Trae

in reply to "So, based on your post, your "self proclaimed" skillz are far and beyond, vastly superior, and just plain better than the rest. If that's indeed true (I'm not questioning your skill, just explaining how I read your post), mentor a NOOB!! Just one! Bring him/her along and help them become your equal. Then, and only then, will you have a comparable mate to jump with. ...For what it's worth. Or, you can just keep waiting for great skydivers to magically appear?? " ............................................... Not self proclaimed at all mate, I've thrown away all my skydiving medals and trophies cause the people that gave them to me were full of shit. They've let the sport devolve into a dangerous miasma of inexperience led by ambition and greed, not skill or dedication. The freeflyers of the naughties didn't recreate anything worth experiencing unless you're a speed dealer or a millionaire. ....mentoring sucks just look at the base community. A newbie bozo can be a mentor. What our sport needs is standards ..set high. that people HAVE to pass to progress. WE used to do this naturally but now we pay all the little goddies who set the standards, and they just don't know how to share knowledge and experience without being paid in $$$$$ or ego strokes. DZ's could usually be relied on to throw up at least one decent watchable (from the ground) dive a day. Haven't seen it lately, One major DZ I visited, couldn't even build a 30 way at an annual boogie cause the skill level is so low. This has very little to do with my abilities but is an indication of a low skill set compared to before freeflying and HP took over. The only freeflyer still freeflying after 5 years at one DZ was the guy getting free jumps to lead the crowd. I saw someone openly abuse him

Hi Marisan, Good to recognise the care in your posts. Put quite simply " Most newbies just don't know what they're %#@in with ! The well meaning amoungst us try to limit the damage caused by the wholesale swallowing of the ZP HP bait. Skydivers have gulped it down, hook line and sinker. They're caught proper. You mentioned before that Jyro has a lot to amswer for. Well, I agree, but he's an easy target. The larger industry that he's a part of is the real worry. Early ZP canopies, (many poorly made copies by Jyro's included,) killed and injured a large number of very good skydivers. Of coures the pilots were to blame, they were just crap at flying lethal canopies. Early Jyro's were death traps, accidents just waiting to happen. The things would dive into the ground with the greatest of ease . So did the early Blue Tracks which were like psycho racehorses..they'd just go anywhere sometimes. Bandits killed a few people and I can remember when the first whuffo was killed by a mad stealth swooper strike . The same mob in the industry keep pushing their latest designs on skydivers. These canopy designs really should only be flown by full time or extremely current jumpers....but they get dumped on the general public after a couple of years of testing and..... 'bingo' , we're all test pilots for the beggars. They not heros, they don't give a shit about the trail of destuction. Have you seen the way these industry guys walk around a DZ ? they are so full of themselves and their minions bow down as they walk past. Then newbies think you 're full of BS if you don't fly the latest and the greatest. Then the hot shots want to train everyone to fly the dankerous little things. So old school wisdom is now sidelined and its all about learning to fly a fast little parachute that's more like a jet with the flame out than any life saving canopy ever was. . ALL sorts of dangerous things are going on that would NEVER have been allowed to become so entrenched back in the day...but thats exactly what has happened. The old school pissed off and got married and left us with ....what you see now. Hey Marisan have you seen how most of these people try to freefly. Apart from the 'pay the god' loads, Every jump for most newbies is just like an old 16 way no build zoo dive. people turn up from other groups , tracking blindly past That's why they concentrate so much on having their little canopies cause the free fall absolutely sucks at most places ....totally. Just imagine dozens of newbies all with little canopies head down zooming around. the stuff of great nightmares That bloke calling you marsha , what a puddy cat

in reply to "After catching the same TI for a second time in as many weeks with no tops I made a point to talk to him privately before he made another jump. After a civil conversation about the problem, and letting him know that I could not see him using any routine, I suggested that he use the verbal checklist and to do it in a way that he is reassuring the passenger. (after witnessing thousands of tandem jumps and dozens of TIs, it doesn't take long to see who has a routine and who doesn't). I made it clear to him that he needed to come up with an obviously recognizable routine and that to this point I had not mentioned it to the DZO, or anyone else, but I couldn't keep it to myself if he didn't come up with something that I could recognize as an attempt to have a checklist." ..................................... Cool how you check the TM's ...good airmanship. but why give the guy so many chances on the ground? its not about his ego or your diplomacy, its about doing it right , every time . What if he'd bounced some-one and you hadn't said anything to anyone else.? If I saw a bloke not connect his uppers in the aircraft, I'd stop him from jumping on THAT jump, right there and then...citizen arrest. "Hey guess what mate? WE're landing with the plane !" He'd be in front of the boss before he knew it. Too much ? Set the standard high and keep it there. Otherwise you're just messin with people.

The original Raven reserve wins the gong for me. I personally now/knew 4 people it bounced with its snivel to the ground openings. That canopy was deadly crap.

iney to "The DZO sat down with the jumper and advised him that this was too much of a downsize and jumping the Sabre150 at just over 1.3 was asking for trouble due to the jumper's very limited experience. The jumper proceeded to purchase the kit anyway and survived ... despite numerous scrapes, bumps and bruises. The jumper used up a fair portion of their bucket of luck. The DZO did what he thought was necessary at the time, but knew that the jumper could go somewhere else if he prohibited the jumper from flying the Sabre150 at his DZ. The jumper was already hitting other DZ's anyway, so how could this one DZO stop the jumper? " ................................................. That DZO's weak as piss. Sat him down and talked to him and then let him do what he wanted anyway This is why we have so many fuckin idiots in our sport now.

innreply to "Is it reasonable to single out the TI when you consider his altimeter was probably faulty and the Colin's lanyard chopped just one main riser when the reserve started to deploy? I think attributing 99% of fatalities to TI error risks giving a misleading impression of the safety of this equipment and the true causes of incidents. " .............................................. Do modern TM's have to prove they can handle complicated malfunctions ? Is it reasonable to regularly test TM's perhaps by passing a simulator test ? Its one thing to ensure TM's are up to the job. Its another to ensure that Tandem Operators create the environment where TM's can do their job properly. Been hearing a lot of talk about TM's being mistreated by their non-skydiving employers. Whuffo's owning/running tandem factories. Got a bad feeling that's not good for our sport.

inreply to "200 jumps, C license and not being a complete fuckwit is required before jumping with camera. Sorted " .................................................. These are people that jump the gun and don't go back for the restart. They win in their own little race. They got 'oppositional defiance disorder' . It usually ends in tears don't it?

in reply to "Why should a coach not expect at least their slot paid if they are doing a coaching jump? " ............................................. Not getting what you paid for is one reason. I've watched many 'coachees' sit around waiting for their coach who is in the sky and going to hot-load their coaching jump, giving instructions on the ride to height. Then the guy runs for the next load. Who'd want to pay more than once for that type of lesson, even if the coach was some sort of hero ? Sure there are pro's out there, but its hit or miss at most DZ's. Coaching used to be handled quite economically by sport skydivers. It was and still is fun to introduce newish people to the fun of freefall with others. Gotta be a coach now Coaches that always want to be paid can be seen as hogging a very formative time for most skydivers ....and they make them pay a premium just to jump with them...and then what? It's a good thing seeing experienced skydivers, not run by a free jump mentality , picking up the pieces after the $$$$suckers are finished with them. Its a sport, remember? not just a $$$$$$ generator.

For what its worth my life became much better after my little accident . I got to meet heaps of people that had had similar incidents. People used to walk up to me and tell me stories about what happened to them ,so many first hand bounce stories. I couldn't understand why they singled me out as they weren't telling everyone.(pre internet) One step at a time and you'll get there. A lot of the crew out here don't get that yet. edited cause it felt harsh (but wasn't).

in reply to "I'm slowly getting better.. " ............................... Hang in there man , you're doing great. The world is now a much bigger place for you even though you might not think so stuck in bed. You'll have time to see things now many people just don't see....and it don't go away. Everytime a little niggle hurts again you 'll get the message ... again. My hint is to get off the pain killers as quick as possible . The pain can teach you more than those chemicals will. I woke up in hospital once tied down with gadgets attached and tried to tear them all off in an instant escape bid. The nurse came in and told me " STOP IT ! you've got a broken back ." Hopefully I will never forget the true terror I experienced until my friends and family helped me accept that I could recover and walk again. You're a survivor mate , welcome.

in reply to "Anybody ever owned or jumped a Comet?" ................................. What a great canopy . I've still got a fresh one stored nicely. My original ( an ozzy X228 ) gave me over 1000 openings without fail although it got a bit porous over time. The champ CRW guys were using them at the time and if you had one you got to go on all sorts of CRW pioneering records. 8 stacks for me with a couple of hundred jumps and 18 years old ....wow life was good. (thank you 'Plane Scared' for the incedible memories ) Wouldn't've happened if I'd bought a Cruislite or Unit. A Comet/X228 was/is good for cliff soaring and mine gave me many 100's of flights and free hours in the air. There was a cliff a few miles from home that was good in any easterly over 15 knots, 20knots perfect. In nil wind it was possible to get inflation and launch for a 150ft accuracy approach down to the sand. The CRW guys were doing practice crossovers and stacks off the cliff. The current base canopies owe a lot to this type of parachute, cause they were just so reliable and true all rounders and gave base jumpers something they could rely on. Might get mine out take it down the cliff again

in reply to "* From the downsizing chart at http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf seems the answer is NO and I shouldn't consider a 170 at all (but rather get nothing smaller than a 190), but I guess it would be good to hear from experienced jumpers too to ram it home if this is the case... " ............................... ram on This is one sport where its ALWAYS preferable to err on the side of caution. Why don't you trust the recommendations ? Do you know how many people have been injured and killed by downsizing too quickly? Please ...back off with the downsizing crap, and just have fun on a bigger, safer canopy until YOU know what YOU"RE doing. It might take many hundreds of jumps unless you're being downsize delusional. ps of course all the newbie's will tell you different so beware.

in reply to "The chinese cave fly through was very helpful :) the landing won't happen soon but it will happen :) Just going to take time, but I am in no rush to be honest :) " ....................................................., Hi Jeb, wondering if its possible to test your idea on a smaller test rig than your full size design. It would cost less and you might then have a show ride contraption to market . Showride manufacturers might even be interested in working with you to develope a machine that simulates a wingsuit landing ... at the carnival...for whuffos. praps a nice blowy bungie assist wingsuit landing trainer could result.

Would you fly one? oh yeah, I mean who hasn't ? you're missing out on experiencing a classic canopy. oh its old so its no good eh? My Sabre still gets in the air with new lines and still shiny new looking 'cause it was looked after properly not like a lot of trashed 'car cover' sabres out there. Reliable , Fun , and a finger up to the new or nothing crowd. Its in my collection of classic parachutes including a stolen (and not forgotton packer matey! ) Stratostar, Comet, Maverick, Excalibur and Katana, (with an unloved Hobbit and x228 thrown in as extras. 20 years on and still kicking , that's some good design work.

in reply to "Not to invoke military all the time, but the guy wouldnt have been allowed to jump with a wrist injury much less wearing a brace. if you arent 100% its time to sit. " ...................................................... Perhaps we all should be hearing MORE ivokations from the military.... the experts of risk managment. Like you say the miltary would have stopped this incident before it happened.

in reply to "This thread makes me nervous about my first tandem. I hope I get a fun but respectful TI! " .................... Shop around, go for a look first and see what they're like. If they're idiots, it will be more obvious if you haven't committed to a jump yet. BTW its great when you see a first time jumper stand up to an unpro self appointed skygod. Usually makes my day.

Good one VB. you been awestruck for real... nice shake up eh?? It is an amazing thing how violent a pretty little canopy can be. Those things can beat you up... BAD ! ....just for making a little mistake. Now imagine that happening low and to a fragile friend of yours ...for their first ever malfunction. its not very phuckin nice...is it?

in reply to "If you want to swoop you should get the storm out of there and get a Sabre 2 or Saphire 2. I don't mean you are going to be swooping it next month, but rather you should give up on the 7 cell thing. Most competitive swoopers will tell you that the real art of swooping is less about "the move" (which in a perfect world will be exactly the same each time) and more about the downwind, crosswind and final turns. Concentrate on flying a perfect pattern in varying conditions for 2-300 jumps and then start a swooping progression still on your mildly eliptical canopy. Around 500 jumps switch to a Katana, Crossfire 2 or Samarai. Swoop the hell out of that for another 500 jumps and then switch to a cross-braced. A lot of people will tell you you can do it faster, and you can, but this is what you should do. Seriously, can the 7 cell. " ....................................... Just wondering Andrewwhyte how long you've been giving this sort of advice to newbies? I mean seriously, the guys got 50 jumps and you're telling him to ditch a perfectly good canopy to learn on and get himself an elliptical? Swoop the hell out of a Katana at 500 jumps ? and then switch to a crossbraced (if you survive)? Your sort of advice kills people.

Learn to skydive first.

in reply to "but flared early again and broke 2 bones in my OTHER foot (MOTHER &*%$!) however... a week later did my level 4 on my B-Day (Sunday) and no new injuries!!!! (Butt landing!) " ............................................... So you break both feet and just plough on (in ?) What happens when you break your butt? hint ...Get some decent flaring training , you deserve a better chance of not hurting yourself.

in reply to "Purely out of curiosity. I was just browsing the classifieds, and noticed most people are selling their complete kits and offering a free repack, or using the fact that the reserve is still in date as a selling point." ............................................. I bought a rig once from someone I knew , turned out the reserve repack was a perpetual pencil pack . The gear looked great from the outside but inside the reserve links had corroded badly and the lines had been severly impregnated and discoloured with some signs of chaffing. My rigger put it down to not having been repacked for years with the previous owners sweat building up and crystallising inside the reserve container. Then the salt attracts moisture and off it rusts. The rig was salvagable but I should have opened it before parting with the cash.

in reply to "The bigger your canopy is when everything goes to shit the slower you hit the ground! But I seem to be alone in this argument and you will get made fun of for having a big canopy " ............................... excellent post mate, you really get it. Any people making fun of you won't be there while you're still having fun well into the future. That make fun of newbies on slow parachutes is a dying crowd.

in reply to "Well, that system worked perfectly!" ................................. It worked perfectly well for the DZ that said NO to him. One DZ gets peace in the sky the other gets the wobbly newbie know it all.

in reply to "If one person thinks you are an ass.... Screw em. If two people think you are an ass.... Think about it. If three or more think you are an ass.... You are. " ...................................................... reminds me of a Hill Street Blues Line when a bit of evidence is getting adjusted.... "Once, its an accident, Twice, its a coincidence, Three times and its a crime against the state."

in reply to "Owners who jump with their pets have no idea whether or not they are enjoying themselves and so it seems fairly selfish... " ......................................... I beg to differ. Us dog 'owners' know when our little mates are enjoying themselves. Knew a guy who did 100's of CRW training jumps with his miniature terrier. The little feller used to run and jump into the plane he was so keen to get up there with his feeder. When it came time to exit he was itching to get at it...just like he was going down a wabbit hole. He absolutely loved it. I tried a freefall with my dog and he hated it. He weren't so little and after snapping madly in freefall he was like a stunned mullet under canopy. When we landed (he was a skydiver now ) he became instantly animated and ran around telling everyone . But he wouldn't go near the plane again and no-one forced him to.