obelixtim

Leave him at home. Take him hunting. As has been said, dogs on the DZ are generally unwelcome. Even if your dog is well trained and behaves himself, other people (especially whuffos) will let their dogs out if they see yours. Big open space, ideal place for Rover to have a run and meet the mongrel mob..... Result, dogshit city....... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

But what's the solution I wonder? Is there anything other than making sure that things don't dangle or fall off when they shouldn't? Testing and checking that weights don't snap light or poorly tied lines, or that makeshift containers don't blow open in freefall? Recovery parachutes are a whole other issue. So it seems a bit of a quandry. If you have something heavy and/or dangerous (eg, pyro) and/or dangly, the options aren't great. If it falls off, or you cut it off, it is dangerous below. If it dangles around or is otherwise causing you problems, it is dangerous to you. If you don't cut it away, and impact the crowd or local neighbourhood with little out, well it isn't all that good a day for anyone either. But certainly you don't want sloppy, untested rigging to endanger you or allow you to dump the problem on others, literally and figuratively. Often the problem doesn't manifest itself till last minute.com, immediately before takeoff. In that case, the solution is simple....."get that crap off of yourself". But these sorts of scenarios have been played out lots, and usually there are already well tried and tested solutions out there that are known about. Often this is where your local "old fart" skydiver can come in handy, he just needs to be asked. If he doesn't know the answer, he'll likely know someone who does. DZ.com has contributors like 'Twardo who are living gold mines of information at the touch of a keyboard. There really is no excuse for Mickey Mouse style jump preparation. The level of ignorance/stupidity out there is a lot higher than many people think.... It would be good to see a photo thread titled "spot the problem". It could be very educational, and perhaps save someone some grief or pain. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I've seen that blank look quite a bit. Always looks the same....... Then as the cogs click, its followed by..... Then...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Pre 1981 by a long shot. Ripcord stops anyone? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The point of my post was to point out a couple of the obvious hazards I saw when I first looked at the pic. Maybe there are a few people who look at it and only think "what a cool pic". And while there are safety conscious people at most DZ's, it isn't always the case. I've seen unsafe practices at quite a few DZ's where the "safety conscious" people were not even aware of a hazard, or simply didn't see it. At big boogies, often there is no one walking around with a big stick checking things out. There are no such things as a "safe assumption", the golden rule ESPECIALLY with skydiving, is assume nothing. The tail is in an ideal position to catch a half hitch around a bridle cord, and that, my friend, can cause major problems: Horse shoe > bag lift off > partial deployment > spinning malfunction > cutaway and reserve deployment while still attached to a ball of shit > reserve entanglement >DEATH. Its already been done. The costume jump may not need to be scrapped at all, but maybe there were one or two things that could be done to make it safer. Its a bit late after being scalped to think it might have been a better idea to wear a simple hair tie. And as far as your "those damn kids" comment goes, we see enough disparaging of the "old farts" by young hotshots who think they know everything, to know that it is totally a septic attitude to take. Some of us have been around and seen (and tried) stuff that would make some of todays generation shit their pants. We've seen the consequences of screw ups as well. Its not good to see people repeating them. Rather than being looked on as killjoys who want to spoil someones fun, all we want is to pass on sound advice that might stop skydiving killing you. It pisses me off when people seem to almost take offence at proferred advice, rather than thinking it could be life saving information. And that happens quite a lot. "We're cool, what do you oldies know, talk to the hand". Condescending much? I can sense that attitude in your reply....but maybe its just that I'm a little touchy. I'm an old fart, after all...... And I'm always up for an argument!!! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I'm well aware of the fact its a calculated risk, I am just curious as to the level of calculation involved. My impression? Not a lot. I could be wrong of course. Is that jumper making a good or bad choice? Again I'm not sure, but one successful jump doesn't necessarily mean it is a good choice. I'm aware its probably only a one off jump, but my concern is that others with low experience might try to emulate that to make a cool photo. As far as choices go, its never been my choice to pick up broken skydivers, its something I've had to do. Some of them people who made bad choices. Responsibility is a two way street. I've done plenty of demo and test jumps, and even with the most careful and calculated planning things can go tits up. Been there, done that. There are a couple of things there I would have issues with before allowing someone to jump in that outfit. The material (again I'm not sure what it is, or how it is attached) trailing from the neck/head area seems to be broken neck territory if it gets caught up in the deployment or a possible cutaway process. That tail would be ideally situated to catch a pilot chute on deployment - horseshoe territory. Two very nasty and not impossible scenarios. Such a jump has to be very carefully thought through, and is something newbies to the sport need to be well aware of. You can take nothing for granted on a skydive, a moments inattention, ignorance or carelessness will kill really quickly. No one is immune. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

On the home page at the moment is a great picture of a girl dressed in a blue tiger stripe outfit, a nice picture for sure. But I can see that the costume has a long tail, and she has some orange material trailing from her head/shoulder region, a mane perhaps. Not sure what that material is. I have some concern that that picture shows some potential hazards which could cause problems. Any time you attach yourself to "extra" stuff on a skydive, you are adding danger. The tail and mane are in positions which could easily entangle with a pilot chute or other bits of equipment during deployment, and add problems in a cutaway situation. If it can happen, it will. I am concerned that people might think its OK to attach "extras" when jumping, and its just a bit of fun on a one off jump, but the reality is skydiving has hazards enough without adding unnecessary ones. Not sure of the experience level of the jumper in the pic, but I would hope anyone considering jumps like this run it past an experienced DZSO or demo jumper first. The ground takes no prisoners. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

.......and a plane load of shit faced passengers..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Maybe I'm too old, but for the life of me I can't see why the FAI sanctions a tunnel flying competition. Why not trampolining or springboard diving into swimming pools? What has body flying in a ground based, enclosed space got to do with aviation? What has tunnel flying got to do with skydiving? There are no parachutes, no sky, no diving. They've adopted some skydiving manoeuvres, but thats all. BASE jumping is more related to skydiving....does the FAI sanction that? "Indoor skydiving" is a misnomer, and a complete contradiction of reality. Am I the only one who doesn't get it? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Carbohydrates in all its forms. Lack of exercise.....more calories in than burnt. Its not rocket science. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Harsh? I think not. An advanced aerodynamic lecture is not necessary, but a thorough, clear and simple explanation of how a canopy works is essential, and takes no extra time. I would think brake settings and function is a pretty basic piece of information. If a first jumper has been told what he/she is strapping to their back, before jumping out of a plane for the first time, it engenders a lot more confidence, and eliminates some of the tension they feel before they jump, all of which has a beneficial knock on effect, and not just in the short term. If AFF instructors don't have the time to spend 20/30 minutes going through these points, its another flaw (IMO) in the AFF programme to fully prepare people to become skydivers. I suspect some AFF instructors don't fully understand the technical detail of the rigs they are asking their students to trust. I explain all this stuff, and my students know what is happening when they ask their equipment to save their life. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

This should have been explained to you during your first jump training course. Its part of the initial introduction to how a parachute works, why it is designed the way it is, how it is built, how it flies, etc etc. If you were not shown all this your instructor failed in his job.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Wait, what? Obelix is touting that there are nefarious instructors in the UK who will knowingly not only withold signed logbooks to students who opt to move to another DZ or ask questions about their instruction, but will also take their time to collaborate with the BPA to ensure the student is blackballed from all DZs in the country - including personally making shit up if other DZs call them. *puts on tinfoil hat. I'm touting nothing, I'm dealing with someone who has had exactly that happen. And not for the first time. She asked the secondary instructor from her AFF course if he could provide her with evidence of the jumps she did in the UK, and within a couple of minutes received an extremely nasty response from the creep involved in this B/S practice. Straight out bullying. This happened yesterday. His problem is he thinks he is a great instructor, but couldn't help with a spinning problem, so blackballed the student from his DZ and advised other DZ's nearby to have nothing to do with her. Obviously he doesn't want to be found out to be the douchebag he really is. Trying to learn to skydive for her has been an extremely negative and frustrating experience. I've counselled her to try an offshore DZ, and shes qualified for her A licence in 2 weeks, with no problem. However she was forced to start again from scratch because she could provide no evidence of her previous course and jumps. (she got to level 6 before being told she'd never be a skydiver) This has cost her a lot of extra money, on top of what she's already paid. She's been ripped off, big time. His reason for not giving logbooks to his students is that "they will forget to bring them to the DZ", but when asked, refuses to provide them. Apparently he keeps all his students logbooks, and has a pile of them at the DZ. I suspect he hasn't bothered to fill them in. He also refuses to hand over FF video to people who have paid for them. How many of his other students have had the same treatment, and have decided to give up skydiving?. They are powerless in the face of his arrogance and membership of the BPA old boys club. If you say I'm ranting, its because this kind of B.S. annoys the hell out of me. I've spent 40 years teaching people how much fun it is to do, and how to do it safely, to simply ignore twats like this who suck the fun out of the experience, rip people off, and bully them. When I go back to the UK in a couple of months, I'm going to front this douchebag, and see what he has to say for himself face to face. He acts tough when dealing with a female student...... British skydivers deserve better than this crap.... And with regard to the OP who is asking for advice, ask in the way a couple of others have advised, (Is this OK?) and if you are still unsure, get a second, third and fourth opinion. I can easily see how low timers feel intimidated by some of peacocks who strut around the DZ. They are killing skydiving. Enough! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Your own nerve? I'm not the one getting all defensive here..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I have sat through several sessions of instruction at several different UK DZ's, cunningly disguised as an interested observer who "doesn't want to jump". Not once have I seen instruction I would consider adequate. I was even verbally abused as a coward and a chickenshit in front of a group of students by one arrogant "expert". I restrained myself with some difficulty..... At another I actually intervened and took over harness training when after sitting for 3 hours on a Sunday morning, another "expert" didn't bother to show up till 12 o'clock after scheduling a start time of 0800. I've spoken to many UK low time jumpers who tell a depressingly similar story to think I'm dealing with one off situations. As far as "talking to your instructors" that quite often results in the bowling ball speech. Go to another DZ?. Not easy when the instructor withholds all logbooks and records of jumps, and when queried by a different DZ slags off the student as incompetent/stupid/impossible to train/dangerous. Hiding his own incompetence by driving people out of the sport. Sorry mate, I've heard too many horror stories over 30 odd years, from many different people, that say UK skydiving is controlled by a bunch of arrogant arses who take themselves way too seriously, and have sucked the fun out of skydiving. And I've NEVER heard that level of consistent criticism from anyone trained in any other country. I have seriously considered setting up an alternative organisation to the BPA to run skydiving the way it should be run. It wouldn't be that difficult to do. That self serving "exclusive" old boys club deserves to be put out to pasture, where it belongs, for the benefit of people in the UK who want to skydive, have fun, and not be ripped off. And yes, I do have an axe, and yes, I will keep grinding it. So there. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

No, the B.S. is totally British. It seems I hit a nerve. I hope they(Brit instructors) are mega furious to read it. Maybe the penny will drop that they need to change their attitude. I just counselled a British student who was ripped off big time by a so called senior instructor who totally failed to instruct her, told her she was impossible to train, after ripping her off for thousands of pounds, failing to provide logbooks, and telling her she was a danger to herself and others. He then informed his fellow highly qualified instructors at neighbouring DZ's to turn her away, which they did. Surprise surprise, she goes offshore and is doing fine, with no problems. I have also witnessed instruction from several other so called instructors, who were, quite frankly incompetent. The whole BPA setup is a nest of incestuous members of an "old boys club" who are right up their own arses, and full of how wonderful they are.... There is a reason why many British people go offshore to learn to skydive, and I've heard horror stories from many different ones. I'll put myself and my instruction up against anyone you care to name, any time. It wouldn't be very fair, because frankly they couldn't instruct a fish to swim. Dolts, the lot of them....... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Its the UK. The instructors are all self centred "I am the man" tossers. You'll be ignored and told to STFU. Its how they work there. Go offshore if you want to learn to skydive the right way. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

BTW. skydiving is a religion, NOT a hobby. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Golden rule: Land. Pack. Then you are always ready for the next load. Never leave your canopy unpacked. And pack it yourself. Always!!! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

A few guys bought Units when they first came out, but I don't remember anyone raving about how good they were, and they disappeared from the scene pretty quickly. One guy chopped his over the lake, and it landed about 500 metres off shore. He didn't even bother to try and retrieve it. It might be useful to use in an intentional cutaway rig. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Describes BPA perfectly, they take themselves VERY seriously, doesn't hide the fact they are a bunch of control freak tossers. However, it is better to have too much detail, rather than nothing at all, as you get in the US due to the fear of litigation. I'm sure the wheel is reinvented quite a bit, due to the almost total lack of information available when incidents occur. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Thanks. With student harness about 55lbs roughly. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Quick question, quick answer....Anyone know the weight of a complete Micro sigma system? (in Kgs if possible). My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

No. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Back in the day when I was a student, I was one of the first students at our club trained to cutaway and use a spring loaded pilot chute. One wet Saturday we decided to do a "hand deploy" exercise while we practised reserve packing. The typical method of stowing the reserve was to S fold it into the container, and trying to hold it all together while you decided which way to throw it, ususally ended up with the guts of the reserve falling out leaving you with the periphery and apex in your hands. Very messy! We then tried a roll pack method of packing the reserve, simply rolling the canopy up (just like a toilet roll) starting from the apex. It meant when you grabbed the reserve out of the container, you had a much more solid ball of material in your hands, which then unfurled itself neatly when you threw it. A much neater and more manageable way of dealing with it. The reason we changed to cutaway and spring loaded reserves was because they decided to introduce the Paracommander as a student main, and it was considered too fast to hand deploy a reserve into if it malled, which usually meant a faster spin. A cheapo was, of course, a lot more docile. The change to using PC's as a student main came with quite a bit of scepticism, wailing and gnashing of teeth by the old farts of the time, who considered that a student couldn't handle such a radical canopy. Back then you needed about 50 jumps before you were allowed to jump a PC. I never did jump a 28 footer, but did do one jump on a 35 footer after about 20 jumps.....it was a slug! Also got to ride a 24 ft twill reserve one time, but that was the sum total of military surplus canopies I jumped. As a first jump student who was slightly heavier than most, I got to be the guinea pig who jumped the PC first. I was quite glad that hand deploying reserves had been consigned to history. It made me chuckle thinking back on it, when I banned the use of round main canopies for my students when I converted my student equipment to square mains back in 1986. I did keep a couple of PC's, some of the guys who wanted to try them had never seen a roundie, so I made a rule that you had to hacve a C licence to jump one.....I mounted them in a student container (which is the only container that would fit one it, and the weird thing was seeing a rig with a round main and a square reserve. The old farts of 74 would have choked on their beer to see that scenario. Jumping a square back then was tantamount to certain death, in the eyes of some, but looking back, before the Strato Star came along, the malfunction rate for them was pretty high. One guy had a Sled, and he was guaranteed an audience every jump he did on it.......just to watch the cutaway. I think it ended its days as a bed spread!!! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....