Tonto

Much as I like my digital toys, and even though I work for an IT company, I still have my analog, and I'll always have one. Even when they don't break, they still need batteries, and sometimes you just don't get them in time. t It's the year of the Pig.

Had the same issue from students here. "I WANT NUMBER ONE!" "I WANT THE MAIN GUY!" Left and right seems to work nicely for us, especially if we switch every level. t It's the year of the Pig.

Same here. (I was once rated as a USPA AFF Instructor, but finding a S & TA to sign you off as current in Africa is tricky..) The difference is the student. We had a few issues where the "Reserve side" instructor was the one taking the student on past L3 onto solo levels and the student thought they were being short changed and wanted the "Main" dude. Also, if the instructor is named for the handles - then where is the breakaway or cutaway instructor? But yes. It is semantics. I detest LHS or RHS or Mainside or reserve side "Specialists." I like to work with AFF Instructors. Sides don't matter to me. t It's the year of the Pig.

I log every jump. I now have 4817 dives in my logbook. When I travel, I carry only the last 1000, but I also keep awards numbers. Example. I present my last 817 skydives in my logbook. to the DZO. He wonders where the 4000 previous ones are. I quote Triple Diamond wings # 676 for 4000 dives and Triple Diamond Freefall # 714 for 48 hours of freefall. That at least means that an S & TA checked to that point, and I don't need to carry around 21 years worth of logbooks. It's worked well for me so far. Perris wanted a signature on my last logged dive. My GF (A D licence) signed, and all was well. t It's the year of the Pig.

RHS inside. LHS rear float. Our System doesn't use "Main" and "Reserve" instructors. Both instructors are equaly skilled and capable of doing both sides, hence they are refered to by the side of the student they're on. Naming instructors after the handles on the side is often not clear. t It's the year of the Pig.

Most people will tell you to buy what they use, for the reasons they bought theirs. The standard these days is very high and there are many good containers. I went with a Mirage G4 and a Mirage G3 because it was the best I could afford. I'm very happy with the service I've recieved from Mirage, and the rigs work hard and perform well. t It's the year of the Pig.

I had an exclusion for many years. It was only when I bought disability together with life that the line blured somewhat and I cancelled the exclusion. t It's the year of the Pig.

Of course that is just what I subscribe to, I could be wrong... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agree completely. See? I may be wrong. I often wonder though, if some people with 300, or 900, or 2800, or 4000 dives just have some super deployment diagnostic sense that I don't have. They're always "too fast, too hard, off heading" etc Only thing I really don't like are canopies that don't open, or that make me think they won't open by snivelling for 1000+ feet. I pack like shit. It looks so bad it literaly scares people - but it works. (At least for the past several 1000 dives, anyway.) t It's the year of the Pig.

Agree completely. When I watch people pack I'm reminded of dogs that walk in a circle 3 times before they lie down. They don't know why they do it - but if they didn't they wouldn't sleep.. There's so much mumbo jumbo voodoo bullshit around packing... t It's the year of the Pig.

If the strap was correctly fastened and stowed, and it came undone - I'd never jump that container again. There are plenty of containers available that perform as required regardless of the relative wind. t It's the year of the Pig.

My Tandem malfunction rate was significantly higher than my average, at about 1 malfunction per 100 tandems. (I've had 7 chops in 750 Tandems) My last Tandem cut away resulted in a partial reserve malfunction. Since I don't own or pack the Tandem rigs at our DZ, I elected to stop Tandem and focus on AFF. I still believe in the Tandem system, but as Bill said earlier in this thread, those who experience the lowest malfunction rate have the most meticulous approach to packing. I'd certainly consider getting my rating again if I were to work at such a dropzone. t It's the year of the Pig.

Welcome!

I went with the Red Bishop. It's a weaver. Habits Gregarious at all times Forages on the ground, walking in short steps, also visits feeding trays Males display from a perch or in a bee-like cruising flight, plumage puffed out. Males often chase females and rival males. It's the year of the Pig.

Just over 300. That's less than the year before, but I did more wingsuit dives. (I jump weekends only) t It's the year of the Pig.

I'm guessing this is not for Tandem I/Video pairs with several 100 (or 1000) dives together. t It's the year of the Pig.

1. Find a mentor. 2. Do a lot of AFF with them. 3. Do AFF with others. 4. Never think you know how a dive will turn out. t It's the year of the Pig.

We teach "Reach - touch - feel" for practice touches and "Reach - touch - pull" for the deployment. There is no look, and hasn't been for about 10 years for all the reasons you gave. Arch is a given. It won't happen for a long, long time. PASA (Parachute Association of South Africa) regulates student gear so that it is standardised throughout the country. Any student changing DZ's will always be familiar with the gear. There are 15 DZ's offering student training of which only one doesn't offer Static Line progression. The Practice pulls on SL require a hip mounted ripcord due to the fact that the container is open during the practice touch sequence - making BOC positioning tricky. JSC shares the rigs used for AFF with those used for the freefall part of the SL progression. Since the sport is often run by the "Old school" instructors at a National level, many feel the ripcord is better for those (very rare on AFF) occasions that the student pulls unstable. The fact that Pilot chute hesitations and even PC in tow situations are almost routine on AFF bothers them little, since the AFF I's deal with those issues equally routinely. Much as I would prefer to go to BOC - simply to remove the variable of unsupervised transision from ripcord to BOC - I will acnowledge that the system does work, and that we have very few problems with it. t It's the year of the Pig.

Does your Cypres consider the position of your camera person? When you are below 1000 ft in freefall, without a cypres (I don't have one) you are dead if you turn and track. I guess when we talk about "low" we have differing thoughts as to what that is. For me, it's sub 1000 ft in freefall at terminal, because I've been there (stupidly) both intentionally and unintentionally. In this sport, above all else, we are responsible for our own safety first. If everyone looked after themselves, everyone would be OK. For a camera person to be staring at a 4 way with the ground looming at 1000 ft is unthinkable. In fact, I can't recall a single incident of this scenario developing. t It's the year of the Pig.

Yup. Wasn't anything he did at all. It was the wind. t It's the year of the Pig.

Ripcord - Right hip. BOC is not yet allowed for AFF or freefall progression in South Africa. BOC conversion follows AFF directly - jumps 11 and 12 if there are no AFF repeats. (AFF here is a ten jump program - 3 double levels, 4 single levels, 3 consolidation dives, the last of which is a clear and pull from 4000ft.) t It's the year of the Pig.

You added a "when" in there, infering the deployment of the main was incomplete as he pulled the cutaway handle. This is not the case. The main was fully deployed when the cutaway handle was pulled. I know this because the other Instructor, who was aware of the whole situation at the time, watched the main deploy. t It's the year of the Pig.

Fuck. You just turned me into a newbie... t It's the year of the Pig.

Richard Branson did AFF, and pulled his cutaway handle instead of his ripcord. It was captured on video and has been used on several USPA and other AFF ICC's. t It's the year of the Pig.

``You are a very fast flier, aren't you?'' ``I... I enjoy speed,'' Jonathan said, taken aback but proud that the Elder had noticed. ``You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn't flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn't have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.'' Jonathan - Richard Bach It's the year of the Pig.

See Dick hook! See Dick hammer! Don't be a Dick! or See Dick hook! See Dick swoop! Chicks dig Dick! (These were both set to cartoon like drawings and were Chute Shop T-Shirts -Now Parachute Systems) t It's the year of the Pig.