sammielu

Malfunction practice (where you are checking for proper, timely response) is more practical than a discussion. I don't care what the malfunction is called, or if they can analyze the malfunction pictures (from PD) - I want to see them take appropriate, immediate action to either: execute emergency procedures (no canopy in sight, including a bag lock), correctly address line twists, or start a controlability check. For longer absences, this is done in a hanging harness. For every review, it is physical training with a rig on and handles to locate, grab, etc. Decision altitude, deployment altitude, breakoff altitude (and why for each). Seat belt regulations as applicable, aircraft emergencies (canopy open in plane, when to stay with the plane or exit, which canopy to exit on, when, how to perform, and what to do next). Malfunctions as stated above (including injured arm scenarios, toggle fires, and hard pulls or missing deployment handle). Two outs including what can cause them, how to prevent them, and what to expect with the two actual canopies in the container they will be jumping. Wind chart use and exit separation. Landing priorities (including a plf demonstration), landing pattern, canopy separation. Obstacle landings, including local obstacles in/around the landing area. Landing out procedures. If they took the time to prepare, this takes 30 min (Same for students and licensed jumpers). If theyre slower to know the answers or react to simulated emergencies, 60, 90 min or more. The USPA category quizzes are available online and are a prerequisite to any currency work I will do (it can be a quick 30 min if you know your stuff and a huge waste of my time if you don't bother to study on your own).

Please don't jump with a snag hazard like that around your neck. If it snags on the plane during climbout, another jumper or their equipment during a collision, or on one of your canopies/risers/ 3 rings during deployment or a cut away - it would be a very bad day for you. If you don't have a pocket, put it in your sock or hand it to a friend. Seriously, keep your head ON. And pack with whatever you want.

Also: Tight tuck tabs, including riser covers. Fit is tight enough the rig doesn't travel on your back during body flight and there isn't enough of a gap between your back and the rig for a nasty horseshoe (either via lazy throw or premature).

Look at rigs at your dz for examples of the different types of pilot chutes and handles. Most jumpers will let you try their rig on (on the ground) to feel the different handles and see what it means to have handles tuck behind webbing. Talk to a dealer for the rig you are considering. They can talk through options and measure you for proper fit (very important!!) You don't mention if you're shopping for new or used, so consider buying a used rig and sending it to the manufacturer to have the harness resized to fit you (about $450 - still cheaper and faster than a brand new rig). Also - befriend a local rigger who can help with this stuff. Unsolicited food & drinks during busy days and thank you beers (or redbull or cigars or whatever they're into) casually dropped of with a 'Thank You' goes a long way. And, get as much info as you can on your own from manufacturer websites, articles, etc, so you have basic info and are asking specific questions of your experts, not asking for an hour of free advice from someone with 10 or 15 or 20+ years of experience with people with the same questions. These conversations easily happen during weather or slow days at the dz, and are a pain when there are skydives and $ to make.

Work on varying fall rates: transitions between free fly speeds (exit through drogue deployment) and belly speed (once drogue is out). Then comes canopy skills: land your canopy exactly where you want too, every time. Shed your gear and get the landing footage. Lots to practice - sounds like fun to me!!

Start by figuring out what license you ate going to work towards with your AFF training; where do you want to jump in the future? That's the country to go get AFF training, and your license, in.

Being afraid, knowing the risks, and jumping anyway - that is the amazing part of skydiving that changes people. In the meantime, we get to fly, so it's a win-win!

Is the consensus here that the length of the cable is an opinion matter not specified by manufacturers? Then the person who owns this rig should just order a new one to the length they want? The ins and outs of TSO specs/master rigger vs senior rigger stuff are so nuanced and confusing!

What are the specs/rules/TSO requirements (or whatever the correct term is) for the reserve cable on this rig?

Well a throwout static line setup would certainly eliminate my embarrassing crusty-eyed mornings when I hit myself in the face with spring-loaded pilot chutes when I add them to student rigs. Always happens when I'm tired, only when my students are watching me.

You can not practice your arch enough, and definitely not too much. Practice until your arch is solid and symmetrical immediately, no matter what your starting position is. Get coaching on the ground, think about which muscles engage when you arch (hips press forward, buns clenched, thigh muscled taught). That input can transition to the tunnel, but make sure you tell the tunnel coaches what you are looking to get out of your tunnel time: solid, stable, symmetrical arch.

In my limited SLI experience I've only used ripcord & spring loaded pilot chute gear :)

My concerns are: -engineering a smooth climb out with the static line routed out of the way -preventing student-static line entanglements on an unstable release into minimal or no relative wind -spring-loaded pilot chute deployment at low speeds (mentioned above) -wrapping all of that up into a student's progression with goals and performance expectations

I understand the need for an extra inspection for any old or otherwise uncertain gear. I also understand a rigger taking into account that if a full inspection is done in a case like this and the gear is deemed not airworthy, that makes for an unhappy customer with a bill to pay. Its a grey area and I completely understand any riggers wanting to stay out of that grey area. Riggers work hard, for very little money, and they have to operate within their ethical comfort level if they're going to put their number on lifesaving gear. Personally, all advice I've received from riggers has been saftey-conservative and I wouldn't change that - even when it's not what I want to hear.

All I'm saying is: I don't think my rating covers that. The entanglement factor freaks me out too. As a Static Line Instructor, its my job to put you out safely, and I don't see a way to do that from a balloon.

Static Lines are used to teach correct body position to students in preparation for them initiating deployment on their own. I don't see how a balloon exit would teach anything. I also dont see an approved static line anchor point on a balloon. Get licensed, then balloon jump.

Anyone have experience jumping different manufacturers' rigs that were made for you? Or different rigs from one manufacturer, made for you, but that are made for different size canopies? I'm always curious if "the most comfortable rig" overlaps with "the only custom built rig I've jumped". And if a custom rig for beginner canopy sizes (about 1:1 wingloading) is less comfortable than one that holds smaller canopies (less surface area on your back). My theory is that any rig that is made to fit is going to be the "most comfortable" for that jumper, especially after paying for it. Thoughts?

AFF Instructors can deploy for students, no other type of instructor has that training & approval. Pulling for the student was not an option in the given example. Anytime instructors are flying with students, it is our responsibility to pull on time. If the instructor deploys at the planned student deployment altitude, students have more time to realize that they should deploy their own canopy before they go any lower and compound the risk.

I meant: relying on a backup device to do the work for you is stupid. As in: I'm not going to deploy my reserve ever because I have an RSL to deploy it when I cut away or an AAD to deploy my reserve if I don't pull anything at all - on purpose, not due to an emergency or unconsciousness. That's an extreme example of stupid, but safety day WAS yesterday and we discussed plenty other examples of stupid risk taking... :)

As a student with 9 jumps, you should do what your instructors say in this situation. Think it through: how much altitude do you lose if you fumble around for 5 seconds, and where does that put you if you have to start your emergency procedures? At my dz, the plan is for students to pull 500' above the minimum pull altitude for a student. Even if they go slow/take two tries/misread their analog altimeter or have the altitude shown be off by 100ish feet, they should still be pulling at or above the minimum altitude set by USPA - which gives them more time to deal with malfunctions under canopy. Taking even more time to pull just puts you low and in a less than ideal situation.

I don't get the question. Are you asking if we changed history such that people who were saved by their RSL were not actually saved, and they died; are those people in general having a positive impact on the Skydiving community? I don't have an answer for you. I know plenty of people who completed their emergency procedures and saved their own life - and then on gear inspection, the RSL pulled the pin before thir reserve handle did, but I don't consider that an RSL save. A hypothetical person who experiences a malfunction, cuts away their main, and just waits/hopes/plans on the RSL deploying the reserve - is stupid. I don't like skydiving with stupid people, but there are lots of shades of stupid so I'm out of luck. Check your gear, check your friends, pay attention to everything.

Other option: sometimes ok to jump (outside US or at dropzones who don't care), in those circumstances ok to post. Cloud jump footage can be deceiving with parallax and depth perception changing with the camera footage. Also, mist that is see through from the top looks different on camera, so I've been told.That said, posting evidence of FAA violations does totally get on my nerves!

I figured there was some student/winter timeline in there, especially this time of year!

Regarding appropriate wing loading and downsizing, the USPA, Axis Flight School, and Brian Germain's bigairsportz.com all have easily google-able explanations of how/why/when to safely downsize. DZ.com has many many discussions of people who want internet support to jump smaller than recommended canopies. Do some reading and thinking about acceptable level of risk if you are going to exceed those recommendations. Personally, being able to consistently safely land my canopy in any conditions or location, so I know I can make the next load is my highest priority. Totally screwing up a landing flare at night, at an unfamiliar drop zone, downhill, and walking away uninjured and laughing, for example, keeps me jumping and therefore happy. Also, how often you jump impacts your landing ability and overall response time. 20 jumps in 1 year makes for slow learning.

Secure helmets (to heads or clip them in elsewhere) as long as seatbelts are fastened. Helping each other find seatbelts makes boarding faster. Things people should be doing in the plane (visualizing, gear checks, looking out the window for air traffic or cloud altitudes). Things people should be thinking about and planning for while in the plane: visually checking everyone's chest straps, getting themselves into exit position or whatever body position they need to be in to be climbing out & exiting on time, always being ready for an emergency exit. Maybe open up a discussion of things people do & don't want to see while in the plane.