fpritchett64

To Everyone that has posted: Thanks for all of your comments, they are greatly appreciated. I just wanted to make sure that I'm on the same level as everyone else and not crazy for what I feel. I believe I'll have a talk with the dzo and lay down some rules. If that doesn't work, well then I'll be jumping somewhere else. Thanks again guys

Ok, thats what happened to me, I was still an AFF student when I chopped, level 4, I had to pay for the repack, etc.

I had been packing for about a week when this happened. toggle came unstowed on opening causing a spinning line twist which I couldn't recover. So I chopped it away and then got yelled at because I was the first student at his dropzone that ever had to cut away. This was before the main was found, a few hours later when we found it, he realized the mal and told me that was the only choice I had, but that since I packed it, I'd have to pay for the repack, etc.

You've got a great point!! Overall, I like the atmosphere at my dz, but when I first started out, I was a little confused at the cost of a tandem, $219.00, to 10,000 ft. However, it is a small dz with just a C-206 and C-182, so I thought well maybe thats the reason. I confronted the dzo about the cost of the tandem when I first started out, because I've been around dz's since I was 13. His response was that he makes his profit off of tandems, and just breaks even with sport jumpers, charging $20.00 for 10 grand and $15.00 for 5 grand. I dunno, Chester in SC is starting to sound better and better

Yes, he made me pay for the main to be fished out of a tree, which was $60.00 and the reserve repack another $40.00, however, I did take responsibility because I packed the mal. I was an AFF student at the time, level 4

Hi, I'm sure this has been discussed before, I may have even seen a similar discussion, but not sure of all the details. I'm a packer at a small dz, where I have been packing sport rigs for the aff instructors and camera men for a little over a year now. Only malfunction I have packed was mine when I was still learning to pack, about a year ago, and was required by the dzo to pay for the reserve repack, etc ( I was still on AFF), but thats understandable, I packed and jumped the rig, so I'm ultimately responsible. However, I have just recently started packing tandem rigs, and have been informed by the dzo, that if I pack a tandem rig, and it has a malfunction, that I will owe him, but there are so many variables that can cause a malfunction. Does everyone else feel that this is fair? How should I respond?

I believe you're exactly right, before this year, I haven't regularly researched a lot of incidents. Although, I have went back in the years past to see a brief description of incidents and causes and as anyone will probably tell me, I can see that the main cause of incidents is due to low turns under canopy, or just plain out poor judgement. I had also been taking into account the crashes, so that is probably why I thought we were a little high for the year. Now, as the technology continues to get better, does anyone see the sport having less incidents, or more? What I mean by this is for example, more advanced canopies, wingsuits, etc. Then also, more high tech gadgets, such as audible altimeters. Now days, since audibles have become so popular, I see more and more people not wearing a wrist mounted altimeter which I think greatly contributed to one recent incident involving an unexpected exit from 2 grand and numerous 2 out situations. the audible and electronic altimeters offer so much information about the skydive, however, I'm sure that a lot of people are probably relying on them too much and therefore, that advance in technology, in my opinion is beginning to hurt the sport more than it is helping it. What are some other peoples take on this?

Hi, Every day I look on the incidents forum to see how we are doing and make sure all of my friends are ok. I'm fairly new to the forums, been on here for about 6 months now, and it seems as though I can check this out every Monday morning after a weekend, and something new is up. No matter what the circumstances, injury, fatality, near miss, etc. Is this common, or are we at a high right now with incidents, more specifically fatalities? Are any of us learning from these incidents to possibly lower the rates? This just tears me to pieces, especially when the majority can be prevented.

I guess I would be that 1:750 that had a malfunction on student status. My 9th jump, which was AFF Level IV, I had a spinning line twist, to be honest, it really took away a lot of nervousness knowing that I could trust my gear and EP's

Once I had gotten on the ground and found the main, the DZO/S&TA inspected the main and said that was my only option, that there was nothing that I would have been able to do but cut away. Later on I spoke with an old friend Senior Rigger/Tandem Instructor with about 8000 jumps that said I had other options. You're right though, that was all I knew, and I made a decision before my decision altitude. Opening altitude on that jump was 5000 ft, and I had a reserve above my head by 3000 feet. Decision altitude at my DZ on AFF is 2500 feet

I read on here that some of you have had a brake come un-stowed on opening resulting in a hard and squirrelly opening. My 9th jump, still on AFF I had a brake come un-stowed on a PD 260. The opening wasn't any harder than any others I have experienced, but it was instant line twists which I couldn't recover from-at the time I didn't know a brake had come unstowed. Needless to say, I tried to untwist the lines for a brief moment before it went into a spiral, then cut away. Did anyone else have to cut-away due to a brake coming unstowed, or did I just do something wrong?

I feel that's exactly what's going on here, she's standing in the way of my skydiving. Take this for example: -Yesterday afternoon I discussed with her what her work schedule was this weekend. She has to work Saturday from 12 to 5, we only have one mode of transportation, so with that and her job being on the way to the DZ in mind, I would go to the DZ either Saturday from 12 to 5 or I wanted to spend all day Sunday at the DZ, which she is off that day, so she said hell no. I would love more than anything to be able to spend all day at the DZ, this is what is paying for my jumping for the most part, I usually pack as much as possible for the DZO and the money I make is taken off of my jumps, still trying to get to my "A" I have 21 jumps and only need 4 or 5 more to get my proefficiency card finished up. However, at the rate I'm going with opportunities to jump, it will be another 2 months before I hit that mark.

Not really, but you know what they say, if she aint happy, aint nobody happy.

Hey guys, I appreciate it, those were the only 3 that I knew of, didn't know if there were others that I've never heard of before.

I greatly appreciate all the advise and info I've received so far, you're all really helping out a bunch. It's a really confusing moment in life right now, it was mentioned earlier in the thread that it may be more of a jealousy issue. I believe you're right. I can barely hang out with friends without her getting upset about it. I have managed to balance it out somewhat with spending time with her and skydiving. I have to spend all day Saturday with her for the most part. Then I head to the DZ first thing Sunday morning, first load usually takes off around 9:30, it's about an hour drive for me. I have to promise her that I'll be back by 12:00, or I start getting yelled at. All of you know an hour and a half is barely enough at a dz to get 1 jump in, let alone 2 or 3. I don't know, I guess we've got some serious issues to work out.

Maybe it's more so myself rather than her, she doesn't have a problem with me jumping, all bills are paid, and most of the money used for jumping comes from me packing, it just sucks that I can't tell her some of the exciting moments that I have and have her be able to relate to it.

she doesn't have a problem with me skydiving, she just doesn't want to hear about it or be a part of it, I guess its just making me unhappy because I see all these couples who skydive together, and the happiness they share. I don't have it here, and thats something I really want. How many of you who are married or in a relationship of any kind has a SO who regularly skydives with you?

I'm fairly new to skydiving regularly, been involved with the sport for about 6 years or so, but just recently finished AFF. Anyway, I've been in the relationship I'm in now for a little better than a year. My fiance could care less about skydiving, has no interest in the sport and gets pissed off anytime I mention anything about it. How many people have successfully continued a relationship where the other half had no interest in the sport? I know there is no way I could stop jumping, although the relationship has started somewhat going downhill because of it, I'm beginning to think that I would be happier if I were single, or if I were in a relationship with someone that could share the same feelings that I have with skydiving. Has anyone ever ended a relationship because the other person was not willing or interested in the sport? Do you think I'd be happier if I found someone that loved this sport as much as I do? Thanks for any input or advise that you may have

This may sound like a dumb question, and probably is but I was just curious after reading a post in the incidents forum about someone in Africa surviving an impact from 3000 feet. Later in the thread it reveals that he had a canopy out, it just wasn't written that way in the news article. Have there ever been any records of someone surviving an impact from a high altitude without a canopy out.

[the Lotus is a semi elliptical airlocked nine cell I've never heard of the lotus, I have heard of all the others. From everything I have read and heard about Airlocked canopies, it really sounds like something that I would be interested in, I know there are a few cons, but all the pros I have heard about the airlocked design make it sound much safer and possibly more fun to jump. The only concern I have is would this be considered a conservative canopy for a beginner as I know if I were to go out and jump a vengeance or jedei or similar I'd be frowned upon, although I know these are elliptical and not semi elliptical....Ok, enough jabbering on..lol. Back to my main question...would the Lotus be considered a safe canopy for a beginner? I guess thats what I'm really trying to ask

Hi, just looking for some advise on a first canopy. I just completed AFF and did my first solo this past saturday. My first 4 jumps were on a PD 260, I had great canopy control, good soft landings, even one stand-up landing. My 5th jump was on the reserve since on opening I had a spinning line twist due to a toggle coming un stowed on opening. Jump 6 was a Manta 288 and I must say that it was slower than a snail, I even had to choke up on the steering toggles to get any response out of the canopy. After that jump, since the 260 had not been re-assembled yet, I begged to jump something smaller than the 288, after reviewing my canopy control, the dzo decided to let me try the 210, so technically that was a 78 square foot downsize from what I last jumped. It was almost like jumping into a sports car, extremely fast compared to what I was used to. I still had a soft landing but was anything but a stand-up landing. My last solo jump was also on the PD 210 and I finally got a stand-up landing from that. I weigh with gear approximately 190 lbs and after speaking with my instructors and dzo we've decided my first canopy should be around the 190 range. What would be some good idea's for a first canopy I've heard both good and bad things about the sabre's and sabre 2's, also with the information that I have provided so far, does this sound like I have a good learning curve on canopy control, or is this about average? Any advise would be greatly appreciated

I love the unstable exits also, one of my favorite exits was one of my tandems, a back flip out of an otter, it was awesome and I can't wait to start some unstable exits on my own, as of right now, I just feel that I need to build some more confidence in myself and gaining stability. I had no trouble getting stable after exit and the backloops on my last jump, but I think I need some more work before any more unstable exits. Also, a huge fear that I have and was wondering if I was the only person with this fear. Everytime I exit, I'm scared shitless that I'm going to smack my head on the tailplane. Has anyone else ever been scared of this, or is it possible on any types of jump planes that we use?

I enjoy the float just as well, it's a completely different feeling. For you to have more info, the primary aircraft I have been jumping is a C-206, one jump from a C-182.

Hi, I'm fairly new, I now have 11 jumps, my last being AFP level 6, so of course that was a no contact diving exit. It was awesome, jumped out, arched of course, flipped a few times and ended up on my back for a brief moment and watched my instructor coming at me, then rolled over belly to earth. Had an uneventful free fall and a great canopy ride on my first downsize from a PD 260 to a PD 210. Just curious how many jumpers on their next level opted for another no contact diving exit and what is the other option I could choose, would it just be a floating exit just like all the ones previously? I loved the diving exit, it was soo much fun, but in the training side of things, I'm thinking I should choose a more stable type of exit so I have more time to get my objectives complete. So, how many of you chose the diving exit as opposed to the other option and what was the reason behind the decision?

Thanks for everyones advice, I'll definately keep all of this in mind