dorbie

Well if you do land in the same area, or even if you don't, don't do this: http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=guestpass&id=ahvj0

I wouldn't say PG helmets were particularly bad or uncomfortable, just not suited due to the chin config mainly, fix that (compromise on length) and they'd be fine. It's not just in freefall, try turning your head past risers under canopy when you have a 8 inch beak in front of you. Or see if you can see your handles under the chin, but like I said, these are fixable. A PG helmet is nowhere near as bulky or heavy as a motorcycle helmet, which is why I gave it a try in the first place.

I have a simple solution that anyone can use safely, see the attached image.

But it could act as a projectile to persons sitting right next to the individual with the helmet on their lap fastened to the chest strap or injure the person themself - Many camera guys fasten to their chest strap - personally I wear mine... It has less chance for speed differential to build. Place your fist 1/4 inch from a wall and punch as hard as you can. Now step back give yourself 3 feet and take a good hard swing at it. Get back to us on the difference in outcome when you can type again.

That's just not true. During the Yom Kippur War Israel lost a lot of armor to Egypt in a military disaster where Arab infantry were loaded for bear and fired unprecedented numbers of RPGs and Sagger missiles at counterattacking Israeli armor.

Yes here's that link again: http://www.icaro2000.com/Gallery/Helmets/4fight%20paracadutismo.htm But I've tried this and the one I jumped definitely has issues that I've mentioned already, these look a bit better but I don't trust that it's fully resolved. The issues not insurmountable though.

Have you considered a bigger plane?

Yea because there's a huge market for second hand canopies that have blown up.

I hope you're joking. Phone users should subsidize your sport why exactly? By your logic, Diamond Aircraft Industries in Canada may have a bit more cause to complain about PD. http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=qoud08.3.26 Fortunately reality will impede your proposal for world domination by any of these folks, you need to specify what your trademark applies to and IANAL but as someone mentioned customer confusion is the heart of the issue. You'll have a stronger case when you find a swooper who got confused and bought a cellphone instead of a parachute, and when you can show us that katana trademark you think PD registered.

I can't comment with authority on this without photographic evidence. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that someone would find you hot. The fact that you skydive probably increases the hotness factor for a lot of skydivers, it's not all about looks.

That icaro is a skyrunner, the color is blue velvet. I own one and have jumped with it. It would be viable if the visor was latched, the chin did not protrude as much and the neck had a seal. All full face PG helmets have huge chins as part of the face protection. In RW it's way out there catching air and blasting your visor up. It is it just doesn't do the job but it could with some design change. I noticed this today: http://www.icaro2000.com/Gallery/Helmets/4fight%20paracadutismo.htm There is a cut version without the dirty great head hook near the reserve container: http://www.icaro2000.com/Products/Helmets/4fight/Cut%20Integral/Cut%20integral.htm and one without the chin protrusion but the visor is unsuited: http://www.icaro2000.com/Products/Helmets/4fight/Cut%20Jet/Cut%20Jet.htm The chin still seems to protrude in some of these (in real life it protrudes more than is apparent from the images). Dunno about the neck & visor for sure. It's encouraging that skydiving is somewhat on their radar. My icaro and other PG helmets have a good half inch of protection all over of rigid injection moulded styrofoam that will mitigate heavy impacts. They're still light and the extra size isn't problematic, it's nowhere near as big as a motorcycle helmet for example. For a moderate freefall impact you may want something like memory foam as I'm not sure pure styrofoam would keep you awake, it's pretty darned firm. Brain saving stuff for hitting something hard but in PG that's the ground and you don't have to worry about being awake to pull stable & fly. That's a key design issue I think, freefall impact vs ground impact. But a good amount of space and something light in it to be crushed instead of your brain is definitely an improvement over most skydiving helmets. There seems to be an innate acceptance that pro-tec helmets offer more protection and some jump with them, but that hasn't translated into a market for helmets with good impact protection. Is it the lack of products or the lack of market that's the issue? Chicken or egg?

I was kinda surprised when visiting a DZ a while back that people were lax about this, everywhere I'd jumped before it was enforced and it was automatic. It bothered the heck out of me . It just seemed like eggregious skygod bullshit that made the culprits look like idiots.

Sorry to hear that. It sounds like classic wind shear with the sock shifting and all. I had a very similar incident a year ago at a different DZ, including the partial deflation (when you hit shear you stall, lose pressurization and the upwind cells can get blown flat & even under your canopy). It's too late for you this time but if you see the sock switch 90 degrees then you need to bisect the angle between the two upwind directions, otherwise you're risking a significant change in airspeed and probable canopy stall on final if the wind is moderate to strong. In bisecting the angle you eliminate 70% of the variation in airspeed caused by a 90 degree direction switch. I'm convinced this sort of thing happens reasonably frequently. Don't be surprised if you begin to notice similar incidents crop up and/or maybe spot them in the archives. I tend to sit it out when I see the wind switch at Perris after my incident even though mine wasn't there. On some days I've noticed there's a turbulent phase in the early afternoon where the prevailing direction will switch and the transition is generally turbulent, maybe that's what you found yourself in. Heal fast.

What a moronic way to run any system. It's sad what happens when you put idiots in charge of stuff like this.

I your complaint that on the DZ you're getting more attention than usual or less?

Wire fraud is a serious offence. TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 63 > § 1343. Fraud by wire, radio, or television 2004-08-06 Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.

Having a Y chromosome. A question like that kinda answers itself.

Wow, my packing class was *SLOW*, because I had to pack in it, at least twice. As others said get help around the DZ. You can always just watch too, people are packing all the time and if you know what you're looking at (you should by now) that can help.

Fixed the levels on that for you, a quick photoshop auto levels was pretty effective, see attachment.

That's not a living will. Who's going to make medical decisons if you're unable? Do you want to be kept on life support, how about feeding & for how long?

I never disagreed, I merely pointed out that I meant full frame rate with interlacing rather than interlaced field rate. You'll find it's very common to to see standard definition NTSC called 30i. I used to work for Silicon Graphics and debugged 3:2 pulldown algorithms on ONYX systems so I don't need to "hit the books" thanks. P.S. my use of the word frame rate was specific, interlaced formats have two fields per frame, odd and even, it's just the nomenclature used.

I explicitly said interlaced, you get a half field at ~60Hz & 50Hz. I think we both agree it probably doesn't matter what software is capable of in this context as it's down to the standards conversion capabilities of the playback device.

I don't think it was excessively humid. I've trimmed the red button in the middle making it more difficult to accidentally trigger, it was twitchy, time will tell if it does the trick.

Thanks for the suggestion, probably the best option except that the LANC switch location is integrated into the helmet design, got a big dimple, hole & everything. I'm not ready to hack my new lid..... yet.

I'm jumping an FFX, no ring sight and just doing what I usually do for now after taking advice from some cameramen. In the middle of an exit scrum it's tricky to avoid a repeat, I'm not back on the camera step. I guess I'll improvise some protection for now.