Jimbo

How are you going to fly the bigger canopy?

Manta. Can't go wrong with a Manta. - Jim

When you're on your back spinning so fast you can feel the blood rushing to your feet it's probably time to cutaway. You'll know when the time comes. - Jim

Why? As the Professor already mentioned, nobody should ever find themselves doing an accidental night jump. Let's get something straight here, the idea of making a few CReW jumps a requirement for an advanced license isn't about ego, it's about keeping skydivers alive. It isn't about training someone to become a national CReW champion, it's about giving them basic, but live, training about what to do when they bump into another canopy, or worse. Unlike the accidental night jump this is a very real scenario. You don't need a competition level coach to get this type of training. I think maybe you misunderstood the point. The idea is not to take recent C license holders and put them under a Crossfire @1.8 and teach them to hook it hard. Again, this is basic canopy training meant to save lives. The reality of the situation is that more and more people are killed under perfectly functioning parachutes because they don't fully understand what they're doing. Basic HP canopy training would, in my mind, be a short class in canopy flight with that knowledge applied in the field under the supervision of a qualified instructor. It's nice to know how to really get the most out of a canopy, and it's important to know when it could save your life or kill you. What exactly is the point of memorizing the SIM? Memorizing the suggested action for dealing with 2 out, or a canopy wrap or collision won't do you much good unless you've practiced it in the field. Memorizing high-performance canopy moves could get you killed, but a bit of instruction could save your life. Book smarts will only get you so far in this sport, experience will keep you alive. If people don't feel comfortable with these things then maybe they should consider why they're involved in this sport. Remember, you can do everything right and still die. Finally.... Quite possibly the worst reason to do _anything_. - Jim

I didn't get that impression at all, but it is something to think about and I'll bet it's made more than a few people reconsider their involvement in this sport.

Amen. - Jim

Uh. Wow!

Actually I believe you can get a waiver if you suffer from a medical condition that makes it difficult for you to see at night. - Jim

Why not just ask if you want to know? Those who care to share the information will do so, those who don't won't. Personally I don't see the big deal about having every single aspect of someones career disclosed in the profiles. - Jim

I disagree that the requirements for someone to be considered an 'expert' haven't changed much in the past 20-30 years. As the sport progresses, as new disciplines are introduced, and more importantly as new high-performance gear and techniques are introduced requirements for 'expert' level skydivers should be raised. When is the last time the D requirements saw a significant overhaul? Any person who's been in this sport long enough has probably done CReW, whether or not it was intentional is not for me to decide. Any person who's been in this sport long enough has been exposed, at at least some level to freeflying. Wouldn't it be helpful to know some basic safety routines when you find yourself on your back after a formation funnels? Finally, how many people out there might be better off had they received some professional instruction on high-performance canopy flight? Like it or not it's a damn good thing to know. We do. I don't have the SIM in front of me, but I seem to remember something about landing within 5 meters of the target at least 20 times. Completing the style series is an alternative to the RW requirement. The current requirements to become an 'expert' skydiver are, in my opinion, out of touch with reality. - Jim

Stolen from rec.skydiving - you can read the entire thread here. I don't know who is answering this question, though I believe it is a candidate for National Director. This is one of the better ideas I've heard. What do you folks think? - Jim

Yeah, I know that's the idea behind it, I was wondering if that was the reality behind it as well. Now that it's had some time in the field the data should be out there. Just curious... - Jim

Then why not call them and ask? I can't imagine they won't accept your A card, or whatever it is they give you these days. - Jim

Do you think she's not telling you the truth? Don't beg, just accept it and move on. - Jim

Crap. I could have told you that.

Does Vectran ever go out of trim, or does it just break? - Jim

As other have said, don't compain, Sabre's are known for opening quickly, too quickly sometimes. How is it being packed? Is there a pocket on the slider? Is it in trim? There are a few things you can do to speed the opening on this canopy if you're uncomfortable with it. - Jim

That's a great idea. You'll learn more in 5 jumps with those guys than you will in 50 or even 100 by yourself. Money well spent if you ask me. Welcome to skydiving. - Jim

What? Can you explain this one? I'm confused. - Jim

Here's what I use: "I'm taking tomorrow off to go skydiving, see you all on Thursday" - Jim

And you can't fly a stalled canopy either. My brakes, after much trail and error, are set so that when my arms are at full extension they are just above the stall point. I get more than enough lift to set me down gently and rarely take more than 3 steps to stop. I'll stand by my statement that it is not necessary to actually stall a canopy in order to land it safely. - Jim

Have you considered that there are some people who just 'get it'? It's easy to sit back and play armchair quarterback, judging him without having seen him fly. The reality is that most people don't have the skill to fly a highly loaded high performance canopy at 300 jumps, but there are a select few who can, let's call the naturals. Now, I've never seen Rhino jump either, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. - Jim

BMWs are great cars, my Dad's got two of them. They'll run forever, they handle well, and I think that the interiors are layed out better than any other car I've driven. I've never been a big fan of the Audi line, though I haven't been in one for a more than a few years. The Xterra is a nice car and a whole lot more affordable than the BMW or the Audi. If it were me, I'd go with the Xterra. (I have it on good authority that they're plenty big for sleeping in too) Good luck, car shopping sucks. - Jim

Let's get one thing straight here, I said you're in no position to be giving advice about canopy selection to another jumper. I said that because you're not. I'm not trying to put you down, but the reality is that no matter how much research you've done and no matter how much you've read here, and no matter how much people have told you you're still not in a position to give out advice about canopy selection to another young skydiver. That kind of information needs to come from the people who jump with him and the people who have evaluated his abilities. To tell a new jumper that going from a 280 to 170 "isn't gonna be all that dangerous for you" is just wrong. You've never seen him jump, you don't know his limits, you don't know anything about him. The reality is that at this stage of your skydiving career you are in no position to be giving any sort of advice about canopy selection to anyone. - Jim

Getting older and wiser I guess. I'll make a point of fixing that!