darkwing

I started jumping forty years ago. I often wrote more than most other jumpers, but I wish I had written down much more. I can guarantee that in 40-50 years you will love a trip down memory lane. I wish I had recorded the tail numbers (N numbers in the USA) of every plane I jumped from. It is really interesting to see what has become of them. I wish I had written down more names, to reconnect with people. I wish I had written more about the road trips and boogies. I have logged every one of my 2410 jumps. It is hard to predict what mundane thing will later become important to you. I guess I can see how a modern "working" jumper, such as a tandem instructor, might have trouble getting motivated to log significant info. But I still bet most will wish they had. Some student will be famous, or infamous, some day. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Mike Gennis was a flight attendant I think. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

A more interesting, realistic, and common situation would be to ask people what their last jump would be if the were retiring from the sport. I find myself contemplating that. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I appreciate the applause, but I really don't think I deserve it. With the right setup, experience, and tools it isn't demanding. Lots of long, simple seams, and a little detail work. An elliptical canopy would be tougher, and the tolerances on smaller, high performance canopies are tighter. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I have built several dozen canopies from scratch. Assuming the patterns are made, starting from fabric and suspension line on their respective rolls, I could make a rectangular 7-cell canopy in 12 hours of actual labor. Need a double needle machine and a zig-zag machine. I cut the fabric by hand, panel by panel with a hot knife. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Correct on Mike Gennis. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Correct on Dave Singer. Wrong on Mike Eakins. Trim tabs are a crutch. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Correct on 1976, South Africa, and Kudu. Also correct that Cleareye was the US 8-way team. Just need the names of other two jumpers. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Correct on Curt Curtis, and BJ. Nothing else yet. It is not 1979. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Nothing correct so far. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

What can you say about this photo? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

There are also cases where floaters are not outside the plane on exit. Occasionally people will exit from inside the plane and still have the base behind them in the exit line up. They still must get back up to the base after exit, so instead of diving down to the base, they fall slower and fly up to the base. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I've owned both. Prefer infinity. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

You missed my point. Any new canopy effectively is a reline, and the lines aren't "set." Neither a new main nor a new reserve have the lines "set" but nobody worries about setting those lines. My questions were intended to argue against the need to set lines on a relined main. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It is nonsense. Do you do it to reserves? Or new mains? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I also had a 189 seven cell. It was an awesome canopy. I think it was the best flying canopy of its day. I also don't recall a five cell 180, but my memory isn't that reliable. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I'm not sure what you are really asking, but my first (of two) tandem rides were when I had about 2,000 jumps. I was passenger for two friends near the end of the certification process for their tandem instructor license. It was uncomfortable and scary. I didn't enjoy it, but I was glad to help my friends. I wouldn't do it again. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I can remember some ten way practice out of our twin beech at Athol, Idaho as low as 5,500, but higher was more usual. I did a lot of 4-way from the mid-1970s. The standard then was C-182 aircraft from 9,000 I think, but maybe 9,500. Later, jumpsuits got tighter, teams fell faster, and had to exit higher. A few years ago I was on a 4-way team (Critical Mass) of big guys, 320 lbs on down. 10.5 barely gave us enough time. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I think you are unreasonable. Congrats on telling the truth, not that I see that as something congratulatable. First, you have no claim on any free service that I can see. Ok, so you are willing to pay. Lets consider what repair might entail. Products evolve, even externally identical products may be very different internally. I can easily believe that the only viable "repair" option may have been a completely new unit. That is, in effect, what they told you. Perhaps they should have said it more clearly. In my book, they are still tops. They did nothing wrong here. In my eyes they most certainly did nothing to tarnish their reputation. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

That is no stupider or luckier than stuff I've seen from some very experienced skydivers, some of whom are dead now. If they have been trained, and certified to be good enough to jump together it doesn't mean they are invulnerable. I don't think we get to be too critical here. They didn't die. They learned something (I hope), and the viewing public got a video that serves as a lesson. My perspective may be biased, everyone's is, but it is that of a jumper from the 1970s. Yes, there was plenty of zooming around then, and mostly we didn't die then either. I have had many amusing conversations with other old farts who see the freefly world as exactly like the RW world in the 60s and 70s. Hey, guess who is dead, the beginner and the instructor who chased him to impact at z-hills a couple of weeks ago. Who is better off? Skydiving is fun, risky, fun. I hate the notion that we could or should somehow prevent any possibility of tragedy. I think we have about as many rules as we need. The ones dying in droves these days are the experienced ones anyway. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I feel a little sorry for you, because I think that when you are really old and cranky, one of the few remaining joys will not be available to you, that of going through you old logbooks. It is hard for me to imagine that a facet of my life as important and formative as skydiving is not worth documenting. As you say, to each his own, but I think you will regret it. Even the mundane can become important in retrospect. I have logged every jump, and I wish I had written more. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

What did the manufacturer say when they were informed? I'm pretty sure they are a little embarrassed. I'm a realist, and stuff gets done wrong. Nobody died. Get it fixed, send them the bill. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Do you have any history (location or time) information? I was building canopies from about 1977 until about 1981. Close ups of the seams would tell me if it was my work or not. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

No. Therefore, if a hard opening could leave you paralyzed, then you need to find some other sport which you can love as much as skydiving, but which won't carry the risk of ruining the rest of your life. Hard openings have paralyzed and killed completely healthy people. If that risk is above a person's threshold, then mitigate it by jumping a squishy opening canopy with dacron lines, or stop jumping. No matter how many testimonials you get, I am convinced that there is no sport canopy made that is immune to hard openings. Bad outcomes are a risk from jump #1. Your entire life is risk assessment. So think about it, and do what you want. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

In 50 years your grandchildren can read your logbooks. That won't happen if you go 100% digital. Believe me, from an old skydiver perspective, you will wish you had written more. -- Jeff My Skydiving History