strop45

A couple of recent incidents appear to have been the result of jumpers making bad decisions when too high on final. IMO, this can be a major problem for jumpers with lower levels of experience for a range of reasons: 1) Lower wing loading and lower airspeeds means that ground track is more affected by wind speed. 2) Generally less tools and techniques available to correct the problem. 3) Less experience means that the problem is often identified late giving less time for plan B. I watched a jumper with 50 jumps come in too high heading for a hanger. He turned late, did a 180 and hit the ground at the same time as his canopy. If he had stopped his turn at 90 degrees, he would have had time to flare and land. I don't remember getting any training or advice on what to do when too high, just don't turn low.... What's your advice to a low time jumper who finds that they are to high and running out of room...heading to trees, fences, building etc... The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Also have a look at www.skydive.co.nz, better weather, more loads, great instructors... The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

The LCD screen on your viso is very prone to damage. Look at the number of cellphones with broken screens, then imagine what the failure rate would be if they attached to your arm during skydives. You can and will hit the plane/ground/other jumpers with your arm from time to time. Most electronic faults are due to broken connections, either at high level (wires/connectors) or low level (inside ICs). Subjecting electronic devices to rapid temperature changes increases the failure rate. In addition batteries are a chemical reaction - as you lower the temperature their output decreases - This means that your Viso may be fine in the plane and fail as soon as the cold air hits it. Mechanical altimeters on the other hand have a very long life and are very reliable. My DZ has student altimeters which have been mistreated for years, but still function well. I have no problem with anyone using an electronic Alitmeter, I use an altitrack myself, but suggest that its good to have a good knowledge of the limitations and features of the equipment you use. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Canon says it the equivalent of a 28mm lens (on a 35mm film camera), which is about 17mm on a DSLR. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

+1 The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

The thing I don't understand is how a horizontal component of drag results in a vertical component. Put another way, the cos 90 degree is zero. Just because there is lots of horizontal drag doesn't mean that there is any vertical drag. In general you can treat velocity/acceleration as separate vectors and they have no effect on each other. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Looking at the prof's freefall calculation programme, there is a one second difference in freefall time for a change in plane speed of 200 kts - this may be 'drag coupling' or may just be a cumulative calculation difference. Its hard for me to understand how any drag in a horizontal direction affects the drag in a vertical direction, except that the air is already moving near the interface between the skydiver and the air. So IMHO its possible drag coupling does exist, however its effect for skydivers is so small it can be ignored. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Can you provide any references or equation which describe how this works. AFAIK, the calculations for downward speed of a bullet used in ballistics calculations don't allow for any such effect. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Drag is a function of speed squared. So if a tandem is twice the weight of a single skydiver but with the same drag function, then you would expect the terminal velocity of the tandem to be the square root of 2 * terminal velocity of the single skydiver, i.e. 41% higher. Similarly I expect that it would take roughly 40% longer to get to terminal. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Acceleration is a constant only if you ignore drag/friction. As your speed increases this creates drag which effectively counters the gravitation force causing you to accelerate. When the drag is equal to the gravitation force, you no longer accelerate and are at terminal. A tandem pair (without a drogue) take longer to get to terminal as they have greater mass and similar surface area. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Background, I’m rapidly approaching 50 and thanks to too many motorbike accidents, have a suspect neck. I’ve jumped with my rebel 300D half a dozen times and while I haven’t had any problems, I don’t really like the weight and the thought of a hard opening. I have been looking for a compact camera with performance similar to a low end SLR (like the 300D) and a built in wide angle lens. The Lumix LX3 is 10M, has a Leica 24mm (35mm film equivalent) lens, great controls and a good reputation, however it doesn’t have a remote connection. I didn’t want to damage the camera to add a remote (but planned to jump out of planes with it ??) so looked around and found some people using them from kites using radio control. A little thinking and some playing around and I produced a mounting and a circuit to operate the camera using a radio control servo and a bite/tongue switch. The servo is mounted using the flash shoe on the camera and uses a rubber band to attach it. The camera is capable of taking 90 odd photos in 60 seconds with a high speed SD card and using it in burst mode with no refocusing between shots. I jumped it the other day and some photos are attached. I was little disappointed with the first jump photos, but think that was more to do with the photographer than the equipment. I have attached some photos and there are a few more here: http://www.nelsonskydiveclub.org/?page_id=362 I initially tried auto focus, shutter 1/250 sec and iso 200. On the second jump I used manual focus and 1/320 sec and got better results. My next modification with be to monostable the bite switch so that a flick of the tongue gives a long enough pulse to ensure a photo (at present you have to hold pressure for ½ sec or so to ensure a photo). Blue Skies Wayne The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

FYI, my insurance says: "should disability occur on the life of Russell Wayne Stronach as a direct or indirect result of participation in and/or preparation for Skydiving, then no benefit will be payable" So if I become disabled in a motor accident on the way to skydiving or at home while packing my rig then....bad luck...The good news is that I'm covered if I die :-) The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

How about http://www.forbestraveler.com/adventure/scenic-skydives-story.html Also Skydive Abel Tasman, New Zealand http://www.skydive.co.nz Good luck with the show The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Jump Start NZ is a charity which gives selected teenagers (from Canteen - supporting teens with cancer and Project K - providing help to 14/15 yr youths) the experience of a skydive from an RNZAF Hercules. This year it is being held on March 14 at Whenuapai Base, Auckland. Last Year Daniel took part in Jump Start, His story is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3vEFs6qJuk&eurl=http://www.jumpstart.org.nz Sadly, Daniel is not with us anymore but he represents the essence of Jumpstart and what it can do for those involved. This is a great charity and one which I have passively supported in the past. This year I decided to get actively involved, fund raise and go along and be part of the day. You can support these charities and special youngsters in making a skydive by clicking here:http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/WayneStronach/ Blue Skies Wayne More information on the charities here:http://www.jumpstart.org.nz/beneficiaries/ Gneral information on Jumpstart here:http://www.jumpstart.org.nz/ The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I could drop helmets all day everyday at my dropzone and never ever cause a 10 car pile up. We need to run an extensive marketing campaign to get 10 cars on the road at the same time. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I put my name and contact details inside my helmet for a different reason, in case it decides to exit my head on the way down. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Looks really interesting. Have you had a look at http://www.qstarz.com/Products/GPS%20Products/BT-Q1300-F.htm. 66 ch MTK GPS, -165 db runs at 5Hz and generally works better/faster than the SIRF III GPS. Would love to built/buy one of your units or generally assist you in its development. Wayne. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Isn't this the cause of the accident. Its not really about downsizing or jump numbers, its about changing from a canopy with a short recovery arc to one with a long recovery arc. If I hold the risers on my safire II to 20' before releasing them I get a nice swoop and don't need any toggle input to level out. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Understood, but you actually need to know what to search for. Try searching for "exit timing" and see how relevant the answers to the question of how much time to leave between groups. Newbies don't always know the lingo or what to search for. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

+1 Agreed "do a search" is a waste of bandwidth. Its like saying I know the answer and if you need to ask you are an idiot. The only stupid question is that one that doesn't get asked. If you don't want to reply, just leave the keyboard alone. IMO search often isn't all that useful. Depending on what you search on you get very variable results. Rather than suggest "search" how about helping by linking to the threads you think the newbie should read, after all they are easy to find with search. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

When you use a slow shutter speed and pan the camera you blur the background in the direction of movement, i.e. it looks good like the subject is moving (which they are). When you use a lower f-stop (or a longer focal length lens/telephoto), you reduce the depth of focus and 'highlight' the subject, but you don't get any implied movement. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

where exactly is your mudflap? Have you got a pic with your wearing the alti? The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

The best way to glue rubber is to use superglue (CA). It is common to make o-rings this way and works really well. You can get different 'speeds' and thickness of superglue from your local model shop. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

That's a noble target, but 100% safety, zero accidents is only "doable" across small samples. People are people and while you can reduce the risk of an incident, you can't eliminate it. Equipment will fail, people will make mistakes. I'm very safety conscious and freely admit to making many mistakes myself and having the odd accident. Sometimes the existence of a zero accident target and the myth that it is achievable works exactly the opposite way e.g. I am aware of companies that tie performance bonuses into "no lost time" accidents - so if you can still move you don't report the accident and continue working. Net Result: less reporting of accidents, less discussion of what caused them, how to prevent them, and nice company statistics. stay safe The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Depends on a range of things at my DZ. Often load last/exit first, but also in the middle is common (e.g.if student are often put in the middle as it gives them the best spot). The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein