mdrejhon

Hi, I have a $19.95 digital clock/countdown/alarm/thermometer from Radio Shack that automatically switches modes turns into a clock or countdown timer, when turned turned 90 degrees or upsidedown. It likely uses a two-axis accelerometer to pull this off (most likely, two cheap one-axis micro accelerometers). Not nearly accurate enough as it is very slow responding and not 3-axis (for full 3D capability). TomTom's ~$1199.95 GPS unit now has an accelerometer. This is the cheapest unit that has an accelerometer ("Assisted Satellite Navigation (ASN)") for the GPS to continue to function inside tunnels with no satellite reception. I think it's still only 2-axis, not 3-axis though, since it only needs to go horizontally, not vertically. Some accelerometers are really cheap (under one dollar each for the accelerometer chip, like the one used in my cheap Radio Shack gadget thingy), while others are super-expensive and massively more accurate. There's a massive price spread, and a corresponding massive accuracy difference. And accelerometers are everywhere now (i.e. automobile airbags, some specialty wristwatches and gadgets, certain kinds of presentation-room controllers, etc.) The verdict: Prices appear to be falling while accelerometer accuracy is going up. By 10 years, I would imagine cost is not going to be an issue for a super-accurate one. There was a long lead time between Cypres and Cypres 2, so there appears to be plenty of time before Cypres 3. I am no expert at what Cypres does, but I would bet the smart AAD manufacturers are already keeping an eye on this, since it is a very useful datapoint for AAD's. Accelerometers are easily obtainable these days (lots of google ads when you search "cheap accelerometer chip" on Google -- clicky) and are a popular electronics geek project or University education project as well.

Gee thanks, BEER! First thread upgrade by a greenie! I don't think I warranted that much of an upgrade, but thanks.

Actually, you won't lose any of your software at all provided you do an in-place reinstall of Windows. Your desktop and desktop icons and Start Menu will be exactly the same as before. Just make sure you reinstall to the same Windows folder on top of itself.

Alternative perspective, for future AAD models (Cypres 3, Vigil 2, etc) This may encourage future AAD's to use an accurate 3-axis inertial accelerometer (similiar to those used in missles and super-expensive automobile GPS systems for tunnel use). The accelerometer would determine whether there was a sudden acceleration proportional to the pressure reading. So if the acceleration calculated by air pressure reading was vastly different (i.e. pressurization simulating a sudden acceleration to 200 mph freefall) from the acceleration calculated by the 3-axis inertial accelerometer (i.e. there has been no acceleration measured, the plane is still moving at the same speed), it will automatically prevent the AAD from firing. If accurate enough, an inertial accelerometer would be useful for wingsuit jumpers, and theoretically, algorithms in a 3-axis inertial accelerometer, could possibly be developed to automatically detect acceleration that looks like a swoop instead, and avoid firing. Thus, no need for a "Speed Cypres" model (in theory, at least). True, this may not be possible though, but at the very least, there should already be enough accuracy in a 3-axis accelerometer to prevent misfires from aircraft pressurization. (Since the readings from an accelerometer would now be so vastly different from readings from air pressure) Of course, the accelerometer would likely need military-level accuracy similiar to those used in weapon missles. They are typically bulky (gyroscopes, etc), but some accelerometers are so tiny they fit inside the control unit of an AAD. I am sure all of them are already researching this, but I do know that tiny accelerometers are not yet as accurate as the gyroscopes used in missles, so I assume there's a good reason they are not being used right now. I am pretty certain the military has occasional issues about AAD misfires in erroneous aircraft pressurizations during military exercises, but this is never made public. This may be why Cypres2 does not seem to fire in most aircraft pressurization situations, since Cypres is the most popular AAD used in the military, too. However, I bet the Cypres2 can still fire in an aircraft pressurization if the pressurization was exactly at the right speed (to simulate a 120mph freefall going through 1000feet, instead of 673mph or 361 feet below the ground). Since C130's are probably going to be around for a long time, I believe technology will solve AAD misfires in aircraft within 15 years -- take my word for it as a programmer/engineer. (Even if I am a newbie jumper, I have a good understanding of technology since I work with both software and hardware design)

Hi, Your files are not lost -- they are just inaccessible through normal means. I can remove the hard disk, hook it to another computer, and copy all your files and photos to a CD or DVD -- presto, files are rescued. However, purchasing a retail copy of Windows and then installing it on top of your old Windows XP, will automatically recover all your software and files much more easily. Yes, this is another expense (~$100), but this is the easiest DIY solution. The more complicated route is the removal of a hard disk and put it into another computer, and is familiar with the "Documents And Settings", directory tree structure, for file recovery. Your files and private information are not lost. Don't reformat the hard disk or give away the computer yet.

This dropzone.com thread has amazingly useful advice -- CLICKY HERE

It just became icy now. BRRR! How's the machinery coping? Any new photos?

Just make a reply at that whuffo comments thread ..."No -- (I'm a licensed skydiver here, so my word is more official) -- that person was clearly entering into something called a swoop which is simply a high speed horizontal glide over the ground, that advanced skydivers like to do. Unfortunately, he initated the swoop over the wrong location. You can go to www.dropzone.com to learn more"...

Good point! But neither is close enough to Ottawa or Montreal. That limits me to Skydive Gananoque and Nouvel-Air if I want to jump out of them bigger and faster jump planes during a weekend daytime trip!

There are a few BASE disaster videos on www.skydivingmovies.com (cliff strikes looks really scary). Go take a look. I do want to do BASE but I think I am going to stick to doing a few hundred skydives first before revisiting the matter. (and also that I don't have the budget for a large accuracy canopy or BASE canopy for pratice for now.)

That's our plane at Gananoque!

Oh yes, that one too! It's a bit far from Ottawa (Quebec City) but I heard it is really close to Quebec downtown areas, isn't that right? Next time I go to Quebec City, I'll definitely have to visit for a vacation. But a little far for a weekend day trip from Ottawa, so we poor Ottawans and Montreallers are limited in choice of aircraft Thanks for the compliment about the pictures in CanPara magazine. Yeah, my 100th jump picture got published in the last issue in Fuzzy's article. I guess I'm officially a "1-pie wonder" now ... For those interested, the 100th jump photo1 and photo2 and the SPLAT photo -- Photo Credits to Fuzzy.

Hey, I heard Nouvel-Air (near Montréal, only 2 hour drive from Ottawa) has obtained a Twin Otter for year 2006 on top of their three existing Beech 18 aircraft. The webpage says "New for 2006 -- 23 passenger plane" (clicky) Between Nouvel-Air (full time Otter), Skydive Burnaby (full time Otter), and Skydive Gananoque (My home DZ, 3 Otter boogies), and one other dropzone (forgot the name), that would make them the only four dropzones in Canada running the Twin Otter. I'm excited!

RW is something I am trying to speciallize on whenever I am not doing solos. I'm trying to work my way up in sizes now. My 100th was a 9-way and after that I attended Deaf World Record, which included about ten 10-to-20-way attempts (but I wasn't on the successful 16-way record attempt, was cut before that). So now I am praticing around that size, and hoping to get enough experience to get accepted in the Canadian 80-way. After that, I'm sure I will probably sign up to be part of a bigway camp (100-way league). It's spetacular when you're already flying with crowded traffic of 20 people, you got to dodge others, and there are some adrenaline filled moments like watching 6 people funnel from 30 feet, or tracking like a rabbit on fire down to 2500 feet to clear air before pulling. In the meantime, I am just waiting for springtime, then I will aim for whatever RW events (4-way novice competition, 8-ways, 20-ways, and maybe 40-ways) happen between spring and then. And one hour of wind tunnel at Skyventure NH when it opens in May. Maybe by then I'll fly good enough to be part of the Canadian 80-way. It's my driving goal at the moment. Oh, and I've never done a freefly jump before, except a few backfly jumps.

You're welcome. Wait till you're earning $30/hour full time when you graduate. Don't saddle yourself with too many monthly expenses (i.e. expensive house, car with high insurance, etc) and imagine what you can do with skydiving! It may be actually the low side, but, hey, you're a student, it looks good on a resume, and they are probably happy at the price they got, and it's probably the highest you've ever got paid hourly! Baby steps...

Bonfire is stale? I've got a good pile of good-smelling fresh dry maple wood and cedar wood. Somebody must have been throwing mouldy wood, car tires, or plastic bottles into the bonfire. That's a big no-no. Let me know if you need the good A-grade firewood.

Or Canada for that matter. It was only 15 degrees F on the ground (-9 degrees C), and I jumped from 5,000 feet. It wasn't hop and pop -- it was a freefall with 15 second delay! I wore four layers on my top half and three layers on the bottom half, and wore surgical gloves under my Newmann's gloves. I didn't get cold except for my hands.

I found my birth family in early 2001, when my birth aunt contacted me after finding me in an adoption registry, which then led her to my web page. It is never too late. I think you can hunt them down. You can try to hire an investigative agency (paid!) too, experienced in these kinds of family matters. Just be sensitive to their privacy. There are a lot of books about hunting down lost family. You sound like you have WAY more information than I had, so I think the odds are good if you put your mind to the search (get a book on this subject of hunting down lost family members though -- it helps a lot)

Is it possible there was an AAD or AOD misfire incident sometime in the past on a BA airplane? This could be misinterpreted as a parachute inflating. In early Feb 2006, in Thailand at the 400-way event, there were several Vigil AAD misfires when a Hercules C130 decided to pressurize during descent. Passenger airplanes with pressure system problems could have had weird pressurization changes that confused an earlier AAD. They may not have been honest about "problems in the past", and was referring to something else such as an inflatable life raft that was brought on as carryon.

The reason why some people say it is true and others say no, is it depends on how much you drive, and what type of jumps you take. There's really no way to say. Skydiving CAN be safer than driving, but skydiving CAN be more dangerous too. A couiple of people say the approximate statistics overlap point is 17 skydives approroximately equals 10,000 miles of driving. (If I remember correctly, this was calculated from the number of jumps in 1:1000 and the number of miles in 1:6500). However, tandems, on average, are much safer than that. And motorcycles, on average, are more dangerous than that.

People sometimes get asked to turn on electronics stuff (laptop, handhelds, cameras, etc) to demonstrate that they function. Has anyone ever been asked to turn ON the Cypres in front of security personnel? The bootup countdown would probably give them a heart attack.

Of the four (shortest relationship was 1.5 year, longest was 5 year), I am on bad terms with two of them, and I am on good terms with two others of them. Of the four, there are really very widely different outcomes. I'm actually good friends and good roommates with one of them. Good friends but no sexual relations. 1.5 years ago we agreed we can move apart with a 60 day notice but we have found that we respect each other as roommates (we are such good roommates, staying out of each other's hair, we pay back each other quickly for things like food we buy for each other, and respecting each other, even to the point of having such a good guest policy. My ex now has a new SO and I'm cool with both of them being over if they want to be). Unlike with some other exes we don't have the same kind of resentments and baggage that appear to affect some other exes. Eventually my ex will move out, or that I find someone, and we both realize that. The first month was difficult but afterwards, we overcame that. So far we've had this roommate arrangement for 1.5 years now. We had our own reasons for going our separate ways relationship-wise and understand them. We have a fondness of each other and we do really wish the best for each other including a new love.

I have slid landings for shorter distances before, but ice is particularly tricky: The temptation to flail arms around is much greater on ice, and you slide fast for longer periods. I also witnessed a buddy swoop the ice touching for, I think, over 100 feet at much faster speeds. It's impressive how they can resist the temptation to flail arms around and concentrate on flying the parachute while the feet are touching - something that is appears to be learned gradually with lots of experience. At 1.1 wingload, I'm still very clumsy at sliding but the parachute is forgiving enough, considering I've only jumped 4 times in the last 2 months because of the winter, after jumping 138 times last year. I can't wait for springtime.

DUH! I mean... "As this is Canada and everything is frozen at the moment in the area where I live" Thank you for using your friendly neighbourhood dropzone.com customer service. Please call back if you have any problems. If the solution to the issue is not sufficient, there is a 6 to 8 week processing period for refunds, limited to $0.02 for your "two cents"* *Fine print disclaimer: This is just Bonfire league humor.

As this is Canada and everything is frozen at the moment, I took the opportunity to take a couple of hop and pops yesterday, I learned some new things. I did my first two water landings, and one of them was a standup. Okay, the water was frozen and it was a surface on top of land. (Last time I did a winter jump, it was soft snow). First one -- I did not stand one of them up because it looked like snow, and slipped. It was hardened to an icy crust I could skid around on top of. Looks can be deceiving. Lesson learned. I was expecting it to be soft. When doing snow landings, test the snow in your landing area first. It may not be as soft as you think, or an ice layer may have formed on top of the snow! It did shock my ankles a little bit, expecting softer snow but ended up being literally an ice skating rink. (But not to the point of any injury or sprain). I believe that this was my first non-standup in approximately 70 jumps. Oh well, can't be perfect, and should not try to be... Second one -- An intentional ice turf and surf with my feet sliding on the ice, sliding for about 40 feet. Lots of fun but it is tricky for a novice to resist the temptation to flail arms around trying to balance while sliding on ice once your feet touch down (and affecting your flare!). I still have to literally fly my landing to keep my balance (even though I did a standard straight-in landing under a Sabre 170 wingloaded at 1.1:1). That was fun though.