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And with a bad spot I give pull signal and try to assist. I have missed signals the other instructor had given but I like to know about it. I try to be aware so I would ask what happened from their perspective. I can't remember anything that had me pissed at an instructor in freefall. Maybe I have just been lucky? I am okay with that. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I have been dealing with B&H occasionally for 5 years and have always been very pleased both online and on the phone. They do take holidays that I wouldn't expect but they give a lot of notice on the website (which is why I even know). Any computer system could crash and any order could be lost in the shuffle. Go ahead and register an online account and you can check shipping status online and if you have any questions I have never had trouble getting help on the phone. I also hear good things about Adorama and Abe's of Maine but haven't used them myself. I find the part number of what I want and then go to pricegrabber.com to compare options. Be sure and look at seller ratings on pricegrabber. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

If I didn't feel comfortable on either side, I don't think I should go up with a real student. Just my opinion but most AFFs could be handled by any solid flier. Of course when they go bad, you need to know in your heart you were qualified to be there. You never know when you could be the only instructor still with the student. There are stories of some of the best in the business having nightmare level 1 and level 2 jumps. As I have said before, I am still eager to learn from other instructors. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Did you ask why they did it on the first jump, before you jumped again? I can remember being new and feeling like time was very limited but that eased up in a short while. I also had issues with my Neptune reading 300' lower than the students Alti3. I thought they were behind the curve and I was jumping it. I only occasionally find myself doing more than guiding the students hand to the handle these days and I am glad. I always feel like I didn't hold up my end of the deal if the student won't even pull with assistance. I am still curious why they are pulling out 2 students that high. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I see your point but you didn't really understand what I was saying. As a videographer, I often get out on iffy spots, secure that the tandem will be fine and knowing I should make it back okay. As an AFF instructor I have very little hesitation about calling a go around. Everyone may not be happy about it but I have never really been fussed at over this. Now let someone with 100 jumps try to justify 15 seconds from an Otter with 20 knot uppers and 4 tandems with video behind him.... This is not exactly the same thing. What I said was to seek out an instructor or S&TA and take the opportunity to learn how these things are decided. I also said not to stop talking to people until he understands or the people yelling understand what the seperation would have been. There was mention of not enough seperation on a previous jump. We don't know how much the jumper drifted or even tracked to get too close to another group. There are too many variables here for me to say who was right. I wasn't there. Just be careful of the choice to pi$# where you eat. Another possible side to this while talking about it. Otter, light uppers 7 second seperation is working well. That means 7 seconds from one group leaving the plane until the next group leaves. Don't rush the 7 second count but don't count 7, then climb out, then relax and breathe and then ready, set, go. That can easily result in 14 seconds and 1 of our new friends with 30 jumps faced with landing off. They should be fine, but I wouldn't like to be the reason someone gets hurt if it is this easy to avoid the situation in the first place. Flame away but nothing fits in every situation. There are always variables and we all make mistakes. Never stop learning. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

This would definitely get a response and in some circumstances I am prone to actions like these. A little warning is in order here though. I know a few DZOs that would send you looking for another dz to jump at. You didn't give any details about aircraft, winds, size of load or number of groups so I am not sure if you know much about the way dz's operate. Believe it or not, they want to make money most of the time even though they usually suck at it. If it is a turbine aircraft and this results in a go-around you will usually shoulder all the blame, even if you were right. A lot of dzo's will only see how many dollars (probably more than you would guess) the extra fuel and flight time cost. If you just like to see fireworks, this is the route to to take and please email me with the results. I would love to hear about it. If you are really concerned about safety, talk to your instructors, S&TA, DZO and anyone else you can think of until you either understand what exit seperation needs to be or the over excited people behind you have been told to settle down. Whichever needs to happen. Safety is important, but don't forget where the money is made. It is rarely with us up-jumpers. We just pay for gas so the students and tandems can keep flying. You start burning more gas than you buy and you will wear your welcome thin in a hurry. You handle this your way but remember the guys with the advice on here will not share any heat whatsoever if you step on the wrong toes. Cheers "... this ain't a Nerf world."

At what point do you guys think a full first jump course should be taught? "... this ain't a Nerf world."

DUDE Congrats on getting through that entaglement. I've seen that before and it gave me nightmares. Cheers, Robin "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Looking at the keyboard I am guessing that is 86 Kilogrammes...may mean something else though. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I think you may be too hard on Billvon. He clearly states both that this is his opinion and that it is not legal per FAR's. He also gives us a list of the important variables that come to his mind when considering such an act. Some of the people on here may live places that it isn't illegal and others here may decide to push the issue someday anyway. After reading his post some may also decide not to exit that CASA with 10 groups of skydivers of whom they barely know half. I applaud Billvon for giving us food for thought and never felt he was condoning illegal action or stupid acts where it may be legal. Often learning to see safety concerns in one situation helps identify them in others. It is the same old "Give a man a fish and fee him for a day but teach a man to fish and feed him for life." Thanks Billvon, you may have saved some people a very bad experience here. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I am just curious what kind of main and container you were jumping when a riser got stuck in the container? Was it a sub terminal deployment? I know weird things can happen at any time I have just never actually known anyone this happened to but I have heard of it. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I use a little trick Scott Miller showed me. I fold the dive loops the opposite way when I pack them. For instance, if the lay flat toward the 3 ring the way mine want to I fold them up and make them stay there as I stow the risers. Once trained like that they pop out from the riser under canopy and are very easy to grab. He said they may get used to laying in the new position and I may need to fold them the other way for a while but that hasn't happened yet. I have been doing it about 400 jumps or so. Oh, and its free. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

This is nit picking and I don't have any trouble taking AFF's with prior tandems but it can sometimes be tough to teach them that flaring doesn't always mean pick your knees up and stick your feet out Plf's work betterif your feet touch first but most of them are simple enough to retrain. I can't help but wonder if they actually picked their feet up on their tandem or did they drag their feet underneath. That would make it a bit more ingrained I think. lol "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Some high-end nylon is dyed before extrusion but most is dyed after being woven into fabric. It does take particular dyes and many factors such as ph and time in each solution during dying effect the result. It is nearly impossible to control these factors at home. That is why some tye dye fabrics are colorfast and you can wash them with anything and others just bleed away. I will take a chance with a t-shirt and maybe even an old jumpsuit, but my rig I only handwash in Woolite and rinse way more than I probably need to. Too much is on the line for me to risk some degradation that might be found in a post mortem investigation. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

Maybe from a structural standpoint but my concerns are with trim and it's effect on openings. The lines on my Stiletto 97 weren't frayed at all and new lines made an incredible difference. The lines on my 89 are only slightly dirty but very sound and I bet the trim isn't so great on it either judging by the openings so far. I would still rather break a line on opening because I didn't notice the more subtle indicator than break my neck but the lines are still strong enough to tow a boat. Mel did a lot of testing before advocating wide spread use of the new lines and now more and more manufacturers are using them on a wider range of canopies. Spectra had a negative side when compared with Dacron also from what I have been told. Dacron absorbed some of the opening shock with its stretch. Spectra doesn't absorb it it passes it right along to you but the trade off seems to have been worth it. What was it, less drag and after opening the lack of stretch was considered a good thing as well. I think this is just lingering resistence to change. I am glad everyone is pointing out the potential hazards of my choice though. It doesn't do to forget the dangers. Thanks "... this ain't a Nerf world."

What made you come back was probably more than just having a sense of accomplishment after a tandem. I love to see students express interest in pulling but I have also seen many who would pay extra to not even know they have a handle. I believe all the students at my dropzone get to fly the canopy and even that scares some of them. I am not a TI and keep it clear in my mind who is in charge and responsible for the safety of the student. I have seen students have a very negative effect on the flare. I can't blame those who choose to flare on their own. That also frees up the students hands to help get their feet and knees up for a safe landing. As for more money for less value, I don't think DZO's are making that much more. It seems the overhead costs have increased dramatically as well. Why are all the support calls handled overseas even though we are spending more on electronics? Life is a balancing act and we are just trying to stay on the scale. Just my .02 . I only support the dz so I will have somewhere to jump and I try to train students well so they don't grow up and kill me (or you) later. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I know what you mean here and I agree, but... Just for any of you lowtimers reading this, you need to throw the pilot chute LATERALLY on your sport rig too. There is a big burble behind/above all objects in freefall that would love to hang on to your lazy throw or even tie the bridle somewhere you really don't want it. Tandems do have a bigger burble and more fabric to throw but the rules are the same. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

How far do you pull the fronts down? I have seen enthusiastic (and strong) guys pull their dive loops almost to their chest. That distorts the wing's profile to the point that all kind of weird stuff can happen. Too much of a good thing is still too much. Just a thought. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I agree that if I can get the pressure to a reasonable level with hand signals I want to give them the opportunity to know they are going to turn. After that I redock after 1 revolution (spirited students may turn farther) and give hand signals to correct them and a big smile before I release again. In one of my early release dives I spent so long trying to correct the student that I was close enough to pull time to be nervous about releasing. He didn't really get his money's worth on that one but he was in his 70's so I had more concerns than usual. Now I like to give them the chance to learn up high. Of course I am still learning what students can do on a regular basis. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I would go down a little farther in the forums and post this under Skydiving Disciplines: Photography and Video . I know I see some of the same people here but you may get that special tip you are looking for there. I have never dealt with a Rawa but I do like to mock things up as much as I can before I start drilling or cutting. You also want to do all work on carbon fiber away from your cameras. The dust and tiny fibers are said to be conductive and can get inside and trash electronics. I do all that in the driveway so I know it won't hang around the house and clean it well before I stick my camera back in. Take your time and you will be fine. edited because of missing words "... this ain't a Nerf world."

The advice about the steering lines is good. Steering lines often shrink the most because of having the most friction/heat applied by the slider. I have seen several canopies that the tail deflects just by reaching with the toggles to grab the front dive loops. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I googled Elisha and I found a bunch of naked pictures of Elisha Cuthbert. Man she is hot. Coaching is the way to go. People who can evaluate your skill will give better advice than people who can't decide your gender. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

I actually posted this on the Gear and Rigging forum and the riggers there have been helpful in telling me who can build the lineset for me. I appreciate that help but I would like to hear from a few people who are jumping these. Thanks I am jumping a Stiletto 89 loaded heavily for mostly video and some AFF jumps. Having had a tired Stiletto 97 relined, I know how much being in trim can improve openings and flare. It made a dramatic difference in the entire flight range. I would like a lineset built from HMA so the trim will not change as much. I know the lines will still need to be replaced and I will have to look much closer for wear issues. I do visual and controllability checks on every opening and will chop in the event of a broken line no matter what it is made of. The canopy is just too small not to IMHO. When I contacted PD they responded very quickly and explained they don't build or endorse the use of HMA or Vectran on Stilettos because they haven't thoroughly tested it on this particular canopy. I have to respect that. The Stiletto is an older design so I doubt it will ever be financially viable for them to test. Makes sense to me. I know there are people out there with experience in this because I have seen some of the canopies around. I just want to know what you guys jumping them think. And for you guys building the linesets, do you alter the trim at all? I have read that the trim is set initially to accept a little shrinkage from Spectra. That doesn't sound right to me because I want the fresh lines to be in trim, not for the canopy to come into trim in a couple of hundred jumps. I want to repeat, I am not trying to turn a Stiletto into a Katana or anything else. I am not looking to deviate from the trim intended in the design. I just want trim "stability" for lack of a better word. Thanks for any help you guys can be. PM's will work as well but I like to use the board for most stuff. Happy Holidays, Robin "... this ain't a Nerf world."

hahahaha now that is really funny. Never buy anything you are not ready to jump. I don't care if it is a helmet, a canopy, or a birdman suit. Everything I have seen says if you have the toys you will play with them. Blue skies and lots of luck to you. "... this ain't a Nerf world."

The goggles come off right around 6:12 or so and the deployment was on the lower left. I am a videot and not a TM but I think the old Vectors are like that so probably some others as well. I am not sure any of the throws I saw were real time but I never like to see a drogue touch feet or legs. As said before, the passenger was having fun flailing all over the place. Fun to video but glad I'm not strapped to them, "... this ain't a Nerf world."