GLIDEANGLE

Adding to the above (hypoxia and ears/sinuses): Hard openings can be hard on the spine. I experienced a spontaneous pneumothroax while jumping. If jumping from VERY high, frostbite can be a problem. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I can't help w/ C-182. However, we at Skydive Dallas have a VERY fun new exit camera on the strut of our Cessna Caravan! We have already recorded one jumper falling out of the plane prematurely… most excellent video! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Really??? What makes you so sure? I bet that most DZs will charge you the same for a student jump one way or the other. Use student gear... it will make your life much easier. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

It is tough to answer your question without knowing what you want from your canopy. What do you want? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Oh damn! I am off of work that week! I may have to drag myself to a warm place with beach landings for a few days. What excuse will I give to my wife who will be stuck at work? The event: http://skydiveatlas.com/skydivemustang.php The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Throw him from the plane! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

One advantage of psycho packing is the distress that the term "psycho packing" evokes in some folks. Since most folks consider all jumpers crazy, the idea of someone packing in a manner that jumpers call "psycho" is baffling to some. That is just fine with me. Besides psycho packing is easy! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here are some skyding related product ideas that go in different directions than you have been going. 1. Build an AFFORDABLE device that allows tracking / finding cutaway main canopies and reserve canopy freebags. (A product to do this for main canopies was on the market... but it never caught on. $$$$) 2. A device to help locate jumpers who have landed off the drop zone under dangerous circumstances.... low canopy deployment, reserve deployment, premature canopy deployment, automatic activation device firing, high G opening or impact, etc. If you read the incident reports, it is not uncommon for injured jumpers under an open canopy to land off the DZ... followed by a lengthy ground search. Anything that could shorten this search would be good. The device I have in mind would NOT require the jumper to activate it when bad things occur. 3. If you aren't solely interested in electronics... there is a huge need for skydiving helmets which COMBINE two sets of characteristics: The features that skydivers want... light weight (protect neck during brisk openings), good neck clearance in back (due to our posistion when belly flying), space for audible altimiters, (specialty helmets for camera). Features for REAL impact attenuation: Appropriate distribution of suitable shock absorbing materials. Generally we can get helmets with one set of features or the other, not both. There is even one brand of skydiving helmet which bears a warning label that says the helmet is not designed to protect the wearer from impact! 4. A light for nightime canopy flight. In my brief experience I have yet to see a light used which meets all of the legal and practical requirements: - flashing light (USA FAA rule) - 3 mile visibility (USA FAA rule) - 360 degree visibility - NOT visible by jumper wearing it (preserve night vision) - low mass and small size - Easy to attach to and remove from jumper or jumper's gear. - easy to turn on with gloves (after canopy open) - not a snag hazard (suspension lines won't snag on it) - low cost Info on night jumps: http://www.uspa.org/SIM/Read/Section6/tabid/169/Default.aspx#979 Good Luck!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I started as a way to celebrate my 50th birthday. I am a bit slower to master some skills, which may have more to do with my inate klutzyness than my age. However, with persistence I do OK. I am SO addicted. Love my new DZ family. My wife came to a DZ party last summer and made an interesting observation about age. She noted that we jumpers did NOT seem to self-segregate by age as much as other groups do. We pretty much ignore age and just have fun. WARNING: If you get hooked, it will cost you all your money and the rest of your life! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Dangerous? YES Risk manageable? YES Risk completely reducable? NO Can you do everything right and still die? You bet! I know a guy who has made 14000 jumps. I know of folks who have died on their first jump. Rewards… immeasurable!!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

yikes, how did you manage that? only ~200 jumps / 1 reserve? Actually it is worse than that! it is ~148 jumps / reserve ride (740/5). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Interesting, this AFF-I change is not mentioned in the brief report of the meeting posted on the USPA site: http://www.uspa.org/NewsEvents/News/tabid/59/Default.aspx#12659 I wonder if this change was reccommended by committee to the whole board, but maybe was defeated by the whole board. Of course the brief report may have just omitted it. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Horseshoe mal. Premature release of main pin before release of the drogue. I am not a TI but my guess is that the EP is to release the drogue, cutaway, reserve, land, pummell packer, change underwear. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Go tohttp://www.loveandlogic.com/ Buy, read, execute their Survival kit. Their program is based on sound science and WORKS. It is the loving application of Behaviorism. Used consistently, it builds GREAT young people. Remember that every day your daughter is making life and death decisions… it is a matter of life and death that you help her learn to make good decisions! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

So far this discussion has focused on max suspended weight. While this is critical to keep the rig from being damaged by overloading, that is not the only weight issue. There is the question of flight characteristics. The PD reccomendations for students under these canopies are a max exit weight of 289 lbs for the Nav 300 and 281 lbs for the PD-R 281. So even if you don't damage the canopies, you may find making safe landings challenging. Remember.… a safe landing is the definition of a good jump! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Don't forget that the harness/container system must be rated to equal or exceed the load rating of the reserve. The other topic which will be fun to watch in this thread is if the instructors are willing to take a fast-faller like you into AFF freefall. You will only be able to get that answer from the insrtuctors themselves. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Hmmmmm.... 1. I would be wary of any DZ that only offered a packing course twice a year. That suggests to me that they don't take training very seriously. Perhaps the DZ is really just a tandem mill which tacks on a few training classes in order to squeeze $$$ out of unsuspecting students. 2. Trying to learn to skydive by reading DZ.com is dangerous. This is an ultra-hazardous sport... get the best face-to-face instruction you can find. Shop around, training varies tremendously. I drove twice as far to get excellent instruction (an extra hour each way). The part of the training that varies the most between locations is what happens AFTER you are cleared for self-supervision (such as after completing AFF). I was trained at a Skydive University campus... which is one format of excellent post-AFF instruction. It was worth every dime I paid for it! There are many other good programs, but you have to evaluate carefully what they offer. 3. If you absolutely demand to read something before your formal instruction, try something reputable like the USPA Skydiver Information Manual. Section 4 is the part for you: http://www.uspa.org/SIM/Read/Section4/tabid/166/Default.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

The Energizer Bunny says: DO practice proper battery storage by keeping batteries in a cool, dry place at normal room temperature. It is not necessary to store batteries in a refrigerator. http://www.energizer.com/learning-center/battery-care/Pages/dos-and-donts.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Perhaps this will put this discussion into perspective. The jumper described in this log is an AFFI, and world record holder in CRW. http://crwdog.servebeer.com/CRWdog/HowCRW.html The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Havok, by Bonehead, has bilateral external Protrack mounts. It is a full-face helmet. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Tumbleroll: The issues you raise in your post are so numerous and serious that what you really need to do is sit down with an instructor and discuss the entire jump. I suggest that you print off your posting and give it to the instructor. You need to have this chat before you jump again. Some time in the training harness to practice ALL your Emergency procedures would be time well spent too! Good luck! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is a reliable place to begin your adventure: http://www.uspa.org/BecomeaSkydiver/tabid/54/Default.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Regarding jumping, I can't think of anything students need to know. Regarding three ring maintence, they need to be sure to route the cutaway cable through the Collins lanyard. I would think that not mentioning it all until gear maintence topic comes up would have the advantage of not having student place undue faith in the skyhook and therefore do something extra-stupid…like cutaway low. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

If you walked into the hanger after your jump, it was a good jump. noy every AFF level 1 student can say that. Students can do very bad things under canopy, you didn't do those deadly things… congratulations! Smile, Breathe, Relax! Welcome to the sky! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

A great start: A partial list of container brands/manf Racer Vector Mirage Wings Javelin Infinity Aerodyne ? Voodoo Talon Quasar Atom Advance 7 Add: Vortex from Parachute Systems Dolphin from Altico I suspect that there lots more too. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!