aftermid

I had my left toggle lock in slight brakes on opening. It caused the canopy pull slightly to the left (no spinning). It was easily offset by finding the neutral point with my right toggle and steering/landing on rear risers with a PLF. I'd never landed on my rears before, but I'd practiced steering with them and flaring them. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_reply_write;parent_post_id=1671957

Jump #39 Gear: Wings Container Triathlon 150 1.15 wingloading Plane: Casa Uneventful two way exit and fun jump (horney gorilla). Waved off at 4,500 and pulled at 4,000. On heading opening under canopy by 3,200. Visually check canopy, cocked slider, reached for toggles and left toggle was locked (tied around itself and elastic stow area), unfortunately someone untied it before I could get a picture. It was creating a very minimal left-hand turn but the canopy was not spinning in anyway. I attempted to untie the toggle but was unsuccessful. At 2,500 I made the decision to find the neutral position with the right toggle and land the canopy with my rear risers. I found the right toggle pressure required to offset the left. I elected to land of the landing area in a larger field of scrub brush to minimize the chance of landing on a concrete run way. I setup into the wind, feet and knees together, gave the best rear riser flare I could and PLFed(one full summersault). I got up had no injuries what so ever. By the time I got my canopy together and began walking back to the DZ there were 3 jumpers and a van waiting for me(much love Skydive the Point). A couple weeks ago a read a similar incident where the jumper elected to chop in a similar situation and the general consensus was that landing on rears is a better alternative with an otherwise controllable canopy. I also talked to my instructors after reading the thread and they agreed. I also recently read a debate over the importance of teaching PLF, and I'm grateful for my instruction and DZ.com providing forums for debate which reinforce the importance of earlier and further instruction. A rigger and I also when over how I'd been stowing my toggles and showed me a better way of stowing excess slack to avoid a future incident. Any feedback would be apprectiated.

28, I wasted 12 years

I thought about being a cop, but I went to college instead.

Welcome to skydiving! Some days the weather sucks, some weekends they weather sucks, some weeks the weather sucks, some months the weather sucks. Wait till there are crisp blue skys and 14mph winds, and everyone but the students are jumping, and guest what you're a student. I took 5 days off to do my AFF and got 1 and half days of jumping in. I was pretty bummed out until I realized that my livleyhood wasn't dependent on being able to jump for those days like many people involved with the DZ. My ability to earn a living, pay my morgage, buy food for may family, or mearly save for the future wasn't being adversley effected by the weather. I simply had to postpone an activity that I really wanted to do. It always amazes me that when I think about how something effects others instead of being incredibly self-centered, I always see how good I've got it. The DZ I did a tandem and my AFF at didn't give refunds only rainchecks. Part of a deposit is the commitment to future purchase. Most DZ's doing tandems are businesses and most businesses are in the business to do business and they have policies to protect their ability to do business, and if your business is dependent on weather you have policies that institute 'rainchecks'. Perhaps the only raincheck you'll ever get that actually has something to do with the rain. Finally, it sounds like you were trying to relive your first tandem all over again, and no matter how it worked out, that just wasn't going to happen. All the witty jumpmaster banter in the world wasn't going to cut it. Everything could have worked out perfectly and it still wouldn't have been enough. You can't recreate something like that, that's where the term 'once in a lifetime comes from.' It is also why god created AFF, IAD, and an A license. I'm assuming you're not in a tandem progression course, so feel fortunate that you got to pull the rip chord. I know tandem instructors that don't even give the student the option, because too many students pull high, drop the rip chord, etc... Tandem jumps are an awsome introduction to skydiving, but unless they are part of a tandem progression, they are more or less a really exciting ride. If you'd signed up for AFF you could have gotten the ground school done during the weather hold, or gotten an introduction to packing while working towards your A liscense. If you want to become a skydiver learn to skydive, don't try and recreate the uncreatable. Create some new 'once in a lifetimes.' 'Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.' -Oscar Wilde

So would you agree with chopping the main and opening the reserve in this circumstance? Would cutting the line with a hook knife and landing on rear risers be a viable option? I'm very new a just got a hook knife because someone said you should never jump without one. John

Are you using WEP encryption or any other means of security? Are both machines WINXP machines, make sure the other one isn't setup to share it's internet connection, for routing services, or that its running any abitrary network services. Here's a great free wireless tool http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/ great for surveying wireless networks.

The Canoe camping trip is an annual trip with the majority of people coming from different parts of the country.

Seems like there should be more options, but I don't see them. Weddings are boring enough ladies, don't schedule them Memorial Day weekend.

#2 I timed my flare perfectly, as soon as me feet hit the corn I flared.

Don't worry about the possible cost of getting current, you've got so many far more expensive bills ahead. If you ever have to pay to get current you'll embrace the nominal expense

I guess I was just spoiled with 14k my first time and signed up for AFF right away.

I heard about a DZ dropping tandems at 6.5K. Seems like a pretty beat ride for $200+. Is there any standard-understood minimum tandem exit altitude?

I jumped my first unsupervised pack job after a couple more or less supervised practice jobs on a windy day. It sat for a week before I jumped it. I was nervous until I actually jumped it. I would have been nervous but I was having too much fun. I've packed all of my jumps since (only 7 jumps). I tend to think about it on the way up but not once I get out of the plane. I'm getting better and better packing. Now it only takes about an hour for me to pack. Just remember you have perfectly good reserve

Thanks

Does anyone know where I can find a B-License card. I looked through the SIMS but all I could find was the requirements not the card itself. Thanks John

I know all my questions will be answered this weekend at the DZ, but what is or is there a standard for student recurrency traing? I have twenty jumps and most of my A-Card filled out, but I haven't jumped since December because of the winter. What should I expect to need to do to get current?

I'm on day 21 cigarette free. When do the cravings go away? Suggestions?

"Play music without microchips"(original) "I said no but the drugs didn't listen" "The only urine sample you'll get from me is for a taste test"

Some thing like this http://www.dealtime.com/xPF-Linksys_Wireless_G_Access_Point_WAP54G would probably be a bit more effective, because it doesn't have a router built-in. The T1 line should have a Cisco type professional router managed by the T1 provider. You should also be able to effecivly cluster/bridge multiple ones of these. It also offers some pretty descent security settings i.e. MAC address authtenication.

I've been pretty tight with Bill and Jimmy K for seven years. I'm new to the sport jumping in Maryland and Delaware. Sometimes we never know where we are until we've already gone. Anytime something feels like it's too much to bare, just remember it's just part of the inevidible journey of self discovery. If you walk backwards on the journey you'll just have to cross the same path in the future, so if you wade through it now, you might not have to cross it later. What's more, when you cross a similar path in the future, you'll already be prepared because you'll reconigize it for what it is, not the monster it might appear to be. You can't have the good without the bad, and the bad tends to make the good pretty great.