skydude2000

Thanks!! Yeah, I was working on all belly skills drills. Up + down, side-slides, forward +back and some pins. You're right though, the less crashing I do, the better. I just thought it would be an excellent way of timing the series, and having clear video would make it very easy for me to see and correct any penalties I incur, before I do the evaluation jump. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi gang, I'm planning on visiting the Montreal SV tunnel when it opens next year. I only have an hour of tunnel time to date. I know the requirements for my 'B' CoP are at least 45 degree turns left & right in either sit or backfly positions. What more would I need in order to practice these skills in the tunnel? I also thought the other requirement, a Front-loop, back-loop barrel-roll, in 16 secs or less, would be an excellent skill to be able to practice in the tunnel, so I can whip it off fairly quickly in the sky. (hopefully ) But I read that only experienced flyers are permitted to perform these types of maneuvers. I would obviously need coaching, but what else would I need, in order for a coach to not say 'I'm not getting into a tube of Death with that guy!!!'??? Thanks for any advice you can offer. PULL!! or DIE!!

Ok, don't mean to hi-jack, but I've been having trouble with stand-ups too. I think this question is related. I hear a lot of instructors and jumpers saying to look out at the horizon. Is this the best technique? I ask because I find myself looking out more to a 45 degree angle, and when I find it, I try to keep my eye on the magic spot. Would that give me enough ground rush to flare pre-maturely? Thanks!! PULL!! or DIE!!

Indeed, I am from Canuckistan, as was so eloquently stated What of it? PULL!! or DIE!!

I've only ever lookied for it after my course with Brian G. when he told us about turn co-ordination. When the pliot chute normally shifts to one side of the canopy in a normal toggle turn. But when you combine toggle turns with harness input, the pilot chute should trail in a straight line behind the canopy. But I only tried looking a couple of times, because those kinds of turns put my canopy into a crazy-fun, scare-the-bejesus-outta-me dive. I wanna be looking at where I'm going when I do those, lol. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi guys, I've probably got around a hundred or so pack jobs on fairly large squares. I think the smallest I've ever packed was a Sabre 170. I know quite a few people at my DZ who are very picky about who packs their elliptical canopies, particularly smaller ones. Which is really fine by me, I don't have enough experience with packing ellipticals or small canopies yet. But is it because it's so much easier for things to go wrong under these canopies and that they are much less forgiving of packing error? I understand that line twists and line-overs become much more serious problems with these canopies, but I would like to know what kinds of things do you need to change about your packing in order to properly and safely pack smaller ellipticals? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!!! PULL!! or DIE!!

I don't think they would allow a new jumper to do that, and I don't know that any TI would be comfortable with obstructing their vision, or the possibility of it. But then again, I'm not a TI. Feel free to correct me on this guys

Use your head, man!! That's just crazy talk. Crazy talk!! Would you trust yuor vacuum cleaner or your microwave to SAVE YOUR LIFE????? Because essentially that's what you'd be doing if you waited for your Cypres to fire. Jump safe guys. PULL!! or DIE!!

How much would peripheral vision be affected on a full-face? I can't imagine you'd be able to see better than with an open face. And for a student, I think being able to see everything, is important. They have enough to worry about without tunnel-vision. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi guys, I'll bet there are threads about this somewhere, but I didn't find anything directly related to what I've been told. I had an extremely hard pull on my last jump, and if I remember correctly, I tried to pull one time too many. Which luckily happened to work. The bridle on the pc I'm using is unusually thick, and bunches up quite a bit when the pc is cocked. This makes it VERY difficult to back tightly, I've found, and numerous other people have had hard pulls on the same rig. I'd like to think it's not my lazy pc packing, I've tried numerous methods, including that which Brian G. recommended to me when I asked him about it. My rigger told me that it could have to do with the position of the bag in the container, if it's not even, and flat, it makes the BOC bow downward, putting more tension on the spandex. Other than trying to pack the bag evenly in the tray, is there something else I should do to ease the pressure on the pocket, or the pilot-chute to prevent scary, stupid, preventable shit like this from happening to me again? Thanks a million. PULL!! or DIE!!

I finished the challenge Monday night, with 117 laps in 75 minutes. Damn that feels good!!! But now what??? PULL!! or DIE!!

Just added it, cuz I'm a noob PULL!! or DIE!!

I have finally grown my gills. My Grand River fitness challenge through the Centre Wellington Community Complex is nearly complete. They have challenged all of the recreational lane swimmers to swim the length of the Grand River. It's main flow runs downstream from Dundalk to Dunnville, Ontario, and is approximately 300 km in length. The Complex lane pool is 25 metres long; in order to swim the full length of the Grand River, one would need to swim 12 thousand lengths. By tomorrow, I will have done it!! In one year and two days. With an average of 2.5 km per day. For any skeptics out there, I have been keeping track of each lap with a manual golf stroke-counter. Save for my 'A' license, this will be my greatest physical accomplishment and I can't wait to finish. I have attached a photo of the distance I have swam. Thanks for listening to me ramble Skydude. PULL!! or DIE!!

Talk about 'Pull. Flare. Land.' Yikes. I'd have had to change my underwear. PULL!! or DIE!!

I recite it before every jump, lol. The SkyGods just won't listen. PULL!! or DIE!!

Thanks for the replies!! Hopefully that should help me a lot. That was the one thing I was struggling with. I just thought there might be something I could do to help myself remember. Y'know, like 'Never Eat Shredded Wheat'. or when I had to memorize the area codes for most of the provinces in Canada, I made up stupid rhymes to help me remember, eg. area code 819 'Quebec Doesn't Rhyme' Saskatchewan 306 'prairie chicks' Alberta 250 'Rodeo' Calgary Stampede, lol. I just thought there might be something like that out there to go through the basic sequences. But I guess unless you make it that way, no two points on more than one dive, are the same. I guess I'll just have to try and make something up, lol. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi guys, I've recently gotten my 'A' license, working on two-ways towards my 'B'. Basically I'm just trying to work on my flying skills. But the one thing I've found so far, and I'm sure this is newbie nerves, but even on the most basic formations, I find myself forgetting the next point. Therein lies my problem. Because each dive is different, I have a hard time remembering. Even if I dirt-dive it twelve times, lol. Are there any mnemonic devices that might help me remember the basic sequences? In theatre we used to have line cues so we knew what to say next. But a key is the same, on every point, so that doesn't help much. Any ideas? Thanks a bunch!! Skydude PULL!! or DIE!!

Congrats!! It's a great feeling. As for working on canopy control, have you had the opportunity to take a course? That might be the next step, if it's available to you. Have you talked to your instructors about doing a canopy stall? You've got your 'A', so I'd assume you have, but ya never know. Talked to a rigger or an experienced packer about taking a packing class, or just started watching people pack? Don't be afraid to ask questions, either.

Hi guys, I've been browsing for used gear for some time now, without much success. So I started wondering, is there a particular time of year or season where there is a big flush in used gear for sale? It seems to me, at least here in Canada, that there might be people selling gear around the fall/winter season, so they can buy new gear for the upcoming season. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe I'm just not finding what I'm looking for, hence I wonder. When would be the best time of year to look for used gear? Thanks!! PULL!! or DIE!!

N/A

The 'search' function is your friend :) Many or all of these questions have been covered here before. But since I'm bored, here it goes.(Any instructors/more experienced jumpers, feel free to correct me): 1) When do you put the backpacks on? Usually 15-20 minutes min. before the load is called for takeoff. We call them 'rigs' ;) 2) Do instructors check equipment right before you jump, on the ground, in the airplane, where? All of the above. Usually they check before you don the gear, while helping you adjust it, before getting on the plane, and again before you exit. 3) Would a brand new student doing an assisted jump be more likely to jump out first with the two instructors or last? Or middle? Can't comment. Never done nor seen an AFF done. 4) Are there hand signals you use in the air to communicate with each other, like between instructors and their students, like with scuba diving or not so much? Moreso for instructors to communicate with students. 5)Do most instructors do this for a living, or do they have other day jobs when they're not jumping? Many of them do, but I think most do it on a part-time basis. PULL!! or DIE!!

I started jumping rounds in 2001. But I never learned to pack those, just close the container. Then I watched A LOT of pack jobs, and learned piece by piece. I took a packing course, and then started my mandatory 10 packs. But when I was learning, I used to HATE it, when I'd get it to a certain point, in the sausage, in the bag, container closed. Then the instructor would pull it all out and say 'do it again'. I swear I did 20 or 30 partial packs before I did one start to finish and actually jumped it. Then eventually people started getting ticked that I was taking up so much space flat packing. So I had to learn to pro pack, which I had to learn to do, myself, with one good hand. I spent a lot of time practicing with Tandem hooks. They make it easy not to have to hold the damn thing up forever. Now I can actually pack reasonably well, except anything smaller than a 170 or elliptical, or brand new Z-P, lol. But I'm working on that. We pay 8 bucks a pack, so paying a packer 4 times, could buy you a jump from top floor, packing for yourself. Not much of a decision to make there. PULL!! or DIE!!

Yeah, thanks. That simulation was really helpful. Not trying to hi-jack, but it makes sense to me that CRW dogs would get out last, no? It just seems that if they're pulling high because they need more working time, and they're flying/falling slower than everyone else, they would get out last, to avoid obvious congestion. Maybe the idea in my head is wrong?? PULL!! or DIE!!

You're right, PLFs are definitely the way to go. I learned that the hard way too. I didn't land on my butt, but I fell back backwards on landing, and I fractured two of my vertebrae. From now on, I'll pile in on my face if I have to. I don't care if it gets beat to shit. You can get cosmetic surgery for an F'ed up face. Last time I checked, there was no cure for serious spinal injuries, and I like being able to use my legs. P L F People!!!! PULL!! or DIE!!

Amen!! We have a winner!! When you know better than to pass out with your shoes on at the DZ. PULL!! or DIE!!