MakeItHappen

None of my posts here are as an 'official National Director', unless specifically mentioned. My posts represent my opinion, not USPA's. Yes, Danny, did 'attack' a fellow jumper. Yes, I am sure Danny thought his airspace was clear, just like the guy in AZ that almost took out his gf. Just like the two swoopers in Eloy that took each other out. Just like the swooper in XC that took someone out. Just like the guy that took Kallend out. Just like the guy in Elsinore that took out someone. etc, etc, etc I am sure that ALL of the swoopers that did manuevers that they survived or ended in a collision thought that they had the space to do said manuever. The problem is that some of them did not have the space and some of them took an innocent with them or gave an innocent a very fearful and real idea about how they could do everything right and still be taken out by someone doing something for their personal gratification. The innocents are taking this personally, whether you like it or not or whether you believe it or not. In the particular cases of Danny killing Bob or the Elsinore incident (c2000) or the Eloy incident (bf almost taking out gf) or the Eloy (two swoopers taking each other out) or the XC (swooper taking out an innocent) or Kallend getting hit from behind, etc, yes I will say that no amount of education or coaching taken or assumed by the victims could have helped the victims of the collision. Education for the swooper that caused the collision may not have helped. By all accounts the persons executing these HP approaches in these specific incidents were knowlegable about swooping. They chose to disregard the fact that they may not be able to see all before commitiing to a swoop and chose to swoop anyway. Education would work for the guy that sprialed through a pattern and for the guy that tracked off towards the DZ, as opposed to the proper radial outbound from the formation's center. You should read more of my posts more carefully too. Then explain why Danny did his swoop. I've know Danny since 1992 and know that he was a very intelligent person. But, he did something that was just plain wrong and took someone else out with him. Education did not work in his case. Maybe a DZ policy that separates HP from conventional patterns is what is needed. Apparently, that policy was in place, but perhaps not enforced adequately enough, and Danny still disregarded it. I do not think that USPA or anyone could formulate a rule that applies to all DZs. I am not in favor of a BSR addressing this issue. This has to be addressed at the local DZ level. Separate conventional and swoop type landings in space or time. Why is that such a difficult concept for you? Elsinore did it at the turn of the century and it has proven to be acceptable to their cliental. see above. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

swooping IS NOT the major cause of death and injury. in fact, it is just one of the causes. while most are canopy related now your ignorance on the issue and your subsequent lack of recognizing that YOU also need to learn more to prevent these incidences will allow the problem to perpetuate; not go away. wake up please. educate yourself, do more canopy only training, get coaching, learn how to put yourself into your own slice of the sky. these things will prevent accident; not going on rampages about how swooping is the problem. Hey Chachi, I am curious about what canopy courses or canopy coaching or slice of sky that Bob Holler could have had or done that would have changed the outcome of Bob being attacked from behind and above? Correct me if I'm wrong, but no matter what courses or coaches Bob may have had would not have made the slightest difference in him being taken out by Danny doing a manuever that is unacceptable in a crowded pattern. Perhaps, if Bob took a line 10 ft to the right or left, Danny would have missed him. But how would Bob know that? I would say to you and others that wish to swoop in conventional patterns that you need to wake up and realize that the conventional pattern people do not like being targets for swoopers and do take it personally when they get taken out. This has happened with such frequency that the normally silent majority will rise up and demand action by DZOs. It won't be just me asking DZOs to separate swoops from the main landing area this weekend, it will be the majority of jumpers. I also agree that s-turns and spirals should be removed from the main landing area too. DZOs must act now. This is a global problem with local solutions. The DZO or S&TA must make the landing patterns safe for all jumpers. Skydive Arizona and Skydive the Farm have changed their policies already. Elsinore changed their policy years ago after a non-fatal collision there. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

That did the trick. When I lowered my security settings to the lowest setting it allowed the function to work. Thanks for addressing this issue Thank you for your help, JT. I will forward this info onto the web server administrator. He won't be able to get to it, until tonight. I apologize to everyone that had trouble with the search feature. IIS and MS have their strange way of doing things. The web server is not part of my responsibilities, but I do tend to take the flack for it when it is not working. Again, sorry for the disruption in service. Square1 is here to serve you in the best possible way. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

read this and this Folks like you are the problem. You do not have the right to needlessly endanger the rest of the load. Your reading comprehension needs improvement. No one is trying to stop swooping. People are trying to confine swooping to a specific time and place. That will result in lower risks of being taken out by a swooper. The majority, however silent they may be at this time, will prevail. This is not some knee jerk reaction to the events in the past several months. It's a frustration that this same scenario played out at the turn of the century is repeating itself. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I vote no. USPA cannot dictate what individual DZs do. USPA can only suggest solutions. One of those suggested solutions is to separate swoops from the main landing area in time or space. Some DZs are small geographic-wise and cannot have two physical areas for conventional and swoop patterns. What they can do is separate the two types of landing in time. At the local level, what can be done is for organizers, S&TAs, canopy coaches and your everyday jumper demand that the group follow a specific and detailed plan that caters to the local DZ geography and weather conditions. IOW, a big-way organizer says 'conventional pattern only' or a canopy coach says 'stack your approaches' (and the HP landings are separated in time or space from the conventional pattern) These are proven methods. Some DZS are large enough to have physically separate landing areas. The guidelines must be told to the jumpers and enforced. Elsinore is a stellar example of this. There was a canopy collision there around the turn of the century that sent one jumper to the hospital. {Side Note: There were also a flurry of canopy collisions across the nation at the same time. This was very similar to what we have seen in the past few months.} After that accident, Elsinore separated the swoopers from the main landing area. You cannot do HP approaches in the main landing area. If you want to do HP approaches, you do them at the swoop pond. The solution is very simple. In the main landing area you can only do conventional approaches (90 degree turns) Another area is set up for the HP and greater than 90 approaches. Education (about canopy control) is not the end-all solution. Danny Page knew how to control his canopy. Yet he made a very poor judgement decision as to whether it was safe or not to swoop. The only way to stop the likes of him are for the DZ to mandate separate landing areas or the organizer to mandate a conventionl pattern only. Canopy collisions are a global problem, but they need a local solution. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Please see updates on Take Back The Sky . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Nah, I'm doing it for the one cent per degree over 90 to landing kickback royalty that I get from the conspiracy among DZOs. Danny Page owes me $1.80. Dude, all these lessons were learned years ago. It befuddles me that they have to be relearned via fatalities today. All I can say to you is to re-read what I did put on Take Back the Sky I am asking you and everyone else what we can do about this. My 'agenda' is to make sure no one has to worry about being attacked from behind by a swooper, crashed into by someone doing an S-turn or taken out by someone doing spirals in the pattern. If that is a 'bad' goal in your mind, let me know, so I won't be in the air at the same time as you. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Ok, I am more than a little miffed about the events that took place this past weekend and the canopy collisions in the past several months. I am not going to wait for an 'official' decree from organizations. I set up a web site Take Back the Sky for you and me and everyone else to add their two cents into what needs to be done. All contributions will be considered public domain. Tell me what you think needs to be done. BTW, saying that USPA needs to do something is not a good answer. I want specific 'this needs to happen at this level in order to prevent canopy collisions' type of recommendations. The domain was just registered and may not be available to some for another 48 hours. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Ya know, if a store does not carry an item, then the search function will not find it. It does not mean the search function is broken. Where is your thread bashing them? A search on 'camera helmets' shows 11 matches on a single page. All their contact info is on EVERY page - right at the top for easy viewing. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Steve was an icon in the sport, especially in SoCal. To honor Steve, we gathered some info on him and put together these articles. Sharron surreptitiously gathered data from his logbooks. Others sent me stories and details. Still others loaned me photos to scan. Steve Fielding and the links to others articles. There was too much to put in one article, so it was split into several. The articles were put on the web site after Steve and Sharron were driving to the DZ. At the end of the day, we showed him our handiwork. Blue Skies Steve. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Yah - but I hate standing in line to manifest. If I could submit the roster and what plane we wanted with a click that would be better. And I could time it better too. Don't manifest too soon, else you don't have enough time to dirt dive. Don't manifest too late, else you have a long turntime. Goldilocks would be hit a button midway through your dirt dive to get you and a plane asap, with that break to go pee factored in. Even when we are doing the same group all day, the manifestor sometimes doesn't copy the complete roster. Then we end up with 30 people trying to get on one Otter load. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Well, I think Matt's idea is a good one. It is also very similar to a generalized version of a single sign on idea that I've been trying to sell for over two years. My idea is more on data owned by mfgs that 3rd parties could tap into, not personal data. In a nutshell, it is the idea that the data owners maintain their data and who has access to it in one place. Let's look at some of the benefits of this in the skydiving world: - You buy a used rig with serial number 1234. A SB is issued on it by the mfg. The mfg can notify you directly, provided you allow them that right. End result, you are informed and can contact your rigger asap. This is much better than what we have today. Today the mfgs do not know who owns the re-sold rigs and also may have old address for their direct new purchases. - Some SB or important rule change is issued and PIA, USPA, APF, BPF etc want to contact all the riggers in their country. Right now, in the US there is no way for PIA or USPA to contact all the riggers. Today we put notices in printed magazines that have 1-2 month lead times. With this system, riggers could be on a distribution list for these types of things. They would learn of the SBs asap and be able to do whatever they need to do for their customers much faster. - You are have a wish-list of equipment that you want. You want to know when such-n-such item goes on sale. Retailers could send you info on that, but ONLY if you allow them to do that. - Security: You only have to worry about ONE place keeping your data secure as opposed to numerous other places. Just in passing, I have found skydiving sites with logins that are very easy to compromise. I will not tell you what sites these are, but they have easy to walk-through doors that allow you to access the alleged 'member-only' data. There are also sites that you can farm data (scraping) very readily. Let's look at some of the disadvantages: - The big brother feeling. This is a perception that is not reality. The only people or organizations that will have access to your data are the ones you allow. Today, with your online banking, you let your bank know who you send money to each month. It's the same idea. YOU control who has access, not the bank or 3rd party. I could go on and on about this, but the fact is that the data owners are the best people to maintain their data. The data owners are the best people to control who has access to that data. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

If anyone is interested in what it looks like, we have pictures on our website at: www.strongparachutes.com just click on "PRESS RELEASE DHT Y-MOD" OOPs. Sorry I did not know it was attached to the backpad too. But I do now. PS Ted is giving DJan and me a tour on the 19th. Make sure we see that up close and personal. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Only if the harness was properly adjusted. What I think is that with the extra Y strap, someone (first time jumper) walking to the plane with an improperly adjusted harness, with some dangling webbing between their legs will ask 'Is this the way it's supposed to be? It does not seem right?' The accident in Ohio was a pax falling out above the lower back lateral. If that lateral is not properly fastened, the pax can still fall out even with a Y connector. So I think the best benefit of the extra Y connector may be to help pax recognize an unsafe situation and ask about it. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I was 'told' at PIA (I do not have anything in writing so am using 'told') that: UPT/Vector added the SkyHook without going through a Minor Change. Sunpath/Javelin added another flap (req'd for the SkyHook) via the Minor Change process. Again, this is what I was told. Well, I can see that there is a difference between RWS and Sunpath mods to add a MARD and that the Sunpath mods are more significant. I know you might be joking with this question, but I'll give you an answer anyway. The scenarios that RWS tested should be included. The bag lock, spinner, total etc. The one scenario that has not been tested, even by RWS, is the entanglement scenario. It's just too dangerous to ask a real jumper to jump this scenario. But I think some sort of entanglement scenario ought to be at least looked into, maybe not added to an official requirement. A 'sort of' test on this might be dropping a dummy with a main attached (PC stuck in pocket, lines on grommets, riser hung on reserve pack tray etc) perhaps from a balloon. The cutaway loops get cut by a cutter system at a terminal like velocity. The Skyhook system goes into action to pull the reserve. Then look at whether the reserve clears the main and whether or not the Skyhook lanyard drops off the reserve bridle line. There could be a systemic problem with the Skyhook in this scenario. The only way we can find out today is to wait for it to happen in real life (and death). This scenario has not been tested. The reason I think there might be a systemic problem in this scenario is that the skyhook lanyard could pull at a sharp angle to the hook. The lanyard may not necessarily drop off the hook as it would in a total. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I don't want to bother Dave or Derek about this, so I'll ask you riggers out there. I'm sure their phone is ringing off the hook. Now Sunpath just said that they will be putting in a SkyHook on their new rigs. An RSL and Collin's lanyard are required in order for the SkyHook to work. Does that need yet another FAA TSO? What I don't get is why you can't have a Sunpath rig with or without an RSL on rigs that do not have a SkyHook. And With a SkyHook equipped rig that the RSL is mandatory. Somehow I think the Skyhook mod is the driving factor here. But these issues did not come up with RWS/new name. It's also my understanding that with a Skyhook equipped rig the RSL has to be on the right riser, not left. RWS rigs have always had the RSL on the right riser. Wouldn't that require a new TSO from Sunpath (or any mfg that wants to add a SkyHook) too? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

I can't believe this. I made a post that suggested that some jumper needed improvement in such-n-such skill. It was not a 'you are a dick', 'you are on idiot' or ' you are totally lost in space comment', it was 'such-n-such skill needs improvement'. That's the new age way to tell someone that he's off the wall and full of shit. But my post was nuked. I did not insult the guy. I made no PA. I was trying to help this guy and let him know that he needed some improvement on a certain skill. I want my money back from Rob Laidlaw. He said the 'needs improvement' way works better. Or maybe the Mods need to take the AIC course??? . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

That may be because you only have a few jumps. Attached is a picture of tracking lanes. Two waves of jumpers are leaving a formation. (The formation would be at the bottom - off screen.) Each wave sets up in a V formation. The inside wave follows the outside wave and stays relative to their tracking leader (#8). After about half the track time, the lanes diverge and the 2nd wave allows the first wave to gain distance. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Any proof of that? I ask cause that seems to be one of the main points if not the main point for not doing a BR during a track. Seems to me that more than likely the person who is concerned and taking the necessary steps to avoid a collision from above is also considering the airspace below before deciding to do a BR. Unless there is evidence and I mean proof of people doing BRs during a track and then colliding with another jumper then whats wrong with it? It seems to have helped quite a few people. Well I could send you off to ask a former S&T Director of USPA to give numerous examples. Or I could send you off to look at the fatalities over the recent years. These examples would be more along the lines of "I was not looking where I was going" as opposed to 'I did a BR'. The *proof* that you are seeking is that the collider did not see the collidee in time to prevent the collision. Unfortunately, the collider and collidee almost always die in the accident or cannot remember the accident. So there is no 'this is what I saw and what I was thinking first hand accounts' We have to go on the 3rd person accounts. If you can find some accident that was prevented because the *low* guy got outta the way of the *high* guy, let me see it. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

It befuddles me that new jumpers think that the sage advice from long time belly jumpers would be totally dismissed. You know what, in over 6000 jumps, including a bunch of +100 ways and something like 40 +300 ways, I have NEVER, EVER BR during break off. YMMV of course. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

FYI: just so people know what they are comparing: USPA 3rd party liability insurance covers up to $50,000 and is about $12.00 of your USPA membership dues. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

This is true if you are above or in the formation or on final approach. When you are low, break off with the first wave and track until their assigned pull altitude. Going low means you become part of the first wave BO team. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Gee, I thought most people were talking about a BR during the track, not as a belly manuever. Either way it is a bad idea. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

The driving analogy doesn't really make sense. When your driving its completely acceptable and often expected for someone to be behind you when you hit the brakes. There are multiple lanes on the highway and multiple cars PER lane heading in the SAME forward/horizontal direction. It sounds stupid to explain such basic reasoning but unlike driving it is unacceptable while tracking for jumpers to share the same direction. That direction being vertical. Cars share horizontal lanes, skydivers do not share vertical lanes. You could be right in that one shouldn't do a barrel roll during a track. I don't have the experience or knowledge to determine that but I know a bad analogy when I see one. Tracking and driving have totally different rules. On bigways, you track off in groups. Sometimes there is a double layer - all headed on the same radials. Think of two Vs one set inside the other or like this >> Even on smaller (16-20way) camps, we teach the track off as a group method, as preparation for a 100-way or larger. On any load, if the airspace is congested for some reason (everyone goes the same way) you can sheepdog someone in front of you. You keep slightly offset from them, so that when they flare and wave off, you can go by them, waveoff and pull off to the side and lower than them. IOW, one person clears the space for two people. It is very important to watch the tracking leader so that you do not run into them. Just a slight clarification: When you BO with a >> formation, the inner wave slows a bit to give distance to the outer wave at about the midpoint of the entire track time. When you sheepdog someone on a jungle rules dive, you do go past them and pull, offest and below. Depending upon your reading comprehension, this may clarify things or it may muddy the waters. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker

Hey Steve, This sounds like a saga for DZComic. You could have your fictitious DZO, Floyd, *deal with* the rumor mill. . . Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker