ficus

Just wanted to chime in with my own positive experience with Michael Wadkins. I had always thought it sounded wrong when I heard stories of course directors talking down to candidates, trying to "break" them, etc., in direct contradiction to how we are supposed to teach AFF students. In my experience with the course, nobody needs to break you down -- you do it to yourself. Michael truly led by example: he told us what we would learn, what we would be expected to do, the pass/fail criteria, and kept the tone positive but frank. I strive to do the same with every student I take up for a skydive. I would recommend his course without any reservations whatsoever.

And you still have 5 jumps left on your reserve before it has to go back to PD!

Since you're being exact, the Argus fires at 820 ft (250 m).

Don't let people on here tell you what to do. They've given you a lot of valuable advice about the potential issues that might come up. Use your own analysis of those issues to decide. Handles protection is a legitimate concern. Tuck your shirt in. Maybe work this into your EPs: put your hands in the middle of your chest (fingertips on your collarbone) and "wipe" down to your handles. This is also a good practice if you ever fly with camera wings somewhere down the road. As for not skinning your knees -- learn how to land your canopy well and this won't be as much of a concern. Scrub in a landing in shorts and a t-shirt and you will be that much more motivated :)

A very experienced CRW jumper friend of mine once told me not to "go to the dark side" when he saw me watching someone pack a BASE rig.

As long as your turn to final is 90 degrees or less

I don't know anything about your experience level, since you haven't filled out your profile, but the Crossfire is the softest opening canopy I've ever jumped. It's not even close. I also have a Spectre, but I would not describe its openings as particularly soft (or particularly hard). The openings are extremely consistent, on-heading, and forgiving of sloppy packing, however.

Video of a similar incident: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=2016760 In the situation you describe (floating reserve handle), I think I'd be looking over my shoulder at line stretch, ready to chop it if I see my reserve PC or bridle. As it happened, I think you did the right thing by containing the freebag. Unstowing the brakes at 500 feet, though...it's a good thing you didn't have a stuck toggle or a brake line broken below the cat eye.

Yeah, if your exit weight is 11-33 lbs.

I do my chest strap before my brakes because it is mildly annoying to keep my brakes symmetrical while I am reaching for the friction adapter on my chest strap. I am giving this some reconsideration after the incident in Elsinore.

Iwan? Nope, Iwan cuts away all the time. Mostly because he is too much of a pussy to land his Velocity. He actually has a Sabre2 230 in his reserve container.

There is someone at your home DZ who has over 3000 jumps, 2 rigs with Velocities in them, and no cutaways. Let the guessing game begin!

Stainless steel slider grommets require an enormous press to set, from what I have been told. Not really a DIY project, even if you wanted to. Maybe send email to Aerodyne (if it is that Mamba you are still flying) asking for their ideas for solving your problem in general as opposed to how to implement this one solution. I hold the toggle against the riser as I pull the slider down over it -- you may want to consider doing this as well, just in general.

On the bright side, the only reasonable misrouting I can think of is no worse than not having the lanyard to begin with.

Same here. Excellent helmet but my lens is getting quite scratched after 250 jumps and several hours of tunnel. Have you any advice to clean it without scratching it? Just take the lens off and take it to a TAP Plastics and ask them to make you another one like it. Expect to spend less than $10.

For anyone who is interested, the Collins Lanyard patent: http://www.google.com/patents?id=uj0DAAAAEBAJ

If you are actually interested in having a productive thread, maybe a less loaded OP would help.

I agree with you, and that's my point.

This is a good idea, of course, but not the law. Unless the manufacturer (whos instructions must be followed by law) states that this many not be done. OK. You're a rigger and a customer brings you a Raven and a rig and asks you to assemble it. How do you know it's never been jumped as a main?

This is a good idea, of course, but not the law.

Or better yet, don't jump at a DZ that is full of jerks. Out of my 6 cutaways, only once did I have to go for a hike. With the rest of the chops people had already gone for the freebag and the main before I had landed. The last one the main reinflated and went for a long flight. So instead of going for the main, some people kept a solid line of sight on the canopy. It was quickly found there after. It doesn't mean you have to file a claim because you had a cutaway. Of course the common case is you know where your canopy is within 10 minutes. But some whiz-bang gadget isn't going to help you when your canopy lands in a lake, is eaten by a cow, or is stolen from your car while you stop for food on the way home from the DZ. Note I also said "entire rig". I'm also talking about the people who wanted some kind of LoJack system in their rig in case it gets stolen. Jumping at a friendly DZ isn't going to help there. For the cases when it could help, I seriously doubt that the expense could be reduced enough to compete with the more comprehensive solution of just insuring your shit. Even if it could, why complicate lifesaving equipment for such marginal gain?

A radio or GPS tracker is a completely overblown solution to this problem, for a canopy, an entire rig, or whatever. A simpler and more cost effective solution already exists: property insurance.

This seems very high, considering that there are only 4 years left on the Cypres.

I have 1 standard Wings and 2 Visions and would not spend the money on a Vision if I were getting it in all black.

Yes, one of my coworkers has done that. Had a biplane or downplane, I can't remember. I think not... You guys aren't serious are you? Don't confuse me with the guy who said the AAD wouldn't fire. I'm saying that sniveling/stalling a reserve through firing altitude is not going to result in a 2-out, at least not because of the AAD firing.