kopelen

I know how you feel, I am still apprenticing and my first save was my own rig after having a spinning malfunction. For me, that was the icing on the cake, it gave me confidence to know that what my mentor taught me works! Since then, I have had another save on a student rig. The feeling of knowing that the student was safe and the pack job right, makes your day. It did mine.

Think about this, 1. how many states have wind tunnels 2. what percent of new students are willing to pay more money to TRAVEL to the wind tunnel 3. as most instructors will tell you RW skills are 5% of what the FJC is about. Personally i think that the wind tunnel is a great learning tool. But basic survival skills are more important first than advanced RW skills. I do however condone using a wind tunnel for your gravity challenged students.

At one of the drop zones I jump at, they always let FF go first without exception. They are a two pass drop zone because of DZ size. Any help on to what should be the rule of thumb??

If I have been jumping a Spectre 170 with about 100 jumps at 1.23 on it with no problems. Does a cobalt 150 seem too aggressive with a WL at 1.33? I have jumped the cobalt 135 and landed it both downwind and upwind with no problems on windy days above 13 mph. I am stuck on deciding whether or not to buy a cobalt 150 or 135? WL difference is 1.33 or 1.44. Any suggestions out there?

Question for experienced canopy pilots. What defines excessive wing loading? 1.0 is docile to 3.2 as highly loaded. I see people that jump canopies from 1.0 to 3.2 with about the same amount of jumps. I am assuming that preference comes first. Do I wanna swoop or do I wanna come in and hit the X. So can someone tell me in their own words what highly loaded means to them. ie at 400 jumps is a 1.3 is ok. Or better yet someone tell me their canopy progression. thanks

As for the argument over the two types, I will throw my two cents in. I have a soft reserve because it sits closer to my body than my old silver handle. On my last cutaway, I had no problems, in a spinning malfuntion, finding either handle. Both were easy to find, grab, and cut-away and deploy my reserve. I think its more what you prefer. But what the heck everyone has an opinion!!!

It all happened on Jan 6, 2001. Going home to the place that I learned to skydive. Looking forward to the crystal blue sky that morning thinking that I would get in another 5-8 jumps. Well all those wonderful ideas never happened. On jump one, we exited a 4-way out of Cessna. Turned a couple points things were looking great. Pull time no prob. Opened a little high 3000 K to ensure I had plenty of room. Well I spotted the DZ cruised on over to land and then on final was looking to my left not paying attention to my front. I was about 30 feet up looking left then to the right in full flight when i saw the windsock! Yup! Well my left leg caught the windsock and I came to a screaching halt. Needless to say I hurt a little. (Found out later the pole was forged steel not plastic!) A fellow jumper asked me why I did not pull a left or right rear riser turn to avoid. I told him one that at the time of incident I did not know what one was and two that I was not paying attention to the windsock. Another jumper told me that I would be ok because I had only a sprain most likely. Well taking his advice I drove the two hours back to the hospital and found out four hours later that it was much more than a sprain. Well end result for not paying attentionon on landing: Reconstructed ACL and a level two MCL tear on my knee and 9 months of rehab, not just a sprain!!. Just wanted to share with my fellow skydivers what can happen because we get careless and not know how to fly all aspects of our canopies. Overall though I just want to say canopy control skills and attention at all times are important!!!