azureriders

That is great news indeed. Being that you did my Tandem progression lvl 2, do I get to do your recurency jump?

So maybe he can fly, and maybe he is dangerous. At least now he will be remembered. The man who sucks one cock, although a cock sucker he will probably be forgotten. The man who builds 1000 bridges will probably be remember as a great bridge builder. The man who does both, will for sure be remember as a cock sucking bridge builder.

I dont know exactly what it *means* to be a trophy husband, but I do know that the first time I met him he had just done his 900th jump. I did my second jump that day. Now a few years later I have just over 2500 and his profile says that he only has 927. I don't know if the profile is accurate, but if this in any way has anything to do with be a "trophy husband", count me out.

ok, I know the USPA is not perfect in many ways, but you just described my experience each and every time I have ever called them, and it has been a few calls with multitple topics.

Well, that is about as informative of an answer as "It was done in the past by some h/c mfg."

I count 15 seconds give or take from the time he indentified the PCIT, until reserve activation........NO THANKS

Your reasoning is very sound and don't for a second think that any of my comments are an atempt to change your decisions. I think you will be supprised at how fast your mind is capable of processing data, now whether or not you can react on that data is another story. My bag lock as I recall it in regards to your timing concerns: Pitched out just under 3 grand. Deployment felt funny from the time it left my back and I was not being stood up (yet). Glanced over my shoulder and instantly saw the bag lock. IMO, in the amount of time that it would take for the changed air to have pushed a PC out of my burble, I had already identified the bag lock, so no time lost here, or at least not much. As I am returning to the Arch and reaching for handles, my mind is processing the data that my eyes have just captured but are no longer looking at, how there was a small portion of fabric out of the bag, and how it apeared that only half of my lines were taunt and loced, while the other half seemed to have slack in them and blowing in the wind. As I am making sure I have a good grip I am wondering why it did not stand me up, I mean I have read that sometimes they dont, but with even the smallest amount of fabric out, really? Then just before I begin to pull red, my feet swing under me, I chop and check for release of the three rings, they cleared on their own and I was quickly falling back to a belly to earth position. With the cutaway cable still in hand, my right arm extends out in front of me to catch me from going head low as I pull silver. Unstow the breaks and check altitude under a good reserve, 1700 ft. Finding the airport I am thinking about what all just happened and how much altitude was lost and deciding that it was not bad at all. Now that is just some of the data my mind was processing that I still remember, I do not feel that I process things any faster than the average person and for sure not faster than the average skydiver. The point is that your mind, and your eyes, are pretty quick. The only thing that may have given me an advantage over you if you were to find your self in a similiar situation any time soon, this was my 5th cutaway and I did know what to expect. So keep thinking, keep making decisions, keep having a plan, and keep sticking to that plan, no matter what your plan is. I know that the above tale is about a bag lock and not a PC in tow, however ghost47 was concerned with identifing the difference between the two so I do not feel like a highjacker at all

Could it? Sure • Should it? absolutely • Will it? I wouldn't bet my life on it. Be prepared, have a plan The SIM section 5-1-E lists both options as having pros an cons with no preference given Checking the SIM also in section 5-1-E, you are correct and I stand corrected. I have heard both your definition as well as mine, but did not realize that was clarified in the SIM. I still like my definition though, it gives the student a Black and White understanding of when and when not to go straight to silver in this situation. According to ghost47’s profile, the guy your post was replying to, he has 240 jumps, 2 yrs in the sport, and only 78 posts to DZ.com. At this point I would strongly agree with you, he should be easily able to tell the difference between a PC in tow and a bag lock, even if neither of them stands him up. I will however caution that no matter how much you educate students, some of them will still follow up with questions that will baffle you. The possibility of mis identifying a PC in tow and a bag lock is one of the reasons I teach to cut either away. Just my opinion. Again I will agree with you as I, and most that are reading this hopefully, will be identifying a PC in tow before dealing with it. I will still caution about this comment with students. Put them in a hanging harness and ask them to identify malfunctions then react, or simply have them determine if the canopy is S.S.S. then react. I find that the reaction time is extremely different. It is always entertaining to show a picture of a bag lock and have someone call out “Line Twist” then watch their face when you ask them, “but is it Square?”

Total = Straight to silver Partial = Cutaway and Reserve How do we identify a Total? Total implys that nothing worked. Therefore if the PC is extracted from the BOC, then at least that worked and anything that follows is a partial. This concludes that a PC in tow calls for a cutaway and reserve. This is what I was trained and aslo what I train to my students. In my opinion it keeps things fairly simple while also conveying the fact that not all things are equal. Yes, collisions and min cutaway altitudes are taught and very important. As for myself, I have been known to pull at altitudes from which I do not want to be wasting time pulling the only handle that will not save my life during a PC in tow, so it is straight to silver for me.

Ok, so that is your opinion, lets even say your respected opinion. This leaves me to wonder why. What is the negative effect of neon?

As it has already been said, it VARIES. At our DZ, you pay the coaches ticket and pack job, only. Keep in mind that as with most things, you get what you pay for. I must also add though, sadly that is not always true. When I say that you get what you pay for, I do not necessarily mean that you will get bad info from a free coach jump, quiet often it is just the opposite. The guys willing to pay it forward, are often very experience jumpers with a real passion for the sport and will probably have an abundance of knowledge to pass forward. However, this "free coach" will not feel obligated for an extenseve debrief, or perhaps time spent on learning some of the ground schooling needed for your "A". On the other hand, some one who you have paid some type of compensation to, will/should have a moral obligation to devote the whole jump, and some quality ground time to his/her student. There is merit to both cases.

My opinion, hands down the best two reserves on the market. Make a choice and you will be happy with it, either way. I have never jumped a PDR, but there is no way for anything to get that good a rep, with out being that good. I have three Smart rides, by far the best reserve rides I have had. All three stand up, straight flying, non stalling, responsive, just plan good parachute rides.

Great point. I hope you, nor anyone else, took any of my comments in a way that put me into that catergory. I psycho pack and do so very tightly so when i bag, the canopy is normally rolled tight enough that the grommets on the bag come nearly to the band attachment points. This leaves my locking stows with very little tension so I double wrap them, carefully. If I pack something that leaves the packing stows with proper tension with a single stow, then single stows they get.

I've heard someone else say that. Is there a document somewhere on their web site that has that in it? Is this something that certain people at PD are expressing verbally? I didn't see anything in these documents: "How to Prevent Hard Openings" "Main Canopy User's Manual" +1 on this one. Although I do double stow, I have never read or heard anything that would cause me to believe that any manufacture was supporting my actions. If anyone has an article with PDs opinion, or if any one that speaks for PD is reading this, I would like to hear.......

Won? No I don't feel like I won at all, we would have to be competing for me to win, or betting.

I thought we covered this very well, how did we word it, "clearly ridiculous" I believe So you agree with us now? ummm, you may not be, but we are! Most things done wrong have the potential to cause a malfunction of some kind, I can not speak for PD, but I am sure they would agree just as you say again, I think I will have to agree with you on this one, however I never said that I stow them "UNPROPERLY" and as sparky said, there is no real need to shout about it anyway. ok, that is enough hashing on you and it is all in good fun I promise.

Yeah, what hookitt said. I will take that bet as well. If you watch me pack you would probably not call me carefull, for sure not lazy, and quiet possibly you would even call me sloppy. However, to use hookitt's words, I do try not to do things that are clearly ridiculous. I have double stowed every stow I have made since just after recieving my "A" and have never had any problems. Thats is probably nearing a 1000 pack jobs (I do use a packer often). As I said before, Your Milage May Vary. I am not going to stand on a pedistal and scream out that what you are saying can not happen, but I would still take your bet. Actually I guess I have been taking your bet for nearly a 1000 pack jobs now.

"I've never had a bag lock and use double wrapped rubber bands" I have had one partial bag lock due to break fire and line entanglement, but I do not feel that is relavent to your poll. I have never had a traditional bag lock, I use standard rubber bands and double wrap every thing, locking stows and all. I started doing this after talking to a very experienced jumper who was involved in some malfunction videos. Along with many others, they tried to create a bag lock. After double and triple stows, over and over with NO BAG LOCKS, they had to tie the bag up in some other fasion for their video. DISCLAIMER: Your Millage May Vary

Edited: one should not post on so little sleep in the first place

I know you are still on student gear, but you will find that most all sport gear has "dive loops" on the front risers. I jump wings containers but I am not sure just what they are offereing now as "swoop risers" but more than likely a variation of their dive loops. More comfortable to the fingers, stays open better, etc.

I do some video work for HaloJumper.com from time to time. The guy that runs it had a reserve premature upon exit one time. We normally exit between 28 and 30k, but this was before I was jumping with them so I have no further details other than what I "think" I remember so I will spare you any guessing.

1) GA pilot was on the runway and told that jump run was under way, he thought he had time and was not directly told to hold so he took off anyway. I was not one of the two canopies that he went between, but I was still with in the 1000ft range. 2) Filming an 8way, something catches my eye to the left at about 8,000ft. First thought was a canopy and turned my head to check it out. As I followed the Civil Air Patrol plane going up jump run on level with us, I actually got a few frames of video with him and the 8 way, at the same time. 3) 2000' deployment directly over a glider in tow at around 1000'. A malfunction would have been BAD.

yep, what he said

If you are indeed making a chart then the converstion factors that I am about to list should be easy to find on the internet and in conjunction with Bill's formula you should be set. I however tend to do this in my head and therefore need some easy to remember numbers, so: 1kt = 1.68667 ft/sec, I remember ~1.75 or rather ~1-3/4 ft/sec. therefore an 80kt ground speed = 135 ft/sec, or ~140 ft/sec if done in my head. the difference is fairly negligable. I have found a pilot or two with his GPS set to MPH, so 1mph = 1.4667 ft/sec, I remember ~1-1/2 ft/sec. again the difference is negligable. Another one that I use a lot when calculating a spot: 1kt = 101.2 ft/min, so I obviously remember ~100 ft/min so if have an average of a 15kt wind during free fall, my FF drift will be ~1500 ft/min or in my case, 1/2 a runway length during a 60 sec skydive I am obviously one who likes numbers and the math behind what we do. However I think it is important to get a 'feel' for what is going on around you. In other words, no matter if you know the math and/or have a chart, you should know when to leave more time than normal in between groups. If you have learned that ~8 sec works for you in most cases, then you should also know that a slower plane, higher head winds, following larger groups, following groups that will be all over the sky, all require more time than you have been giving. Tom mentioned learning to gauge the ground speed of the plane with your eyes, this is very important as it will give you a sense of higher head winds and/or a slower plane, even if you did not already have that information. How do you think all those using the 45d rule have not been killing us. Well, if they know when to leave more, and have built an internal clock (~8 sec probably) to tell them when they 'think' the group behind them is at that magical angle, then they should be able to make it work. Hopefully you know I am not trying to advocate the 45d rule, just that knowing when to leave more than 'normal' is a valuable tool.

I have three rides on each and I will tell you that either will get you to the ground safely. So you can make the descion yourself, I just recommend you be SMART about it.