DSE

I have no idea. Perhaps he'd borrowed a rig? Didn't get into it. It was easy; "we'd really prefer you not fly that here, given your experience, suit, etc... There are rigs more suitable." (FWIW, we have several PD canopies for people that only have ellipticals; we won't allow an FFC on an elliptical). We had a different guy show here last weekend with a Katana and a Stealth 2, as well. No FFC, never jumped a wing. Sometimes it's easier to just say no or offer a fast alternative than dig into the mire.

That's not a Katana. It's a Storm 150. I should know...it's my rig he's using. My wording in the post you copied is confusing...I see that by your context. mea culpa

If the "labels were removed" and "the units were reprogrammed" as per the various news articles (not to mention that Pioneer Aero doesn't develop equipment for skydivers) would indicate knowledge that these were not standard CYPRES units. These units also have a different color/labeled power button.

What does a symmetrical pull have to do with stop flying, shut down deployment? That aside, he's skydiving, not base.

what they don't show is the number test jumps done to get the weighting right. They were all non-working, old school laptops, and half a dozen craters were left in the ground... http://vimeo.com/21812030

I have no issue with him losing my handles. He paid for them. I have no issue with someone chopping one of my canopies at any altitude when deemed necessary to save a life. It's happened a few times. That's why we jump two. I take issue with; ~crazy unstable flight (both cameras on his head indicate as much) ~lazy left arm at deployment on a big-ass wingsuit ~geeking the camera at deployment (causes linetwists on most of his jumps) ~reaching for risers rather than letting the deployment breathe (common problem with low-time/big suit people) ~not being able to recognize a lineover, line routing problem, vs linetwists (this was clearly a non-landable canopy before he reached for the risers) ~playing with the problem for so long. It's not viewable on the compressed version of the file, but he is at 550M/1800' before pulling the release handle (see attached). Yes, 1800' is a fine hard-deck for an experienced skydiver, but this is an unfamiliar rig, unfamiliar DZ, and very low time on a large wingsuit ~No sweep of release handle. It stays attached until the reserve comes out. ~no location of reserve handle, no hand on handle, and struggling to find it. This can be ameliorated by doing several practice EP's on any rental/new rig. It should be part/parcel of any rental process-learn where the handles are. ~Landing 40' away from a good, level (obviously plowed, clear level vs high weeds/bad furrows). ~no flare (fortunate it wasn't a high wingload). We had previously discussed the wisdom of flying a large wingsuit with such little currency, few overall WS jumps, the fact that he's never packed himself (other than 1 packjob for license), and the number of jumps with very bad linetwists that he's experienced. We'd had a long conversation about instruction, as it seems his home DZ has had several incidents, three fatals in not-so-distant past. Hopefully this jump taught him a valuable lesson. I'm sure it's taught others a lesson. As messed up as it is, two cameras make it useful to show lesser experienced people what can really happen up there.

Let;s try again.... Foreigner comes in with rig that cannot be used for wingsuiting (his own) We rent rigs We rent him a rig one size bigger than he normally jumps. I personally don't care for the V3 on a lowtimer, but he has logs showing he's jumped it. Signed off by someone I respect. He agrees to recover/repair any damage or loss to the rig. Deal made. The choice of wingsuit had nothing to do with this incident. The choice of rig had nothing to do with this incident. And I'd let him jump it again, right now (if the repack were done) and have yet another conversation about hitting the tail and deploying in a carve. Past that...he's a big boy. Many dropzones won't give folks the time of day. The problem isn't the main, isn't the container, isn't the wingsuit. The problem is in the way it was packed, the way it was misread in the sky, and the way the cutaway procedures occurred. There is also the problem of the no-flare landing. None of these problems relate to his acuity to manage this parachute on this wingsuit.

Wingsuit (Vampire 3),h e brought with him from overseas. Suit is his. Helmet is his, goggles are his. Audible is mine. Rig is mine (we don't allow ellipticals like Katanas on wingsuits, and that's what he had. If it were my wingsuit to have taken away from him, I woulda taken it away. If I'd been able to foresee his putting the bridle through the lines...it might have been a different outcome. 400 jumps...you think he can self-manage. What do you want mt to 'man up' to? That I put him under a bigger main than he jumps back home? That we tried very had to get him out of the V3 and into a P2 or Ghost? That we took the time to watch/film his landings due to deployment and landing issues? Or do we man up that we told him he'd soon have problems if he didn't get the basics down.'

Gordo, I suspect some spacer foams are mo' bettah built than others. Voodoos hold up well in the dirt of Elsinore, and they're sometimes dragged due to the stowless bags. Mine seem thicker than most of em' that I've seen, too.

I recommend chest rings for wingsuiting; it allows for a tighter fit, and this reduces wear on the wingsuit. I've got 3-4 wingsuits damaged at the front zip due to loose chest straps. Cut-in laterals are very nice; if you jump a larger rig (say, a 150 main or larger) then cut-ins are fine. If you jump a tiny rig that doesn't span your back, then cut-ins are problematic as the laterals will hit your wingsuit's back zips and eventually damage them. Vented backs are really nice; when it's 110 outside and you're wearing a wingsuit, you'll be super glad for the vents.

As soon as the record event here in the USA is over (no joke)

as long as the twists are above the riser, the squeezing method works well for me when I'm loaded as high as 1.7:1. Never jumped a higher W/L

Support your post. It's an Optimum 160 reserve loaded about 1:1. He normally flies a 135 Storm. In my rental rig, he was flying a 150 Storm. Almost the same canopy. He could have been under an Optimum 253 and had a similar faceplant. How is failing to flare relevant to reserve size? He also landed the wrong direction in the deeply rowed clods, landing perpendicular vs parallel to the rows. Reserve size has nothing to do with it.

Unless he routed the bridle under the lines, it wouldn't have been able to dance its way into this configuration. I could freestow all of my lines and rotate the bag (which, I don't do anyways because it ends up making the container look bad usually) and so long as the bridle is clear, it will not be able to flip into this configuration. This is what appears to have happened. He claims he put the bridle on top of the Dbag after he rotated it, before he pulled up the loop. But..., when he demonstrated his packjob, the Dbag was rolled up twisted and backwards, bridle routed underneath. That's the only thing that makes sense to me, too. The combination of stowless D bag and open corners had this guy vexed, and he didn't ask anyone for help. And...how many guys have 400+ jumps and only 3-5 packjobs under their belts?

Given the amount of excess and the stowless Dbag, plus seeing how the packer thought he needed to manage the open corners of the rig, it's pretty easy to see how the Dbag caught up a line, and/or could tumble in the burble of a big wingsuit. On a stowless system, you don't need any excess outside of the Dbag. Certainly not 3' plus.

huh???? A fair number of low-time, dumb-ass wingsuiters are making the rest of the wingsuit population suffer through their stupid actions/choices. Both BASE and skydive locations face a real risk of being closed due to people not understanding skydive basics before moving forward. Read the threads on basejumper.com; there is a very real threat of some exits being closed because people aren't doing their due diligence and causing problems. There are already a couple DZ's that no longer allow wingsuiting. Anyway....this was packed with around 1M of excess, which wouldn't be a problem had the excess been stowed in s-loops near the bottom of the reserve tray. When the Dbag was rotated, I believe it scooped up a line in the tabs on the stowless bag, or on the locking stow. Too much excess placed near the bottom of the main tray, I believe. This allowed the bag to deploy through the line.

yes,we found the main, freebag. Handles are both gone. Probably in either the dense dry marsh or in the backyard of someone's home along the marsh. Seeing him not clear the cutaway, and then fumble for the reserve handle might give folks good reason to practice EP's for muscle memory.

Gonna let the cause breathe til more people see it. Lines were properly walked, canopy stowed entirely correctly, it's a stowless Dbag and lines were all properly figure-8'ted into the flap. Hint; the packer left approx 36" of unstowed line in the tray.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j4hNgBL8wY ~If you can't pack, don't jump. ~if you can't identify the difference between a lineover, line twist, and a step-through, don't jump. ~If you have to geek the camera on a wingsuit deployment, don't jump. ~if you can't manage a big suit with low wingsuit jump experience, don't jump. It just makes others look bad. This is an "experienced skydiver" renting one of my school rigs.

Jumptrack is faster because it's more simple and intuitive, IMO. It might be my familiarity with Jumptrack; it's never easy to 'jump' from one software to the other. Paralog can't import data from multiple sources (Neither can Jumptrack). which is why I've resorted to JT for logging and Paralog for uploading GPStracks (Jumptrack doesn't do GPS at all). Paralog is definitely a "smarter" program. Maybe too smart. As far as devices...you have to purchase a license for each device, so if you're using a Flysight with an Altitrack, you pay for the Flysight license. You cannot use data from both devices on the same jump.

I think he broke his ass. Twice. Depends on how you look at it. I broke both sides of my ass at the same time (Top/bottom) does that mean I broke it FOUR times? LOL. And that's "MR" Broke-Ass to you, Rem..

I wish I'd waited to have my hardware removed before getting back into the sky. Now the hardware can never be removed because it's broken/bent.

As Fossg said...skydiving is not a race. Keep in mind that whether you want to fly or not is one thing; whether a T/I can take you is another. It's his head on the block if something unfortunate happens. This is reminiscent of the conversation we had a few months ago where you wondered about not telling your AFF instructor you'd been injured (asking them to unknowingly take on additional risk). Anger is part of the recovery process. And...you panicked. Now, you have the fear of injury and fear of panicking to deal with. Time will allow you to over come these fears *if* you're willing to go slowly and work on the mental side of skydiving. Not being able to go slow and steady has maimed/killed a lot of people in this sport. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. If you don't change your previous pace (significantly) and understand that the sky and the ground will not acquiesce to your will, you -will- be hurt again. There is nothing wrong with the goal of getting back into the sky. Yet...there is a lot to be said for listening to the knowledgeable and experienced people around you that have urged a slower approach, to kiss the sky with a more gentle attitude, and not be caught up in bending the earth to your own will. While validation from DZ.com feels great, it likely is not in your best interest, not when it comes to making important decisions. Let your body heal completely. The sky will still be there. I understand the drive to get back into the sky, but you already know this. FWIW, I *really* regret not having waited long enough to have my hardware removed. Most people I know feel the same way after they've been jumping for a while after their incident. The attached image is prior to the rod put in to support my L1-5. All that stuff will be there forever now that it's bent/broken (second image) This is your first injury in your life. Recovery will take a while. Give it the time it deserves. Your future is not wrapped up in skydiving and will still be with you when skydiving is no longer part of your life. You'll want it as functional and pain-free as possible.

Contact me, Jarno, or Macca for access to PF suits. .

Scotty Burns at Zhills. Call the DZ; they'll set you up. Bring your logbook.