LloydDobbler

I don't know that I can jump to the conclusion above, having never met her...but it does sound an awful lot like a few drama-happy girls I've been in relationships with. And we're not talking skydiving - these girls would get upset over little things, like me going out to have a drink with my friends & not inviting them along. Every time, after stepping away from the emotions in the situation and looking at it objectively, I came to realize that no matter which way I cut it, the problem was them, not me. (This may not be the case with her, as skydiving is a bit more high risk than drinking with your pals...but it may. Some people can't take skydiving...and I don't fault them for that...but if skydiving means a lot to you, and it continues to freak her out, then maybe she's not the one you need (and maybe you're not the one she needs). Anyway, my guess is this: if you opt to stay with her, it'll come to a point where she draws the line & presents the ultimatum: Me, or the sport. (Or alternately, she'll never present that ultimatum formally - she'll just give you little passive-aggressive hints of it). Either way, you need to be able to recognize that moment when it comes, and you need to know which you'd choose. I agree wholeheartedly with those who say that good relationships involve people trying to find ways to work it out. We're all different - and if she does something that really bugs you, you'll have to decide how much it bugs you. Enough to be done with the relationship? Or enough to grin and bear it, or find a compromise? Whichever way you cut it, she may have a good reason for her phobia. But the real question is, after you've spent some good time talking to her about the risks and the likelihood of said risks, if she's still being this way...is that how you want to live your life? Feeling stressed about doing something you love every time you do it? And if you do decide you've fine with feeling her hanging over your head every time you head to the DZ, keep in mind, a solid level of resentment in a relationship will ultimately be the death of that relationship, anyway... Just my 2 cents. Good luck. Signatures are the new black.

Well, if all goes right, I'll be up there. We shall see. I missed it last year - not sure if I can live it down if I skip out another year...

First I was wondering when Cal City would come up in this thread...and then I was wondering how long it'd take before someone was invited to the Peckerhead Meat... ...definitely a good time to get out to Cal City, if you've never been. Back on topic, yeah, I flew a space ball a few weeks ago, and was surprised that they had us getting out first. It ultimately makes sense - all depends on the jump run direction. Nonetheless, Sparky's right - it's all about letting people know you're flying it, and getting feedback. There are lots of people who can help you with the weight, and lots of them who know their DZ well enough to tell you where/when to get out. Nice thing about Cal City is, even if you land out from tracking or flying a space ball, you're probably not going to have too many obstacles to avoid... Signatures are the new black.

The AZ tunnel is a bit wider, but since you won't be flying a 4-way at this stage, it probably won't matter that much. Since you said "AFF", I'm guessing you're just focusing on getting better at the stuff you learned during AFF, getting more stable and confident, leveling, etc...in which case, either tunnel will do you well. I'd say go to whichever one is closest and most convenient. When you get ready to fly with a coach (as opposed to the standard tunnel instructor), then start thinking about how well you fit in the tunnel the last time you went. The staff at both tunnels is top-notch, and at this point, you'll get a lot out of it, no matter which one you go to. Signatures are the new black.

This has been a topic of discussion around a number of other DZ's I fly at, too. And while I went through AFF and really loved it, I can't help but think that the cost barrier makes people shy away. I was even talking to one whuffo friend tonight who, after 1 jump (and, uh, dating a skydiver for a few months), said she'd go back & pursue her license in a heartbeat...if she had the cash. But she doesn't, and doesn't want to save for a year. Anyone have any thoughts? Could Static Line save the sport? Signatures are the new black.

On the flip side, I think Psyco Packing -may- cause excess wear over time to the canopy during deployment. Of course, I have no real world testing or data to back this up; just a gut feeling about the center of the canopy being pulled out one side and thereby causing a twisting of the material. Interesting thought, Quade. I could see as how this could be true. Nonetheless, I'm going to keep psycho-packing my nearly-new Sabre for a while...at least until I get a bigger bag to put it in (shallow bag & slippery snot canopy = crazy-long pro packjobs...& lots of cursing). I wonder if someone might do a study sometime soon on different packjobs versus canopy wear & present the findings? Then again, I wonder how one could do a study on this sort of thing and keep variables in check...? A very interesting thought, though. Signatures are the new black.

FYI, another thing I learned from the folks at Sq1: They're bringing back the Hawkeye, too. They bought the molds & rights to both helmets from Arrow Dynamics when it closed. From what I remember them saying, it should be going into production sometime soon, now that the Aviator is in full-scale production. Signatures are the new black.

Good to know. Thanks! Signatures are the new black.

I'll chime in here - I bought one of the Aviator's from Sq1 mail order - a medium for me, and a small for my g/f. Turns out, when I got them in the mail, the small was too tiny to get over my ears, and the medium was just big enough to wiggle around when strapped on my noggin. Good news is, customer service is everything. The folks at SQ1 were very accommodating over the phone, and worked with me on a number of levels (we thought that maybe I had received an XS for a while, but no...there's just a big difference between the S & M sizes). They also told me that they might be releasing some liner padding for better fit...but not yet. So I ultimately wound up sending them back (the small didn't fit my g/f, either). But given the service from them, I'm gonna be ordering a Bonehead helmet from Sq1 soon, once I can figure out which one fits me best. Otherwise, I really liked the looks & feel of the helmet. My one drawback (aside from the sizing) was the strap, with the lack of padding around it. Another friend of mine has been wearing hers quite a bit, and is very happy with the fit. She says it's not quite as comfy as the Guner...but she's happy with it. As for audible pockets, etc, there seemed to be plenty of room in the sides of the helmet. She's putting 2 audibles in there with no problems. So I can't really compare it to the old ones, but I have heard people recommend it enthusiastically. My one bit of advice would be to stop into a dealer and make sure of the fit before you pull the trigger. Just like all helmets, the sizing varies from manufacturer to manufacturer...and all heads are different. Signatures are the new black.

Getting away from all the chatter up above, I'm no BASE jumper, and I certainly have a ways to go on the experience level...but since I float like a ping-pong ball in the air, I've made more than my share of tracking dives, just to see how far I can get. If I'm going for distance, I track with my legs at about shoulder-width. Pointed toes. There are some BASE jumpers out there who swear by shifting your ankles to point your toes OUT, instead of down - I haven't played with that enough to really have a definitive thought on it yet, but the ones who do it swear by it. I was also just listening to Brian Germain on an old Skydive Radio episode the other day, and he was referring to a friend of his who tracks in full "Jesus-on-the-cross" position - arms out to the side, legs together. He said he hasn't ever seen anyone else do it that way, but hey, it worked for that particular guy. Given that all bodies are different, I think it's probably a good idea to just get out and try some different ways yourself. See if you can find someone who wants to work on their back-tracking, then set a day with them to do a few different jumps, one after the other. Try it once, look at the data from your Pro-Track (and your GPS, if you have it), then change your technique and try it again. Flying relative to someone will give you a better sense of what's going on, whether you're sinking or floating, shooting past them or lagging...you see my point. Then wrap up your day with a cross-country dive, and you'll have accomplished (if nothing else) a full day of hitching rides back to the DZ. Signatures are the new black.

In the grand scheme of things, naah, our discussion doesn't really matter when you're talking about adding a camera (though snag points are always a relevant topic). For me, as someone who doesn't fly camera (and as a designer by trade), I just don't like the looks of the Mindwarp or the Guner. The bulge-y side annoys me, from an aesthetic point of view. (But that's just me being nit-picky.) The OP wasn't looking to fly camera with it either, so the looks of the helmet might be an issue for him, too. Maybe he's picky like me, and doesn't dig the asymmetrical thing. Either way, I'm just curious how the All-Sport is so much different from the Mindwarp if it only has a slightly-different liner. That's all. Signatures are the new black.

Whoa - that's really funky. Yeah, their website pics and text indicate there's no bulge on the side of the All-Sport, and so did an email I got from them a ways back. Huh. Anyone from BH out there care to comment? Anyone else have an All-Sport with the little bulge on the R side? Signatures are the new black.

FALSE There is a weird corner on the right side of the mindwarp to disable you from putting a camera on that side. As far as I've seen the mindwarp and all sport's shells are identical. Its the padding that different between the 2 helmets. To fit 2 audible along with my wires and cam-eye, it took lots of cutting out the ear pads so it was even possible. Its still not very comfortable. Uh, TRUE Yes, there's a "corner" on the right side of the Mindwarp that disables you from putting a camera on that side - that's the "bulge" I was talking about in my post above. It's present on both sides of the Guner (hence the lack of optional D-box/L-bracket), and on one side of the Mindwarp. But as I mentioned in my post, the other side of the Mindwarp is flat, allowing you to put a camera box on it (not that that the OP wants to put a camera on it, anyway). Or are you saying that there's a bulge on the right side of the All-Sport shell, too? Interesting. From what I was told by Bonehead, their shells aren't identical - the All-Sport supposedly got rid of the "corner" you mentioned on the R side of the Mindwarp. Did you misspeak, or does the All-Sport have the weird corner/bulge shape? You would know better than I would, since you have one...but then someone would need to tell Bonehead to change their marketing copy on their website... http://www.boneheadcomposites.com/allsport.htm Signatures are the new black.

Hey, Brian - I had this question a ways back myself, and did some hands-on research with everything but the All-Sport (as no dealers seem to carry that one in stock). Everything you've been told up 'til now is consistent with what I found. Here's some observations: 1) Noise - I didn't fly the Guner, but I found the Mindwarp pretty darn quiet (of course, my last 2 helmets have been a standard Protec and a snowboarding helmet, so it's easy to see why it seems pretty quiet to me). Nonetheless, it was quiet. 2) Looks - The difference is the little bulge on the sides: Guner - Has a bulge on both sides, making it smaller at the top and bigger at the ears - has always looked a bit military-esque, for some reason, in my mind. Mindwarp - One side is flat. The other has the Guner-style bulge (used to allow room for audible pocket on one side, and to attach camera on the other). All-Sport - redesigned interior liner allows both sides of helmet to be flat, so you can mount a camera on either side and still have room for audibles inside. All things being the same, I like the looks of the All-Sport better, and since the Mindwarp was plenty quiet & comfy for me, I'd go with the A/S over the Guner if I was spending the $. But the little bulge on the sides of the Guner doesn't seem to bother too many people, so it's really just a matter of if you want a helmet with flat sides (allowing for camera-mount) that is quiet, or if you want a helmet with slightly bulgy sides that is quiet-er. 'luck! KC Signatures are the new black.

You make an excellent point. Nonetheless, it's pretty shocking to find the difference between those four colors and the other colors, which withstood both wind and the tensile test after several hundred more hours of exposure. So yeah, air cooling could play a key role...but given that it's such a drastic difference between those four shades and the other colors, it's enough to make me reconsider my color choices when buying a new (or especially a used) canopy, even if I don't plan on jumping the canopy for that long (and let's face it - with my jump numbers, I'm probably not going to find a canopy that'll last me 1000 jumps anytime soon)...

A while back someone tested a whole bunch of zp, of different colours by exposing them to uv light, then took photos of them after x number of hours. The bright neon colours faded the fastest, with the darker colours the longest, so you might start out with a very bright canopy, but soon have a bunch of faded colours that blend in with the sky. Yup. And it's not just fading you have to worry about. Soko (master rigger, head AFF-I at Cal City) gave a presentation on color & ZP fabric endurance at PIA this year. Instead of using artificial UV light sources, though, he exposed various ZP fabric colors to direct sunlight (giving full exposure to all wavelengths of the EM spectrum - not just UV, but also IR & visible light) over a period of time. He then tested them with regard to aesthetics (color fading) & tensile strength. I won't belabor the results, but basically he found that the following colors lost the ability to withstand wind and/or 40lbs. of tension after 291 hrs of exposure to direct sun: - Magenta - Watermelon - Neon Pink - Tangerine (If you consider that a sport canopy is exposed to sunlight 6-12 mins per jump, that equivalates to ~1450-2900 jumps in direct sunlight.) Other colors (including bright colors like Lemon) showed aesthetic degradation, but maintained tensile strength at 700+ hours (3500-7000 jumps). If anyone wants more info, PM me, and I'll forward along the powerpoint data I have. (Not to hijack the thread, just thought I'd give some concrete data. Obviously all canopies will fade - but given the study, the four colors above also lose some of their strength with more sun exposure. I like the idea of bright, visible canopies - the four colors above might not be the best options, though). Signatures are the new black.

Yeah. I'd agree with Vectracide above. Spend some time in the tunnel, if resources will allow. I've only got about 45 mins of tunnel time, and it's made a world of difference in every jump I've made since. Anyway, like someone else said, Elsinore also has great coaches if you're looking to do some coach jumps. At Perris, I've flown with a few tunnel coaches who have been really good. If you decide to come up this way, and would like some names of tunnel coaches, drop me a PM and I'll relay anything I know. Signatures are the new black.

Of course, a lot of the recent incidents have involved experienced jumpers, whose attitude and egos were commensurate with their skill & experience. I think the jumpers involved probably had pretty good canopy control. But obviously they still forgot a step somewhere, didn't look, whatever. Another issue is crowded landing areas. I know I'm lucky given the DZ's I jump at regularly, where there are usually designated high performance landing areas, general landing areas, and student areas. I've jumped at some DZ's where the h/p areas aren't really designated as such - it's more of a group consensus thing ("everybody usually lands here...but you can land over there, if you want to."). And even though I'm pretty darn accurate for my jump numbers, I'll purposefully land out at those DZ's, just to avoid the circus. In this most recent case, however, it sounds like the only thing that would have helped is better awareness of other canopies in the sky...or to have been in a different place at a different time. Ultimately, since there are so many variables to the situation, I think the only real answer is increased awareness of the problem. I know lately I've been much more vigilant about scanning for people in my pattern, just from reading about the incidents at hand.... Signatures are the new black.

Actually, I'd think an unsecured helmet on your head would be better than an unsecured helmet on your lap. The one in your lap is more likely to go flying through the air and connect with someone else. If you mean "than a secured helmet in your lap," I'd agree. Either suck - just how bad depends on your perspective. Having a secured helmet in your lap isn't doing your own noggin any good. Having an unsecured helmet on your head isn't doing everybody else's noggins any good (and probably not your own, either - but it could possibly stay on, depending on how you impact). Since one of our mantras in skydiving is "fine, kill yourself...just don't take me with you", I'd agree & give the secured-but-not-on-your-head option the edge. Related to the OP's question, however, he was asking if you WEAR your helmet, so I was trying to answer that. You make a good point. Like I said, in relation to the OP's poll question, I was just trying to bring the issue of securing one's helmet into the discussion, as it hadn't been mentioned yet, & as I've seen far too many people letting their chin straps dangle. Obviously in the OP's incident, having a helmet off and secured probably wouldn't have been "ok" for him. But in general theory, yes, a secured helmet off one's head beats an unsecured helmet on one's head. My omission of the other scenarios was merely an oversight - I was addressing his situation & question, not trying to make an overall encyclopedic rule for the rulebooks. Apologies if it came off that way. Signatures are the new black.

Yeah...that would be an annoying situation. At one of the DZ's I frequent, they ask you what dive you're planning on doing when you manifest for a load. Then the manifest coordinators decide the exit order, and as you're walking to the plane they give someone on the load a slip of paper containing the exit order. At that DZ, I've never found myself standing next to an Otter behind a roaring prop trying to decide who gets in first. It's always right there in front of us. We've changed our minds on the way to altitude before, sure, and adjusted exit order accordingly...but that's particularly easy, when you have a slip of paper telling you who's doing what. It also forces you to plan your dives ahead of time - while you're packing, you're already thinking of what you'll be doing next. (And if you ever forget someone's name, you can glance at the sheet on the way up. Which has come in handy more than once.) I've only been to one DZ where they do this, however (which always seems odd to me). But it obviously could've helped in your situation. Regardless, given the scenario you laid out, yeah, I wouldn't think twice about discussing it with them in whatever way I could on the way up, just to be sure. Like MagicGuy said, discussing exit order beforehand clears people's minds when they're on the plane...but obviously the two jumpers didn't get that memo. Which made YOUR mind unclear. Which means you needed to take action to clear it & make sure everyone was on the same page. Signatures are the new black.

You're preaching to the choir. But I've seen more people wearing helmets with their chin strap dangling down, unsecured, than I have people NOT wearing their helmets on takeoff. So I figured it needed to be said. Signatures are the new black.

All of this discussion brings up another important point - Helmet ON = better than OFF. Helmet ON & SECURED (i.e. the strap is buttoned up) = best. Given the (somewhat scary) pics of your helmet, you can see as how even a helmet that's on during takeoff could fly off your head in an impact, unless your chin strap is connected. I see that a lot - and can't help but think of someone else's carbon fiber helmet breaking my nose in an emergency. Anyway, just to bring it back to the matter at hand, good on you for living through it. Like I said, the pics of the helmet are eye-opening. Spinal injuries are no joke...but it obviously could've been worse. Condolences to the pilot's family & friends...& glad you escaped with only a few days in the hospital. Signatures are the new black.

Sounds like the big winners here are location & referrals. For me, a friend called me and asked if I wanted to go skydiving: a friend of hers was somewhere around her 14th jump, and my friend had agreed to go up & do a tandem, but wanted others for support. (You guessed it: she ultimately wound up bailing on the morning we were supposed to go, so I wound up riding to the DZ with two people I had never met before). I loved it and wound up sticking with it. Here's the thing, though - I can't really say, but if AJ (Ms. 14 jumps) hadn't been there, I don't know if I would have come back & started AFF. Well, that's not true - I probably would have. But since then, I've seen lots of people go up to the DZ with her to do a tandem, and ultimately go on to get their A's. I've taken a few up myself who have gotten licensed. It's as if knowing someone who does it really helps get people over the hurdle from the sometimes carnival-ride feel of a tandem to going back and doing an AFF. Because let's face it, almost all the people I see go up for a tandem immediately want to do it again. (Then again, that applies to most people with 4000 jumps, too).... It's just a matter of convincing yourself you can do it, in the face of a high pricetag, and the absurdity of the idea that you could jump out of a plane on a regular basis. Knowing a seemingly-"normal" person who does it is a total gateway drug. That's why I don't understand the DZ's that have cut out the "referral bonus" to skydivers who bring in friends...but maybe that's just me.

Hey, shortbus. I'd just like to second what Bonnie said above. Some people say a used main canopy depreciates maybe $1 per jump...but I'm not even sure if that's accurate. In a nutshell, if you have a ZP main like a Sabre2 & you decide you're ready to downsize within 100 jumps, you'll be able to resell it for close to what you paid for it. (Assuming you want to become the best canopy pilot you can)...do a search for some articles on this site about what you need to be able to do under a canopy before downsizing. If you can't do all those things under a 190 yet, I'd say stick with it before dropping down to a 170. Keep in mind, aside from the potential problems of a higher-WL, you'll also have less time each jump to work on canopy drills if you go with the smaller canopy. (Which is the reason I opted for a slightly-lighter WL on my 1st canopy). Anyway, bottom line is, you stand to lose a lot more downsizing too quickly than you do buying a slightly larger canopy, then downsizing as soon as you're ready. Whether it's 4 months or a year, you'll still be able to get most of your money back out of it. Signatures are the new black.

I'll second everything that Doug said...but especially recommend the wind tunnel. Since getting my A, it's helped my stability and fall rate immensely - I've worked out lots of things I haven't been able to work out in the air. My girlfriend, OTOH, was having problems with spinning when they let her go on her AFF release dive. Had to go through it a few times. Then she spent 10 minutes in the tunnel, came back out, and shot through that level & the rest of AFF. Like most of the posts suggest, it's all about muscle memory, training your body...and about finding what works so you can practice doing it again. If you're having problems, I think the tunnel gives you a great venue to do that, as opposed to the "hit-or-miss" approach that frustrates so many AFF students. Some of us need to try different things in order to figure out what works - combining 50 seconds of freefall with the nerves and all the things one needs to remember during AFF just doesn't provide the optimum environment for some of us to "get it." I know it's a tall order, but if you get the chance, make your way up to Skyventure New Hampshire (Skyventure has territory in Manhattan reserved, but it's as-of-yet not operational). They'll set you straight pretty darn quick, I'd guess. (And even if you're not "stuck," I'd recommend it - you'll go back to the sky feeling much more confident and RELAXED about the freefall portion of your jumps...and as we know, relaxing is key...). Luck! Signatures are the new black.