teason

Got to many to count. my top three 1.) hitting someone's canopy in freefall 2.) A ton of low openings, on one hop n pop from 3000' following a student, I became fixated on his malfunction ... watched it for 16 secs ... After I watched it inflat, I pulled, flightchecked, turned and flared. 3.) Pulled extremely low and had a streamer after getting my gear (mainly the reserve) soaked by a sprinkler the night before. Pulled both handles simultaniously. Low highspeed mal + snivley canopy = bad mojo I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

AMEN, brother. It drives me nuts! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

It was probably John, we had the same conversation. The hardware was designed for cotton webbing. Interesting side note, when cotton webbing was replaced, the navy and the airforce didn't join forces! While the airforce had type XIII, type XXVII was made for the navy. It has similar strength, similar weave and black tracers down the side. Type VII was designed for use with cargo. Also, some canadian manufacturers use type XIII webbing. Al Macdonald uses it in his sidewinders and the late Steve West used it in his Innovater container. Just useless trivia. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

If it was performed legally by a reputable source, then the mod should have been recorded on the Data card, unless the origional has been lost. If it's origional and has no metion, I'd be skeptical. Thanks for the info Rob, something to look for I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

A burr appears on metal componants. It is usually a nick or dent on the metal surface that results in a sharp point. Often seen on grommets, they have caused closing loops to break. Riggers will check all metal surfaces on your gear for burrs. If one exists, it can be sanded down with emery cloth or the replaced. I check for burrs with q-tips. If it catches the cotton, there's a burr! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I don't believe he did, I believe he went to his DZO and Master Rigger. This is the issue here. We put our trust in our mentors, it's just what we all do. When we are learning, we look to them for guidance and direction. We ask advice on equipment and we listen to what they have to say. We also look to them to ensure that our gear is safe. When I was an up and coming jumper, I had a reserve ride at another DZ. The rigger who repacked my gear was horrified by the condition and repairs made to my gear. When I picked up my gear he gave me advice. He said "don't trust your rigger". I was disturbed by the advice but left thinking he was overreacting. Now I'm a rigger and I understand what he meant. I think back to those early days and think about the faith I put in him and it bothers me. (now you know why it's a hot button) When we go to riggers, we arn't buying a cheap stereo or stuff of the net, we are buying safety. It should go a little further than Caviat Emptor! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Sorry, definately not directed at you. Had a few experiences with bad riggers, they get me quite hot I need lots of venting! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

To get picky, it is the manufacturer or the administrator. But I think that's splitting hairs, if you're not going to call the manufacturer to make sure a mod is ok, are you going to go through the FSDO to get it done? I left out the administrater, not because I'm ignorant of 65.129 d, but because it's academic. There is 2 things that piss me off here. First, it's the arrogance of some rigger to think he can "do no wrong". As my DPRE once told me, we don't have the luxary of learning from our mistakes. The second is using newbies as a dumping ground for tired and altered gear. I'm sure we've all seen a newbies with gear that should have been retired years ago. Jumping clouds, Nimbus' and pegasus ponys (all good canopies in thier day). Claiming that the main has a couple hundred jumps but is more pourus than cheese cloth! I knew a girl who was sold a bagged out pegasus she loaded quite high. She broke an ankle on her second jump. I also know a guy who thought it was cool that most riggers wouldn't pack his reserve because it had been grounded years ago. He just had to take it to the right person. This is one of my hot buttons. I've seen to much crap, and too much bad rigging! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Technically, you would have to call the manufacturer to perform any alteration. There is certainly a difference between sewing on a flap to cover a main bridle and installing a non-approved mod to the reserve deployment system. Mods to the main that prevent deployment are usually not fatal if done incorrectly. If you F*** up a reserve or harness, people die. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I know jumpers and even riggers that view newbies as a dumping ground for bad gear. I've heard instructors say things like "you're good at accuacy, I've got some gear perfect for you" and then I see them next week jumping an old pegasus pony that flares like a brick. A rigger I know once sold a guy a Fury claiming it had 400 jumps. A buddy of mine told me later that he put 400 jumps on it himself ... and he never even owned the gear, it was old DZ crap that sat around the dropzone! The lines had been repaired in an overlap that just begged for a slider hangup. There are some jumpers/instructor/riggers that take advantage of the faith newbies have in them to make a couple of bucks and that's not right I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

All equipment manufactured in the US must meet TSO(Technical Standards Order) C23 series. It is a guideline establishing a number of criterea that equipment must meet to be suitable for use in skydiving. The TSO is applied to the container and reserve parachute.Manufacturers put their equipment through rigorous testing to comply with the TSO. An unapproved alteration can void the TSO making it unairworthy in the US. An FAA rigger who certifies this equipment airworthy for a US citizenh in the US is in violation of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Also, monkeying around with gear and altering its function is never a good idea unless the designers of the equipment have tested and approved the modification. If they haven't, then that rigger is expirementing .... with your life on the line! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Unfortunately, I've seen this before. Here in Canada, you don't need a TSO so some riggers get creative knowing that a TSO will be voided! If this Rigger is an FAA Master Rigger, he is not allowed to alter equipment without the express permission of the manufacturer. Doing so is contrary to the priviledges of his certificate. A master Rigger (or any other rigger for that matter)cannot just do whatever he want's and think that the rules don't apply to him! That's the type of arrogant rigging that gets people killed! This should be reported and dealt with. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Had my 15th save two weeks ago with a first jump student. (she got freaked out by endcell closure) Camera guy videod the whole thing and I got to see one of my reserve packs open! There's definately a satisfaction in watching it. If one of my repacks doesn't open, I hope I'm wearing it! That way I can take out the jerk who packed it! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Wow. Things do change from big DZ to small DZ. We do IADs from 3000' and I've probably done at least 300-400 hop and pops from there. That's enough time for a couple of front or back loops (sometimes both). At least a 5 sec delay. Don't stress out too much, think of it this way. At terminal, 3500' is about 20 sec. to impact. That is the same as a hop and pop from 2875' Being at the door at 3500', you're just as close to the ground (timewise) as being at 4176' at terminal. At that point, you haven't even started your wave! Why should 3500 descending at 0fps is disconcerting but 3500' at 174fps is business as usual? It's all in your mind I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I had a jumper that hadn't jumped since about 1980. He used to own a DZ back in the 70s and had 500+ jumps. Because we use a classic progression, it was no problem getting him up to speed in a short number jumps and without a great exspense. I also took advice from our jumpers who jumped back in the day (at his DZ!) to understand what his experience was and how to bo about reintergrating him. The main thing was that he understood that he had to become familiar with the equipment and that he was uncurrent. I think it made his retraining quicker. He just bought new gear and jumps every other weekend now! I think the DZ you first went to didn't want to spend the time to tailor the training for your perticular situation and experience level. As Instructors we owe it to our students to give them the best and safest experience. Glad you found one that could I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

AHHHH! I get it now. I'll probably stick with T bodkins (old dog, new tricks) but I'll give it a try on my next repack, who knows

I'm wondering if anyone has had to deal with a similar situation. This guy phones me last year wanting to do a jump. He tells me that he used to jump in the 70s and hasn't jumped in 2 years. I said no problem, just bring out your logbook and we'll take it from there. He then tells me his logbook is in Toronto with his rig. He then tells me his rig is an SST with capewells, adding "some guys like those three rings, but I prefer capewells" Some guys? You mean like the entire Skydiving industry?!? He then proceeds to brag that he has hundreds of jumps and he's really good. He also starts talking about all the big name old time jumpers he knows. Alarm bells ring so I end the conversation with "make sure you bring out your log" and that was that. This week he came out to a satalite school we were running in T-bay. He started on about how he was a jumper and wanted to jump. I asked him for his log and he said again that it was in TO with his SST 'cause he hadn't jumped in 4 years. I said I needed his log and he told me he'd be OK 'cause unlike most skydivers, he'd lost his fear from confidence not from repetition. I told him I needed to see his log and he told me he had a lifetime membership and a license. I told him I needed to see his log to establish his currency and experience and he told me he would be fine cause even though he hadn't jumped in 2 years he was confident. I told him I needed to see his log because a lack of currency and unfamiliarity can kill and he told me he'd never heard of currency and tried to impress me by telling me he was confident even though he hadn't jumped in 10 years. Now the alarms are screaming. The rest of the conversation was 10 min. of who he knew and that if you're confident, currency means nothing. I sent him away thinking that I was the idiot. Any similar stories? I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I think I would ask to write down their name and information so that if there is a fatilty on the equipment they can be questioned and possibly charged for manslaughter or negligence causing death. They'll probably still open it but they'll be VERY carful. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I agree, I think that alot of people are humbled by what they fear. It's much easier to write off skydiving as "Crazy" and "suicidal" than to admit that they couldn't do it. If you are doing something they are afraid of, they will feel inadequate. It's easier to call you crazy and feel superior. Many of us are motivated by the need to feel better than others. It's a way to fight feelings of inferiority Just a critique on the motivations of man. *sniff sniff* is that smoke? I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I'm intrigued but I'm really unclear on what you mean. Please discribe in detail. I find the bodkins perfect (and I use a tandem bodkin even when I'm packing regular gear). But there can always be better ways. Tim I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Pliers? You mean a wrench. Tightening with pliers can cause sharp edges and damage the fabric. I know what you mean but others may not

I hate to say it but sometimes you hear about someone hurting themselves and you're happy. Not because they are injured but because it's nothing compared to what you thought would happen to them. I knew a guy who was an absolute idiot under canopy. When he downsized I thought that was it. he was a deadman. One day at the DZ someone asked "Did you here what happened to so-and-so" I can't express the relief I felt when I found out he had a badly broken ankle. What is sick is that if they just listened and learned from more experienced jumpers it wouldn't have happened. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Got a horror story. Had my ACL done. After 3 months it stopped getting better and after 6 months it started getting worse. I had developed a mass in behind the new ligament. It was putting pushing it out until I couldn't straighten my leg. The only time I could walk normally was when my knee was as big as a football. When the swelling went down I had to use a cane. I was a crippled. People starred 'cause I walked funny. Had to wait a year for another surgury because Canadian has socialized healthcare. Everyone is entitled to the same shitty service. I was fine after they removed the legion and half my cartilage. It continued to bug me until I started going to the gym on a regular basis. Now it only hurts if it hyper extends. The only advice I can give is that if it starts going south on you, don't become depressed like I did. Easier said than done. Tim I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Nothing like a teathered landing! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Type XIII is 1000lbs stronger too. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.