steve1

I knew a guy who messed up his leg moto-cross racing. He also worked in the woods. His insurance policy only paid off well if he was hurt on the job. So a couple of his friends carried him up into the woods where he was supposed to be falling timber. He then turned in this mysterious injury. Ever wonder why insurance rates are so high? I used to rodeo without insurance when I was younger. The nice thing about it was that doctors and hospitals didn't charge too much in the olden days. I was single and didn't own too much at the time. I did break a couple different bones and had one ambulance ride and one night in the hospital. I was rough and tough back then and was still able to work in the woods with my arm in a cast (twice). Doing this sort of thing today isn't too bright. I wouldn't do it now. Hospital care today is just too expensive.

BBarnHouse, Oh I see my wife's ta tas all the time. I'm just not used to having a set of them sneak up on me like that. I can't figure out why my wife doesn't like this story. Steve

Chrome Boy, No, I don't think it was Clay. I remember seeing some pictures of him a while back, and I don't think he had pectorials like this gal. Steve

I like to tell stories. Some people say that it is because when you get to be an old Fart it's about all you're good for. But anyway this is no bull shit. It really happened. I was at Perris a couple years ago, climbing to altitude in the Shark. I kept wondering why everyone was nervously looking toward the front of the plane where I was sitting. Some of them seemed to be smiling at me so I smiled back at them. It was about then that I happened to notice the lady sitting almost right next to me. She didn't have any shirt on. It scared the hell out of me. I almost forgot my dive plan. Actually it wasn't all that scary, but it did take me off guard. The End

Jo, I've been told that if you ever misroute a chest strap you'll never do it again. Well I've done it twice. The chest strap I had on my Vector had a piece of velcro on it. I would slip it through the buckle once and temporarily put it on this piece of velcro while I fastened my leg straps. Of course I'd forget all about the chest strap and hurry to get on the plane. Since I cut off this Velcro I've had no further trouble fastening it correctly. I was a recently back into the sport after a long lay off when I did this (about three years ago). My rig back in the 70's had quick ejector hardware on the leg straps and chest strap. I never had any trouble with these, but I've heard that quick ejectors in such critical locations are now considered real dangerous. I'm just wondering why though, a b-12 fastener couldn't be used on a chest strap. Wouldn't this be a simpler easier way to go. I know you hear so many stories about people misrouting chest straps. There is probably a real flaw in this idea, but I'm just wondering. Be kind Bill Von. I 'm still learning a lot.

Skydive Monkey, I'm still waiting to jump mine. It's a Hornet 170 loaded at 1.2 also. There's a chance that some of the dropzones in my area may be starting up next weekend so I'm already getting jacked up to get on a load. What kind of risers do you have? The collapsible slider is all new to me, but I'll figure it out. Did you tie your toggles on the black dot on your steering line? Jason mentioned that this may be a little short if you steer with your risers. I'm looking forward to experiencing everything that goes along with a zero-p canopy. I love the color coded lines and it isn't really too tough to get in the bag with a little practice. Steve

I'd check a wrecking yard for the rear drums. If you tell them what you are looking for they can round it up for you (probably at a reasonable price). You might ask some skydivers you trust. Maybe they know of somebody who would do the work for a fair price. I know some garages are really rip-off specialists, especially when dealing with a woman. I wish we could help more. Steve

I remember hearing stories back in the 70's of some jumpers who used to tie a line around their lines at the skirt of their round canopy when packing. This is not a wise thing to do (especially if your memory is like mine). The rigger who's helping me get my back rating also uses a molar strap. I've heard a few stories of people forgetting these also, so I don't think I'll use one. I know they are big and colorful and how could anyone miss one, right? Now what was I writing about? Oh now I remember. I once assembled and packed a belly reserve. The only problem was that I had forgotten the cross connector between the butterfly snaps that attach to the D-rings on a harness. This is a major mistake. If one of the snaps had come unhooked it would be like cutting away two of your risers. Fortunately I got to thinking about this, the same day, and took it apart before anyone jumped it. I felt like manure knowing that I had done this and fortunately I was able to recall what I had done before putting anyone in danger. It just made me realize not to leave too much to memory, because I'll forget. I don't put too much trust in my memory because I know it can fail. I've always kept this story a secret because it's something I'm not proud of. But at the same time it's an example of what can happen. I think my name is Steve

Bill, Good point. There probably are a lot of legal ramifications that would go along with mandatory gear checks. Maybe that is why such a rule hasn't been put into effect in this country. To be an instructor, jump master, dropzone owner, or to even give a gear check could be a risky thing now days. I wish we didn't have such a sue-happy legal system. In the future many jumpers may be conducting conversations similiar to these: "If anyone wants a gear check from me we'll have to do it in private. That way if something goes wrong it's my word against yours,"..... or "If you want a gear check, I'll have to consult my lawyer first,"......Or "If you want a gear check, I have to decline on the grounds that it may incriminate me,"....Or, "If you want a gear check, you will need to sign a five page legal document first,"..... (Maybe someone should start a thread for ideas on how to change our screwed up legal system). Steve

Bill, I don't mean to be contradictory. But our sport is governed by rules. And I think a mandatory gear check makes just as much sense as all the other rules. Most jumpers that I know don't even bother with a gear check most of the time when they get on a load. Sure skydiving is dangerous but why make it more so. Some rules are needed. A mandatory gear check would undoughtably save a lot of lives. And why would it be such a hardship on anyone? All it would take is to have the senior jumpers on each load do a quick gear check of the other jumpers before boarding the plane. Just because a jumper has a couple thousand jumps doesn't mean they are infallible. A friend of mine has over 6,000 jumps and had to pull his reserve last year because his throw out handle was stuffed in so deep he couldn't get it out. A gear check would have caught this. Sometimes over confidence builds complacensy. I don't think anyone is too good for a gear check. Sure some regulations could be stupid and burdensome, but I don't feel this is one of them. Steve

Get the Hornet. Mine is brand new, zero jumps, and can't wait to jump it. It arrived in about 4 weeks from South Africa at a super price. Talk to Manny.

I'd love too, but I live about 2,000 miles too far from Elsinore. Don't tempt me. I might just cut away and come anyway. Steve

I'm all for personal freedom, and I hate anyone telling me I have to do something, but at the same time I wouldn't mind seeing gear checks as mandantory. Particularly someone who is new to the sport. The two errors I mentioned earlier (including a mis-routed chest strap) happened after over a twenty year lay off from the sport. The gear was a lot different then, and my self given gear check was inadequate. A newbie may not have yet developed the skills to check themselves or even be able to identify something that is dangerous even though they are off student status. It isn't like someone is just going to kill themselves. They may also endanger others on the load. Some people are reckless and don't really give a rip what happens to themselves or anyone else. When they go in, it makes our sport look bad. When they rip out the side of the plane because their pins weren't deep enough, who is going to die with them. No one is infallable. I know of a couple jumpers who had over a thousand jumps who have misrouted a chest strap. We all get in too much of a rush sometimes to make the next load. A mandantory gear check (by an experienced jumper) may be all that it would take to save someone's life. I had a friend bounce once who had a bungie over his reserve ripcord handle. After cutting away his para-comander he went for his belly-reserve rip-cord handle. He fought it all the way to the ground. A gear check would have saved his life. This is just my 50 cents worth. Steve

The gear now days is simpler in design and there is no doubt less to worry about than gear used in days gone by. But I agree gear checks are important and will save lives. I am grateful to a couple of other jumpers who spotted something wrong with my rig even though I didn't ask for a gear check. One of these involved a misrouted chest strap. The army jumpmaster school taught a very effective way of giving a gear check. You started with a person's helmet and worked your way down in a sequential way checking things. Then you would turn the jumper around and check the back side. If you did this check in the same sequence over and over you wouldn't miss anything wrong. A lot of people flunked out of this school because they didn't do the same sequence each time and were missing things. Years after jumpmaster school I was rigger checking a captain during a practice jump. I followed his chest straps down to where they connected to his quick release box. This held both his chest and leg straps secure. The safety fork was out of the box and the color red was up. A sharp blow on this box would have released all his straps. He said he didn't know whether to kiss me on one cheek or both cheeks for spotting this error.

I just got a new hornet canopy. Are these lines 850 micro-lines? My first impression was, "Man these lines are puny!" But if they are tested at 850 lbs. each they should be strong enough. I'm used to looking at lines on older round canopies. They were a lot bigger but they were only rated to 550 lbs. each. Technology is a wonderful thing.

My Mother drank a lot before I was born, which may explain some of this. 1. Pulled once at about 800 ft. while watching the ground come up to get me. 2. Sometimes would jump with over 20 knots of wind with a round canopy. 3. During my first rodeo I was knocked out for over 45 minutes and broke my arm. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and spent the night. When I was released I got on the phone and entered another rodeo for the following weekend. I rode with my free arm in a cast. 4. A few weeks later I was almost kicked in the face by a bareback horse at a rodeo when I landed on my feet behind it. 5. I hung up a huge Tamarack tree while falling timber in another tree. I later turned my back on it while working under it. The top of it slapped down right next to me. It could have smashed me like a bug. 6. The top of a dead snag broke out once. It put scratches on my arm when it crashed to the ground. I never saw it coming. 7. Twice I smashed up my saw while trying to run out of the way of a snag coming down. At the last second I'd drop my saw to get out of the way, only to have it smashed. I have plenty more logging stories. 8. Fell asleep once driving my Volkswagen Beetle down the highway. I woke up just before a head on. 9. We flew across the Bob Marshal Wilderness in a rental Bonanza plane. We were up at around 13000 ft. flying around thunder-heads for over an hour. We finally dropped down below the clouds on the other side of the mountains. We were low on fuel and lost. Finally found a town with an airport. 10. Shot a black bear in the chest with a recurve bow at about nine yards. It ran right by me. 11. Started sliding toward the edge of a cliff after slipping on some snow and ice. I was trailing a mountain goat that I had hit with an arrow. I grabbed a small tree before going over the edge. (There are more stories, but these are some of the better ones.)

I was told a story once where a static line student refused to jump. (This could be an exaggerated tale, but it came from a reliable source.) Somehow the student ended up hanging by his hands from the step. The jumpmaster actually was stepping on his fingers trying to get him to let go. Another time a soldier in my stick hesitated in the door of a c-130. The jumpmaster gave him a swift boot in the rear. I saw the boot polish on his pants after he landed.

Gale, Sounds to me like your instructor was blaming you guys for his own lousy spot. Don't let one jerk ruin a truly wonderful sport for you. Ask for a different instructor. Steve

This won't help much, if you are slammed, but It might help a lot if your leg straps are hurting. My old Vector container wasn't very comfortable in the leg strap area. It was down right painful under canopy. I took some strips of very rigid foam and stuffed them under the leg strap covers. Now it's super comfy after opening. Steve

ChromeBoy, I used to work in the woods as a timber faller (about ten years). It seemed like most all of the older guys were suffering from (carpal tunnel). I think the cold winters along with the vibration of the saws were causing it. God I'm glad I don't do that for a living any more. Whenever I get sick of my present job, I just think of what logging is like in the winter. Steve

Congratulations! I recently got a Hornet 170 also. It's mostly royal blue with a little black. I can't wait to try it out. I also got a used Z1 that I've never jumped! I need a jump bad! It's been over three months. On nice days I get all geared up and walk around the house for something to do. My wife and kids wonder if something is wrong with me. Steve

I know this is a really basic question, but I'd really appreciate your input. The canopies that I have jumped in the past had fixed sliders and large risers. I just got a new hornet canopy with a collapsible slider. I've been putting things together. I also bought a set of mini-risers with dive loops....(they look awful tiny). But anyway I was wondering what is the proper way to collapse the slider after opening. I assembled things using metal links and plastic bumpers. I'll probably get some slinks later. The slider has two draw strings. I assume you pull both of these first and then pull the slider down past your toggles. Will it stay behind your head? Will the slider clear the plastic bumpers okay? I'm using the same bumpers and links that came with the canopy from the factory. I've seen pictures of some guys who have the slider under their chin. Is this better than behind your head? I plan on having someone check over my handy work before I jump it to make sure everything is assembled right, and get some coaching on what to do when the canopy opens. Any comments on this? I'm just full of dumb questions! Thanks again. Steve

Hi, I'm Steve and I'm also a posting addict. At least until I can get some jumps in. It's awful having to wait. The jump center in Canada has too much snow. The one in Billings is painting their plane. The one in Minot is still not up and going. It's the shits. I haven't had a jump since December. I'm grumpy, depressed, and thinking about getting drunk.........Steve

Alex, I don't know a whole lot about landing small canopies. I imagine that may be one area where currency is vital. Steve

David, I agree that currency is important. But if you are not current for a while it is not like starting all over again. A lot of it is like riding a bike and the muscle memory comes back easier than you would think. I quit jumping for over twenty years and on my first jump back I went out and did a five way with some old friends. This may not have been legal, but I'm glad I was able to do it. On my 2nd jump back I swooped down and turned some points on another friend. Sure I was rusty, but your flying skills will come back to you quickly. And I'm not suggesting that everyone should be this reckless. Maybe I should have done a hop and pop by myself. But I had confidence in myself and so did my friends. Steve