labrys

Sorry, but that's just not true. I've never seen a cloud that was so dense it didn't allow light to penetrate it. It's not that difficult to see which direction the sun is, even from the middle of a cloud. Owned by Remi #?

I've never done a CRW jump and I'm not sure I'm visualizing that correctly, but it sounds like a perfect way to exit in an emergency. I've imagined a really low altitude exit and thought about trying to plant my feet on the back of my helmet... I've never given thought to what my head is doing though. I guess I'll give as much effort into making my head touch my feet as I've thought about making my feet touch my head. Owned by Remi #?

Unless it's high noon, the sun should be a guide. Even if it is, the direction of the jumprun should also be a guide. If you've gotten on the plane with no idea where the sun should be relative to your exit point and clueless about the direction of the jumprun and unable to orient yourself accordingly then you shouldn't be on the plane. If it's so hazy that you can't even use the sun or the plane to guide you... you should have enjoyed the landing in the plane. Owned by Remi #?

That's awesome practice information, thanks. Owned by Remi #?

Wow. Thank you for sharing that. Is a "seated exit" similar to a static line exit from a side door? Did your partner on this jump continue to skydive after this? Did she continue to instruct? Owned by Remi #?

I'm not sure how long you've been watching this thread, so I'll chip in that it does slow down from time to time. The parachute find in Washington really stirred things up for a while. I agree. This is the best thread in the forum, IMO. There's not too much to learn, the speculation is rampant, some of the posts are priceless, there is a huge spectrum of people involved, some of the antics are great fun, some of the posts are fascinating in detail, and the topic is pure legend. I love this thread. Owned by Remi #?

A recent post in Instructors made me wonder how many people have had to do an emergency bailout. If you have, why? What was the altitude and what canopy did you deploy? Were you a student or an up jumper? Why did you bail and what was the reaction of others on the load? Did the plane land safely? I've done one at a DZ I was visiting for the first time. Caravan engine quit at 4500. The mood in the plane was a little tense at first but everyone stayed collected and communication with the pilot was great. One newly licensed jumper was "sent to the head of the line" because she was a little freaked out and wanted to go "now". Everyone bailed on mains. I think the last person was out just under 3000. The plane landed safely at the airport. Owned by Remi #?

joint parenting; joint adoption; joint foster care, custody, and visitation (including non-biological parents); status as next-of-kin for hospital visits and medical decisions where one partner is too ill to be competent; joint insurance policies for home, auto and health; dissolution and divorce protections such as community property and child support; immigration and residency for partners from other countries; inheritance automatically in the absence of a will; joint leases with automatic renewal rights in the event one partner dies or leaves the house or apartment; inheritance of jointly-owned real and personal property through the right of survivorship (which avoids the time and expense and taxes in probate); benefits such as annuities, pension plans, Social Security, and Medicare; spousal exemptions to property tax increases upon the death of one partner who is a co-owner of the home; veterans' discounts on medical care, education, and home loans; joint filing of tax returns; joint filing of customs claims when traveling; wrongful death benefits for a surviving partner and children; bereavement or sick leave to care for a partner or child; decision-making power with respect to whether a deceased partner will be cremated or not and where to bury him or her; crime victims' recovery benefits; loss of consortium tort benefits; domestic violence protection orders; judicial protections and evidentiary immunity; and more.... Owned by Remi #?

I think that the dummy handle is a good idea. A student should be pulling high enough to have enough time to execute a full EP and having them do it as though they are on standard sport gear trains them properly from the start. The SOS still prevents them from pulling the handles in the wrong order.... which is somthing a student seems more likely to do than find themselves so low under a mal that the extra 2 seconds to pull the dummy handle matters. Owned by Remi #?

Who shamelessly stole it from The Onion http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28982 Owned by Remi #?

I think that's one of the things you can do with a premier membership Owned by Remi #?

There isn't a lot of substance there Owned by Remi #?

Yes, I remember that. I also remember that you kept fishing for approval because you had to pay a deposit before you could see the doc. Why can't you just wait a day or two to pay the deposit? I don't mean to come off .... well... "mean" but a skydive isn't an amusement park ride. What happens if you pay your deposit and the doc tells you jumping wouldn't be a good idea? Did you even make an appt. with a doc who is familiar with aviation physiology? I'm concerned that you'll contradict your doctor's advise and jump anyway, increasing the risk to both you and your instructor or you'll lose your money. Owned by Remi #?

Well... every time someone suggests that you should see a doc before you jump you come back with an excuse about why you don't need to or can't. You've been encouraged over and over again. Time for the blunt truth of it. I've seen people have to clean that crap out of their helmets. It ain't pretty. Owned by Remi #?

Sigh. The person who emailed you might be a really experienced skydiving and scuba diving, but is probably NOT qualified to give medical advise. Here's the plan. Let your tandem instructor know you might have ear / sinus congestion problems so that they're expecting the possible thrashing in pain, blood, and snot explosion that might happen when you jump. Owned by Remi #?

I don't think it's unsafe as a minimum. I think that the USPA is giving C and D license holders the opportunity to make their own choices. By that level someone should have the common sense to add altitude if they need to. Slow opening canopy... add altitude. Collapsable slider... add altitude.... on a large load.... add alti, etc. The USPA also gives us no wind limits and that's "unsafe" too. But for now, it's still a matter of choice. Owned by Remi #?

The USPA BSRs list container opening altitudes. Most electronic devices record canopy deployment altitude. Two different things. Owned by Remi #?

Don't waste your money. I'm guessing that we could get BK and / or Fluffy to agree to have a dish soap enema for a fraction of the cost or nothing. Owned by Remi #?

I'd aim for one too, but I'm not as evil as you... considering that it costs $2500 a day to rent the machine and it can produce one every 15 seconds, the little buggers aren't worth all that much. Owned by Remi #?

I'm still confused. You're saying that some DZs teach students to pull 2 handles in an emergency exit? Am I reading that correctly? Which 2 handles? What possible benefit would there ever be to pulling 2 handles no matter which 2 they were? Owned by Remi #?

No, I honestly mean that I don't understand what cutting away has to do with emergency exits. 2 of your poll options involve cutting away. WRT teaching emergency exits, students at my home DZ are taught to exit as instructed, on main or reserve depending on what their instructor tells them. The instructor makes the decision based on altitude and rate of descent if the plane is descending. They are taught to place a hand on the intended handle when instructed and before exiting and to arch and count "one-thousand" before pulling. Owned by Remi #?

Ignore your buddy. Talk to a doc. Owned by Remi #?

I don't understand the question. Are you asking what a student is trained to do if they have a malfunction during an emergency exit? If not, I don't see what cutting away has to do with it. Owned by Remi #?

Maybe this would be a better question for a doctor than a bunch of beer swilling skydivers who have no idea what the condition of your eardrums and sinuses are It's not too likely that you're going to have the opportunity to clear your ears in freefall unless you can do it without using your hands. I chew gum to clear my ears in an airplane, but gum probably isn't a good idea in freefall either. The last thing you want to risk is choking on it out the door.... One thing you might do is go to http://www.skydiveradio.com/shows.htm and listen to show #54. It's an interview with an ear, nose, and throat specialist about the effects of skydiving on the ears. Owned by Remi #?

Brilliant. Leave the "c" out and you're not calling me a fuckwad. Who needs to grow? If you want to step up, buy a dictionary and spell the insults out. Owned by Remi #?