JonBonGraham

Just a thought... [geekmode=ON]BUT... I assume that you're doing belly flying on this jump, so... If the belly-flier is going to be falling at around 120mph, and the freeflier at least 160mph (Is this a reasonable freefly-speed?) then jumping at 14k they would be level at 7k if the freeflier left about 9-10 seconds of gap, and would have more horizontal seperation than when the freeflier exited (as long as the FF-er was trying to work perpendicular to run-in, and wasn't side-sliding a ridiculous amount), so long as the FF-er leaves no more than 9 seconds of gap (and can be certain of keeping at speeds of around 160mph or more - ie. they've done this before and know they're not gonna cork it) then he/she/it will be level with, or below, the belly-flier when the BF-er deploys (this is all assuming nothing particularly freaky or abnormal happens on the dive, like the BF-er pulling high). So surely if the freeflier knows they can keep up reasonable freefly speeds for the entire dive, leaves a delay of less than 9 seconds and works perp. to the run-in, then you should put the freeflier out first to try and increace horizontal seperation as much as possible when the BF-er pulls? Aditionally, the FF-er is more likely to have a premie than the BF-er (I think...???), so I'd have thought you want the FFer to be out last so that they're above the flat-person for most of the dive (ie. less chance of a premmie with the BF-er above them) and because this will increace horizontal separation between the two if this does happen.[/geekmode] Does this seem right to you guys, or am I missing something? Oh yeah, and it doesn't work if the belly-guy in question falls like a brick - I know one guy who can go fast enough in a mantis position that a lighter jumper did have to go into sit to catch up with him . [please note that I know I'm no expert and yeah, I'm being a geek, but this did really make me think... also, this is JUST for people pulling AT 7k, so much higher than that might have the FFer still above the high-puller when he deploys, depending on delay given in the door] I just thought I throw this out in the air as I often like to pull high as well (never pulled as high as 7k before, though) and I'd always preffer going out before free-fliers unless I plan to pull at 10/11 or something. Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Hey - sorry to hear about that, it's a real bummer when you can't do stuff like that just 'cause people can't be arsed to do thier own jobs properly! Would you let us all know about how any of it turns out, just for interests' sake? Have you written to the airline as well? Good luck! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Yeah, we're not supposed to jump through clouds in the UK either - but my home DZ is near to both factories AND the sea - damn that industrial haze and sea mist can move!

Why didn't you put down any option saying "better than any other proffesion"?? As a footnote, I'm years and at LEAST a thousand jumps off being a pro but (at the moment anyway) that's the dream - move to some big US DZ and become their tandem bitch. I think I'll be happy when that day arrives. Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Yeah, I'm at Durham University in the UK - we have a club, with around 60-70 first timers every year, and 8 qualified, although I think one has taken a large break from the sport because of money restrictions. I really cannot afford to skydive!! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Note that on a tandem system when the drogue is thrown, the container is still closed - it's slowing you down, not deploying your canopy. The tandem instructor then pulls another handle to release the drogue which can then act as an anchour in the sky and drag the main out of the container. On a sport rig, the pilot chute (looks similar to a small drogue) opens the container and deploys the main as soon as it is released (hopefuly!), so doesn't stay trailing behind the system in freefall. If you're still curious, I'm sure you could ask a tandem packer/tandem instructor/your instructor to show you on an actual tandem and sport rig at the DZ - the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask! John G Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

I stand corrected. Silly of me to neglect that bit, really! Although I'd be interested to know exactly what happened in both of these incidents, ie. in what way were the units not maintained, and was the result a no fire or a late fire? Please PM me if you don't want to/think it's not appropriate to post that here. Many thanks for the correction! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Get her to have a look at the Airtec Website (http://www.cypres.cc), specifically the sections on background, reliability and history. Be sure to point out the bits where it says about the number of CYPRES saves since it was created, the sheer amount of money that went into research for it (I think over $800,000 over a space of four years???), and the fact that a CYPRES unit has never failed to fire when the speed/altitude conditions were met. Also have a look at this list of documented CYPRES saves since 1991 (http://www.cypres-usa.com/saves05b.pdf) - be sure to remind her that Airtec could keep really accurate records of misfires until the field-replacable cutter, I know of two (simultaneous!) saves at my home DZ that aren't on that list, so there'll probably be more (how many is a mystery, though) As to mis-fires, let her read all of http://www.afn.org/skydive/equip/announce/cypres-misfire.html. If you read all of it, (especially the section about the 8-way video-man) you'll come to the conclusion that many of the 'mis-fires' you'll read about are inaccurate. Hope this helps! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Richard Matheson's I am Legend is an absolutely fantastic read, and it's really short so won't take you forever! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

A CCI is a Centre Chief Instructor - he/she basically runs the skydiving operation at a DZ, and has right of vito on everything that happens at that centre. I know my CCI isn't happy with people with low jump-numbers jumping F-111 canopies, so make sure you have a chat with him about it before you buy. Also try and test jump the canopy before you buy, especially as it's F-111 - if you find it comes down at an uncomfortable rate, you'll be glad you did, I know a guy who bought one on blind faith and spanked it in for the next hundred-or-so jumps! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Hey Dom, do yourself a favour - write about your first jump on some scrap paper and stick it in your logbook. That way a few years and a few thousand jumps down the line when you're an AFFI and have a student who feels the same way, you can let them read it and say 'look at me now', and they'll feel a hell of a lot better about jumping! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Hey, you lived, so there must be something right with your drills... at least you know you can pull them off when s**t starts to fly! What happened that you had to cutaway, anywho? Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Holy shit, man - by the sound of it you're lucky to be alive! The only two scary moments for me so far (except my early jumps, of course!) have been: 1) Free-falling within 10 metres of someones canopy - I was doing a solo and he pulled high - and 2) Going zero-G in a Cessna-182 which has no restraints and no door, and I happened to be sitting next to the hole in the wall. I think we were somewhere beetween 1 and 2k, but especially scary since I had no idea it was coming! Good fun though!

Think about this: The reserve pilot 'chute can only do it's job of extracting the reserve from the container if it finds clean air (ie. if it doesn't end up in your burble) so surely common sense seems to sugest that it's actually BEST to open your reserve when you're NOT completely stable, so that it will immediately find clean air with very little chance of just sitting on your back. If you've ever used a rip-chord system with a spring-loaded PC for your main you'll know that this can be an issue! (And yeah, I know the springs for reserve PC's will be stronger than the ones for a main, but it's still a factor). I don't know about your first jump course, but as a static line student in the UK part of our emergency procedures was, after pulling the reserve handle, to arch and then 'check your canopy' by rolling your shoulders around to have a look. This was less so that you could tell if you had a mal on your reserve, and more so that if your PC was stuck in your burble, you'd alow air to spill round you and catch it, thus initiating your reserve deployment. There has been at least one fatality in the UK where someone went in because their reserve PC was stuck in thier burble, and followed them all the way to the ground. (Oh yeah - and line twists on your reserve? Who cares??? It's a bit ol' seven-cell square thing, it's just gonna sit there while you kick 'em out!) Also - could someone in the know please explain how reserves are tested now-a-days? I was reading an old copy of Parachutist (from the 90's, I think) that explained that they were strapped to dummies with simple AAD's and then hurled out of aircraft. As you might imagine, the dummies were anything BUT stable when it came to deployment altitude, but (surprise, surprise...) reserves still do their jobs. Okay and now... [DISCLAIMER]What's written here is intended only as FOOD FOR THOUGHT and is not offered as any sort of iron-clad advice. I am more than happy to be told I'm wrong if I am, and to entertain conflicting opinions. And please don't flame me just because of my low jump numbers - it doesn't take ANY jumps to be able to talk to your rigger, read safety articles in magazines and on the web, etc.[/DISCLAIMER] Blue skies!

Why are having both of these features on one rig going to be a problem in your view? Are you saying a rig with a reserve pillow should not have an RSL? Please excuse me if I'm missing something really big here! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Your best bet is to go and have a good long talk with the guys at the DZ you're planning on jumping at - as you've probably gathered from the replies you've already got here, don't be surprised when they don't let you on the plane with a Heatwave. (also, having an AAD and an RSL may not be optional until you have a B-licence - I don't know if that's in the op's manual or just a quirk of my home DZ?) If you haven't jumped in over a year, they'll probably want you to get current on student canopies before moving onto something larger with a more 'forgiving' planform! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Thanks for speedy replies - just to let you know, the reserve wasn't opened for practical purposes, but accidentally in my house (needed a reepack anyway!), so it's sat in it's freebag still. I never thought of asking the rigger to disconnect it for me but will do so. And the rig's second hand, so it's all getting a full look over by a rigger before I jump it anyway. Was really just after some way I could do this and keep my rigger happy when she comes to re-connect it. Everyone does stupid things, but even a muppet like me wouldn't f**k his reserve up, not tell anyone and try and use it! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Hey y'all! I'm trying to disconnect a swift reserve from a vector II container as it needs to be sent off to have an RSL put in and then I'm going to wash it. The links are metal rapide links and I'm having a bit of trouble actually getting them off the risers, should I leave the links on the risers and just take the lines off the links (I assume it'd be okay to wash the container like this), or try and force the links themselves off the risers, or something else, or am I being really really stupid and missing something very very obvious? (the rig's being sent away later today and I don't have a rigger handy!) Thanks in advance for any help/advice! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Also have a look at the packing - did you pack it or someone else? There's something wrong with getting THAT many twists! Unless you're on static line, I suppose, where getting 20 twists in an opening is only to be expected! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Something I was wondering - has anyone tried washing a rig which doesn't have stainless steel hardware? Would this be a bad idea, or would it not make too much of a difference? (and what is woolite, and where do I get it from???) Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

A brake fire on a canopy that size wouldn't cause such a drastic situation - on a Fury 220 if you just release one of the brakes and sit there with one all the way up and one stowed all that happens is you go into a very slow, gentle turn - nothing LIKE having your canopy in your face! I was wondering though - how long was it in front of you before you grabbed the toggles? We have a sabre 210 at the centre and the left side seems to like inflating much quicker than the cells on the right, which causes a pretty harsh turn on opening, but only for a second or two... ??? Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

Ah! But being the cheekey manifest staff member that I am, I have (already!!) put a fiver in your account, and it was done all without you knowing about it! I was planning on sneaking random ammounts of money into your account, but I guess I'll have to put a stop to that. Anyone else? Oh yeah, and your rig was really REALLY nice to jump (it was the first time i've jumped a nice new spangly free-fly friendly container with a nice new RESPONSIVE AND GOOD canopy in it so was a treat!) but the rig is just too... yours! It'd be far too cheekey to jump it on a regular basis! Thanks for letting me though, I'll buy you a beer next time I bust you down the bar! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

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Hey - I'm looking at buying my first set of kit and have spotted one that I think is a good deal, but I live in the UK and the kit's in Canada! Was just wondering what the general consensus is about buying second hand gear - does the seller ship to a DZ and get the money when the buyer is happy, or does the buyer pay and the seller ship once the cheque clears, or somewhere in-between? Most people have told me not to part with any money untill I have the kit in my lap, fully inspected and tested and such, but was wondering what you guys in the US and Canada, as well as other countries, think about this. Thanks, would appreciate any advice! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)

I got some great advice on downsizing from someone a LOT more experienced than me - if you can't land your canopy exactly where you want to every time without fail then your downsizing to a smaller and/or more high performance canopy will only increace your error in landing accuracy - so instead of landing anywhere up to, say, 15 metres away from your target, you're suddenly landing 30-40 metres away from your target - this may not be important on the nice, parachutist-friendly DZ, but it makes for a pretty tasty sittuation when your only option is to land in Mrs. Miggins' back yard! I suppose you can only be honest with yourself with whether you land where you want to - I try and pick a spot as soon as I've done my checks & stuff and stick with that, only changing it if I can't get to the spot OR if someone cuts me up/otherwise interferes with my intended flight pattern. Good luck to ya! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in)