AFFI

Bill, I have a PD 9 cell 230. I weigh 195. The canopy has about 80 jumps on it. How many do you think it has left? Thanks ZP? Take care of it, reline it on a regular basis - it will last a LONG time...

Okay, I tried frying bacon nekkid, good advice - the bacon took one look at me in the buff and shriveled up on the spot!

Wondering what your experience level is, like how many jumps do you have?

Totally...

Great Post.... Another thing to consider is you may not want to try something "new" until after it has been on the market for some time - let others do the "BETA" testing... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Talk to your instructors, they can guide you better because they are familar with your progress. Having 9 jumps you probably already know the answer to this question. When flying a smaller canopy will it be flying faster or slower then the canopy your downsizing from? Now take that equasition and add the same question for what you already know about winds. Will a 10 mile perhour wind offer a slower of faster ground speed (when facing into the wind) then a 0 MPH?

I side with GG as well, but to educate newcommers as much as possible is the goal, which has been revealed through the trial and error in Gravity Girl's experience she was so willing to share with us. Like was stated in an earlier post - "you can take the hair out of the equitation by having it braided tight to your skull"

So there is an added potential risk, a slim one...

So the jumper had a "Out of Sequence Deployment" that cleared itself? Lucky... Do you know why he had to cut it away?

Lots of people try it; lots of people will never be affected by it, a few might be encountered with issues resulting from skydiving with long hair in the breeze. Feeling the freedom of any freedom feeling activity may leave the participant desiring to get the total experience. Like riding a motorcycle without a helmet, something I used to love to do. Skydiving without a helmet is very much closer, for me anyway, to the total freedom filling experience. I used to have hair down to my waist (for most of my life) and used to wear ear and finger jewelry but skydiving is worth not taking risks to outside the calculated risks of the skydiving norm when our lives are at steak (ummmmm, steak). If it's your desire to experience freefall without a helmet, I wouldn’t tell you to not do it, but if you insist; you can take the hair out of the equitation by having it braided tight to your skull and make it solos or small jumps to decrease the chance of injury resulting from a collision with another person in freefall AND if you have reached a level of proficiency on landings. Skydiving helmets are implemented to protect skydivers from these types of hazards (and to hold electronic gadgets). Skydiving without a helmet feels good to me, perhaps that is why some like to skydive nekkid but without a helmet is as close I have been able to bring myself to the total sensation.. Hmmmm, riding a motorcycle in the buff??? Imagine where you could get road rash? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

And how much closer are your reserve lines? You have already answered your question with sound advice. Bravo... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Have FUN and bring BEER (pies are free)...

premature opening on my load 10 days ago at Elsinore...hmmm. He was in a sit. Horseshoed, but released at cut-a-way. Old rig though. Definitions (as I understand them): A Horseshoe (partial malfunction) is where the container is open but the PC is attached to your body somewhere other than the risers. An "Out of Sequence Deployment" (a type of Horseshoe) means that the container opened and the PC had not yet been deployed. A "Premature" means that the deployment of the main happened but a typical deployment occurred. Another words, the PC was the force that began the deployment of the main because it came out of its pouch (either came out on its own or by another force). Inquiry: Your friend had a Horseshoe (container was open, either the pin became dislodged or the closing loop had broken)? Or Your friend had a Premature Deployment? I am curious because the Horseshoe can be a much more hazardous situation than a Premie. Did your friend recover an Out of Sequence (details)?

Once again - Can Anyone Answer This Question??? How is a "normal closing pin" unfriendly to freeflying?

Yes...yes it is. Whoops, forgot the most important face - corrected image attached...

Does the flex closing pin tell if the PC is cocked or if the reserve pin/riser cover flaps are proper or if part of the PC bridle is exposed or is there are any problems with the rig that an extra set of eyes might catch that may have been overlooked? Self pin checks prior to exit is a personal choice, there seems to be more reasons to get one than to not. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

How is a "normal closing pin" unfriendly to freeflying?

You would be amazed how well images can be doctored in Photoshop in the hands of the right person the shadows alone are not sufficient evidence that this image was not manipulated in Photoshop. Notice in the attached picture how hard it is to tell the difference between the faces in this doctored image and the one in the origional posting - uncanny isnt it? I have had the thought that it would be great to be required to have a rating in order to post in the "Instructors" forum. After all, this forum is; "A forum for Instructors to exchange ideas and share information and techniques about your specific area of instruction. "

Then why not honestly fill out your profile? I understand John's skeptisim totally. How could you possibly have an opinion as to what is and is not "dangerous" with no prior experience and knowledge of what is is you are basing an opinion on? If you want individuals here to be helpful to your inquirys I would take John's statement into consideration.

Jumping congested can be very painful, this I know from experience and it can be dangerous - do a search, there has been a lot of discussion on this topic. If you have to wait a week or two till you can jump safely, gravity will still be working when you are cleared up, and the jump will be more intense with a little break – fun fun fun! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Rob certainly would know more about slider pockets than I - my experience was using a pocket on the slider that my rigger sewed and I used that until the PD slider came in, the larger slider worked as well at the modified slider without additional modifications. I just don’t like flying modified gear, prefer to have OEM parts that are not modified, but that is just my preference. Now I am jumping a Stiletto 135 and use a slider for a 170, that is the largest one John LeBlanc would send for my canopy and it opens fantastically slow, just what a back like mine needs. Learning how to maintain good body position and proper fall rate helped a lot as well, but that just takes time and lots of jumps to practice. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Many of us have ear issues - but yours is the first time I have heard that there was a diagnosis with a fancy name, makes it seem scary. Perhaps a good approach would be to start out with hop and pops gradually increasing in altitude to find your comfort zone and safely find your limitations.

You should really get a doctors opinion on this. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Arch like Pamela Anderson is beneath you, and Tommy-Lee is behind you!

Worth Repeating...