kaerock

try http://www.para-concepts.com At Skydive Chicago. It is something like a one week intensive course, very helpful and easy on those with time constraints. http://www.para-concepts.com/rigging-services-course.html to be more direct. -rory You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

yay, it was mucho mucho fun. tons of folks showed up and we all had a great time...just how boogies should be! A+ #1 fun. If you weren't there, you missed a lot :P I have a few pics that I will throw up here this evening, perhaps. -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

yea, I was making goofy faces at her, as usual :> -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Brian, I think that the idea of you or or company building the canopies isn't a bad one at all. If you think you can match PDs quality control or surpass it, go for it. I would think it would be more of a business decision though. I'm sure purchasing the equipment, hiring the people and setting up shop to be able to produce canopies of that quality and at some volume would be quite significant. Personally, I don't care if PD builds the canopies or some sweat shop in Honduras does...if the quality control is there, then it's all good. I would think that this decision should be more dependent upon your resources (time and money) rather than on what the masses want :> In this case, I don't think it matters if the cat is black or white. -Rory You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

YAY! I may just travel all the way down there for this boogie!...eer wait, I'm there every weekend. Okay, so I'll probably show up *before* noon then. It IS a special occasion after all :> See ya there! -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

My two cents, When I was studying martial arts, my instructors re-iterated many points, one of the most pertinent was the point that we are all students. We must all keep an open mind and approach the world as a student always ready to learn. When you have that mentality you are ready to accept new information, or information that may disagree with previously accepted truth. Many people that become very experienced in a particular field become close-minded and set in their ways...they no longer attempt to receive new information or information that may contradict with what they currently believe. This is Bad. People with less experience than you can still offer valuable information to more experienced folks. New blood brings new insight, new ideas, challenging the old, we must all be open to the XXX jump wonder that may change your entire perception. People with thousands of jumps still go in. Often to negligence, often to arrogance. These are things that NO ONE in this sport can afford to partake of. I *never* discount what anyone tells me, even if they are less experienced than I am. I take all information with a bit of skepticism and critically analyze *everything* people proport as truth. People are fallible and can often be wrong, this isn't limited to someone with less than 100 jumps. Keep your ears and eyes open, cut people some slack, and if you have a stick up your butt, promptly remove it :> -Rory *cha-ching* P.S. Ron knows absolutely nothing about Angela's situation. She was not kicked off of any DZ, she was not kicked off of any DZ for anything that she did wrong, it was a personal beef, not deficient skill. Please do not assume that any BS he spouts about this is based in reality. P.P.S. Angela is turning into an excellent skydiver, her skill-level is above the bar. She approaches things with an open mind and constantly seeks to improve her understanding. This is more than I can say for many skydivers :< You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Outcasts unite! -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Each time you do a sharp or jerky movement you're introducing many different forces into the system, not necessarily in the direction you intend, making it less efficient. If you use smooth, easy movements going into the dive and during the dive, you'll have the most efficient swoop you and your canopy can achieve. A lot of speed can be lost by quickly snapping a canopy, causing and abrupt change in speed and direction. Remember: each force imposed on a system causes an equal force in the opposite direction. Most likely this reaction force isn't beneficial to your fastest possible swoop. Analogy: When you jam on your gas pedal in your car, your tires may not gain traction on the road initially, eventually they will gain traction and you will accelerate. If you apply gas more gradually you can keep traction the entire time while accelerating, beating the guy next to you burning his rubber :> When you start your hook from breaks, is that really giving you the smoothest, most efficient path in the air to your final destination, accelerating the entire time? It certainly is a fun roller-coaster feeling! -Rory You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Well, I fly a Voodoo and have absolutely no need to bungee my leg straps together as the rig fits perfectly and the leg straps stay in place. Voodoos are fully articulated and are geared towards freeflying. Might want to keep that in mind... -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

OK when the heck are you coming to Pahokee? You know I'll jump with you anytime! -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

3 chops in my first 350 jumps, none since. 1st - self-induced line-twist. At about 1200 ft I initiated a very strong toggle turn that cause my canopy to twist, then death spiral. Chopped and under reserve at about 1000ft 2nd - lazy pull, I didn't pull the pilot chute out all the way, then couldn't find it again 'cause it was flapping around. (I had just packed my reserve that morning) 3rd - shoulder flap popped open while doing transitions from sit to head-down, when I deployed my toggle was wrapped around my risers so tightly that I wasn't even able to steer with rear-risers. Stiletto 150 loaded at 1.3-ish and a voodoo v3, voodoo has since been modified and is much less prone to opening a shoulder flap. -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

If you feel comfortable flying the canopy, go for it. But fly it like you'd drive a car when it's icey out. Give people extra space, plan to take longer to stop, be extra cautious about people and things around you. Be prepared for unexpected things to cause you to have to react a little more quickly but calmly, don't over-react. Anything else? -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

I've got an idea: Switch majors...to skydiving. You laugh, but hear me out. Several years ago while I was in school, and getting loans and grant money to fund my education, some fellow skydivers and I came with a brilliant idea. If the DZ could formulate a several year skydiving course that would say, prepare you to be a professional skydiver, and then get accreditation for the program, you'd be able to major in skydiving. You could get financial aid for it, some kind of degree (ratings, licenses). People do it for airplane pilots, why not skydving? Imagine getting a state or federal grant to skydive...scholarships too! -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

It'll open slower? How do you figure? -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Several times on the plane. I also double,triple,quadruple check all of my flaps and straps that I can reach. I also check my pin and bridle several times. What else are you going to do on the plane ride up? -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Okay, assume the guy was under a 190 or a 210 and hooked it in, is that still smart? I'd venture to say that he'd probably biff in just as nicely under something larger. I think people are trying to reduce this issue to a jump number/wing loading issue. There are way more (important) factors that people seem to be ignoring. Training is one. Someone that is getting close attention and intensive training is far more likely to be able to handle more emergencies and also be able to fly the canopy better in general that someone that is left to old-wives tales and speculation. The individual is another issue. Reflexes, reaction time, decision making abilities, confidence. All of these vary from person to person, and while it's easy to generalize, I think it's the wrong way to go about it. Using a wing-loading chart is good as a rule of thumb, a ball-park, but when when you enact it as law, you are being narrow-minded and ignorant. If a low-time jumper doesn't know better, and doesn't understand the consequences of what they're doing, they should rely on the chart, definitely. But for those that progress quicker than the norm, these regulations become a hindrance. Blindly enforcing these regulations is just simply draconian and doesn't take into account the individual, that's POO. I was lucky, I had instructors that actually paid attention to my progression and educated me about down-sizing and flying higher performance canopies. Why don't people take the time to mentor people rather than spread FUD about progressing? Using a wing-loading chart as an end-all absolves the DZ, its instructors and senior jumpers of any responsibility, I think it's lazy. I think more people should take more responsibility and *help* low-timers with *constructive* criticism rather than beating an idea into their head that they are inadequate. -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Your Honey is an awesome canopy pilot, I think it's about time he moved up and started flying something a little more appropriate to his skill level...but...it's ONLY a 103? ;> I've seen you fly too, I think you could handle a 135 and have a blast with it. It wouldn't be a huge change from what you're used to, but it would give you a little more rush. -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

I have been above the recommended limits my entire jump career, on top of it, I've been flying ellipticals too. I'll spare this thread the diatribe on the ethics of the issue :> -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Most people I've seen will use large bands for ALL stows and will double-wrap lines south of the cascades. I've been experimenting with double wrapping all of my stows with large bands and have had smooth, consistent openings. I've basically thrown away my small bands. I've heard people state that having mixed bands can cause the bag to wobble more on deployment, I'm not sure how much truth there is to that though. -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

That's an interesting assertion you make about Stilletos not being much more prone to spinning than a Saber2 et al. The party line generally seems to be to the contrary...making Stilettos orders of magnitude more dangerous than it's tapered cousins. Personally, I couldn't comment on this as I've only flown Stilettos and find them quite stable as I'm used to them. However, no one has yet to actually quantify how much more spinnable a Stiletto is compared to a Saber2. Any more thoughts? -R Not that I'm going to encourage you to jump the Stileto, I absolutely love the way that it opens. Soft and gentle every time. You need to remember historical context - when the Stileto came out everyone was still jumping square canopies. The eliptical canopy was brand new. At this time, a lot of people were still jumping ripcords, too. Going for the ripcord made people unstable at pull time. People were still being taught to look over their shoulder to make themselves untstable at deployment time. All of these added up to a situation that people were not even in their harness through the opening, and spinning malfunctions were common. The Stiletto got branded the "spinetto". We don't teach people to look over their shoulders during opening any more. We don't teach "Look, Reach, Pull", at pull time. People are more cautious of being stable in the harness, but more importantly people have jumped modern canopies their entire lives. Being even in the harness is natural to todays jumpers. I don't think the Stileto is much more prone to a spinning malfunction then a sabre2, safire, or any other modernly designed canopy. I've chopped my triathlon from spinning line twists. I haven't chopped my stiletto. Now, Stiletos are known for having consistently good openings. _Am You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

I will swat people away if they start poking and prodding my gear. Ultimately I am responsible for my own safety, as are we all responsible for our own safty. I welcome comments or suggestions about my gear if it seems out of place to someone, I've had things pop open or poke out while shuffling around in the plane, but uninvited tinkering...NO. I pack my own reserve and my own main, I know my gear better than anyone on the planet -- better than any X,000 jump instructor-guru. I perform gear checks on myself religiously, before I get on the plane and while on the plane several times. I probably annoy people with the amount of times I check my main flap and shoulder flaps (it *IS* a Voodoo after all). It is my choice, my preference, and I don't knock anyone for doing something different. I try to set a good example and like someone else pointed out earlier, maybe lower-time jumpers or even experience jumpers will feel more comfortable doing gear checks if someone else is doing it. I think it promotes a positive-safe atmosphere. But let's get two things straight here: 1) Just because someone has 50-something jumps does not make then incompetent, or in this case, incompetent when it comes to their own gear. 2) Just because someone is an instructor does not make them competent to start fiddling with someone's gear. The instructor that initiated this chain of events (did not actually do the gear check) is, in my opinion, unqualified and an idiot. Confidence does not equate to competence. So to sum this up, don't assume anything about anything or anyone. Don't assume the person mucking with your gear is competent. Don't assume that you are competent enough to uninvitingly muck with anyone's gear. Pay attention to the people around you, notice their equipment and attitude, ask if something doesn't seem correct. Being considerate and polite can be combined quite well with being safe. -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Firstly, pardon my vague language in regards to the "point", I do believe I clarified myself. Secondly, I never attened the aforementioned seminar. Perhaps providing a transcript of his session or an brief overview would've been more productive. Thirdly, what's difficult to understand is why people can't keep the conversation relevant to the topic of the thread. Moving right along. -R A) If that isn't calling a "band" a "point", then I don't know what is. It should be phrased as "It starts from the point" as opposed to "It's the point". B) That's not what the power band is. Slaton went over this simple concept in great detail. It was the most prevalent piece of information at the seminar. The power band is the constrain of power generated from diving a canopy using front risers. Why is this so hard to understand? You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

Hey, how about contributing a relevant answer to the discussion. Rubber bands are brilliant. To clarify: Beginning at that 'point' and lasting the duration of time that you are in the 'power band'. -R I'm going to sick an elephant on the peanut gallery, watch out. You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

As I understand the 'power band': It's the point that your canopy planes out after initiating a high-speed diving maneuver. I.e. when you plane out right over the ground after initiating a hook or strong diving riser carve. This is the point when any inputs, even tiny ones could have large effects. This is when you have a lot of 'power' to play with. enjoy, -R You be the king and I'll overthrow your government. --KRS-ONE

I've got a Voodoo V3 and purchased it early on in my jumping. One of the main factors I chose it was asthetics and fit. It was the most comfortable and naturally feeling and well fitting rig I had tried on...and I had tried on a lot of the big names (Javelin, Mirage, Wings, Vectors) The risers are well covered as are the pins and bridal. With the reserve pilot chute completely covered, you don't have to worry about snags like the exposed pop-top rigs. I enjoy packing it more than Javelin-style rigs. Packing the reserve is very friendly and straight-forward. The reserve spring will break your nose if you're not careful when packing it(strong is good ;>). You don't need a shock-cord to keep the leg straps together when you are in a sit, for example. It fits so well that it does not slide down your legs to your knees when you move around. I did have a problem with riser cover flaps popping open under normal use. It was slightly annoying and came to a head when it popped open in a head-down. Needless to say, it caused a mal and I had to chop. I called up RI and they said they had a fix, in a couple of weeks I got the mod and I got several pieces of fabric replaced and it completely fixed the problem. I can now say I am 100% satisfied...well except for the fact that I am ready to downsize (again) and a Stiletto 120 is very loose in the V3. I also got wider toggles, the thin ones were a little more difficult to jam your hands through after opening, big improvement. Wide leg-straps were a good idea too. My next purchase will be A Voodoo V1 or or V0, they fit great, they look great, their customer service is great. Who wants a big block or a cheese wedge on their back? -R