darkwing

This is an easy job for a rigger to replace. I certainly wouldn't recommend sending it back to the manufacturer, unless there is some other problem. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Higher airspeed = faster openings (i.e., harder openings) that is why premature openings are such a worry on high altitude jumps. You are certainly going faster than most people when they open, so I think you will end up adding some pockets to your slider. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Don't pull low, unless you are. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The only guy at our DZ who had them removed them after a while, although I don't know what he didn't like about them. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

In spite of my lengthy post of the current rules, my heart is with Sparky's version. Real skydivers do 10-way from very small doors. I wish they would go to a single-file exit with no grips allowed. I'm liberal though, I don't care where the base + pin are in the lineup. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I am strongly with the guys who say you can do it with the door in place, but definitely recommend removing the door. Removing the door is easy to do, and eliminates some major problem areas. I have jumped with the door in place, and I wouldn't do it again. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The "Skydivers Competition Manual" is available from USPA Edit to add some specifics from the SCM: (Note: for non-Nationals competitions it is common to have variations on these rules, esp exit altitude and working time, but also "bonus points" for other trickery after the speed formation is done. D. 10-Way: 1. Each jump is made from 11,000 feet. 2. Working time starts when the first competitor crosses the starting line and stops when the formation is complete. 3. Each formation must be completed within 35 seconds and held for a minimum of five seconds. 4. Total working time is 40 seconds. B. 10-Way Exit Procedures: 1. A line is marked on the floor of a side-door aircraft from the front edge of the door to the opposite fuselage wall aft of the rear edge of the door; and for tailgate aircraft, the line is drawn five feet forward of the tailgate edge and parallel to the edge of the tailgate. a. The videographer must record an image of the line on the floor prior to the team exiting the aircraft. b. The team must line up behind the line, and no members of the team, except the videographer, may come in contact with any portion of the aircraft on the door side or tailgate side of the line prior to commencing exit. 2. After exit, two unlinked jumpers must initiate all formations after completely passing through the door with the remaining jumpers converging on those two jumpers. 3. Any other team(s) in the aircraft must not interfere with the exiting team. Scoring B. 10-Way: 1. Each team receives a score (in seconds) for the completed 10-Way formation that is held for a minimum of five seconds. a. This five seconds must fall within working time (i.e., the last grip must be completed within 35 seconds). b. If a team does not complete a 10-Way formation, it will receive the maximum score of 40 seconds. 2. The score for each jump is computed by averaging the three scores to one one-hundredth (.01) of a second. 3. It is the responsibility of the team to clearly present the correct scoring formation. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

In spite of what people say casually, I think you'd be crazy to do anything other than what your manufacturer recommends. Email them. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

My opinion: The Vigil is earning respect, after some early difficulties. The Cypres has been respected for several years now. Still, search the forums and see many, many discussions about just this. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The Spectre is a great canopy for you. I am not young and bought a Spectre 190 after I returned to the sport following many years of inactivity. I put 600 jumps on it and was very, very pleased. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

In my area it is used to refer to experienced jumpers. While kind of vague, I don't think I would hear it used to describe anyone with under 100 jumps or so. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I might believe 1 in 100,000, but not 20,000. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The guy most prominently on the vid has a pretty lame "iron cross" track, but he isn't the one you have the close encounter with, right? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

You will get advice both ways, but in my view the Spectre is the superior canopy. At least some of the triathlon owners I know would agree with me. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I jumped South African military aircraft, C-47 and Kudu, but not any here in the US. Early in my skydiving career it was done, but not by me. I think one year, circa 1974, the NW regional competiton was out of UH-1 helicopters at Ft. Lewis, WA. I missed that one. I jumped a former US military aircraft, an AT-11, which most people called a twin beech, but don't confuse it with a D-18. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Not that I'm recommending it (I'm not), but if I wanted to clean my lines I'd probably use soap and water, not bleach. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I just did a yahoo search and there are about a half dozen candidates for R, Robert, or Bob Jones in Hemet, CA. Happy hunting! -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Getting the exit "just right" for the camera isn't much different that doing it for the entire team. Practice..... It takes a while for everyone to get the rhythm. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I think it was not an "intentional" misrigging, but a result of inattention. It is not likely that this would get noticed on an inspection of the rig after it was packed, although a close inspection could catch it. The good news is that I think the reserve would still open, whether manually or Cypres activated. Edit to add: I was thinking that the cutter was at the top, in which case it might be visible through the grommet, but the poster below shows the photos of the more likely scenario--which would be much easier to do than the same thing on the top-mounted cutter. How did the rigger notice the problem, on a repack? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I had 63 jumps for this. It was in 1973. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Most humor is at the expense of someone. It hurts when you are close to the reality of it though. I bet if we stopped and examined many of the things we laugh at we would find them as unpleansant as this. I challenge anyone who thinks the Lex and Terry bit was out of bounds to examine things you laugh at for the next few months. There will surely be something just as callous. Look at threads here on DZ.com that have "humor" in them. For example the "Stupidest Student" thread. I bet if you were the student they were talking about you wouldn't think it was as funny as most of the readers. Don't get me wrong. I laugh at anything. Nothing is sacred to me. No subject is out of bounds for humor. I clearly remember a period of dead baby jokes when I was younger. I didn't invent them, but I laughed, as did everyone else I was around. I wouldn't have told one to someone who had a baby die though. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Godfrogs, 1972 4-way champions. Dick Giarusso, Pat works, bob Federman, Marc Cohen. I knew I had seen that photo... Edit: Now I am confused. I dug up a September 1972 Parachutist, and it says the the Hinckley godfrogs 4-way team came in 5th place, but they sure look like they have gold medals on. Pat Works is quoted in your godfrogs history page as saying they won. Help me out here. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Damn, I know I've seen that photo somewhere. It looks like a 1970's era 4-way team, but I'm not sure which one. I'm guessing one of the Greene County teams. I think at least one of them won the nationals in the early 1970s. I'm virtually certain it isn't one of the 1975+ teams. Is it Paul Fayard, Bob Vondereau, Chuck Price and Dave Briar who won the 1973 Nationals? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

they put it on TV because they probably think it was all normal. If you tell them it was bad, then they'll just make a big deal about how close to death everyone came, and still put it on TV. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I started jumping in Idaho many years ago. There is a great community of skydivers in the Boise area. One very unfortunate reality is that there are 3 DZs in the Boise area, where from a skydivers point of view, there should be just one, with a turbine, which could easily be supported. I think Skydive Idaho is pretty active, but the current locals could fill you in better. I love Idaho. If I win the lottery I would move there. Unfortunately, I never buy lottery tickets, so I'm not holding my breath. -- Jeff My Skydiving History