GLIDEANGLE

Hmmmm... OP has 189 postings and ZERO jumps. I think we are deep into the "wasting our time" zone. Get some jumps and then we'll talk. Your Navy and my Navy are very different places. See my sig line. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Other differences to ponder: Skydiving decisions can have incredible time pressure. At terminal speed, a typical deployment altitude of 3,000 feet AGL is ~15 seconds from impact. That provides damned little time to diagnose and respond to a problem. If you get into trouble in skydiving, it is pretty unlikely that anyone else can help you. There is no parallel to “buddy breathing” in skydiving. Yes, there rare exceptions like Chris Gay’s lifesaving topdock over water, and stories of jumpers pulling for unconscious divers in freefall; but these are rare and not taught as procedures. I don’t know about this issue in SCUBA diving… but in skydiving you can easily and quickly be killed by other jumpers. There have been a number of “innocent” jumpers who did nothing wrong, who were killed in canopy collisions in recent years. Skydiving carries an entirely different social impact on friends, coworkers, and family. SCUBA divers are seen as adventurous, while skydivers are widely viewed as nearly suicidal. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

And what would those "standards" be? Can you cite a specific source? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

1. Buy NOTHING now. Your AFF course will supply what you need. Talk with your instructors about gear that is suitable for you as your training progresses. 2. The timetable is usually driven by two things: WEATHER and your availability/finances. If you have the $$, the time, and good weather, you can get your license rather quickly. There are several places that advertise a "1-week to your A-license" program. The other important variable is how quickly you learn the required skills. If you don't need to repeat levels... it goes fast. If you have trouble learning the skills, you will spend more time repeating jumps. If you have good weather, time, $$, and learn fast; completing AFF in a weekend is not unreasonable. My home DZ has a 3 student jump per day limit (if I remeber correctly) so completing your AFF could be done Sat/Sun/Mon morning. Getting to your license (which should be your goal) will take longer. Welcome aboard. Blue Skies. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

These aren't podcsts, but you still might find the animation helpful. Be sure to look at the whole list, as there are important ones at the bottom. http://www.skydiveelsinore.com/JumpStart/ The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

You might find this helpful on this matter: http://www.chutingstar.com/archives/00000128.html The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

TSO-C23d specifies that the standards in SAE AS8015 REV. B must be met. The relevant section of SAE AS8015B is §4.3.7. A copy of that section is attached. As I understand it, TSO-C23e is likely going to specify compliance with PIA TS-135. I have attached the relevant section from PIA TS-135 Revision 1.1, Issued 19 February, 2008. I don't believe that this is a done deal yet. I seem to recollect that there was more work to be done before TSO-C23e will be final. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

The following is a LARGE file (~50MB) but is the most current source. PARACHUTE RIGGER MANUAL FAA-H-8083-17 http://www.everyspec.com/FAA/FAA+-+General/FAA-H-8083-17_13558/ The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This should give you a running start: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=585697#585697 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

The USPA SIM: http://www.uspa.org/SIM.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Almost. You guys were in 2004. This guy was in 2005: 2349 CONWILL GEORGE S. ROSHARON TEXAS 4/23/2005 9:48 PM But y'all were ALMOST the last before us. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I recently surfed the Bob Buquor Memorial Star Crest databases and was a bit surprised with what I found. The SCR and SCS awards are still popular. However, I was really surprised to see that many of the other BBMSC awards have fallen out of favor. Award.....Most recent award NSCR......2008 (but it had not been earned for the preceeding 4.5 years) SCSA......2003 NSCSA....1999 USA........2001 vSCS.......2005 I suspect that the lack of popularity of these awards is due to: == Lack of awareness by new jumpers. == Lack of initiative by load organizers and DZOs. == Lack of interest in awards (“merit badges”) by some younger jumpers. I am agitating at Skydive Dallas for us to spend a day this summer working on the SCSA (the jumper who organized the last one is still a load organizer… so we have a head start). This award requires an 8-way hoop dive and star. I am told that it is a real challenge! My NSCR (2008) was one of my most challenging and rewarding skydiving accomplishments. These awards can provide a great theme for a day’s jumping and really help folks focus on freefall skills in different ways. Putting some PR and effort into organizing these events benefits everyone… the DZO gets lots of loads, the jumpers get the satisfaction of meeting a challenge, the BBMSC gets an injection of registration dollars, everyone gets a reason to drink beer, and our traditions are passed on to the next generation of skydivers. I challenge every DZO, instructor, load organizer, and “grey beard” to organize at least one of the BBMSC awards this year. If you just have a single 182, this will be a logistic challenge, but if you have a turbine... go for the more advanced awards (beyond SCR/SCS). More info here: http://www.starcrestawards.com/ The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

True, but look at the relative effort: Faking a lead seal: -- Buy seals 100 for ~$10 -- Buy seal press and seal ~$63 Relatively few places to buy the above. Faking a paper seal: -- A box of labels ~$10 and available almost everywhere. Heck, if you are like me you already have labels of various sizes sitting on the shelf... my marginal cost to fake a seal would be zero. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Canopy material plays a huge role in canopy longevity. "F-111" fabric (0-3 cfm) fabric becomes more porous with use. As I recollect from my reading "F-111" canopys fly very differently beginning at about 300 jumps (I have never owned one... just what I recollect reading). ZP fabric is far less affected by the number of jumps. This results in MUCH longer canopy life. I seem to recollect some folks getting 1000 jumps or more from a ZP canopy. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I have always had the impression that one reason for the current lead seal was that it is somewhat resistant to "forgery". With the current lead seals it takes a fair pit of effort to fake a seal. The paper seals would be MUCH easier to fake. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Primary advice..... DO NOTHING ABOUT GEAR NOW You will have lots of time to learn about gear from your instructors and riggers. Ask them lots of questions. Come on back after a while and re-start this discussion. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Seals are required in the USA on reserves per Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Sec. 65.133 Seal Each certificated parachute rigger must have a seal with an identifying mark prescribed by the Administrator, and a seal press. After packing a parachute he shall seal the pack with his seal in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendation for that type of parachute. If unsealed, it is assumed that the reserve has been opened since it was packed by the rigger who signed the record card. I cannot imagine a US DZ knowingly letting someone jump a reserve without a seal, for legal reasons. There are some special rules for foriegn jumpers jumping foriegn gear (Sec. 105.49) The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Bear jumped in North Central Texas. He is gone. ----- From Bear's mother: Subject: Sweet Christopher Lehane Johnson My dearest Friends, Our beautiful Chris' spirit left this world Tuesday April 7th 2009. ----- Bear's death was NOT due to a skydiving incident. My sincere sympathy goes out to his family. To Bear: I wish you could have found the peace you sought. You will be missed. Jim The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Welcome to the sky!!! Humbled1 gave you a good plan... save up and then knock it out all at once. Here is a place that advertises getting your license in a week: http://www.skydivespaceland.com/license-in-a-week.php This place mentions that some students have finished in a week: http://www.skydiveaz.com/_students_data/student_returning.html Both of the above are reputable schools and DZs. I am sure that there are many other DZ which can get you through quickly too. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

For the USPA the complete requirement reads: (2) or successful completion of the planned formation(s) on ten group freefall jumps The USPA SIM defines "Formation Skydiving" as: 1: Aerial maneuvers by two or more freefalling skydivers with each other, usually to form geometric formations. So... It would appear if two or more jumpers make a RW (belly OR vertical) plan for a jump and complete that plan in freefall (usually defined as taking the grips).... that is a "formation" for purposes of this requirement. I would assume that making a single point would be sufficient, even if more than one point was planned. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Current eligibilty for USPA AFF-I a. reached the age of 18 years b. holds or has held any USPA instructional rating c. earned a USPA C license or the FAI equivalent d. logged six hours of freefall time 6 hours of freefall time will typically take AT LEAST 360 jumps. Of more interest is the the current eligibilty requirements for USPA SL/IAD INSTRUCTOR are far lower: a. reached the age of 18 years b. holds or has held any USPA instructional rating c. earned a USPA C license or the FAI equivalent and made at least 200 jumps The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

TSO-C23d (SAE AS8015 B) § 4.3.2.4 Specifies ripcord pull force of not less than 5 lbf (22.2N) nor more than 22 lbf (97.9N). Just another reason to have an AAD... it provides an additional way to get the reserve container open. I have a friend who had a hard reserve pull and who was saved only by the AAD opening the container by a non-ripcord/non-pin means. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Recent relevant thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3495951;search_string=wind%20gust%20;#3495951 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Of course DEPENDING ON WHAT FEATURES YOU NEED... the Alti-Track is an interesting hybrid. It has an analog face and digital workings inside: http://www.l-and-b.dk/altitrack.html The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

See here: http://www.alaskaskysports.com/ The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!