Chris-Ottawa

Cool, thanks for the info. I have not actually seen a PC-12 as a jumpship, but it would be nice. Probably not terribly economical to be honest. I was just listing off some planes that I thought were in the same class. You know, single engine turboprop, high tail, 10-15 passenger etc. I flew in a Turbo beaver and that thing would make a wonderful jumpship. I'm not sure of the climb, but for a smaller DZ that wants something bigger/quicker than a Cessna, that would be a great next step. I would imagine you could easily get 10 jumpers in there, if not more. We had 7 people seated and still had storage in the back. Does any DZ use a Turbo Beaver? Thanks "When once you have tasted flight..."

Any idea how this plane compares to a PC-12, Turbo Beaver or a Caravan? Thinking about price, payload, fuel etc... Also, how well they operate as jumpships? From my knowledge, the above listed planes are all in the same league. Hopefully someone has some info. Thanks "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Jonny, I just got licensed in Canada this summer. Where abouts are you located. If you want any details specifically, please PM me. I'll be happy to share the info. Basically, the second poster is correct in that you only need 10 jumps to go up and do a solo jump on your own whenever you want. You need 25 jumps to get your A license before you are allowed to jump with others who are not instructors. PM me for more info! Also, fill out your profile so we know where you are and what your background is etc... Later Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

I'm curious what you're trying to protect yourself from by wearing say a motorcycle helmet, versus a skydiving helmet. -Kick in the face, both will work. -Riser slap, both will work -Smashing your head on the airplane during exit or loading, both will work -Hitting an object in freefall, both will work -Messed up landing...unless you're landing on jagged rocks, they'll both work -Bouncing...neither will do anything -Gunshots, neither will do anything So again, my question is this, What will a motorcycle or similar protect you from that a skydiving helmet will not, while skydiving? I can't think of anything. The advantage of having a skydiving helmet versus a motorcycle helmet can only be understood after you have your first slammer. 1 lb versus 8+ lbs being pulled down, ding, we have a winner! Chris EDIT: I jump a fullface Z1 and it is phenominal. There is lots of padding on the inside, lots of wind protection, lots of warmth, very secure, and personally I think it offers me quite good protection.

I just thought of another point.... Who's going to supply the DZ with beer if none of the noobs are cutting away "landable" canopies? More firsts make a DZ go round... And another note, no way to make your rigger happier than a nice bottle of (Insert riggers favourite "bottle"). Plus a repack? It's putting money back into the sport. And now....a word from our Safety officer, "Slicey" the AAD! Hey kids, don't chop just to buy beer and make friends at the dz! And remember to turn me on before going on a jump, look for the zero down! Haha, can anyone tell I'm bored at work? Later Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, You know, it's odd to see a post like this, I'm not saying it's bad or anything, but it's a lose/lose situation. Put these recent stories of cutaways with a bad outcome and what would this thread say: "Why aren't the noobs chopping when they have a mal" I completely agree with you though on the topic. I think new jumpers need to know alot more about their gear before they are getting their A's. I learnt most of my gear knowledge by reading books, reading the forums etc. Jumpers are only really taught basic gear knowledge...here are the parts, these 2 handles are what you need to know, make sure the cypress is on. I mean I got alot more than that at my DZ, but i've seen other jumpers that scared me about how little they knew about the gear. I was jumping with 2 jumpers from another DZ. They each had around 50 jumps and were renting gear. They were given gear with a collapsible slider and PC. Neither of them knew what they were, let alone how to use them (Thank god they were shown quickly). I thought for sure one of them would forget to uncollapse the slider, or cock the PC. So, I agree that more needs to be taught about the gear and when to chop or not, but it can't be "just enough" so they think they can save it and pound in. It has to be extensive knowledge so they can realize that, ok, i'm in a spin, altitude is on, oh look a lineover, riser tug, flare, no go, ching ching. I think that gear knowledge and experience is the answer. You have to be concious enough to assess the situation, plus know what you're looking at and make a choice. I don't think it's a bad thing to see new people chopping. I did it myself on jump 31. I had a tension knot on my leftmost B line holding it to the second B line in. Basically the left end cell was folded under itself. The canopy was in a turn, toggle was held at my hip to stop the turn. I was able to steer the canopy by only doing left turns, but I felt I would have at least broken something on my lower body so I chopped. I'm glad I did and it all worked out. Anyways, that's my opinion. We must be looking at both sides, we don't want to tell noobs to chop right away but we also don't want them to think they can save it. Chris EDIT: FYI, I still consider myself a noob, but I feel that I have a fairly good knowledge of my gear. I feel comfortable thta I will be able to assess the situation properly should I have the need again. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, Thanks for all the input. I wasn't terribly worried about having to chop the main because I knew I could get it up flying again and walk backwards. The fear came when I got too close to the fence I didn't want to risk attempting to get it flying again for fear of getting dragged into the fence. In reponse to the comments about pulling a toggle. I agree, this was learnt in my FJC which is why that's the first thing I tried. The problem was that the canopy tended to keep flying anyways. It would dive and turn, then stay inflated with the end cell was against the ground. It was an awkward situation. I explained it fairly simply above to keep things short. I think the advice about chopping while holding onto 1 or both of the brake lines would work pretty well. Anyone know if chopping and holding onto 1 riser would essentially do the same thing? If it didn't work, the worst I could do is let go of the riser. Great learning experience though. I would be very hard pressed to jump in wind that high, so I can't see myself in that situation, but if I ever am, I feel confident that I have a few different options. Thanks Chris EDIT: I also know that fighting the canopy will keep it inflated, but "theoretically" I would have to run at least 29kph to catch the canopy....And being that I was 10 feet from a fence...wasn't going to risk it. The canopy was never dragging me out of control, I was always on my feet or ass, but I just couldn't collapse it. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey everyone, Just wanted to share an experience I had this weekend. I took my skydiving canopy out in the snow to play in the wind. I just wanted to kite it and see how it handled, get used to the risers etc... The least that I can say is that kiting the canopy is not the hard part.... I went out Friday evening. The winds were blowing at about 20km/h and it was very easy to fly the canopy and everything went well. I did that for about an hour in a large open field. Saturday, I noticed the wind had picked up considerably and since the night before everything went well, I thought why not try it in higher winds. So here I am in a large open field, winds are 29km/h, gusting to 40 km/h and I'm in the middle of it with a 135sq/ft canopy. Opened up the canopy, kited it just fine, got lifted up about 2 or 3 feet a few times, played around with the risers and brakes and all WAS going well until.... So I was getting tired as it was a fairly good workout to hold the canopy in that wind, I was causing traffic to backup because everyone was slowing down to look, and I wanted to go home so I could leave to go snowboarding. This is when the problem started. I figued stalling the canopy would be the best way to get it to the ground...not so much. All it did was put the 135sq feet of canopy directly against the wind. It did not simply deflate. So I spent the next 15 minutes fighting with the canopy, trying to get it to collapse. Tried stalling it on rears, no go, tried full brakes, no go, tried one toggle, no go, front risers, no go. I'm starting to get worried at this point because I'm about 50 feet away from a barbed wire fence that I'm getting dragged towards and cannot collapse my canopy. Not to mention that if I made it over...or through the fence I would now have to contend with crossing a street, then another barb wire fence. I was really getting scared, now 20 feet from the fence, I realized I either had to chop, or get it under control. I was completely exhausted at this point. I held it in a full stall, which held it mostly from dragging me, but still not collapsed. I grabbed a toggle with one hand and started wrapping it around my free hand to get the canopy to me. I figured If I can grab the nylon it can't possibly fly, I was right. I managed to get the canopy under control, and pick it up with tonnes of snow and threw it into my car. I was only 10 feet from the fence that would have destroyed my canopy, or my canopy and myself. I had so much snow in my car but didn't give a damn at that point. Got home, brushed out my car, hung my canopy up in my living room and went snowboarding. LESSONS: 1-Know exactly how to collapse your canopy. 2-Stay away from "obstacles", including fences and roadways. 3-Don't go when the wind is gusting so much, start slow. 4-Don't groundlaunch until you are VERY proficient on the ground. 5-Understand that you will likely be dragged and ruin your gear, thankfully I was in the snow in a grassy field. I'm sure that there is so much more to be learnt, but I have to get back to work. Feel free to comment. I posted this to share my experience, and hopefully someone else who is interested in kiting will read it and take a step back. I'm done kiting for a while now...and I think 25km/h is my limit for winds now. Chris EDIT: Typos... and I forgot to mention that I drove my car in the ditch while trying to park. I tried to move as far off the road as I could, then it slipped off the shoulder and sung in... I managed to get out on my own after about 5 mins. Thank god for winter tires. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey everyone, Just found out some information that I'm sure others would be happy to know. I am in ONtario Canada, so this may not apply elsewhere. I just spoke with my insurance company because I got a lower car insurance quote elsewhere and wanted to see if they could match it. Since they couldn't, she said she'd not recommend cancelling the life insurance if I was going to cancel my car insurance (which I am). Obviously a business decision, but that got me thinking while I had the company on the phone... Is skydiving covered? Is there a 2 year "probation" period etc... So I asked... At first I was vague and said "When I filled out the form, there were a few things that I said I do not do, that I now do, how does that work for coverage?". She replied and said once the policy is underwritten and signed, that is that. She said they realize people's lives change and they can't legally change a policy if your life changes. She said, for example, if you became a rock climber or Hang glider pilot, or even started smoking after answering the questions on the policy, it doesn't matter. So I though, ok, so they can't change the policy, but they surely don't have to pay out if I die skydiving when I said I don't. So I told her I skydive, and asked if the unfortunate did happen while skydiving, would my life insurance still pay out. She said Absolutely. She said the only thing about taking out a life insurance policy that has a "2 year time limit" is suicide. For obvious reasons, they don't want you to take out a life insurance policy only to find your body hanging from the rafters in your home a week later, and having the policy paid out to your crack addicted boyfriend who still lives with his parents... (

Hey, I started jumping at a small DZ and the smallest student gear was a Navigator 280. I weight 115 lbs, you do the math. I had the same problem, I just had to be really careful of the winds. I wasn't allowed to jump while other students were. Not fun. Anyways, after 10 jumps, I was able to jump one of the bigger guy's rig that had an adjustable main lift web and a 210 in it. Worked well but it moved around a bit. After 4 or 5 jumps on that I jumped a 170 for 1 jump, then got onto a 150 as there was 2 available from people who didn't jump a lot. They were very happy to share their rig with me and I will do the same if anyone ever wants to jump mine. Anyways, I put about 10-15 on the 150 then I bought my own which is a 135. I've been jumping mine since and I love it. My first reserve ride was the smallest canopy I had jumped at that point. Jump #31 was jumped on a Sabre2 150, then quickly followed by a PD 143. Scored 2 jumps in one!! Anyways, my post isn't going to help you a lot on how to resolve your issue, but I'd recommend not jumping a rig that doesn't fit. Think if you're doing a roll or something and have a premature deployment...the harness may stay with the parachute while you continue in freefall...not something I want to be worried about. Now that I have my own rig I feel so much safer...and happy. But seriously, I'm almost sure someone around your DZ has a spare rig that they would let you use until you got your own. I'm sure there are rigs available for you, just be sure the reserve isn't too small and it has an AAD. Hope this helps (Here's a video of me under a Manta 288 on jump 6 or 7 I think) http://friends.iamgates.com/Skydiving%20Videos/chris%20landing.wmv Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, If you really want to show ff your rig while you ride and don't want to put it in a bag, here's an idea. This is a simple example, but it works: http://www.hobotraveler.com/forsalemeshsecuritybackpackcover01.shtml I know I've seen these when shopping at Mountain Equipment Co-op. There about $30 CDN and come with a lock. You can make youor own by just buying some chickenwire and tie it on there. It would be hard to miss when getting in the plane, and it would hold your PC/chutes in. I personally wouldn't do this, but just an idea. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

N/A

Hey everyone, Just thought I'd share something I found for resizing pictures. It's a very simple software. You download, you install and that's it. When you want to resize a single or multiple pictures, simply select them, right click and choose "Photo Gadget Picture resize" (see screenshots on link). Then you choose your options and press ok. Done, pictures resized. http://www.xemico.com/photogadget/freeware.html I think it's great to shrink pictures for forums and sending them through email or whatever. Enjoy Chris P.S. - I'm not sure whether I can post links like that, so if not, mods please edit my post. Thanks "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, Thanks for the info, and the research you put into the flights. Unfortunately there's a bit more involved than a flight, food and the course. That's assuming I can use rental gear for free, don't have to pay transportation to the launch site, don't buy anything while I'm down there, don't get travel insurance, don't rent a car etc... Plus, add the conversion to CDN dollars and you are approaching 3 grand. Not to mention the pay cut from taking the time off work. I said 3 grand off the top of my head, it was just a rough idea, yet I still think it would be at least 2500 CDN all said and done. It was more to prove a point that it's just not an easy answer, or at least not for everyone. Either way, I'm trying to do this as safe as possible and don't plan on using my skydiving gear for it as I don't want to damage it one bit. I really am glad that some advice was divulged, much more than I've gotten up to now. Honestly, before this thread, the ONLY answer I ever got was, "go see jim". I still have alot of time to look into this and it's not a high priority in my life right now. Thanks again Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey everyone, I would just like to say thank you. My post got some unexpected answers. I expected to be told that I was going to kill myself. It was said, but not in a way that screams, "you're a moron for attempting this". It was simply stated that it is incredibly dangerous and you can get hurt very badly, very easily. I really appreciate the advice and I agree with what bluesidedown said I appreciate the advice and highly stress to anyone who is going to try it, not to just go. There is so much to be learnt before you go to the top of a hill. I have a small hill in my back yard, enough for me to learn on, but I haven't been on it yet as I don't feel comfortable. I want to kite my canopy more and read up on alot of info. Thanks for the info so far Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Andy, Just a heads up, no one on here will give any type of advice on ground launching. I'm not sure why but I've tried. I've called and spoken to Jim himself and no one will divulge any tiy tidbit of info. I know for a fact that someone will disagree with me for saying what I'm about to say, but I'm going to say it anyways. I am very interested in all types of flight, ground launching just happens to be one of them. I want to purchase a ratty old container and an older canopy to get into some ground launching. I was hoping to talk to some people so I can get some advice to be safe and get the right gear etc... Unfortunately, I got the same responses..."Go to California and talk to Jim". Unfortunately, that trip would cost me no less than 3 grand after I include airfare, food, hotels, the course etc etc etc.... I agree that this is my problem, but that's not going to stop me from trying. I'll just have to experiment. I get the feeling that everyone is trying to leave Jim with the entire market on this area of the sport, which is perfectly fine. I just wish a small bit of information was available as for better canopies to choose and gear etc... I give him credit for doing what he did and investing the money to back it, and I hope he continues to do well with it...BUT..... For people who simply can't go to California and take his course, the lack of information isn't going to stop me, it's simply going to make me learn on my own. As I said, I know someone will bitch me for saying that, but I have no other choice if I want to ground launch. I'm sure BASE jumping is the same. For people who can't get to an actual base training camp or whatever, I guarantee it doesn't stop them, it just hinders them slightly. Hopefully they at least have a coach. If your mind is set, saying "go here for training" when you can't will not stop someone. If I ever make it to California, I will go see Jim. But right now..it's not going to happen. Please don't take this as me telling you to fight the power or anything like that Andy. I highly recommend taking the course and being safe about it. I think that is the best way to do it. Assuming you take the course and I don't, I don't have a doubt in the world that you will be a better "ground launcher" than myself. I simply do not have that option so I have no choice but to find other means. This is not flaming Jim at all for what he does. I think it's great that he's broadening the sport and getting media coverage for skydiving. If Jim was closer to myself, or I was rich, I would have taken his course long ago. I'm not saying one bit that Jim should make a DVD showing everyone how to ground launch, obviously it's a business and I'm not stupid. All I'm really looking for is some recommended canopies besides the GLX line, and recommended wing loading. Anyways, I fully accept any flack for this post, but it wasn't my intent to cause a commotion. I simply wanted to express my view on the lack of info. Hopefully people can understand my views and understand that without the info, it isn't stopping people from doing it. I know the info is out there. on another note Andy... I'm not going into this completely blind. I do have a coach who has done some ground launching. I have also invested alot of time to learning about my canopy, the weather, ground effect, flat turns, etc... If you want a good start, look into paragliding, lots of good info there, and learn about micrometeorology, you need to know how wind/drafts act around objects like rocks, ditches, and small hills. You need to understand alot about wind...trust me. Also, learn to recover your canopy from a collapse as quick as possible. It is likely you will not have a chance depending on how low you are, but I still like knowing that I can slow my decent as much as possible and increase my chance of survival. Hopefully that info will help you out. Please take the course if you can. If you refuse to or simply cannot, do your homework. This is a very dangerous sport, I have heard it compared to base jumping. Please use your brain...there is alot to be learnt even before taking Jim's course. Chris Edit to add: I have done nothing more than kiting my canopy for about 20 minutes one day. I don't intend to go further until I feel comfortable with my canopy and my knowledge that I've gained. DON'T BE STUPID ABOUT IT!!! Put some effort into your safety!!! "When once you have tasted flight..."

For anyone who's curious, here's what PD had to say: So hopefully anyone else who has this can benefit from it. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I just wanted to clarify something. That picture is very zoomed in, I think it may be making it look worse than it actually is. Each one of those frays are no bigger than an inch and this is the worst one. The others are almost un-noticeable unless you closely inspect it. Nonetheless, I'm concerned not so much of the canopy structurally failing, but more that the problem will grow with each jump until it does structurally fail. The canopy is nearly brand new, and I want to keep it that way as long as possible. Also, out of curiosity, what would happen if a rib ripped in half lengthwise. I seem to doubt that the canopy would completely fail, I would just have a 6 cell parachute, with one damn big cell, no? Maybe it wold collapse on those 2 cells, but since the top and bottom skin is intact, I doubt that too. The only thing that worries me about that, is if the rib fails, it's going to put more stress on other parts of the canopy which "could" lead to catastrophic failure. Any Insight? Thanks Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey everyone, Thanks so much for the input. We seem to have alot of differeing opinions. I have just emailed PD and attached the picture for their opinion. I will also talk to my rigger on the 30th when I get my reserve done. I wanted to post it on here to see if it was something that doesn't matter as it's a crossport, but even if it doesn't matter, I don't want it to get worse. If it was top or bottom skin, I wouldn't even second guess myself and get it repaired. I'll let everyone know what PD says. Thanks again. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Evening everyone, I have a question that has been bugging me for a bit now. I haven't been able to jump in almost 2 months now due to cold weather. I have been packing my canopy just to practice and get that feel back. While my canopy was out, I took a good look at everything about it and inside of it. Now, when I was looking inside my canopy, I noticed something with the crossports that is got me kinda freaked out. I read another thread about the differences between ZP and F111 and that ZP had a weaker "break" point. On mine, mostly on the center 3 cells, the fabric looks to be tearing or maybe better to say fraying. I imagine when PD hot knifes the canopy, it sort of seals the fabric. This looks like it didn't make a good seal and it's fraying. Here's a picture to better show what I'm talking about. Is this something I should be concerned about or is this perfectly fine? I'm going to jump the canopy anyways, but I'm concerned if I shouldn't be or if I'm going to make it worse. The picture is of the worst one. Thanks! Chris Edit: I have to get my reserve done on the 30th of Jan so you can bet I'll be talking to my rigger. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Mine doesn't have any silver or grey but I still love to share my baby with everyone! Javelin Odyssey OJK with a Spectre 135 and PD 143. I agree with mostlyharmless...it's like sitting in a lazyboy! Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, It's not a Velo, but it is PD. Here's a picture of my label. The only thing that I can see is the PN: SP0135 P02 Which to me means, Spectre 135, revision 2? Does that make sense? Later Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Jose, As you requested via PM, you want me to post in the forum so everyone can see what we're saying. I'm not going to give you that honor. You are taking my posts as a personal attack on swoopers. I am not doing that. I'm "attacking" common landing areas. You are the only person getting worked up about this. You are the only person who doesn't think what I'm saying is logical. As I said in my PM's to you. I have received PM's from 5 different, HIGHLY experienced jumpers, 4 of them being highly experienced swoopers. Each and every one of them said I was absolutely right. We cannot have 2 different patterns landing together, it's as simple as that. Now, since I don't want to play your game, I know you're trying to make me say things that you can call me on, but sorry, I'm going to be ignoring you...and your posts. I'm trying to point out "my" non swooper view. Initially everyone lashed out on me because of my low jump numbers, but all it took is one post from Ron to make everyone realize that what I was saying actually made sense. No matter how many jumps I have, I still have a valid opinion and I know what my PIM says too.... Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Not really, by pattern I mean downwind-90-cross-90-final etc... I agree that everyone doing a standard landing should follow the low man. If you have a different pattern, we should be designating alternate pattern areas so we don't have 2 very different patterns crossing paths. This may not work perfectly in all cases, but from what I've seem, even though it may be limited in comparison, between load separation and canopy sizes, it tends to work out OK. Now, since I jump a small canopy, yes, I can slow down a lot by holding brakes, but I have had t take over a lower position. I do this by going wide on one of the 90's. Making sure I'm never close enough where we would collide and pass them. It's never been a problem because once I pass them, I let up on the brakes and am well out of range by the time I get back into the pattern. Now the speed difference is marginal compared to a swoop. I'm not closing on the lower at 50 MPH. I'm not trying to say everyone needs to be single file and land sequentially, never out of order, obviously that will not work. We still have to pay close attention to everyone else. When someone feels the need to join the slow pattern as they come out of their 360 degree riser turn to finish the swoop...they should be nowhere near me and my standard landing pattern. "When once you have tasted flight..."