Skydivesg

I noticed your sig line about the blast handle. I helped ground those..... a year or two ago. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Black "Airspeeds" from Walmart. They are very slick on grass......... even dry grass. Great for swooping in and slide landings. They look just like Vans. $25.00. I wear out a new pair every season. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Was it Nick from PD and Greg from UPT? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

The habit started "back in the day" when the pin protection on gear was less than desirable. Most of our flaps were held closed with velcro and the main pin flap would often times be ripped open while sitting down in the plane thus exposing the pin. We learned that if the pin was pointing down or even sideways it could easily become dislodged from moving, shifting and sitting down. Of course we didn't keep our closing loops as tight as we do today because we didn't know we could. My pin today would not come out due to gravity because I keep it very tight. It simply is not going to fall out no matter how much I move, arch, d-arch stretch or shift unless it is pulled by the bridle or some very serious pressure put on it which can't happen without my knowing. There is no slack in my closing loop. It wouldn't matter how much you pushed or pulled on my flaps, my main pin is not going to budge. If you seriously think that there is any posibilty that gravity could cause your pin to fall out then you need to discuss it with a rigger or someone else you trust. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

This is my take. I always put my pin in the closing loop from the bottom pushing up. This way when I sit in the plane my pin is less likely to get dislodged. I have owned and used many rigs over the years and I have always used this method on all rigs with no problems. I have also helped countless people re-close their rig while in the plane. This happens either because their pin was not oriented properly or (more often) because their closing loop was too loose. My closing loop is so tight that I have to use a closing tool (Power tool) to close it. I can barely get it closed with a pull up cord, but it's just too hard so I use the tool. Now I know that alot of people will say that the loop shouldn't be that tight. But check my numbers. I've been averaging 260-280 jumps a year for the last decade, with zero malfunctions (knock on wood) for more than 20 years. Do what you can to keep your pin where it belongs until you decide to deploy it. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I take Sudafed every day that I jump or fly. Decending after I fly is worse than jumping but Sudafed and equalizing my ears, regularly, takes care of it for me. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I say leave those little shits at home till their old enough to sign a waiver and can fork over $300.00 for a tandem w/ video. Dam varmits Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Go to the Mirage site and take a look at the leg pad covers. These are made for swoopers to protect their leg staps from abuse so I'm not sure how much padding is provided but this will at least give you an idea of what can be done. http://www.miragesys.com/...;yr=2008&limit=0 Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

If the timing is right.................. I'm all in. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I'm jumping a Katana 120 and a PDR 126. I'm saving my pennies so I can up size my reserve to an Optimum 143 which will pack the same as my PDR 126. Once you put a handful of jumps on the Optimum you will never want to go back to anything else. And you can upsize at the same time. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

One bad habit to avoid is: taking advice from the wrong people. Just because someone is willing to give advice dosen't mean they're qualified. I would suggest listening to everyone and then sort out the good from the bad. It doesn't take long to figure out who knows what they're talking about. And always ask "Why?". The best way to learn in this sport is to know why something works or doesn't work. The guys who take the time to explain "why" are the best intructors even if they don't have an instructor rating. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

The technique is no secret but there is something that most people don't think about. Many people walk around, dirt dive and even sit in the plane with their helmets resting on the top of their heads. They do this because it's convienient and they are less likely to leave it on the hooks at the mock up. (some do it because it looks cool) Now most of the time this wouldn't matter. But when going from warm ground temps to cold alttitude temps is does matter. Much of the body heat is lost through our heads along with a great deal of moisture. By wearing your helmet on your head you heat up your helmet and capture a lot of moisture in the proccess. Then you just pull it down on jump run and out the door you go. The sudden change in temperature causes the moisture to rapidly condensate and freeze on the lens. So, I don't put my helmet on my head except on jump run. Instead I hook the chin strap on my chest strap to carry the helmet around. You can only do this if the helmet has a chin strap which the Z1 does and the Sky Systems (Factory Diver and Oxygen) helmets don't. If there is a huge difference in temps (like on the Eloy big ways) I will even open my lens up in the plane to assure that it is cool and dry. This really only matters when jumping at altitudes that are very cold or in the winter. Now for the technique: No secret: Simlpy concentrate on breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. It helps to purse your lips and gently blow through the mouth hole in the helmet. Again this limits the amount of body moisture captured in the helmet during the freefall, thus greatly reducing or even eliminating the chance of fogging or freezing. On the big way in Eloy it also helped me stay relaxed in freefall. The best way to stay relaxed regardless of the activity is to concentrate on your breathing. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I've tried several times over the years to contact that guy. Once I even left a messeage saying I was ready to buy a canopy if he would just call me back. He never did. Can you imagine the customer service from someone like that? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I have been jumping a Z1 for more than ten years and I love it. I tried an Oxygen (which is the flip up version of the Factory Diver) for a few jumps but didn't like it so I gave it to my son. I like the ability to flip the visor all the way to back of my head for several reasons. First: I have to clear my ears soon after opening or they start hurting as I descend under canopy. Of course I do this by holding my nose and blowing gently. You can't do that with a Factory Diver. Second: I really like not having anything in my line of sight while under canopy (not even googles). I can flip my visor completely out of my way behind my head. You can't do that with the Fatory Diver and the Oxygen flips up just enough to get into your line of sight. I just don't like how anything plastic distorts my vision. Especially on landing. Most people don't replace their lenses as often as they should. And they do get scratched up. I'm just as guilty. I've seen some guys with such scratched up lenses I don't know how they can see through them at all. And we wonder why we have canopy collisions. I have never had my Z1 open on me in freefall and I don't know of anyone else who has. As far as fogging up: If you get a Z1 don't treat the lens with anything. They come treated from the factory. They advise that you only use clean water to clean the lens. That's what I do. Interesting note: I was on a pretty big Big Way in Eloy a couple of years ago. We were going to high altitudes and it was in December so it was cold. On one of the jumps many of the people had serious fogging issues on their full face helmets. Several people even ripped off their lenses in freefall so they could see. It was quite dangerous. After landing and debriefing, the organizers suggested that eveyone take off their lenses and use googles. They also told everyone that visors fogging up from that point on was no longer an excuse for not doing your job. Most people started using googles including everyone in my sector except for me and our sector captain. There is a technique which all but assures you won't fog up. Because we both wear contacts and have problems wearing googles, we both gambled and it paid off. We did not have any fogging problems. I don't think you would go wrong with a Z1. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Clearly those who have responded so far have let this one go right over their heads. So I'll do the honors............. Is this your first post on DZ.com?? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I've tried everything I can think of and still cannot watch videos from this site. I've even tried on three different computers. I have been to this site a number of times over the years with no luck. Pretty frustrating. Are these videos on you tube by chance? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

For some reason I can't seem to play the movies when I go to the site. Any ideas Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

You can get the DVD Kinesthesia from Mike Truffer. [/url]www.skydivingmagazine.com[url] Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

This topic has been and will be discussed and argued for many years. Both methods have pluses and minuses. I think tbbrown's post makes some valid points. If you have the cash to go through AFF in a couple of back to back weekends then by all means it's a great program. But if you are on a very tight budget and can only spend $100.00 - $150.00 per weekend then S/L is the way to go. You can still make 2-4 jumps and leave with a sense of accomplishment. Very important: when you've spent your budget for the weekend don't just take off and go home. Stick around the DZ. Hang with people, network, make friends, help out in any way you can. Listen to people talk. Before long you'll realize who you want to be like. And you'll figure out from whom to take advice. I believe the most important thing is to squeeze as many jumps in as possible, every weekend. Those that wait 2-3 weeks to muster up the cash are the ones we see dropping out. In Iowa (and I'm sure Illinois) it's not uncommon to see two or three weekends in a row with low clouds but jumpable winds. I've seen S/L students get to 15-20 second freefalls before the AFF students even get to make their first jump. And by then the AFF student needs to get a refresher. This post may sound like I'm against AFF. I'm not. My son graduated AFF in two days, got his A license and attended a Scot Miller canopy course during the following week. And he paid for it all out of his $5,000 savings he earned packing since he was 10 years old. I on the other hand learned S/L. Some would say I turned out OK too. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Yes. I have seen them and took a very close look at the whole system. I'm impressed. I have one on order to be delivered soon. I liked the helmet and the people at 2K so much that I am now a dealer for them. PM me if you want further info. Sandy Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

OK I can't stand it anymore. I thought sure someone would have asked this question by now. So here goes. Have you taken a "well taught" canopy course yet? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Did you have to modify anything to make the CX7 fit? Do you know if the CX7 is the same size as the CX12? Any chance you can post pics of the setup? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

You better do it soon. I've been told the prices are going up very soon. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Hi Boss. I did indeed get a response from Dawn today. And she said she found my email in the trash bin. I then emailed her back with some more questions and I recieved a second response with in a couple of hours. All is good here. Thanks for the help from everyone. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Does anyone know how good 2K Composites is at getting back with people? I sent an email a few days ago. But haven't heard back. Is this a small operation where by they all may be out of the office at an event or something? Has anyone had any experience with them? I recently tried on one of their helmets and fell in l ove with it. Patiently waiting. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.