nightjumps

On the hop-n-pop, you will have a forward throw (Horizontal distance traveled by the skydiver due to aircraft speed). Unlike a five second delay at terminal where 5.5 seconds equals 1,000', with a hop-n-pop five second delay, your vertical descent will put you at just around 3,000' by the time you pull. By slower, we're not talking a panicky type of slow... it will take about another two seconds for your canopy to inflate - so you should be open by around 2400' You'll be able to look up and watch it unfurl with more clarity on the hop-n-pop than you do at terminal. A by-product of this exercise its that you will "know" better in the future the shape and form your canopy takes during the opening sequence and on those days where you *might* have a longer then usual snivel, you'll still be able to tell if its going to open bythe shape and form its taking during opening, rather than seeing the end result. Now, that's not to say you should violate the hard-deck if you have an exceedingly long snivel and hit the hard deck... its just to say that over time, you'll see the snivel, check your altimeter while its opening, look at it again, then your altimeter, etc. I've reached a point in my muscle memory where I pitch out and have my altimeter in my peripheral vision while I'm watching the deployment sequence. Anyway... the bottom line is, you'll be higher than you think when the canopy opens on your hop-n-pop. Enjoy.

Its "taught" at every DZ around the country. What I said was, "Its not taught to proficiency." Most of the time, its taught with foam cushions to satisfy the BSRs. Folks will get one or two right and everyone will "golf clap," say good and move on to the next learning block. You wanna get good at PLF's or teach them well? Here's what you do: Demonstrate for the student all eight angles of the PLF - Front-front, Front Right, Front left, Left Side, Right Side, right rear, left-rear, rear-rear. Let them do it on real ground (cause you know them pussy pads really feel like the ground, don't they). Have them do five of each to perfection. Then move them up to a chair (hold the chair) -have them do five of each to perfection. Move them up to a pickup tailgate - have them do five of each to perfection. Its not going to happen is it, Ivan? And yes, that's what I teach. For the really ambitious (on a challenge), we get on the tool box on the back of my pickup. If you're right-handed, give me one good right side PLF, If you're left handed, give me on good left-handed PLF.

Because PLFs are no longer taught until proficient.

The best gifts you can give someone when you are unable to attend such an affair is; the gift of time and communication. Ask your brother and fiance to dinner - just the three of you. Explain the situation and offer that - a tangible gift would be cursory at best. You would like some one-on-one time with them over dinner as your wedding gift. Give her a rose at dinner and give your brother something personal. Reinforce to them what you have said here. How great a woman you think she is to her and give your brother your blessings. They will understand.

Because this is what gets people into trouble and hurt. With 26 skydives, not very current, and having sustained a major injury, its better to progress at a more steady and well-planned pace. First, its going to take some time for them to overcome the injury. Compounding multiple tasks on a single dive will increase the level of performance anxiety. My suggestion is to go out, get stable, couple of PRCP's, enjoy the freefall and remain altitude aware. Enjoy the skydive. feel the air, clear your head, some simple turns under canopy and wings level on landing. KISS

Well, true. Anyone can sue anyone. However, I would add two caveats to your statement. 1) I created a shell corporation with no assets other than a few items of equipment. They can sue the organization... but I'll bankrupt it. They can come after me as a Board member, but they cannot go after my personal assets unless they can prove gross negligence on my part. 2) If one of our skydivers lands on an innocent bystander, you can bet its going to be a long fight. I'm going to point at them and the BSRs. People are obstacles - avoid. Now this may sound curt, but if you want to skydive and we lose our insurance, you're going to have to assume some responsibility for skydiving. If you land on someone...shame on you. The flip side of the coin is; lose the drop zone.

I'll have an attorney draft an additional paragraph in my "Assumption of Risk" waiver that states something to the effect of: I_________________ understand that any accidents or injuries are my sole financial responsibility and not the responsibility of the drop zone, its... etc.

The ONLY thing that really matters here is that you pull the handles in the right order effectively and efficiently. You can practice keeping the handles or throwing them away all you want. The bottom line is that when you employ your emergency procedures, you're either going to come down with your handles or not, no matter which way you practice. The most important thing is that you come down safely under your reserve. If you keep the handles - great. If you pitch them away - you can go look for them and if you don't find them, you can think I had a safe reserve ride as you make your way back to call the manufacturer for new handles.

Do NOT use Vaseline. No matter how sterile you try to make the environment, Vaseline will trap and allow bacteria to grow.

First, your instructors have to dress both you and them for success. You may wish to consider a special design for us "Anvils" developed by Flitesuit. Ryan Gifford will explain to you how the suit design is beneficial. First, they make the RW suit a "little" more baggy in the torso and legs, but the real key is they have developed a ZP wing inside the RW suit. Using the "mantis" position, I am able to vary my fall rate between 104 and 120 mph. (I was called a "floaty bastard" by one of the load organizers at WFFC this year. He actually asked me how I did that - that he "didn't get it" - my being able to float outside an 8 way at my size - 6'6" 240) My freefly suit is a Tonysuit tie-fly suit (supplex body for coolness with heavy denim arms and legs for drag). I asked for extra baggy and they make it EXTRA baggy for us Anvils. Hope that helps.

Made it up as I was typing. Like it. Use it. Keith

In Oklahoma, we calls that a good-'ol fashioned ass-whuppin.

I can't help but think this would be better in the video forum, rather than gear and rigging. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?forum=7;

One of the great things about this sport is that there are challenges, disciplines and awards for achievement that are always in front of you. One can literally start in the sport and see a path for milestones of achievement for the next twenty years. SCR's - Bill Newell has continually added and never retired an award. There is something for everyone, at every level of expertise in either RW or Vertical awards. The freeflyers have started taking notice of his vSCR awards (Vertical) which they can do as freeflyers or with RW folks as a hybrid dive. USPA - they continue to push the envelope with awards like the 3-D award. There are benchmarks of success for those who get tens of thousands of jumps. I do think its a shame that more folks don't put in for these awards. There was a time when these awards established your "bona fides" when traveling around the country to other drop zones who may not have or only heard your name in passing. It was a way of demonstrating your abilities and rep by proxy. These days, with the world getting smaller and a "rep" as far away as an email (where one can be spoken for for a big way) and video cameras, these awards which were once future mementos of the past are sliding away. Twenty years ago, you rarely saw video of a skydive. Mike S. (now retired from skydiving) was a videographer for ABC's Wide World of Sports and wore ~30 lbs of camera on his head. Now, with video cameras weighing in at ounces and having multiple videos on a dive, a video library of one's dives, those award certificates of the past are migrating to where videos are becoming the mementos we'll show our grandchildren. "But, that's just one man's opinion, I could be wrong."

There have only been 15 recipients of the USA award.

My fellow Anvil Brothers; I am not the head anvil based on size, but endurance. I've been an "Anvil" since 1981 when I first showed up at a DZ for training at 6'6" 250# and had 20" arms. I bought and jumped a paracommander. It was a painful period in my life which I would rather not go back and visit. PLFs, PLFS, oh the horror...

You can go out like a leaf where a gentle winter whisper brushes you off the planet without notice or you can go out like a meteor and leave an indelible impression on the planet forever

Is there a difference between "negligence" and "Gross Negligence?"

Well, let the head "Anvil Brother" jump in here. I'm 6'6" and 240 lbs.. Been jumping off and on for the past 23 years. Recently met "Tall Guy" at the World Freefall Convention who is 6'9" and weighs in at 260. Know several pushing 300# exit weight. If you decide to stay in the sport, please feel free to email me for gear recommendations at that time. In the meantime, find a DZ with a Manta or Falcon 300 or Navigator 280 and similar size reserve. Your weight is not contrained by the main as mcuh as it us by the reserve weight limitations. That's the biggie.

I know some riggers who oughta be under the supervision of a packer

You are to be commended for "reaching out" for new information. Over time, you will play the "what ifs" game with each new incident you learn about. SCR's point of keeping it simple is very important. Build your own knowledge database with each incident, get input on "best" possible procedures from the senior staff at your DZ, decide which is best for you and then... Practice, practice, practice.. Time your practice drills. Take air, Keith

I edited my reply to include your concerns in your second paragraph. For a detailed visual demonstration of raking and pitching, I would encourage you to watch the video "Breakaway" avaliable at most DZs.

This procedure is usually (raking the 3-rings and pitching the risers) demonstrated for a horseshoe malfunction. In the days of ROL, a misrouted bridle could have a pilot chute in tow where there was enough snatch force to pull the pin enough to bobble the d-bag on your back while there is tension on the pilot-chute being towed. As a Tandem Instructor, its also possible for the same scenario, whereby the Drogue (pilot chute is wrapped around yours or the students foot). If you pull the drogue release, you could have both a pilot chute in tow and horseshoe situation. (There is quite an ugly and unnecessary fatality that TI's have to watch on video while earning their TI certification - kind of the AFF's version of "Students at Play" video). As such, I try to incorporate "the best" emergency procedures into one. So, if I have a pilot chute in tow on a tandem or personal rig, by the time I've cutaway and gone to rake and pitch, the risers are either going to be there or not. If they are there, that one-two seconds spent "pitching" ensures I've cleared a path for my reserve deployment. If they are not there, that one-two seconds verifies I have a clear path for my reserve. My choice is; why "think" about which one to do when doing the same thing for either emergency should provide the same results. Its just my own personal choice in a pilot chute tow situation to rake and pitch. Others may have a different opinion and choice. In the "what ifs" game, you have a point here. Another "what if" is; "What if when you pull your reserve handle without cutting away at the exact same time your pilot chute disengages and starts the main deployment sequence. Now, you have both parachutes and their wads competing for airspace. Even "if its "just" a pilot chute in tow on my personal rig, I would at least cutaway the main, then pull the reserve.

Sooner or later, he is going to lose this game. Have the S&TA fill out an incident report with his name on it with the details starting out as "Pilot chute in tow" and give it to him. One of the goofiest things I hear when it comes to safety is the issue of "cost." If you can't afford your own safety, you can't afford to skydive.

I have two concerns with this: 1) Altitude and time - if you're that low, I don't think you have time for "exploring" other options. You have roughly 12-15 seconds to "0" and 6-10 seconds to AAD fire (dependant on "pull" altitude). If you employ your emergency procedures, you're more likely to have a positive outcome. 2) Bridle - reaching around behind you back and placing your hand around a thrashing bridle could cause your hand to get wrapped up in the bridle, suspension lines, parachute if it suddenly deployed. Now you have a situation where your hand is stuck with your canopy deploying. One handed emergency procedures? A dislocated shoulder? You do employ your emergency procedures with one hand, but have a deploying canopy wrapped around one hand? Even if there is no injury and you have a parachute wrapped around your hand, will the drag on one hand prevent you from toggle ccontrol? Will you be able to control the canopy wrapped around your hand to prevent it from entangling with your reserve? Way too many questions to consider when the best answer is to look over your shoulder, identify it as a pilot chute in tow, cutaway, rake your 3-rings & pitch the risers and pull your reserve handle.