S what the beer will be for."
Here Here. My point was he always comes back and discusses the issue. Even when people are being pissy with him. He always at least gets to the point of agreeing to disagree. It's good to have experienced folks here, manufacturer related or not. Dan has some special experience because he is involved with a company and gets manufacturing info first hand. It's experience that is hard to come by in the skydiving world because of the small number of manufacturers. I'm glad to have him here even if we dont always agree.
"The cab driver said... he recognized my girly by the back of her head" -Beasty Boys
Clay

[Donna 0]

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Knowing what I know now, I would NEVER jump there again! Period. I have my own rig, and I try to read all
I can and experience all I can about skydiving (now), and though this isn't a thread to chastise Skydive
Las Vegas, I think everyone needs to be aware of the practices they have!

Well unless you did all your student training there you aren't allowed to jump there any more anyway. They don't want fun jumpers. They are just a tandem mill. They shouldn't even be called a dropzone.
Skies,
D

[cobaltdan 0]

thanks !
dan
atair
ps. we will be jumping wingsuits at the ranch from 22k on friday and swooooping at the sky's the limit
competition on saturday......

[freeflir29 0]

"we will be jumping wingsuits at the ranch from 22k on friday and swooooping at the sky's the limit
competition on saturday......"
Be careful. Swooping and wingsuits. Two of the most hazardous ways to have fun in the air.
"The cab driver said... he recognized my girly by the back of her head" -Beasty Boys
Clay

[parduhn 0]

All right, everyone in the mob, let's burn the place down!! Anyone on the boards here to defend SLV? (crickets can be heard thru the eire silence)