AFFI

Perssonally I am consistently neat with my nose and simply tuck slightly and make sure my lines (secially the C,D/Control) are where they are supposed to be. It only takes like 10 to 15 seconds. They guys that gave me all this "quirky" advice years ago are much messier with thier noses than I have become.

QuoteWhen I watch people pack I'm reminded of dogs that walk in a circle 3 times before they lie down. They don't know why they do it - but if they didn't they wouldn't sleep.. There's so much mumbo jumbo voodoo bullshit around packing... I often wonder though, if some people with 300, or 900, or 2800, or 4000 dives just have some super deployment diagnostic sense that I don't have. They're always "too fast, too hard, off heading" etc Only thing I really don't like are canopies that don't open, or that make me think they won't open by snivelling for 1000+ feet. I pack like shit. It looks so bad it literaly scares people - but it works. Quote After I stoped laughing till my belly hurt, I decided this was worth starting a thread concerning this issue under safety and training: "The Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo of Packing… " http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2131873#2131873 Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

First off, I claim to have no basis of proof that the knowledge being shared is accurate information upon which to convince anyone of anything. So please do not be alarmed by this broadcast and run to the hill’s, kill you families or punch speed holes in your slider, this is quite possibly, only fiction. When someone was trying to convince me that the little things I was taught to do on the packing room floors for years, did in fact, not make a difference. This dinosaur rigger and old champion style accuracy dude both tried to convince me through words, but they had to prove it to me and they did. The moment of inflation beginning, it’s mostly about body position, descent rate and proper slider functioning. Then there are a bunch of little variables that are so entirely enigmatic that is lures people (like me) into thinking that a minor difference between packing method spread across a few jumps is going to give a good illustration of the dynamics of this Hand Made piece of fabric hitting an ever changing wind condition after being launched from an ever changing body position - and because there hand made, no two canopies are exactly and totally alike they all have their own personalities and nuisances. Some function well within their design parameters and some are just plain evil, especially when improperly used. I was in Deland a couple years ago and I made a few freeflys with this really cool person who was complaining about inconsistent openings on a new Stiletto. I did my standard 8 minute pack job on it and gave a 5 minute dissertation on properly launching the PC and maintaining body position at deployment time. They reluctantly, with extreme trepidation made a jump on this totally “improperly packed” mess. Upon landing I was asked to "please teach me to pack that way". This was someone with over 500 jumps and quite current that was just willing to listen to something that was a little contrary to what they had learned over the years on the packing room floors of the world. Something 2 guys who knew what they were talking about with 40 years experience between them taught me, no, had to CONVVINCE me because I am a smart guy and it is hard to convince me that my understanding of the universe is sometimes a little misunderstood. Then this person tells me “You’ve been living in a dream world Neo”. And it was like these guys showed me the freaking Holy Grail because now I pack in 7 to 8 minutes and I am not worried at all about what is going to come off my back and besides, I have a “never been used” PD Reserve on my back I am just itching to see. With properly configured equipment, a pack job is simple, its 4 flaps and a pilot chute, there is not much that can go wrong when properly used and maintained. Me personally, I am not quick witted enough to complicate stuff when so much is at steak. Ummmm, steak… Imossible to give a packing lesson online, but basically it is more a matter of learning what is and is not important in getting consistent openings then taking the important things and do them, keeping it as simple as possible as possible. Then put your own personality in the pack job on properly maintained gear. Use common sense, especially to the totally obvious stuff like setting brakes and whatnot. 1) Slider should be properly sized for the control of inflation one desires. Note: Slider sizes that ship with canopies are paired for reasons involving some sort of adding and subtracting I am most qualified to say nothing about. So I called the manufacturer of the canopy I fly and made a request for a larger slider. The largest slider Jon Leblanc was willing to send (for the type of canopy) was deployed high to check it out, though not too high for added thrill and the openings were much more the way I desired, it made a huge difference for what I was looking for, openings much more “screws in back” friendly. 2) Slider should be fully opened and quartered completely. 2a) Nose: Note: The philosophy that was expressed to me is the counting and flaking of the nose and all the other nose fixations in the pack job are of no concern, “they are sewn together, where are they going to go”? It has been my experience that the neater I try to make my nose, overall it bears no difference to the consistency of the openings but the prevention of the Line Over explained by Bill V. (The nose can go) "Through the tail, thus causing the most common propack malfunction - the lineover. Control of the nose and tail (specifically the C/D/brake lines) is pretty important when it comes to avoiding mals. by BillVon 3) Neat and orderly line stows in maintained rubber bands. Note: Rubber Bands are often jumped past their prime. 4) Bridal properly routed and container properly closed. Note: Closing loops are often jumped past their prime. 5) Pilot Chute Note: Although I use a specific method there seems to be a million ways and reasons upon which and entire manual could be written, torn up and burned. Just make sure the freaking thing is cocked. Dem Kaisers are choice. 6) Proper decent rate and good body position at deployment time. 7) Be prepared to deal with malfunctions. So basically I was told to take those steps, and add between the lines add as little of the other stuff I learned in packing rooms that I was personally comfortable with and go from there, let it evolve. Make it a great day. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Some hardcore fucks like me believe that you should have to undergo refresher training from an AFF-I peridocally in order to renew, even AFFIs. Could you imagine Lew Sanborne at malfunction junction with D-30000? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Beer... Vicodin... If your a girl, get another girl to rub your back. If your a dude, suffer, its time to man up...

Any way ya cut it a current skydiver with lots of jumps as opposed to the occoasional sydiver with lots of jumps? I suspect that the experienced skydiver who stays current will be able to handle malfunctions better than the the uncurrent even if they both train equally before eacch jumping day. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Quote how many black lesbians skydivers have you heard of dying?Quote Whaaaaaaat? If I were a cartoon there would be scribbles over my head while I scratch it in confused astonishment. I might be totally wrong by what I am about to say, and mean no offense to our sister lickers of color out there, but ALL black lesbians die, whether they are skydivers or not don’t they? If not I want to be a black lesbian (that just happens to score with straight chicks so they won’t try to run my life)…

Bravo! Stood it up and everything! "Do NOT bury a toggle!" indeed. I miss someone with lots of "time" in the sport who never learned the full range of canoy piloting and is dead because of it. Glad you did... I have been able to enjoy the benifit of lots of practice up high when the chips were down close to the ground as well, just how to encourage others? What a great posting! Thanks dude... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

First off I am in now way a rigger but it is my understanding that: At the end, does the material it is made of double back over itself an inch or two? That would be the 2 inch thicker chest strap. The 1 inch does not have this but I read the owner’s manuals of a Javelin that came with that strap and the routing/stowing procedures were a little different than the thicker strap. It is hard for me to accept irregardless of the type of strap it is, had it been properly routed it would not have come loose unless done manually. If you are certain that the strap was in fact routed correctly, I would strongly advise not jumping that container again until you get it checked by a rigger and if is good to go then re-evaluate your attention to detail concerning proper routing/stowing of the type of chest strap you are utilizing and gear checks. A chest strap loose in freefall is serious and could be deadly, please take some action in getting whatever the problem is corrected. Stay safe dude… Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

I have owned 3 Stilettos over the last 2400 skydives and don’t believe rolling the nose has anything to do with the rate at which a Stiletto or Saber for that matter inflates. The moment the canopy leaves the D-Bag the pack job is shot, the body position at deployment time and slider regulate the rate of inflation. Of course that is just what I subscribe to, I could be wrong... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Well, we agree on one thing... What type of chest strap is it? I do not believe band around the chest strap being worn and loose will be the cause of a "properly routed" chest strap to come out. Any riggres want to chime in on this?

Ball under malfunction. OUCH!

100 ft - OUCH.... My slider is the size of Rhode Island... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Well put...

yeah, "senseless" sounds like a better description than "funny" to me. I would do it in a heartbeat! Sounds like fun and safe enough with the proper precautions taken. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Sport jump plane rides down? Zero.... Student jump plane rides down? Dozens... Students don’t pay if it is my call and whenever the conditions are shitty when I make a sport jump, well what can I say? I have a freakish side that loves jumping through storms! It is beautiful to experience, like when Trinity was flying Neo into the machine city and had to fly up over the clouds and see the sun for the first time - it’s just beautiful and for me is worth the risk like swooping or unprotected sex is worth it to others... I have had the pleasure of jumping through a few storms that not only could I not believe the plane actually too off in the first place, but the green light was actually turned on! It is a beautiful thing… Do I tell students this side of me? Hell no... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

The rib punch is not a threat; think of it as informing your student as to what the safest (for you) and most expedient solution is if they hold the PC. Educate them about the dangers and how making this mistake can be very costly as well as being a huge concern for instructors. Tumbling and spinning (freefall) situations are easily handled if I stay ultra close and handle my student with an "I own them" mentality while I am smiling at them telling them to relax, as long as remain in control and don’t over amp its cool. In the beginning being over aggressive when making a save has been counterproductive as compared to being where I am supposed to be and being in control of myself. Having had great mentors concerning how to handle situations helped me a lot in the real world and really helped me to get in control along with practice. Will still go up with another instructor and practice assisted roll overs and spin stops from time to time especially at the beginning of the season. Some of the hairiest and scariest videos and personal experiences have been of students holding onto the PC with the bridal bouncing around wildly, there is so much that can go wrong. As an instructor I train for every situation I can think of and having a poorly thrown PC to me is one of the areas I think about often. Spidey sense is always tingling at deployment time. When ground training I don’t use the word “Pull”, its not pull time its deployment time… Most importantly don’t overlook the most important factor of my reply to your post is the additional training for PC throwing. 5 minutes or less (more if necessary) doing practice throws on a creeper has provided unbelievably productive results. With a mirror in front of the creeper for observation of good body position, proper technique in throwing to avoid an entanglement and having them shout “throw” when they toss that PC is a great reinforcement. Luckily I was able to find some really good ground training mentors who assisted in my development but despite their experience and my respect for them not everything they professed sounded to me like a good idea at the time but most of it made some sort of sense. Good instructors go the extra mile; mediocre instructors make the most jumps… Personally, I am not there to make the most jumps, I am there to properly train people how to do something insanely dangerous and unforgiving of mistakes or improper training and practices. One last comment in this long post – having a preplanned course of action is highly recommended for high speed situations Although I do not believe that actually hitting another human being is “right”; my preplanned course for a PC being held (too long) is currently to follow through with the rib punch because I have been exposed to video that illustrated its effectiveness and the instructor who taught me this solution was very adept in his understanding of all the things that could go with this situation not to mention his 30 years of experience. Make it a great day! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Train... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Another awesome read. I don’t have that much time in the sport or very many jumps yet; still have so much to learn. Perhaps that’s what so appealing about skydiving to me, the need to continually train and learn. Wisdom through experience in this sport comes from decades of time and dedication that folks like you have given to it, and the knowledge that you have been willing to share to give back illustrates what fantastic people skydivers are. It has been a great pleasure reading your posts and learning from you even if it was just on an online message board. I earnestly thank you for sharing your knowledge and making me a better skydiver and instructor Michael, sincerely, thank you for that. Remember; don’t sell all your gear, save at least one complete rig in case you get the itch again. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

First off, slapping the hand holding onto the PC could result in the PC or bridal becoming entangled with the instructor. Throwing the PC is a good thing to go over until the student understands that "pulling" is not enough, this is why we took out the word "pull" in all of our training material at the DZ I work at and why I never use the word "pull" when training students. Seems like a small thing, but the word “pull” might instill something in their heads without the knowledge that the term comes from the ripcord days and semantically does not apply today. Early on I experienced this situation more often than I wanted, and in attempts to minimize this occurrence I tried the following: 1) Changed the words I was using in training from “pull” to “throw” 2) Explained why holding the PC will not deploy the main 3) On a creeper had them actually throw a dummy PC several times 4) On one of the practice throws had them hold the PC in their hand and asked how I was going to get them to get go of it. The common response was “Shake me?” A trick I learned from an old old OLD timer instructor was to punch them in the ribs and they would let go of the PC right away, so on the ground during the practice throw session I told them that this was what I would do, punch them as hard as I could right in the ribs. Although I have never actually punched a student to get them to let go of the PC just telling them during this portion of the training was sufficient enough to get students to throw the PC and not hold onto it. This training takes 5 minutes or less and since I started utilizing this training technique not a single student – not one has held onto the PC since. “When they still won't let go, pull the main pin” This is a very bad idea for the following reasons: 1) I have seen a video where the student held on to the PC and thinking a Total Mal had occurred deployed the reserve immediately, had the instructor reached over and pulled the main pin a two out situation would have occurred. Unbelievably the student landed the reserve with the PC tucked away beneath the Jumpsuit! 2) There is a chance the bridal or lines could snag on the instructor. 3) There is a chance the bridal could take a wrap around the student’s wrist or around the PC creating a knot (I have seen this) and could result in a nasty Horseshoe. Students will hold on to PC’s, it is just a fact of this business we are in and the best way I have found to substantially reduce this situation is to ground train specifically on the importance of a good clean throw, keeping the palm skyward to avoid a bridal entanglement while maintaining a good body position. I have been in a few hairy situations and have seen videos much worse than what I have experienced, it is definitely worth the five extra minutes of ground training . A few extra minutes on the ground could save a bad situation in the air. I am looking forward to input from other AFF Instructors concerning this issue. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

They don't, it is blind faith but statically the largest majority of skydivers will survive long enough until they have a better understanding. Problem I see is instructors who are not safety oriented teaching student’s bad habits and then the bad habits are taken away from student status and spread like a virus. Have seen it and have realized there is little I can do except keep my part of the street clean and help make safer, better informed skydivers to those who will listen. The sad truth is there are organizations and individuals out three that will cut safety corners just to make a buck... Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Can you give more information on this? What were the jumpers actions, the orientation of the canopies, altitude and etcetera? Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Hell yes, it is a great debrief tool. All the instructors at my DZ wear a cam - personally I don’t have a cam eye or sight so nothing distracts me from my responsibilities in the air with my student. Just a half rack with a d-box, nothing else. Plus it would suck if things got a little on the side of combat skydiving as is sometimes the case with students and I don’t want to get something to snagged on the student. Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Don't do it! It will cost you thousands!!! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…

Hell yes! That is part of the fun - get current on your EPs and preparedness and ENJOY THE RUSH! Mykel AFF-I10 Skydiving Priorities: 1) Open Canopy. 2) Land Safely. 3) Don’t hurt anyone. 4) Repeat…