yoink

True, BUT, the reason (as I was taught) for a hookknife isn't for use on a main. It's a last ditch save on a reserve. A main lineover is a chop. You'd hope that a linover on your reserve might be a little more docile than on a 9 cell main with linetwists. At least the BASE videos I've seen with lineovers don't show high-G spins. Surely these are more comparable to a reserve lineover than Dereks test?

Surely this is now bordering on perjury? Isn't there a clause where the judge can throw the case out because the plaintiffs are arseholes? and if there isn't, there should be!

My personal favourite is Andy Sheppard.

What do you mean by the hook knife usage, Bill? I thought that was exactly the reason we carried them?

I've no idea how to use Pokerstars, yb the way. I've registered and logged in. I assume the game will start automatically? Or is there a 'sit at table' button I'm missing?

cool

anyone fancy some poker tonight then?

To be honest, at your experience level, line overs are dealt with in the way dictated by your first jump course rather than from secondhand internet information. Like a lot of things in skydiving, until you have some experience behind you it's next to impossible to figure out all the what-ifs in a scenario, particularly in one when a decision can have multiple types of outcome - some good, some bad. what happens if you haul on your risers and the canopy stalls or twists up? Have you got your hand caught? Can you even pull down on the risers o nyour current canopy? What's your cutaway decision? Do you know what will happen if you cut that line and are you expecting it? Can you land a canopy with a line cut? What height are you at now, what height did you pull and how much height are you losing trying to fix the problem? How much longer have you got? Are you wearing an AAD? All this sort of stuff needs to go through your head instantly and most students simply don't know enough to be able to do that yet. You have to realise that sometimes you will make a docile situation worse by trying to 'fix' it in the air. There's a reason First Jump courses are taught the way they are. Don't start second guessing your instructors just yet! They hate that!

Come out to Perris and I'll PCA you out of the basket. We'll soon find out.

do the Thursday night poker sessions still run?

Find the thread on here for that one. There are some really good posts in it including some from the instructor, but basically the DZ training didn't include static line hangup procedures... it does now!

There's a video on Skydivingmovies - look for 'Static Line hang up'. there's also a thread round here discussing it somewhere.

That doesn't exactly translate though as you're talking about pre-launch, not fully suspended flight. As such, your canopy isn't anywhere near completely pressurised. My experience with various models of wings on launch is that you want to stay as far as possible away from inducing your nose to tuck. I completely agree that in general speed is stability, but using your front risers when you run has little beneficial effect on the stability of the canopy. You're far better served by getting your head down and running like a good 'un, while keeping slight pressure on your brakes or rear risers, canopy dependent. You're actively forcing air into the wing by the speed you're running, and keeping tension on the lines, as it's slightly behind you. You're even better served by not launching in extremely turbulent conditions, however! ;) For the OP, my gut feeling (for what it's worth!) is 'it depends on your canopy size, wingloading and canopy type...' Helpful, huh? There are a couple of articles by Brian Germain talking about this. I believe he thought that for higher wing loadings, consistant, smooth, high G turns on front risers keeps the wing super-pressurised, while on lighter loaded wings, you're far better served by keeping very slight tension on the brakes and using constant active piloting to keep the wing in it's optimum position above you.

you'll fit right in! Perris has been super hot the last few weekends in the afternoon. You might want to bring some water as well to see you through the day.

A lower tariff exit might negate the need for the reserve!

Wow! Blast from the past! Glad to see the haiku back. Great thread revival!

epic thread bump!

PLF wasn't really enforced by my instructors during AFF. I think it came up once in conversation? We never even practiced it. That's my biggest critisism, and it's not just of your dz - it's an endemic attitude, at least in my experience (and this has been bugging me for a few years!). Ask around and (in general) the only time a PLF is mentioned is in passing in a FJC, when in reality, it's a seriously important maneuvre for everyone to master - particularly as approach / landing speeds increase as we jump smaller and faster canopies and the energy you're carrying into landing is that much higher . It's all the more important to repeatedly highlight it, because it isn't instinctive. It needs that practise and muscle memory. I consider myself a canopy pilot. I practise hard at flying and landing canopies, both on a dz and off, and the PLF is a core piece of knowledge IMO. For example, as comfortable as the paraglider-type seated harnesses are for groundlaunching, One of the reasons I don't particularly like them is because they automatically put me in a position where my spine is the first to take an impact in the event of me doing something wrong, rather than in one I can PLF from easily. People won't get a landing right every time, but the PLF should be a default landing option until all the conditions or variables are right for an alternative. In the same way swoopers are actively taught 'you don't swoop unless all the parameters of your setup, pattern, lz are exactly right', similarly all skydivers should be taught that while a standup landing is optimum, a PLF should always be expected and a spine-first one should be avoided if possible.

PLF PLF PLF PLF PLF PLF PLF PLF PLF.... Your legs are built as shock absorbers. Your spine isn't! edit: Not directed a the OP, more of a rant in general I've mentioned it before in various forums, but I'm still amazed at how many licenced and 'should-know-better' skydivers routinely do tandem-style butt first landings. I'm not a doctor, but I do have a degree in neuroscience, and I promise you, a broken ankle heals lots faster and lots better than your spine will in the event of an injury. Why has this type of landing become fashionable? Why aren't the instructors and S&TA's saying 'look, this isn't a safe way of landing'? Honestly, all it'll take is a small rock you didn't see and you will be looking at some serious damage. Please folks, don't do these landings unless you absolutely have to.

Don't be so concerned about the licence classification. Your attitude and skills around the DZ are worth more than a letter after your name if you're looking for people to jump with. The only time I've found licence grading useful is either if you're travelling a lot, but this can be negated with a decent, up-to-date log book, or if there are specific requirements for a jump you want to make that requires a certain licence - demos etc. Word of mouth still counts for a lot in this sport. If you're an unknown, people will ask around to get the low-down on you, rather than just rely on the 'I'm a B licence'. I was too lazy to send off for my B & C licences in the UK, so I'm trying to jump straight from A to D out here when I need to. Just for a giggle.

I wouldn't even have noticed it, nor would I care if I had. The people, what they're doing, how they're landing and the amenities are what I see on a new DZ.

I tell them I let a stills camera go when I'm in freefall and it gets a little chute of its own.

Yep. You asked. Might I refer you back to: God-given RIGHT A: Don't ask permission. Don't ask if there's room. Don't let the sour-ass at check-in suggest that you check it. Simply because you think it's you 'God given right' to do this, doesn't mean that airline staff have to give a monkeys about it. They have rules to adhere to in the execution of their job too. Aren't you now becoming part of the problem - the pain-in-the-arse customer that tmakes it more difficult next time the airline reviews its policies? As Spot says - the simple solution is to expect (and pack for!) the worst. If you can't do this, find an alternate method of shipping. Being difficult often just means you miss your flight... In other news, my 3 guitars should be arriving in California next week after a 6 week sea voyage. It'll be interesting to see if the dock handlers / customs agents are any better!

I spent a lot of my jumps on tracking dives as they're my favourite form of freefall, concentrating on that rather than FF or RW so I might be able to give an opinion from the receiving end.

Buy a paraglider - no cost for lift tickets. How do I divide by zero again?