erdnarob

Maybe you should consider the TROPOS ARCH GOGGLES. They are made from a flexible material with vents allowing a comfortable fit. And the best of all, you can buy and replace the lens easily, lenses come in several colors. Start with a clear lens and when you will be a skygod, change for a colored one, blue mirror, red mirror...etc to look cool. For the fogging, well I have the same problem, I solved it by putting my goggles on only when the aircraft door is open. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I jumped twice too. First time ever in 1992 and another time in 1998. It was a cargo Boeing 727 Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I jumped this DC9 twice at Rantoul in 2006. It was the most gorgeous airplane rides ever. Clean, comfortable seats, nice aisle carpet, almost silent at take off, a genuine airliner. Flight attendants Mary and JoAnn, dressed in shorts and T-shirt with their rig on, doing their job by explaining us how to buckle up and showing emergency exits plus distributing candies (they both were jumping after us). 5 minutes to 14500 ft, 2 passes. One of the two rides is on a video on YouTube at " DC9 Jump Rantoul ". We were doing a 4 way with a friend (co-cameraman) and two Britts. We managed to do 4-5 points despite the tremendous one by one exit which spread us like flies going thru a fan.

I have jumped with Roger. I met him in 1985 at Freeport Illinois at the Freak Brothers Convention. Nice personality, ready to help, and fantastic organizer. Roger has signed my Freak Brothers card #2115

Have you tried to pull the bridle perpendicular to the rig as it is normally the case in the air ? But situation like the one described can happen when the jumper is straight up or on his back with bridle around the shoulder. Some rig are built very tight at the top of the reserve. Remember this jumper in Quebec, on his back, with the bridle and pilot chute fully extended, with no launch of the reserve. He had to grab the bridle with his hand and pull to get the reserve extraction. Check the video on You Tube. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Don't forget the former Czechoslovakian and USSR KAP 3 equiped with both timer and barometric pressure sensor. More recently the SKIFF which is russian made, the Mars1 from the Czech Republic and I suggest you to check with the Chineses, who have certainly their own. There is also the former Czech system all in one piece to be installed at the bottom of the reserve container, it had no cable, the control console was protruding in the back of the container, and the cutter was integrated to the unit. Otherwise you have the Pin Puller from Steve Snyders Enterprises, the Cypres 1 and 2 from Airtec, the Vigil 1 and 2 from Advanced Aerospace Designs, the Argus from Aviacom and the Astra from FXC Congratulations for the initiative Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

What a good idea to make a hot air balloon jump. Just in case the balloon pilot is not aware, ask him to let you quit when the balloon is decending. ie if you want to jump at 5000 ft, ask him to go at 5500 ft, stop the burners and wait until the balloon starts to go down. This to avoid the balloon to climb up suddenly when you leave. Also you should : 1) have a demo jump licence, check with your skydiving association 2) have the air space reserved if jumping in an air traffic control area. You need to contact the air traffic control authority for that. 3) have somebody with a chase car since the balloon can cover quite a distance 4) jumping from a balloon is quite similar than jumping from a helicopter. ie you will stay for several seconds in the same position that the one when you leave due to no relative wind to help you for your presentation. I recommend you to leave the ballon with your body at 45 degrees head up. 5) if launching from the door, make sure to clear the skids or descend on them and launch. 6) have fun

This is exactely what I have for locking bands (tube stows) with HMA lines. Now I have something even better, I have a Jerry Baumchen MagBag just like a reserve but instead of Velcro, I have two pairs of magnets and according videos taken during lines deployment, line extensions are more orderly and faster than ordinary rubber bands placed on the DBag sides. Main openings thought are exactely the same. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Hi Gary, I used to be an instructor for about 12 years. The 7 first years, I was giving FJC spread on Tuesday and Thursday. The new students were jumping on the following weekend weather permitting. After each session of the ground school, I was giving my students homework like rehearse at home, exit, count, arch...etc. The 5 last years at another DZ and using Instructor Activation Deployment (IAD) method, the ground school happened to be on Saturday morning and the students were doing their first jump on the afternoon. Despite I didn't see a difference between the 2 ways, I still believe that some time elaspsing between ground school and the first jump could be beneficial to most of the beginners. One says that to remind something, you have to learn it and forget it and again 7 times.... Things we believe people to forget are actually sunk in their mind and come back in force when they have to rehearse it with help of an instructor. I guess, at every DZ, before each first jump, there is a sound rehearsal at the mockup. OTOH, putting some time between FJC and the first jump makes students getting mature about what they are about to do. Some candidates like the ones who have been influenced by friends and who want to jump just to do like the gang...have the time for reflection and can decide more freely to show up in order to jump or not. I have seen all kind of excuses for not doing a first jump after a FJC like: too busy, not feeling well, my grand mother is dead, an emergency at home...which could be true or not but that shows that some candidates were not that ready to do their first jump. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

What you say is so true that I have a hanging harness set up in my basement. And I have developed a way that you don't even have to open your reserve or used a temporary pin. The actual ripcord is put out of its pouch and folded under the MLW then held in place with masking tape. I use a dummy ripcord handle with several wraps of masking tape to make a pull resistance. Using an old mattress, you cut away and fall on the something soft enough. Simple and unexpensive. Dozens of people were trained on it with no regret. That provides the jumper with visualisation and muscles-brain memory of the action to do. Most of the people new on this suspended harness are so surprised when they drop after pulling their cut away handle. They have to repeat this exercice few times before having full control and pull their ripcord. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

After many discussions with instructors and packers at different DZ, it seems that there are two schools of thinking about what kind of rubber bands to use for a safe line deployment. Some argue that ordinary flat rubber bands are better because they can break and give up while other say that tube stows are superior since they allow the lines to slip with less friction and less torsion (of the bands) than flat rubber bands. On the other hand, tube stows seem to be more durable but can break after a longer use. I would like to know what you, the users, think about it. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

It depends on your weight and your physical condition. What I can tell you so far is that the Sabre 2 is an all purposes canopy. It can be used for advanced jumpers at loading (1.2 to 1.5) but at some DZ, it is currently used at lower loading like 0.8 to 1.2 for advanced students and even very beginners at loading 0.8. Moreover, the Sabre 2 provides you with a very good flare. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

If you send me an email address, I will forward you with the documents I use for a packing course. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Are you into mathematics ? Nice way to hide a 69. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

A friend of mine was jumping an airlocked Lotus at an exhibition jump. It was windy and the landing area was a football field. I landed first with my Katana. I had then the chance to see my friend's approach. At about 150 feet, the right side of his Lotus collapsed badly. Fortunately the recovery was fast allowing him to do a good landing. I am now not sure if airlocks are really efficient. If there is a dowward air drift caused by turbulences, airlocks or not, the canopy will have a negative angle of attack and will collaps. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

It seems to me that the right hand tear is just a bit more than 3" from the seam. On the other hand the fabric is still shiny. If I am right I would go for a patch covering both tears. I hope the top end of each tear is also at more than 3" from the tail. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I am setting my brakes and uncollapse my slider immediately after landing and where I land. IMO it's the best way to avoid messing up with the lines and in case you have a packer, this is the way he/she likes it. Packing and packing doesn't make you better in the case your packing course was given by somebody the kind "do it that way" without explaining the purpose of each step. It takes more than 200 packings to be able to do some malfunction statitics. In your case, the question is "why do we have to set up the canopy on brake for opening ?". If you could answer that you are not likely to forget it. Also after 4-5 years on stopping jumping, why didn't you ask somebody to watch you while packing. You should also have done some emergency procedures preferably on a suspended harness with an actual fall on something soft. You can even lose your canopy after cut it away in some windy circumstances. If you were an aircraft pilot, no way you could go back in the air by yourself, not after giving up flying for 4-5 years. As a skydiver, you should consider you as a pilot, a canopy pilot and behave accordingly. After all it's your life.

I have a Katana, I jumped it for the last 500 jumps and I can tell you that you will never be bored with it. If you are gentle with it, conservative, the Katana will provide you with nice flights and tremendous flares. The Katana is not a touchy canopy, its large toggle range with low pressure makes it very predictible. According John LeBlanc from PD, the Katana is what you normally jump after a Sabre 2. But if you like a 7 cell canopy go for the Storm which is the enhanced Spectre with more diving capabilities and a flare accordingly. But if you choose a Katana, be careful below 1000 ft. A good 180 degree full turn will make you lose 400 ft. No problem using flat turns with it even at low altitude but get use to the canopy first. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Nataly, I am a rigger in Canada # K0026A. If you are interested in receiving the documents (6) and sketches I am providing to new packers when I give a packing course, just let me know. You can even write to me in French. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I went once at the Herd boogie, New Hanover Pennsylvania. I still have the best memories from it. Jumping from a twin tail israeli Arrava airplane, the first tandems with no drogue, overnight wild parties including Hymen Buster group directed by Dave DeWolf, the burn car wrecking. OMG This was in 1984. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

DZ boogies are a lot of fun but we have had the boogie of all boogies namely the WFFC (World FreeFall Convention) formerly Freak Brothers boogie, and, collectively, we have neglected it. A Big boogie like the WFFC, organized in a neutral (not a DZ) airport like Freeport Ill., Quincy Ill., and last time at Rantoul Ill. was providing probably the best a skydiver could dream of, ie. no politics, speciality airplanes (Hercules, Ford TriMotor, Lockheed Constellation, DC-9, Boeing 727, 12 seat Bell 412 helicopter, Hot air balloon, B-17, B-24, Mig 21, Carvair...etc) name it and this in addition of the more classic DC-3, Caravan, Twin Otter, Casa, Skyvan...plus a good crew of competent designated load orgnizers, shows and rock bands every night, a self serve free beer truck and amazing hot contests on the stage under one of the big tents. It seems that skydivers didn't understand the interest of such a boogie, the only type which could offer so many features but also involving investment of a tremendous amount of money for the organizer. At the time, skydivers didn't think big enough. At the best years at Quincy, there were more than 5000 registrations (from all over the world) with a fleet of airplanes accordingly. We had it for almost 20 years and due to diminishing attendance, the organizer gave up. I have seen many well organized boogies but never like the WFFC. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Like you, I am a big guy. I have tried a Storm 170 once and that would be my favorite parachute among the 7 cell ones. It has a quite good flare. I made almost 400 jumps on a Sabre 2-170 and I liked it a lot. It is a 9 cell with one of the best flare you could have. Both Storm 170 and Sabre 2-170 were allowing me to do nice stand up landing (with the proper technique). At more than 100 jumps you should not worry about jumping a Sabre 2-190. I tried one once and at the flare, it got up by one foot just before the touch down. Personally I prefer 9 cell parachute since they provide you with better flare and support at landing. I would recommend you the Sabre 2-190, it is a parachute with predictable moves, long toggle range which allows you to be more precise. It is not touchy and at some DZ this is what the advanced students are jumping. Keep it flying even after the touch down and make sure you flare with arms being symetrical. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

The answer is 35 seconds : 10500 - 1483 - 5000 = 4017 ft The first 1483 ft take 12 seconds (this is the acceleration time) 4017 ft / 174 ft/sec = 23 seconds (174 ft/sec is the terminal speed reached after 12 seconds) 23 + 12 = 35 seconds to fall from 10500 to 5000 Is it clear enough ? Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

I have jumped a Paracommander Mark 2 modified (two holes cut in the rear) for about 60 jumps without any malfunctions. When I bought my first parachute, a US Papillon, I put on it about 100 jumps without malfunction. I got my first mal with my Stratocloud. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

First of all, hard cable housings like the cutway cable housing ones, have less friction (about 50% less) than soft housings. I tried to crush a hard cable housing using a piece of plywood of 47 mm wide and put 250 pounds on it, no flat mark and no damages at all. I tried again using a 19 mm wide piece of plywood and 250 pounds, same, no marks, no damages. Using a 1 kg hammer and a medium strike, I succeded to flatten it but just a bit with a single strike. I conclude that those housings are way stronger than expected. Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.