Foggy

Clint prob has more details but the course is a short series of lectures covering elements of skydiving history, theory, USPA and FAA and competition. The students then make a "field trip" to a local dz where they have the option of doing either a tandem or AFF skydive. They do not have to jump to pass the course. A few of the course graduates have continued to jump and at least one I know of now has a coach rating and is actively involved in the course prep

Welcome to the real world, Q'Bert. When teaching students in the FJC we want to eliminate any "questions" during the malfunction process so as to simplify the training. Once licensed your experience and awareness should (hopefully) grow to allow you to assess different situations and react accordingly. The only right answer is the one that gets you to ground safely and as you may have gathered from this thread so far, you can do everything according to the book and still get it wrong. I had a rotating Mal under a Manta 288 on my 4th square jump due to a locked brake line and elected to cut it away and found a round reserve overhead. A few years later I had the same locked brake line under my Spectre170 and elected to land it on back risers. This choice was based on my having flown the canopy on back risers a number of times prior (courtesy Scott Miller training). In other words, you are no longer a first jump student but do not let that stop your continued learning in this sport. We do not have all the answers Foggy D21109 p.s. How is Tim with you ripping his student gear to shreds?

I drive a stick so I have to spit it out before the trip home . On a slightly more serious note it students are discouraged from using gum in the aircraft because they may elect to stick it on the floor before exit and it makes a real mess of a jumpsuit, rig etc. I guess doing the heimlich in freefall may be tricky also. Foggy

Although that's a perception held by some folks, I've honestly never seen a jumper actually do that, and I know a whole lot of jumpers who never would (myself included). I know of one case within the past year in which multiple jumpers all stayed with a fatality, and all got busted, because it was the right thing to do. Personally, I've been arrested staying with an injured jumper, and I know several other people who have, too. some perceptions are held for a reason Foggy

Question? Is she part of the same FAA crew that approved the jet for the convention? If so then some good negotiations must have been going with the local "Feds" to make this happen. I do not know Gary but am well aware of his rep and I consider his actions more than appropriate under these particular circumstances. Your choice: Jump the jet or base the balloon. Just a thought Foggy D21109 (p.s. 45 balloon jumps at 800' on a static line courtesy of HMG. Seriously overrated experience )

Cutaway and deploy reserve by decision altitude (as you did). you could spend the rest of your life doing mid-air rigging. Foggy

This sounds strange. Aren't there any regulations in UK like FAR 105.49? This is the subtle difference between the USPA and the BPA. In regards to skydiving the USPA essentially works in an "advisory" capacity to the FAA. The BPA is the governing body in UK skydiving. Last time I was there though, they accepted my US repack, seal and all. Just had to adjust from a right hand pattern to a left hand pattern Foggy p.s. know what BPA stands for?

I am currently on the "seller" side of this equation. A potential buyer had an inspection done on my property a couple of weeks ago and the inspector found a very minor gas leak at a right angle fitting leading into the gas meter. The local gas company referred me to a local plumbing company and they figured a wrap of teflon tape would fix the leak. Their tech took a closer look and noticed that the pipe coming into my basement was illegal according to code and promptly shut off my service (as he should do) and he then contacted the gas company who then shut me off from the street. They cannot access the exisiting pipe for the repair so will need to dig up my freshly planted grass seed (curb appeal) to install a new line from the street. A plus is that my meter can now be installed outside intead of in the basement. A minus is the $1300 to do the job. A plus/ minus are the cold showers until they can get the job done. Having said all that I would rather it happen this way than have a buyer discover it the hard way. And I have rolls of teflon tape in my regular work tool kit Foggy D21109

Plate bolting my left fibula together (#397). Orion plate supporting fusion of C5,6 and 7 (#760 ish). Foggy

Look at it in Slo-Mo. The instructor is trying to keep the student's shoulders square to the relative wind. The student then de-arches during the deployment which is beyond the instructor's control (I have ground prepped AFF and SL and they do perfect on the ground but every now and then one will take you for a ride). Take a buddy into the exit mockup and try and lift him by his shoulders and see how much effort is required for the "assist". Kudos to the student for conducting his EPs and landing safely. Foggy

Exercise caution here. A blown fuse is usually an indication of something else failing. They are typically in circuit to protect the system from excessive current draws so you may have another problem Also be aware that the magnetron that generates the microwave energy can give you an unhealthy belt or may emit the microwave radiation if you try running the unit with the covers off. A colleague once felt his car keys getting hot in his pocket when working on an industrial version. His kids are doing okay. Foggy

dang! was hoping a thread in my name would have lasted longer Foggy

thought that the "Running Man" movie bore no real resemblance to the book and hence lost the essence of the story. Wonder how "The long walk" would come across on the big screen? Foggy

and by "baaaaad" do you mean "good" or just sheep related?? Foggy

so it would seem Yo Simon, apologies for not getting back to you. I have a lot going on with the real world. I will drop you a line with the boring details Foggy

I get nervous everytime. I teach my students that the relax signal comes in a pack of three - one for them and the other two for me One thing I was told was that "the butterflies never leave, you just teach them to fly in formation". That probably links directly into the barfing thread Foggy

guess we wouldn't find him posting on here then Foggy

S/L "progression" out of C206 cargo door, Cherokee 6, Britten Norman Islander. Had 107 jumps before I saw a twin otter. Foggy

Do a search. This has been discussed a couple of times here before. In Feb 2001, I had a whiplash injury which compressed the discs between my C5, 6 and 7 and the MRI also found spinal stenosis (bone spurring) on the same vertebrae. This caused a partial paralysis of my right arm. I had surgery in April 2001 to fuse the three vertebrae together with bone plugs and a titanium brace. The strength returned as soon as the pressure was taken off the nerve root but I was not allowed to lift anything heavier than 10lbs for 4-5 months. After the joys of physical therapy, I started jumping again doing hop'n'pops and upsized my canopy to a Spectre170 from a Sabre150. I have done a little over a 1000 jumps post surgery. I do get the occasional tingles and cramping in the right hand but find proper stretching and exercise help that. My range of motion is about 85-90% but I didnt like flying the point slot anyway Foggy D21109

Anyone sitting on that load has had similar thoughts run through their head during their early (and some later) jumps. In reality your battle with the "door monster" is a personal thing for you and who gives a %$@& what anyone else thinks. That is part of the challenge of the skydive. We all know the thrill of freefall and a successful deployment through landing but its that setup and anticipation in the door that gets us to where we want to go. That applies to an AFF L1 thru the hottest 4-way team, formation record attempt etc. Sean is an excellent choice of coach. Let him know your concerns, fears and goals but ultimately he can only "open the door". You have to walk through - sorry been watching too much Dr Phil. What I meant to say was breathe deep, relax and pull on time

Landing: Broken fibula requiring titanium. 1997 - 1400 jumps post surgery. Freefall: More of a hard opening actually causing damage to the discs between C5,6 and 7 resulting in surgery to fuse them together with bone plugs and titanium brace. 2001 - 1000 jumps post surgery. Do not scatter my ashes. You might hurt somebody Foggy

If you like the one of Dom in Parachutist, wait for the one in Skydiving. ltdiver It is a nice pic with Bikerbabe, Dom et al but I am little worried about the Camera dude's gear check Foggy

Its not so much actual jump numbers, more of a combination of physical and mental stresses (add a little Ohio humidity in June/ July). IIRC the BPA used to limit students to 4 jumps a day but I have not found anything similar in the USPA BSRs. You will find that increased exposure will increase your tolerance. The counter argument is that its a good idea to get your progression jumps in close together as you can build more on the success of the previous level. As in all things relating to your student progression, take any advice found on the web with a larger grain of salt and check it out with your instructors Foggy

Hey Chris sleep well after all that? . Remember to pace yourself through the levels. Nice job Foggy

Bob, I have sent you a PM. What have you done your past 50 jumps on? I believe that you are excessively loading this canopy for your current canopy experience. I strongly suggest working out your canopy skills on a larger canopy. As for not becoming a statistic, BillVon wrote a very good post on "But I'll be really careful" syndrome. Read it. Foggy