MakeItHappen

That is the RC stop. . That's just not true. If it was a ripcord stop, I would not be able to pull the ripcord out of the housing when I do a repack. And I do that all the time. If someone reading this has had a ripcord jam on a Vector3, please speak up. Bill Booth, I know you read this forum, can you tell us if this is happening? Jan, if you read the early posts on this thread, you'll see that I was one of the first to point out possible problems that I felt made the spectra ripcord not yet ready for the general public. I still have those same concerns. I don't have any need to use misinformation to bolster my position. There is no ripcord stop on the Vector3. The design of the system is that either sort of ripcord, steel or spectra, will clear the housing when you pull it. Do a search on ripcord stop or pulling handles for a repack. There are several threads here that mention that the RSL pin was jammed against the housing with the RC eyelet still attached. Here's one of those threads http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1009073 There are a couple of other threads that say the exact same thing from around that same time period. The UPT RSL system does not always act as a RC stop, nor was it designed to do that, but sometimes it does. The velcro is supposed to keep the RSL pin in place and allow it to rotate so that the eyelet clears the RSL pin. But that does not always happen. Here's a more recent thread explaining the situation http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3390225 and there are 3 different jumpers stating that they had RC stop effect. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

That's great that they work as a tandem main RC. Tandems are not involved with canopy collisions or wraps with any great frequency. The last one I can think of was the one way back when that was a result of intentional tandem CRW. Anyway, back to the point, a spectra reserve RC on a sport rig does have a possibility of getting cut by a hook knife or by lines from another canopy running across it. This is a foreseeable failure mode that has at least a remote probability and a catastrophic severity. That puts it at an undesirable risk level (according to MIL-STD 882). People should be aware of hazards introduced by new products or 'improvements'. They should not get sidetracked by 'almost double the strength' feature that does not make any difference. I cannot think of any ball swages that have come off a metal RC. I do recall plastic RC handles shattering for some unfortunate people. And a lot of people still use metal connector links. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

That is the RC stop. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

The spectra ripcord is as likely to clear the housing as the stainless steel cable with the marine eye. The little velcro sandwich tab on the Vector RSL and top flap is meant to help ensure that the pin doesn't get pulled up to the ripcord housing. Doesn't always work, but the problem is not unique to the spectra ripcord at all. But, currently, the reserve RC stop is unique to RWS/UPT rigs. As you say it does not always work (the clearing of the reserve lanyard from the housing). There are lots of posts about this issue too. Ripcord stops are black death. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Sometimes I question the rationality of jumpers and riggers. If you list a bunch of advantages why don't you list the disadvantages? Terry did a good job of challenging your 'advantage list' but I'll add to it. 1 - the difference in breaking strength is insignificant because the pull forces are supposed to be ~2% of that breaking strength. 2 - your view is myoptic. The entire cable has to be inspected for continuity. There is no way to inspect the bungee when it is installed. 3 - another insignificant difference. So you change the frictional force from 1/4 pound to 1/8 pound. BFD 4 - incorrect (see below) Here is a list of disadvantages: a - the spectra line is more susceptible to snagging, fraying, wearing out by dragging a rig, degradation by environmental factors b - the tactile response from the spectra RC may lead a jumper to believe he has pulled the RC pin, when in fact he has only pulled to the maximum stretch length of the RC. c - the tension in the spectra RC cable may make floaters MORE of an issue than a metal RC cable. Here is a possible real life scenario that would make the spectra RC cable lethal when compared to a steel RC cable. Suppose that you were in a canopy collision (CRW, after opening or in the pattern). This is a plausible and unfortunately too common occurrence. You whip out your hook knife and start slashing lines wrapped around your body. Unbeknownst to you, your RC has been dislodged. And as fate would have it, the RC cable (whether spectra or metal) has wrapped around a line of the other guy's canopy. Or you could say that the other guy's suspension line wrapped around your RC cable. The suspension line is holding the handle out away from your rig, but has not pulled it far enough to pull the reserve pin clear. You are there cutting lines away and oops --- hit the RC cable. In the case of a metal cable, your hook knife will not cut it, but you might pull the reserve pin out. In the case of a spectra cable, you might have killed yourself by taking away your reserve solution - unless you have the back up plan to wait for the AAD to fire. And the bungee 'feature' of the spectra RC just kicked in and sent the spectra cable deep into the housing. At this point you wish they never did away with the 'last hope rope'. If this situation happened to you, would you rather have a metal RC cable or a spectra RC cable? Is an 80 lbs difference in breaking strength going to save you? Are two fully functional bar tacks going to save you? Is a slight difference in pull forces at an angle going to save you? Is a bungee that snapped that spectra cable into the housing going to save you? Or would a metal cable with a floating RC handle possibly save you? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Sounds like the court is saying, "you can't waive negligence". I know the "you can't waive negligence vs. you can't waive only gross negligence" gets debated on here periodically, and now an appellate court throws in its 2c. I think you are missing the issues in this case and why the appellate court overruled part of the supreme court's decision. Issue 1 was whether or not a malfunctioned main was part of the assumption of risk. The appellate court said yes it was and that it was obvious by the fact that two parachutes are used. This is why the claim against the defendants was dropped. Issue 2 was that negligent actions cannot be waived by Sec 5-326. But there were no negligent actions by the defendant, as the malfunctioned main was part of a normal expectation of participating in skydiving. The court mentioned in passing that this part of the waiver appears to violate NY state law. Issue 3 was that the plaintiff would be responsible for defendant's legal fees if the ruling went against the plaintiff. Since the plaintiff did not defend those counter-complaints and the discretion of the court, that part of the counter-complaint remains open and not ruled upon by the court. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I tried this this last weekend and it worked like a charm! Got out of a couple of line twist fast than ever! I just want to get it out here so hopefully more will see it and maybe learn a better way to get out of line twist! Also from him There are a couple of BG vids on this too. But from the limited vids I've seen, IIRC it only works well when the canopy is not diving. And one potential hazard is that you might release one brake by accident, that might complicate the situation. It does look like a promising alternative, but the 'gotchas' have not been identified yet. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

The next appearance should be a follow-up story by Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Atlanta TV stations. I think the local Phoenix stations will do the story. Just trying to figure out how to say FU USPA in the politically correct way. --- ooooh I know wear the red neckerchief around my neck. My other news appearances were related to - computer group I formed in Sacramento - 4X WR events (nothing to do with the above story) & I have 2 radio interviews broadcast in England in the wee hours of the morning. Strangely enough I don't have OL copies of the TV spots, but the radio interviews are on MakeItHappen.com One video spot is http://growingbolder.com/media/sports/extreme/skydivers-over-sixty-smash-world-233710.html Are my 15 minutes up? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

It could be a simple lack of hydration problem. You need to drink LOTS of water, esp this time of year. Nausea (and even dry heaves) is one symptom of dehydration. Headache is the next most common problem. If it gets bad enough you'll faint. Fluids such as soft drinks & coffee actually dehydrate you because of the caffeine. You need water or a sports drink with good electrolytes and potassium. You might even need salt supplements if your blood pressure is always really low. Make sure you have enough 'rest time' after the dirt dive to take in some water and cool down before getting on the plane. Too many places schedule it so that you are out there working away and sweating a bunch and scurry you away to the plane without any chance to replenish the water. (This happens on student status as well as big-way record dives. It always diminishes the performances.) . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

If you watch the video carefully, you will see the door come down and hit his yolk. Then it looks like the front edge of the door catches on the back of his helmet. He raises his left arm to push the door up. Then the guy inside tries to push up the door. During the shuffling is when the latch catches the reserve. The mistakes were the protruding latch mechanism and the pilot not keeping the door up. The jumper did everything right. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Damn I thought it was the Jack of Hearts . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I'm not sure I agree with this. If one of the entangled jumpers is clear and has the opportunity to remove themselves from the situation, I think they should. If one is already entangled, then it really can't get much worse, but getting half the load off the flying canopy as soon as possible can only improve the odds. Also, if the top jumper is entangled he/she may not be able to move, breath, cutaway anything until the weight is off the entangling lines. Also, I could see an unentangled jumper riding in one with someone who is entangled just because he thought it was the thing to do, rather than save him/herself. Man, just thinking of all that HMA or someother cheesecutter line around me (or through) makes me shudder! MakeItHappen, can you convince me otherwise? Not wanting to start a brawl here, just want to learn more. It came from this article http://web.archive.org/web/20070701115244/http://crwdog.servebeer.com/CRWdog/CRW+Emergency+Procedures.html . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Don't take this personally, but is there anyone from your new DZ that can verify that you are a real person and are jumping at the new DZ? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

You kinda have to wonder why that was not done prior to anyone jumping from that AC ????? Did they teach the pilot how to fly so that the door stays up against the wing? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Incomplete scenario, I hit another canopy on my second spinning 360 and then what happens, where, and at what Alt? uhmmm, if this happened in real life you might not have 'all the facts' What would you do then? Let's say that the canopy you collided with obstructs your view of your altimeter. or How about the lines from the other canopy dump your reserve . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Congrats Mark to you and your friends. Hope you can go bigger next year. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Not bad for a CRW dog. How many people out there could have answered the same prior to reading Craig's post? How many people without CRW experience could have done so? Scenario #2 - You have a spinning malfunction. As you start your 2nd 360, your body hits the open canopy of another jumper. Whatcha gonna do? What to do if you do collide Most of the techniques for what to do when you are in a canopy collision come the CRW world. There are two broad categories for canopy collisions: wraps and entanglements. A wrap is when a parachute is wrapped around a jumper's body. An entanglement is when the parachutes are entangled with each other. In a wrap scenario, the top jumper's parachute will remain open. Two people under one canopy means thumping-in at twice the normal wing loading. If you have the altitude, the lower jumper cuts away and pulls his reserve. If you do not have the altitude, then riding it in may be the only course of action. The lower jumper could pull his reserve, but that may have problems of inducing a downplane with the other jumper. An entanglement scenario usually results when one jumper passes through the lines of the other jumper. Both jumpers may have to cut away and pull their reserves. The top person cuts away first so that the line recoil does not wrap the other jumper. It is possible that the cutaway canopy may free itself from the lower jumper's canopy. If an entanglement is spinning, then the higher, spinner jumper should cutaway first. Collisions in the traffic pattern are incidents that require immediate action. There usually will not be time to talk to the other jumper. It is a dicey situation to cutaway below 1000 feet. Canopy collisions within the traffic pattern are very dangerous. Probably the best thing to do is pull the reserve and hope that you get more nylon above your head. The way to avoid canopy collisions is to maintain canopy separation at all times. That should be everyone's goal on every jump. from Avoiding Canopy Collisions I didn't want to type it all again. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

You should make sure your attny knows the case law on these things and presents it to the judge. Some case law is available from USPA. Also Fred Morelli might be another good source. You can find him through SDC. You have to ask for the funds. Don't expect USPA to call you. POC = Randy Ottinger. If HQ turns you down, you can always elevate it to the FB, and make a lot of phone calls to BOD members. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Check this out http://twitter.com/1800skyride . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Your situation is not unique. Not every DZ ignores the NGs. Remember that skydiving is expensive and not everyone has the funds or desire to jump with NGs. Don't take it personally - they do it to every NG. You will find those that will jump with NGs, but there are not that many. See Newbie Blues . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Official 108-way set today at Skydive Chicago on the 6th jump today. Exit at 17.5K, break-off at 7K, working time of about 40 sec. Congrats to all. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

See Density Altitude - Wing Loading Converter BTW density altitude is the important variable, not elevation. see Density Altitude for a chart to convert pressure altitude to density altitude. Use any weather site to estimate the temp. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

In the early days, the dba 1-800-Skyride was assigned to CASC, Inc. Does that make the connection for you? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

If someone is using double fronts, at what altitude would you recommend they make sure they're back to full flight before trying to flare for their landing? You gently return the risers to full flight at an altitude that allows the canopy to swing through the natural recovery arc before reaching the ground. This depends upon many factors: - how deeply you pull down on the risers - how long you held double fronts - your canopy type - your WL - density altitude Your velocity (speed and direction), when you gently return the risers to full flight, depends upon how deeply you pull them down and how long you hold them down. Your canopy type determines the type of recovery arc (long, medium, short) Increasing WL will increase the recovery arc with all else being equal. Increasing Denisty Altitude (DA) will increase the recovery arc with all else being equal. There is no one answer to your question, except that you want to be through the recovery arc before reaching the ground. Attached are 2 graphs from a simulation code I have for natural recovery. The point (0,0) is the entry point of the natural recovery. That is the place where you gently return the controls to full flight. The initial velocity on both graphs and all trajectories is the same. The first graph is for DA=0 ft and the 2nd is for DA=5K ft. Each graph has trajectories for 5 different WLs. The general shape of the trajectory is the same. It has an initial steep part, then curves until it flattens out, then returns to steady state full flight. The 'flat' section is the end of the natural recovery arc. You want that to be above the ground. You can see how the altitude lost to get to the flat part changes with WL. Compare graph 1 and 2 and you can see how it changes with DA. Variations of initial velocity (speed and direction) and canopy type (L/D & Cl) will shift the trajectories around too. But enough graphs for now. The important lesson to learn are what parameters influence the natural recovery and to develop a sight picture so that you know when to enter the natural recovery by gently returning the controls to full flight. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

This is what the Chief Instructor coordinates among staff via staff meetings. The entire staff has to agree on how to teach each topic. It is not just CC. EPs, FF turns, flare, exit and on and on. As to the specific topic of s-turns: S-turns should be taught, but should be discouraged in the pattern (1000' & below). S-turns can come in handy if you have to land in a tight spot - just ask Larry the Cable Guy ;) S-turns are not optimal, but can be used if slow flight won't be enough or diverting is not possible. You do need to check for traffic before turning. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker