mjosparky

Here is a quote from Airtwardo. “The two things a jumper must NEVER do are ~ Talk someone IN to skydiving, and talk someone out of NOT skydiving.” Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

Due the fact that they made it to the “top of the sport” I would guess that they used more common sense then we are seeing from “joe average jumper” today. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

Chuck, A spinning malfunction, depending on the speed, can effectively add a couple hundred feet to your altitude. If an RSL is involved you would start to get deployment while moving horizontally. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

And the sad fact is that most of them are dead. I think you will find that in most extreme sports people do not push their limits for the betterment of the sport. They do it for personal gratification and to feed their ego. It would be hard for me to be inspired by someone with over 100 concussions and “broken everything”. A legend maybe and icon no. If you are looking for and icon look to Tony Hawk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hawk#External_links The problem I see is jumpers pushing the limits when they have not yet learned the basics. You have a very small group of “big boys” doing some really neat shit. Soon every body wants to grow up and be just like them. Skydiving has no margin for error, small mistakes can and will kill you. No second chances. Not every jumper has the ability or attitude to be a world class skydiver. A good example is the fact that 29 jumper have died this year under a good canopy. Now that is sad. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

For drop tests it is 3 sec. or 300 feet. Most will go for the 3 sec. On breakaway tests you must have a functionally open canopy in 5 sec. IMHO if you are going through 800 feet with a malfunction you are on the edge. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

http://flic.kr/p/aotMDp Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

Do you remember any of these? Sparky I've got one of the upper left in the 1st Jpg...... You gave it to me......'77 '78 Natl's in Richmond???????. Have the Dope Vally (pun intended) in JPG#2 My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

When the housing is machined they use cutting oil and it often leaves a residue in the housing. I have seen some where it drips out of the housing. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

Contact one of these guys. http://www.parachutehistory.com/skydive/records/poe.html Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

For a new canopy with logo and a H/C you better quote closer the $5000. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

I don’t know what it is you are arguing about but let’s just say you will and drop the matter. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

If you found yourself at 800 feet still working a malfunction I would say you fucked up big time. Testing is done with a minimum of 60 KEAS. Bid difference from a drop in static position at 300 feet. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

I used to jump with a whistle on big ways. Under canopy and on landing I would blow the whistle. On a POP’s record attempt I came in blowing the hell out of my whistle and another jumper came up yelled at me. He said to quit blowing that damn whistle; all you’re doing is trying to draw attention to yourself. I looked at and smiled, it works doesn’t it. Communication can come in many forms and leg kicking has been around since the 70’s. If you see some clown kicking his legs under canopy that means you see him. Is that bad? Trust me, with so little time in the sport there are still a few things you might not learned. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

And then when the unit fails due to “cheapass” batteries the company gets sued. Skydivers are not always the sharpest tool in the box. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

My mistake. Anyone who wants to can change the batteries in their AAD at any time. But the FAA requires that the container be packed and closed by a “certificated parachute rigger.” As a rigger I thought you would know that. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

But the FAA does not allow you to do that. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

First of all I am not a TI. But I do know a little bit about canopies. Ram Air canopies by their design want to open. When they don’t it is almost always caused by human error or input. It is rare for a malfunctioning square to improve and there is a good chance it will get worse. You can point out all the anecdotal exceptions you want but in 20+ years of test jumping I found this to be true. From the pictures it looks as if he was going to have little if any flare. All three pictures appear to show the canopy was in a right hand slip. Trying to keep the wing level, flare using differential brake input while trying to control the slip greatly increased the chance of injury for the paying customer. That is if the left side did not roll under at 200 feet. This was a malfunction and should have been dealt with as such. The fact that he had made a similar decision before raises a red flag about his judgment. Pulling his rating may be a little harsh but he needs to understand there are consequences for repeatedly make poor decisions. Maybe some remedial training and a 30 day set down would wake him up. Here is a quote the fits this situation to a T. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

No more calls we have a winner. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

I would say they don't know what there doing. A round reserve is dangerous for the average skydiver but a sub 100 sq. ft. main is just fine. I can’t remember many people dying under a good round reserve. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

You are right 100%. I quit jumping a few years ago but when I go to the dz to meet up with Air Trash I show up with a case. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

It may be free but the pictures shows it is an unnecessary hazard to the students jump. It’s just my opinion but I think trying to wear too many hats on an AFF jump is a way to get in trouble. As was mentioned, there is outside video, no need for the instructor to wear a camera. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

The way I learned was the first thing to do is change the needle. If that doesn’t work move to a different machine. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

It seems there is as much to learn about the social aspects of this sport as there is about actually skydiving. Some of the social aspects of skydiving are some of the best places to learn. That aspect of buying beer that is being lost. New jumpers getting to meet more experienced jumpers and vice versa. A lot of barriers fall away after sharing a beer with someone. See attachment. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

First liar ain’t got a chance.

You know damn well what I was saying. In this case the video was not useful in fact it was a foreseeable hazard. The AFF-I’s head is right where the student will release the P/C. If you want video, use a video flyer. Sparky My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals