darkwing

My Pilot 168 The colors are fuchsia, neon blue, and white. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Just because one reserve that size fit, it doesn't mean that another the same size will fit. There can be significant pack volume differences between two same-size, same-model canopies. Also, just because one rigger managed to cram it in, it doesn't mean that it is a good idea. I second the notion that you are pushing it for this rig. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Definitely get on a team. You will learn more, faster, make more jumps, and have more fun. Be safe. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Pull your reserve ripcord! Talk to your instructor.... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I'd say roll packing is a subset of flat packing. The classic flat pack doesn't involve any rolling, just stacking the line groups. Rolling is something that some people did with some canopies in an attempt to control hard openings (usually). Sometimes they just rolled the nose, sometimes the tail, and sometimes both ends to the middle. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

What if the person opposing you has the same exact thought at the same exact time? That was almost the way it was on a 10-way I was in on at 1800 feet once. We all lived. I think I actually turned around though, so I cheated. I don't want to do it again, but virtually all low pulls are unintentional. I certainly wouldn't fault someone for pulling in place. Most importantly, avoid the situation, but that doesn't help when you find yourself there. Pulling is good. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Find the totals for the US and for the world, just double. ANY numbers you get from ANY source are going to include a pretty wide uncertainty. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Regardless of what machine you have it becomes an issue of finesse -- how much control you maintain. I think that you just need practice. Not unlike packing zp. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Just a few off-the-top ideas.... Use or discard at your pleasure. clean cutaway cable housings and cables? Inspect hand deploy pilot chutes, showing the good and bad. Kill line wear and shrinkage. Wear at the place the kill line exits the bridle... Fabric wear. Maybe have a couple of rigs with several things wrong that people, especially beginners, can go over and find the problems. Get a prize... Blindfolded packing contest. For beginners you can eliminate the requirement that they actually jump it. Inspect grommets on rigs, so what to look for regarding wear/damage/pulling out, etc. Especially slider grommets and the main container grommets. Show samples of different types of suspension lines, and give the specs, and the important differences. Go over line trim on main canopies. Compare a low time spectra set with a high time set. Show the difference between inboard and outboard line wear and shrinkage. velcro inspection BOC pouch inspection Stowing excess brake line. Steering line untwisting. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

What are you talking about, there are only three things on the events calendar: AFF course, Safety Day, and a swoop competition and camp. I must be stupid, cause I ain't as excited as you are about any of that. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Stall practice is part of most canopy control classes. It certainly was in Scott Miller's class. Some high performance canopies he would recommend you not do stalls, but a sabre2 is fine for stalls. I recommend you do it, but I'm a nobody. Get some coaching on the details. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I have a friend with a similar problem, and he switch to a left-side boc extraction. He is very happy with his change. Don't loan or borrow gear after you do it though. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I can't really use your options. I almost always leave mine at the same three altitudes: 5000, 3500, and 1500. On rare occasions I will change the 5000 to some other value. Sometimes it is a pre-warning, and sometimes it is a post-warning. The 3500 one is the "OK, it is time to stop tracking and consider waving off and pulling" warning, if I haven't already done so. The 1500 is the one I really don't want to hear, because it means something is wrong, and I want it to remind me that time is running short. I have two audibles and one wrist visual. I am not afraid to jump with none (I have about 500 jumps with no altis of any kind), but I'd rather have more warnings than I need than less. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I haven't heard of it happening yet, but it will. That will bum out the unlucky instructor. But we will get a case out of it. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Best answer --> You demo them both and decide. I think it very unlikely that you will get useful advice on this from this forum. They are both good canopies, and have many proponents. They are not identical, and the differences end up being whatever is more preferable to YOU. Individual opinions aren't even particularly useful, since they vary so much anyway, even on the same canopy. I predict you will be happy with either. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Not enough buoyancy? .... Vale I was working on one much more buoyant than Helium. Fill it with vacuum, which is much lighter than He, or even hydrogen. There are still some bugs to be worked out though. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

You could easily convince many people that photo was taken out the window of an airplane as the pair fell by... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It looks fairly straightforward to put in a rectangular patch there. The main question I have is how did it happen? Is there a reason to suspect the strength of the fabric? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

This is something that it takes many beginners a long time to learn. You have to fly the parachute until you and it are done moving. I have seen many, many times where things were fine, until after the feet touched down and the jumper quit flying the canopy, then it went to hell. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It depends on the storage conditions. Also, AAD batteries have been know to leak. Mold and mildew are possible, as are insects. Under decent conditions, nothing bad will happen. Get the reserve repacked and go jump. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The position itself is actually easy for me, and I'm a fat, old guy. This isn't a routine flying position, it is the max slow, as for recovery, or to prevent going low. You still have a fair amount of leg use though, just by rotating your pelvis so one leg is lower and the other is higher. It is much like arm turns from the mantis position. It is easy to control your heading when in this positon. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It shouldn't need a master rigger, but any current, competent rigger. There are some important questions to ask though: How many jumps on each canopy and the rig? Where was it jumped (desert, beach, grass...)? Has it been in storage? If so, how/where? How many jumps on the main lineset...? Does it have an AAD? if so, what is its history? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Do skydiving things consistent with your back problem. Can you pack? How about sewing? Maybe it is time to make a freefly jumpsuit? A tunnel trip may be OK, depending on the nature of your back trouble... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I have good luck with my hands a little below head level and nearly touching in front of me, with the elbows out, so my arms are flat to the wind. I put the soles of my feet flat together and spread my knees wide. This puts the sail side of the booties flat the the wind, and since your legs aren't stuck out too far behind you the center of drag is not moved towards your feet relative to the center of mass. I worked this out in the tunnel, which you should try out, as suggested by several people above. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Practice first! Say after you carefully measure (twice), you decide you wil need to take 3 inches off the cable. Try taking one inch off first. You don't want your first try at it to be the money shot. -- Jeff My Skydiving History