GLIDEANGLE

Perhaps my search strategies are weak. I can’t find a discussion about this. I have come to the conclusion that many jumpers lack the integrity to log their jumps accurately. ++ I know of a jumper who admitted to falsifying log entries to show night jumps in order to qualify for a D-license. ++ I know of jumpers who have falsified many log entries to show sufficient 2m accuracy jumps for a C-license. I suspect all sorts of other “pencil whipping” or “gun decking” occurs in logbooks every day. Particularly sad to me is the lack of any sense of shame by these folks. There seems to be a complete lack of a sense of personal integrity. Integrity seems to have been replaced with a sense of “It is only a logbook, it doesn’t really matter.” The concept of telling the truth for its own sake seems lost. Why do I care? I care only because decisions are sometimes made on the basis of logbooks. Some of these decisions are inconsequential, some have potential negative consequences for the jumper, some have potential negative consequences for OTHERS who will rely on the belief that the jumper has the skills reflected in his or her logbook. I guess that this is just another manifestation of the unrestrained selfish/narcissistic attitudes and behavior that I note in far too many skydivers. Fortunately, there are many jumpers who demonstrate sound character, despite the lack of it around them. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Various star crest jumps [bLUE]WITH SCR ceremony[/bLUE]. http://starcrestawards.com/ The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Are you walking? If so, you did a fine job. I have seen a student ride a bad, spiralling main all the way to impact. Thank heavens she landed in recently plowed, muddy (soft) field. She was badly hurt, but lived. You on the other hand, assessed the situation, made and executed a decision, and walked away... good job. Now go do rear riser drills up high .... --Turns with brakes stowed --Turns with brakes UNstowed --Flares --Stalls (chat with an instructor about this before attempting it.) The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Just guessing, but I suspect that the rings need to be far enough from the closing loop to allow the pin to clear the closing loop before the pin enters the loop. I can imagine a scenario where a pin could get caught between the closing loop and the nearest ring. I further suspect that if the pin did get hung, it might be impossible to pull manually, due to fighting against the drag of the main. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Try this: http://www.uspa.org/FindaDZ.aspx it appears that you have many USPA Member DZs closer than Dallas. However, Dallas is well worth the drive! www.skydivedallas.com The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

1. Damn... a guy asks a question and the personal attacks come out quickly. It is interesting that SOME of those who defend their right to swoop, want to crush the right of the OP to ask a question about skydiving in the “General Skydiving” forum. 2. It is critical in this discussion to be clear that there is a huge difference between swooping in a time and place that does not endanger other jumpers; and swooping in a manner that makes murdering innocent jumpers a real possibility. We must apply whatever controls that we can to limit the potential for manslaughter of the non-swoopers. Many DZs are doing a good job of separating swoop and regular landings... I doubt that all are. 3. In the USA, our sport has a really weak ability to measure NON-FATAL INJURY. As a result, the REAL toll that swooping is taking on jumpers is difficult to reliably estimate. Fatal injuries get measured, but the serious injuries don't seem to get reported and counted as enthusiastically. Thus, no one really knows if this is a big problem or a small one, or if it is getting better or worse. 4. This is an important discussion. It is too bad that much of it has devolved into a name calling shouting match. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Congrats on your progress! Good luck on that exam and check jump! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Curious... Did you have a chat with that rigger? What, if anything, did you tell the owner? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Suggest that you start by asking what you want/need in a canopy. Once you answer that question, your search will be easier to narrow. It is also helpful to rank your wants and economic needs in relation to each other …. Which is more important: price or ____? What sort of wants/needs might you consider? -- If you want to dabble in CReW, a seven cell might be a good choice. -- If you are physically fragile, you might want a canopy that opens extra softly. -- If you want a zippy ride, you might want a 9 cell. -- If cost is the most important factor, a used F-111 canopy that is near the end of it’s life might be just the thing for you to begin with. You will pay a significant price in performance (possibly including fugly landings) if you choose this path. Be sure to buy the right size canopy... see this for info about canopy sizing: http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

479 0 N/A The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

It is not true that you must have matching wear on the container or riser covers. I have seen a sharp edge of hot knifed cordura damage risers without any visible wear on the offending part. I would use my fingers as well as my eyes and FEEL where the riser covers and container touch this riser. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

:9:1 Great weekend of jumping! -- Joined one friend on her 100th jump.... a hoop dive! -- Joined in a 17 way which was a 1000th, a 200th, and a SCR. -- A little canopy proximity flight up high. -- Tried out a friend's Pilot. After jumping a Spectre for the last 400 jumps I had forgotten how much fun a 9 cell can be! -- Beer was a VERY belated SCR ceremony. "I don't understand the question." -- Mr. Smith The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Consider aerodyne. their smart reserve 250 appears to be tso'ed to 300lbs. If I remember correctly their ICON harness is tso'ed to 300 too. Maybe their production time is shorter. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is a good place to start: http://www.uspa.org/SIM/Read/Section5/tabid/168/Default.aspx#970 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

=1.... NO KIDDING!!! Where were the old dogs? Timid or not, we would have dragged this neewb into a group (despite kicking and screaming if necessary). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Well done! That is the way to build a strong, safe community of upcoming jumpers! Proud to know you (....except for your choice of colors for your rig and jumpsuit ...) The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

In addition to the above mentioned issues, there are the simple questions: How will the paraffin affect canopy deployment in HOT or COLD weather? In freezing weather will the lines stiffen? Will descent of the slider be affected by the wax at extremes of temperature? How will the wax and rubber bands get along? Will the wax interact chemically with the rubber? What kind of mess is the wax going to create on the inside of the main container / outside of the d-bag? I think of this from the perspective of Texas summers with temps >100F. If this mess gets started, how will you clean it up? Will the wax make the lines gooey to handle (pack) in hot weather? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This is the sort of thing which if done poorly can get REAL scary in a huge hurry. I have seen video of very experienced friends of mine who took stuff with them on a jump and damn near got killed ON VIDEO. Attaching anything to you is BAD. Carrying anything that can readily get attached to you is BAD. Carying anything which requires positive action to release it is BAD. You want handles that require active work to stay in your grasp and which completely escape if you let go. Be damned wary of hand loops that could become tight due to the tension between you and the object. Be damned sure to involve several REALLY experienced jumpers and riggers in your development of this (include your S&TA). Ask yourself "How can this kill me?" from every possible direction. Then have someone else ask that all over again. Take lots of time to get this right on the ground... 'cuz you will have damned little time to troubleshoot in the sky. Blue Skies, Black Death. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Ditto the previous about turbulence, wing loading, gusts, etc. Double ditto about watching the old dogs sitting down having a coke and watching the low timers jump. What I can add is HOW I make my wind decisions: 1. I get out into the wind. I will stand in the wind, clear of the wind shadow of structures, and FEEL the wind for a few minutes. This tells me a lot about gusts and wind direction variability, as well as wind speed. 2. I watch other jumpers with canopies which are loaded like mine. I look at them to see if they are getting penetration, if they are getting turbulence (and where), I look to see if they are having trouble on the ground with their canopies. I look to see if they are landing out too! 3. I consider the direction of the wind. Some wind directions require far greater accuracy skills. We have a long fairly skinny primary landing area. A strong wind blowing along the long axis doesn't require great accuracy skill. However if a strong wind is blowing across the long axis... it is very easy to land in the trees, fences, road, or runway if one does not judge penetration accurately. Lastly.... We call the first load of the day the "wind dummies". It is called that for good reason. I have been on the wind dummy load and had surface winds of ~2-5 mph and winds at 2,000 of 25-30mph! Avoid the first load until you are confident that you can handle whatever the winds throw at you up high. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Hoop dive. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I can't address the medical queston. However, if you decide to jump, consider the following ways to diminsh the abuse your neck will have to absorb when jumping: --Master the proper body position for a gentle canopy opening. --Jump a main canopy with a reputation for soft openings (such as a Spectre). --Have main canopy rigged with dacron lines to further soften the deceleration. --Make sure you are using the correct slider to s-l-o-w canopy inflation (as specified by manufacturer). --Be vigilant regarding following the container manufacturer's recommendations about making the line stows. --Be VERY wary of putting a camera on your helmet. The extra mass will increase the load on your neck during opening. --Get lots of canopy coaching to make your landings as smooth as possible. --Consider jumping a big SLOW canopy (both main and reserve) to make landings low kinetic energy affairs. --Be vigilant about proper closing loop tension. Measure it to ensure that it meets the manufacturer's recommendations. --Pick your freefall playmates carefully. Avoid jumping with folks or in situations which have a high risk of someone crashing into you. (The same jumper who might be a good risk on a 2-way might be high risk on a 20 way.) If you choose to jump... you want to take really good care of your neck! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I don't know which is more amazing: -- That these folks engaged in this behavior. OR -- That these folks engaged in this behavior WHILE ON CAMERA. I sure hope that the relevant supervisors at the DZ view this and make the necessary changes before someone gets hurt. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

1. USPA doesn't GIVE out your mailing info... they rent it out. 2. Absoultely you can opt out of having your mailing info rented by USPA. I know that I saw that option on my annual reneal form last week. 3. I am truly astonished by the distress that this seems to provoke for some. This is a very common practice among associations and other firms. If you don't want to play....opt out. Otherwise... (well you can imagine what goes here). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am a confused. Since this change is to the MAIN container, and the main isn't subject to TSO... Why is this a "modification" (aka: alteration) subject to FAA rules? Maybe it is just me... but I think that the current FARs, Advisory Circular 105-2C, and FAA Rigger's Handbook are vague and confusing about repairs and modifications to the MAIN canopy and related MAIN gear. Thanks. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Given that the Pulse only hit the market recently, I suspect that there aren't very many (if any) folks with 400 jumps on one. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!