Skydivesg

Thanks for that information. As I understand when you use continuous mode on that type of camera it only shoots 2 or 3 migapixels. So continuous mode is not what you would want to use while filming tandems. Isn't that right? What I am really wondering is: when you have the camera set up for taking tandem photos, (5 to 8 magapixels). How long does it take for the camera to write to the card (etc. etc.) and then have the camera ready to take another shot. In other words, shot to shot delay. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I use to be of the same mindset as you. But after attending numerous funerals over the years, I would say this: "I would rather my freind be upset with me because I chose to help than to have their family be upset because I chose not to." Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I look forward to your report. In the mean time. How many frames per second while shooting tandems? Do you know what the lag time is between shots? Thanks Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I know Scott Roberts of the Fasttrax swoop team makes his own bandless bag. My son has jumped one for more than a year and he really likes it. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I just confirmed with the UPT loft that the handle is sewn into the top of the pilot chute using the reinforcing that is built into the PC. I've seen it and it is quite solidly built in. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

A couple of years ago my son and I were visiting another DZ and did a 4 way with a guy and his girlfriend. We launched the first point from the Otter and turned one or two more points when we saw her bag come off, resulting in a horseshoe. We all backed away a few feet and signaled the problem to her. She reached back to pull but couldn't find her hackey after which she got a very panicked look on her face and frantically trying to pull. My son flew up to her, docked on her right arm and signaled her with his free hand to calm down, which she did. He then transitioned to her right leg and proceeded to find her hackey and pulled it for her. She rode the malfunctioning main for a while but by then the bag had spun up so bad that the canopy was not about to come out. She then cutaway and landed her reserve uneventfully. Her main landed in or near a nearby river and was never found. We later were told by her that her packer had been known to loosen the closing loops on rigs so he could close them easier. When we checked her loop it was way too long. My son told me that it was harder to get a hold of the hackey than he had ever thought possible. It took him a couple of attempts. We must remember that once the bottom of our container is no longer held firm by the main bag it has a tendancy to flop back up into the pack tray. In addition it was also being contorted by the pull of the flopping, spinning main bag which was putting forces on the bridle and hackey pouch. He said he finally just forced the bottom flap down into the pack tray with his hand and worked it up to the hackey to get a hold of it. He also said it would be very tough to do on your own while reaching back blindly because it's not anywhere near where we usually find it. It's further up and further into the open pack tray. After this incident we showed her the pilot chute packing method that Brian Germain has been teaching for years. It one day could save a life and maybe has already. Needless to say I was quite proud of my son who only had a couple hundred jumps at the time. He was very calm and collected during the whole incident. He even followed the cutway as far as he could without risking inury to himself. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I'm not debating whether or not it helps. I'm just stating what was told to me by a rigger with UPT. And you are right about the Collins lanyard. Bill Booth always said that no matter how idiot proof you make something, someone will figure out another way to screw things up. This guy was really lucky. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I agree Jan. There are many more problems here than the Skyhook. JMHO Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I talked at length with Cookie at Summerfest. He is very cool and believes that everyone should use the equipment they feel best suits them. Having said that, his helmet is one of, if not the best constructed helmets on the market. I love the way the chin strap also works as the tightner for the neck collar and that you can preset the tension and once you get it where you like it, it stays that way. And after that you just pull the strap and hook it and it's always set with the same tension. No more adjusting. He is also increasing the thickness of the visor from 1 mil to 1.5 mil for those knee strikes in 4 and 8 way. And it has the best peripheral vision out there. And the d30 shock absorption system is amazing. Google d30 and you will be impressed. He didn't invent it, he just incorporated it into his helmet. Carbon fiber! Finally a helmet that might actually save someone's brain. And next year a flip up version. I know I sound like an add but I'm just impressed with this helmet and him personally. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I believe the seal thread is there to help keep the lanyard from slipping off the Skyhook during the final staes of packing the reserve and things of that sort. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I am not a TI. (so grain of salt is suggested) However, I have been shooting video for a number of years and I have filmed dozens of different TIs. There are a few who do a back flip out of a C-U206 and come out throwing the drogue as they come back face to earth. Out of 5 or 6 hundred 206 tandems I've filmed, these are the most stable and clean drogue throws I have ever seen out of a 206. I'm just sayin.................. (remember,,,, grain of salt) Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Lou is right. You just need more knowledge about how and why a canopy flies (aerodynamics). And how best to time your flair, which is the process of converting your airspeed into lift, which results in the suspension of forward speed and a temporary suspension of downward pull. All of this, when done right and with the right timing, gives you a nice soft "no run out" landing. It's not as hard as it all sounds but it often requires help from someone who is not only knowledgable but also has the skills to communicate that information to the uninformed. The best and quickest way is to use a proven canopy coach or course. If you can't do that soon, then you can improvise. Get in touch with USPA and tell them you would like a copy of the "Fly to Survive" video. They sent them out to all the S&TAs a couple of years ago. The video has some excellent footage of landings both good and bad. I will be happy to help you figure out which landings to emulate if you desire. I use the video in my canopy course and I have all the time codes marked so you don't have to keep searching for the right spot and I will give them to you if you request them. You then need to get someone to video your landings. It's best to shoot from about a 45 degree angle from the front. It helps to capture the entire canopy and imperative that the jumper is in frame. It's important to see what both hands are doing during the flair. And not from too far away. Disect your landings while comparing it to a perfect landing on the "Fly to Survive" video. I use two screens so that you can watch and pause the video and the landing footage side by side. If you dedicate an entire day, or better yet weekend, to this it will help beyond belief. Good luck and good landings. Sandy Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

A couple of hours ago I was speaking to a young friend of mine who made the team last year. She recently jumped into the Statue of Liberty. Before tryouts, she had many of the same questions. I will be talking with her again tomorrow. I'll ask her to check out your thread and respond to you. One thing to remember is that the GKs are a recruting tool for the Army. You are first and foremost a soldier. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

*** If you're a guy up front and the guys in charge of the door aren't opening it fast enough or are taking "too long" to spot or whatever, shut the fuck up. They know more about what's going on at the door than you do. *** ************************************** I just came back from Summerfest as an organizer. Out of 60 jumps I was involved in opening the door at least 50 times. I love it when people in the front of the plane start yelling DOOR !!!! the instant the door light comes on. As if I can't see those lights I've been staring at for the last 30 seconds. They obviously don't realize that sometimes the light comes on more than a mile before climbout. Before I open the door I put my lens down, check for hands on the floater bar and warn people behind me that the door is opening so they don't get their head or rig scraped. Now I know that people should be more heads up, but the truth is, some just aren't and it's my job to look out for them. I always get the door open in time to check for traffic and in plenty of time to be ready for the climb out. For those of you who feel compelled to scream at us, may I suggest chillaxing just a bit. Screaming seldom makes people move any faster but it does make you look like an anxious nervous newbie. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Check with your instructors. They will surely know what is safe or not. My guess is; they will let you jump. You'll get out just before the tandems and open much higher than all the other canopies on your load so they should not be a factor for you. The other planes usually have several minutes of seperation. And if you land on the south end of the landing area you'll be about 1/4 mile from most other landing canopies. Check with the SDC school though because my opinion really means nothing. It's just MHO. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I liked the 2K so well I became a dealer. I have the FF2 and it is a very comfortable helmet. It is impossible to come open in freefall unless you just don't close it right. It has a thumbscrew built in under the lining which screws into the camera box to hold it closed. the box is built into the helmet with a hinge. My buddy bought the FF3 which uses a bungie to keep the cover closed instead of the thumb screw. Both helmets accomadate the CX100. I love the helmet and so does anyone who owns one, AFAIK. If I can help with anything else let me know. Sandy Grillet 2K Dealer Vigil 2 $1175 PD Sponsored Athlete Firefly Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

In the mean time you can actually demo the canopy for 2 weekends for only the shipping costs, which is about $50.00 in the US. Just because the PD tour may not come to your DZ is no reason not to demo the canopy. I think it's the smart thing to do. www.performancedesigns.com Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

John, if you get on my team.............that, in and of itself, would be cheating. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Ben, nice post. Though I'm sure some people will just choose to ignore it. As I've been reading this thread I've been biting my lip because I can sometimes get too involved. But I'm glad someone finally mentioned that having an extra 200 hundred feet under a reserve is a good thing. And if people just use some basic physics theory when it comes to highly loaded high speed mals, they would have a better understanding of the benefits of the Skyhook. But as you eluded some people will never change their minds regarless of how much information is available. A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinon still. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Look me up when your there. We always have several good organizers to work on those kinds of skills. Several times during the boogie Tom Falzone and I do side by side speed stars out of the Casa. Of course he always tries to cheat ..... but that's another topic. Sandy Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Ian, I agree about better instruction but I'm not sure it can come from the FJC or the intial instruction, although it can certainly start there. I don't think anyone would argue that one of, if not the most dangerous part of jumping is the canopy flight. Just look at the fatality reports. And that doesn't even tell us how many get injured. But it doesn't have to be that way. We owe it to our sport to educate these young jumpers better. I'm not sure canopy flight will ever be adequately taught during the FJC or the subsequent initial training jumps. And I'm not dissing instructors. They have their hands full and I respect most of them, although I have seen some that are questionable at best. For the most part they are doing a great job. But I do believe that we are fooling our selves if we think we can adequately teach canopy flight and bring people to the level required to fly todays amazing wings through the normal channels of instruction. Look at how far our canopies have come and yet we still conduct a first jump course in one day. The same amount of time as mine. in 1973. Should we lengthen the FJC? I don't think so. But just how much information can a student absorb during an AFF debrief. IMO we need to encourage people to participate in a full blown dedicated canopy course before they get their B license. I really don't think there is any other way around it. Everyone I've spoken to who has ever taken a canopy course says it's the best decision they have ever made (besides the one to start jumping). BTW Gary, nice job with the stall video. We did the same thing a few years ago so that people can see several different canopies in a full stall from a point of view video. I think the key to teaching stalls is to properly teach them how to recover without scaring the crap out of them. It's quite simple to teach and once they have the technique it takes a lot of fear away from them. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

reply: The first thing I do when my canopy is opening/has opened is grab the front risers. Why? To be ready to steer away from an obstacle and have my hands on the risers ready to compensate for any issues that might have arrived with the opening. When I know everything is cool, which is usually less than 10 seconds, I'm popping breaks and making sure they work. ************************************* Chris, I like that your always thinking about and working on canopy flight. Kudos to you. However, I hope you don't mind some constructive advice. If you pull down on a front riser with both brakes stowed, the canopy will actually turn in the opposite direction. Now before everyone flames me about this please go up and try it. Using video a few years ago, I spent a fair number of jumps practicing this and researching why. There are areodynamic reasons, which I won't get into here. But suffice it to say it is not a myth. I would suggest all CAT manuveres during and imediatley after opening should be done on rear risers. Also Chris, explore your rear risers as much as possible. You'll soon find that they are as important as using your toogles. I would say that 65% of my canopy flight involves front and rear risers with the fronts most only used for my approach turn. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice from people here. Be sure to check with each DZ because they will usually have rules in place. At the very least make your intentions known in the boarding area. Most experienced jumpers are more than willing to help you out on that stuff. And after you open, fly across line on flight for a while until you see where all the other canopies are. IE; if jump run is north, fly east or west until you find the other traffic. This will help keep you from flying into other groups that are opening. And keep your head on a swivel. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

reply * How sure are you of this? Is anyone telling you this? And more importantly, where are they getting this from? I am very sure. I didn't just make it up to boost my post. Yes, people are telling me this. And I don't think they are getting it from their FJC training. Most of the people in my courses have more than a hundred jumps and come from several DZs. I can't definitively say where they are getting it. But for some reason many people have the fear of stalling their canopy on landing. Why would I make this up? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

This is a scenario that should be thought out and practiced many times under controlled conditions up high. This is one of the excercises I have people do in my canopy course. It's called cross steering. You release one brake and cross steer with the other riser. You practice flying the canopy straight and do many practice flares and stalls using one toggle and one riser. it's part of learning all flight modes of your canopy. Once you have done this many times it won't seem so scary. I've landed my Katana 120 twice under this scenario once in very light winds. It can be done if you don't lose your cool. Last year I jumped with two people who had the same problem at a boogie. They both cutaway. One landed uneventfully the other wrenched his knee and was out for the rest of the year. I'll take the devil I know. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.