jimmytavino

well , at least for Today...... it has YOU!!!!! jmy

bad spots happen from time to time... But as long as your main is open and flying well..... it's NOT a catastrophe..... i usually tend to locate the DZ... remind myself of the wind direction and intensity of the day... Look roughly, downwind of where i am, and visually evaluate my chosen landing site..depending all those factors. Part of the trick is to Accept, EARLY on,, that the dz won't be reached.. Sometimes people stay committed to the dz, til they get awfully low,, under canopy, at which point,, your options can shrink.. to lousy and BAD ,, and can result in a low turn or bad choice of landing area. i've had success with picking out my landing area, while still at SOME altitude,, and taking into consideration my desire to fly as standard a pattern as possible,, including being set up ON final... confidently above where i wanna land. It can be a field , a yard, even a clearing within denser brush/trees.. A jumpers' canopy of choice and customary landing techniques must factor in, as well,, I am ok with sitting in brakes if need be, and have a larger sized main which accomodates that. A highly loaded main and a preference for higher speed landings must be factored in, when picking the area... Again.. choose wisely and stay confident. Last thing to allow to occur... would be any type of hook, or turning approach...and that sort of thing can happen when we realize at a LOOOW altitude,, the dz won't be reached.. we dealt w ith bad spots, alot, when jumping PC s and Papillons,, and because accuracy was stressed much more, in those days,, AND because canopies had terrible "drive" as compared to today.. we may have been forced to learn how to correctly deal with the bad spot,,, BESIDES replacing the club local "expert" who may have just blown his last opportunity jmy A 3914 D 12122

the aircraft !!!! It makes a huge difference and can tip the scales the first way

ahhh semantics.....

Great Post popsjumper ! o.p. ------ just jump jmy A 3914 D 12122 NSCR 1817

yes.. as soon as it started, it really DID have that "vintage feel " to it.. nice hairpiece , though jmy

hmmm geeze.. you leave your things for 4 days....where it can be 'seen' by an editor.. as well as Who Knows Who Else... and then wonder what happened to it?? sure stinks for the "visitor" whom you've deemed a thief... I visit a number of DZs from time to time, and always respect the people the facilities and the property of those who jump there and work there I'd hate to think that i would be indicted as a crook... should anything go missing... simply because I may have been 'the visiting jumper' . Did anyone else, have access to that room???? or more importantly are people specifically denied access to that room, as should be the case for ALL video editing suites.... if people are wandering here and there, jumpers and whuffos alike, that's a bad thing... sorry for your loss.. I sure hope that you're wrong and that someone DID secure it for you... jimmytavino a 3914 d 12122 nscr 1817

a day earlier, on saturday,,, one of the nicest camerpersons i Know,, had a very hard, and awkward main canopy deployment,,, It did two things,,, knocked the helmet off her head,,, And somehow stripped the reserve pin,,, so that after the main was open, the reserve pc and bridle, trailed behind....Damn... It evolved into a 2 out and she deftly cutaway the main... but such a LOSS!!!! cx-100,, helmet, canon digi-still.... main AND freebag.. video people often open waaaay far away from t he DZ and she was well North and over very inhospitable terrain... and so THAT loss was exactly on my mind,, when I was standing out there on the step... NOT wanting to lose MY helmet,,, I elected not to exit with my group..... There was a coach and novice And an AFF I and student, yet to exit,, and so I ran smack into them, moving to the door,, AS I was coming back around the corner,,,, from outside,,, One hand back onto the inside floater rail one on the helmet.... They did help to pull me back in... I snapped up, and thought for a nano-second,, to ask if i could follow / join the AFF dive... BUT thought better of it, and kept my mouth shut.... at that point... I moved forward to be sure that the P I C KNEW i was still on board, and sat down on the bench near the cockpit... I got his attention,,, notified him that i was "cypres equipped".. and he asked my what type i had?? "swooper or expert". I never considered asking for a jumprun and exiting at some altitude which was on the way back to the ground.. At 4 grand or so I DID remove my rig from my back, set it on the floor, put my foot on the reserve p.c. cap and seat belted,, myself to the bench.... the descent continued to a safe and routine landing.... had i exited,,, i felt that the distraction, and possible loss of the helmet, could have injured others in the group, or injured me,,, or have resulted in NOT getting the chin cup re secured.... and then we'd all be crying,,, again,,, over another lost camera set up.. i was thinking better safe than sorry, and also thinking..."if everything is not just RIGHT, when the count begins,,,, you don't HAVE to exit"..... the group completed a nice 3 point 11 way.... jmy

so this occured to me, this past sunday... i have a Bonehead BatRak helmet with a 'clamshell' back that secures with an adjustable ratchetting strap And a ratchet clip for each of the two sides of the chincup.. always a snug fit and a solid connect...about an inch of "tail" extends past the clip on each side of the chin cup. I was out to the camera step of an otter... for a planned 12 way... The rear rear float came out to share the step with me, and in my effort to move,, "aft" on the fuselage, i had Both my hands up and on the far end of the outside floater bar, and was was scrunching as far away from the others in the door , as i could.. Well My left shoulder, crushed up against my chin, and suddenly i felt the pivoting clip on my left side of the chin cup, POP, and release.. Uh Oh.. with one hand, i reached to it, and found that it was fully unclipped.... the helmet was wobbling around on my head,,, and the last of the floaters was out..... what do I DO???? what would You Do?? How does one address this issue???? Has anyone else ever experienced such a situation??? please suggest responses to this .... and Then I'll let ya' know HOW i handled it....and how it all turned out... jimmytavino

wow!!! VERY good...

" Crewzin' with the Top Down" original music from Norman Kents' long ago video "From Wings Came Flight"

good job bertusgeert to have completed all the tasks set before you....

was critique'ing the camera moreso than the jumper... these 'tiny little cameras' have opened the door for many many jumpers to now deem themselves 'ready'... it is what it is and matters little to me...at this point...so long as I'm not going out the door with them... only pointing out that any equipment one may choose,,, needs to WORK... when you hit 'record'.. demoknite,,, only rode a horse One time, in my life... it was fun...might consider doing it again.. but i climbed OFF it about 30 years ago.... and it was NO high horse... skydive safely jmy

How hard???? not very hard.. How smart??? not very smart..... how likely??? welll maybe..... if you had been chatting Up his G F....prior to the jump... But in reality??/ NOT very likely.. students come in all sorts of sizes, shapes, mental capacity, and physical abilities....they are "walk-ins" off the street... who start, knowing Very Little to nothing.. about freefall.. body position, controlling themselves, altitude awareness and interpretation of the intricacies of a skydive.. THAT's YOU.... instructors may also come in all shapes and sizes...BUt they have EARNED the credentials to take newbies out t he door,,, and are very UNlikely to do something to jeopardize those students....themselves or their DZ.. That's your AFF instructor Just what was SAID???? during your debrief??? jmy

edited to point out that while i DID train and jumpmaster many hundreds of static line parachutists from 1973 to 1980,,, with great success in generating new enthusiastic full time jumpers,,,, i do not now have any UPSA instructor rating. The coach rating which i earned recently has expired since i was unable to meet the annual minimum..MY fault... ( though i bet over 50 % of 'coaches' out there actually do less than 10 coach jumps a year... ( just my gut feeling ) Now realizing that this thread is in the Instructors Forum, i needed to add the above disclaimer whoa.....could be that many who have posted here, need to relax... if we resolve NOt to smoke it down,,, before pulling... we would ALL give ourselves the time needed to respond to trouble.. wanna Jump a heavily loaded elliptical ?? fine have at it.. (to each his own).. BUT consider hard housings for your cutaway cables... anticipate the possibility of an issue at opening... IF you DO catch a spinner.... Don't delay... as chances are it will get worse... before it gets better..That goes for ANY malfunction... The O.P. rightly points out the real chance that the reserve gets fired.. before the main gets cutaway....Sure the cutaway pad,, COULD have been "pulled " first... but a simple tug on that PAD, does NOT automatically mean the 3 rings let go... and so in those cases,,, a tug, and then for many reasons.. ( Muscle memory among them, ) Bang !! the reserve handle gets pulled... ya gotta peel the release pad,, BEFORE pulling it...something that is not always understood by jumpers,, novice and experienced alike... 2 hands will usually provide much MORE force than one.. and increase the likelihood of a COMPLETE and FULL extraction of both cables,,, rather than a wimpy one handed "pop" on the handle,, which could release,, One,, None Or if you're lucky....Both cables.. why take the chance..? Hit it !! and Hit it hard.... and both hands help to insure that you DO breakaway.. Now if you can't find your own reserve handle,,, while your eyes are ON it.... you have other issues which need to be worked out... Afraid that there might be a time delay.. between cutaway and reserve pull???? well that IS a valid concern... so ALLOW for it,, by 1. pulling a bit highter 2. by NOT screwing around trying to "Fix" something 3 by being forceful and emphatic whenever pulling handles..... EVEN when pulling your main..... ( so many people simply 'take out' the main pc and drop it in the slipstream...) Rather , i prefer to throw that sucker... and throw it like you mean it... Two hands on the emergency handles increase the chances of pulling that pad..(which WILL offer resistance) FAR enough and Hard enough... to accomplish what it is that you're doing.....which just happens to be......losing the trash over your head,, so that you can safely get yourself under a landable canopy.. before you reach land... arrogance shmarrogance that label is usually in the eye of the beholder,,, and sometimes that beholder can be more blind than they realize.. experience DOES breed confidence and sometimes the desire to share what one believes in.. to the point of passion...That's not necessarily arrogance but more likely concern for ones' fellow jumpers... let's not shoot the messenger because you don't agree with the message...and nothing wrong with respectfully disagreeing,, providing that you can justify the difference of opinion with verified examples... God gave us 2 hands... and unless one is incapacitated,, it's best to use them BOTH.. to your utmost benefit.. jimmytavino A 3914 4 stack 930 nscr 1817

'twice now, it's done it on jump run" the LAST thing you need ,,,, is to be screwing around,, trying to "restart" a camera,, while climbout is occuring... it can distract you,, AND others,,, can mess up your concentration and in some cases , can interfere entirely , with the climbout and/or the skydive... just cause 'it's small' it's "high def,,, i.e. high tech ",, or it "looks neat" doesn't assure that it will be safe and reliable... i've seen those mini cams now for a while and they have yet to prove themselves to me,, as a solid and viable way of recording a skydive...i'm still nervous about some parts of the set up,,,snaggability etc... ( i have never used one) It sounds like a connection somewhere internally is acting up.. Ever DROP the Go Pro?? toss it around at all??? bang it HARD...?? on a climbout.( that can happen !! and go unnoticed, amidst the usual bumping around as one swings out to say, a floater position...) lightweight equipment COULD have lightweight connections... sorry to be jumping on you... but make sure the gear you're using is bulletproof,, and works every time... before climbing into a jump plane with it.. good luck j t A 3914 D 12122 nscr 1817

why "so little time" ?? 'hasty' and 'skydiving' seldom get along well, together... go easy... go safely jmy A 3914 D 12122

there is some sort of physics.... which could explain it,,,but if your ass is parked on the floor of the plane AND you don't MOVE towards the door.... you will STAY planted to the floor of the plane,,, in any sort of banked turn, even up to a barrel roll.... The door of the plane is always CLOSED ??? right??? for take -off,,, and until at least a thousand feet.. Right??? in some planes,, cessnas for example,, it's closed til exit.. As long as your gear had been checked, before you put it on,,, and as long as it is fastend secured and ready to go, from the moment you board... it should be NO issue to be near the door,,, with it OPEN, above 1,000 feet... do NOt go sticking things out !! likes arms and legs and heads and cameras,,, at any altitude from which you'd hesitate to do a conventional exit... and you'll be fine.. Above that,, on a hot day, with an open door, as per the approval of the P.I.C. it is EXTRA refreshing to look around outside, take in the windblast... and enjoy yourself,,, In those cases a good strong hold, onto the interior floater bar,, with at least ONE hand, should help you build the confidence to render being near the door,,, a "non issue" good luck jimmytavino

Amen to THAT!! did you notice what followed??? was the 'girl' a jumper? or a whuffo? any idea of the canopy owners response??? if a dog is unleashed.. chances of such a mishap are greater.. If ON a leash.... then the blame goes 50 / 50 ... for the animal at One end of the leash.... and for the person at the other end... edited to add an anecdote....

yikes!!! thanks SkyDekker for those details... pooor joran.... I 'got hit on the head' a bunch of times!!!! Myself ,,,,especially as a kid ! smacked across the back of the head usually,,,, and once in a while...kicked in the ass.... It was sorta how we were raised,,, in the 1950's and 60's.. AND I didn't plant a vicious elbow into anyopne.. i didn't strangle anyone. I didn't go berserk and take someones' LIFE! i mostly didn't even respond... since the disiplinarian was my Father...whom i respected then,,, and resepct now. I took it as a lesson learned,, it never happened without justification... and it's severity was never to the point of injury... but it was how kids were disciplined.. and it Worked... at least in the case of me and my siblings.. A man who would knee-jerk react,,,, like that to the bridge of the nose,, of ANY woman...is a beast...has real issues,,,was spoiled as a child,,, has been seeing way tooo many violent movies,,, playing way to many violent videos, has never learned restraint,, in any part of his life... and HAS to be taken down... jt

First of all i NEVER heard the man's name before in my life... i observed the kid intruding into that mans' moment while the Congressman was walking on a public sidewalk, which may allow for such things, ( a sudden "interview" ) but which also put the Congressman into "instant defensive mode"... A camera is pointed at the older gentleman and a pestering begins.......not much of a hello,,, or intital contact,, just right into some question for " a School project" I FULLY advocate the students of the world have the freedom to ask questions,,, BUt in the right time and context.... It then turned into a case of the Bigger Guy,,, physically and verbally hassling the littler guy... Neither one acted decently... it was something of an ambush by the kids... who could have diffused the situation Immediately by identifying themselves instead of becoming Beevis and Butthead . The right to assemble carries with it the courtesy to identify yourself,,,, especially when one party Knows the OTHER... ahead of time... any word on charges???? i'd say it a tempest in a teapot.... both used bad judgement... However we should remember the tone of Washington DC nowadays... some folks,, including Lots of Govt. Officials, are 'on edge' as it is. we're coming up on ten years now,, of fear, and worry... warnings from high level places "that people are out to get us".. that any package can be a bomb!!! 'always be on your guard" sheesh..... well i don't buy into that crap.. but that Congressman might..The days of Steve Allens' "man on the street " interviewing" are long gone.. The only ones who still might acommodate it, are entertainment industry big shots.....who think all press is good press... ... damn people ,,, all running around with video cameras, nothin' better to do......hahahahahaha jimmytavino o[:-)

not sure if i understand all this talk about the interogation... just so long as he's had made the admission that he did it... For me.. the Video evidence, which validates the sensible timing between events,, puts That Kid... WITH the Girl in the casino, then in the hotel... then into the room...with no evidence of any others entering the room, that same way... ( not sure if window entry was possible by another,, or an adjoining door to another room....) But he was Preying on her... for her money maybe.. perhaps more,,, as he's been presented as a jet setter .. and gambler, and that costs $$$.. not sure of his sources of income.. but we're told he extorted $$$ from the Holloway family.... he's bad news, and is unneeded any more , on this planet.... prison??? hell no.. " insane " defense??.. forget it. He needs to pay the piper... he blew it... he was the son of a person of stature,, got to travel the world... enjoy fancy places.... and he chose to ply his trade, as a Romeo..... instead of becoming productive, and following in his fathers footsteps . My gut tells me that if he was into "spiking womens' drinks",, then he has done much more damage than we'll ever know..and so just WHAT level of sentencing would be right???? I guess you can't Kill him.....so i say.. a year for the cumulative ages of those he killed... So there is 40 something right there with what we know of...... and if he admits to more... then we hit 60 80 100 years... real quick... good riddance... jimmy out...

my pilot Chute's been acting up!!! j

"the ground,,, was 10 feet too HIGH!!!' jt

jump2live i remember that same enthusiasm, excitement and energy that you,, and pretty much alll of us enjoyed during our start in skydiving...i keep a bit of it tucked away to help me stay in perspective in my life,,, AND at the dz.. Yours is apparent in this and other posts where you seem pretty much ready to pack up and MOVE.... to a DZ..!!!