Cocowheats

Incident reports are back in the Feb. 2021 issue.

This made my day! Lol I figured the article was going to take us into the science behind what we are doing to our bodies destructively, presumably, while in freefall and under canopy. That was what I hoped to read about.

Can't wait! I thought jumping from 18k was a long freefall! Thanks for the quick and detailed replies. Seriously excited to do this with you guys this year.

I was half way expecting my incident to end up in the last one...it didn't. Not sure if an USPA incident report was filed. Also expected to hear of the animator from Bob's Burgers...no dice...maybe to soon to make it in an issue. Also noticed the lack of reports in the last issue. Fine if there were none, but not cool if there were and the article has been done away with.

Thank you for the reply and explanation on the AADs. Great to know my rig is most likely acceptable. Gonna try and make it out there this year(which is why I asked)! Next question: License type and jump # requirements? Didn't see that mentioned here or the website.

So Mars M.2 Multi is not an acceptable HALO AAD? Manual states it's good above 26k FT I thought. I'm not pretending to know anything...I know nothing. Legit question.

Great advice above! $10k USD for an A-License and a complete rig/helmet/audible/altimeter/etc. is a good number to plan on. $3-5+k for the license alone on student gear. Again, don't worry about the budget route to your license. Worry about the track record of the DZ/instructors and the quality/maintenance to their equipment (your life literally depends on this stuff after all). Get some solid time in a wind tunnel if you have one within a doable distance. Explain to them that you want to learn to belly fly as you are looking to start actual skydiving. Get video, lots of it. Use the same coach, if at all possible. You will have a much better understanding of how to control yourself if you tunnel first. Granted, tunnel flying is not the same. Don't worry about redoing jumps as you work towards your license. Don't worry if you take more than 25 jumps to get your license. They all count, regardless. Be consistent in your training. The more down time between jump days, the harder you'll likely have picking up on the necessary skills. Don't be ashamed to jump on student gear for your first 50-100 jumps. You have thousands of jumps ahead of you to learn/master skydiving skills; unless you botch the parachuting part. Learning to fly your wing proficiently and safely is far more important than the actual skydive! Don't ever become complacent. That's how people commonly die.

Keep in mind that not all stainless steel is created equally. There are many types of steel that fall under the stainless category. There are many other factors too, like the heat treating process. Same steel heat treated two different ways can produce vastly different results. Again, a nitride/melonite finish is not only be cosmetic, but also gives the hardware additional strengths, like far better corrosion resistantance, even on the metal under the black top coat.

You should reach out to the manufacturer and ask what is the specific finish. If it's simply a black oxide finish, then the advantages are mostly cosmetic. If it is a nitride finish, then even after the black finish is worn away, the metal beneath will be far more rust resistant than the original metal before the nitride treatment. Might not all be cosmetic... depending what the finish really is.

Thanks for the replies! They help! Ankle actually feels like I could walk on it. Very minimal pain. The top of my foot however is freaking excruciating still after 2wks. I'm REALLY hoping they didn't miss something that will set me back more so . You'd think they'd have x-ray'd my foot and shin since I didn't know my head from my butt after the first round of drugs...but I don't know. Haven't been able to check out the DVD of x-rays yet and my follow-up appointment should be within the next week. Fingers crossed. I want to be back in the sky so bad...I had JUST gotten comfy going from belly to back to belly and hanging out on my back without spinning out of control too!

I did a tandem about 10yrs prior to signing up for an AFF course. If I had never done the tandem, that would have been where I would have started. Having done the tandem, despite it being 10yrs prior, I felt as if I knew what to expect. I was already extremely determined to get my license as it had been a life long dream that was always on the back burner...one of those "I'm doing it no matter what" moments hit me one night... So I went straight to AFF that same week. My first jump, the tandem, I didn't really enjoy. I was constantly trying to learn what I could and pinpoint the DZ as we fell...I was trying to take too much in, since I wanted to learn to jump solo. Do the tandem. Ask questions. Relax and enjoy it. Don't try to learn to skydive from your tandem, like I had tried(it's why it wasn't as thrilling for me)! You need 25 jumps minimum to get an A-License. Your tandem will count, long as you get going on training relatively soon after. So the tandem gets your feet wet at minimal cost and counts as an A-License jump. You'll know much better what to expect when it's your turn to pull, steer, and land. I'd also venture to say that your ground training will make better sense having recently done a jump as well. After your first tandem, write down a description of what happened. From suiting up, to seatbelts, to exiting, the freefall, chute opening, landing.... everything you can recollect step by step. This will not only help you recall what went down, but this is an important skill to build on for your actual training. Many instructors ask for a breakdown after your jump, then you watch the video to see if what your remember is true/accurate! The more you do this memory jogging, the easier it gets...also,the more you jump, the more you start to remember about the jump.

Jump #58.... probably a late flair. Left ankle dislocated with trimalleolar fracture. Plates and screws in ankle to hold it together. Sucks...badly. Very very eager to jump again. I think this has made me more passionate towards the sport. Very disappointed in myself and need to go back out there and "fix" it ASAP. While I was waiting for the ambulance, the jumper that assisted me said he broke both ankles on a hard landing in AFF. Ouch! Just wondering who all has biffed it on the landing and how they are doing these days after recovery. How long did you take off jumping? What changes have you made because of your prior injury? Also, what did you do to stay as current as you could without actually jumping? What did you do to minimize the urge to be in the sky again? This is all too new to me, from actually skydiving(I'm a noob still) to needing surgery and being without a limb for a few months...I don't know what to do with myself or what to make of this. Just needed to talk with people that understand...the DRs and nurses think I'm insane to want to be back in the air asap. I feel very unlucky right now. Like the world is giving me a big middle finger...

Personal experience. I work in the firearm industry and wear the surefires religiously under my electronic muffs. Have been using them for years. They absolutely get louder over time, to the point where they seem to be blocking nothing. A gunshot with a fresh set vs a worn out set is noteably noticeable. You can hear the difference between the two instantly. Shooting outside, with a brand new set, I can shoot a 9mm handgun with the flanges open and not ring my ears(it's still louder than I like, but not painful). With a worn out set, the same situation is borderline painfully loud for me. Perhaps the types of impact noises I subject them to wears them out faster. I do use mine much much more than the average person does. Surefire estimates the life expectancy at 3-6months but does not mention why aside from the silcon getting hard(have yet to experience this and I have been through over a dozen sets that have been well abused). I think the average shooter would indeed get 3-6months. Side note, they're great for driving with windows down/top down or under a motorcycle helmet at highway speeds. They really help drown out the wind noise. *I use EP2s and I never close the flange. All references are with flanges wide open.

Menards also carries them. Something to note though, the filters wear out and as they wear out, you lose hearing protection. A new set vs a set I've used daily for a couple months are a night and day difference in hearing protection levels. Don't be afraid to replace these... They also make a a version that is just a sealed earplug(model EP5). I prefer the EP2 model due to the shorter insertion. They are perfect with my cookie g4.