GLIDEANGLE

That is precisely what makes this tradition so helpful... all you have to say is "Hey, want a cold one?" The rest will take care of itself. The purpose of this tradition is to get you face to face with other jumpers. It works like a charm. Regarding choice of beer... bring something nice... these folks are your new surrogate family. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am NOT an AFFI, but I would imagine that the story linked below is probably the "worst" for some AFFI. http://www.uspa.org/USPAMembers/Safety/AccidentReports/tabid/81/ctl/Detail/mid/785/Default.aspx?xmdata=C8pYIj%2bshj%2fFhaZrMdDjn94G257vD%2f0JtM97t9jOfsdKiPT66BQJZYZgvq0wYNdOTiwa2KnR1Oc%3d The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I wear spectacles on every jump. I recently bought a Bonehead Havoc helmet as it is "glasses friendly". The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Thank you all for your answers!!!!

I did business with him last year and had no trouble at all. I would do so again. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

see a recent discussion of this very same topic. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3368197#3368197 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Y'all: I am baffled. The photo on the LOWER RIGHT corner of page 59 of the November 2008 issue of Parachutist shows a canopy in a very strange shape. It is the canopy on the RIGHT side (also nearest to the camera). Can anyone explain what that canopy is doing? For those of you with no copy of this mag, the middle cells are distorted almost vertical with the leading edge down and the tail up. The lateral cells are relatively flat. This canopy is flying ALONE, not in contact with others. Thanks. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

1. Psycho pack 2. Pack fast, pull high. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

The rigger - customer relationship is all about trust. When you get your rig back from your rigger, you have to TRUST that all is well under that red thread. If you have to check his credentials on the www because he won't produce them.... you two don't have that trust established. Without trust, I wouldn't use him even if he is officially rated by the FAA. I know at least one rated rigger who I don't trust. I don't let him work on my gear. Some folks have asked me "Why?". Because of his behavior, I simply don't trust him.... plain and simple. There is a reason that the very first element of the Boy Scout Law is that a "Scout is trustworthy". Without honor, what else do you have? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Nikki: I have a deal for you... If you promise to wear that Halloween costume again (soon), I'll pack for you for free! If you wear that costume and sit in my lap on the plane...I'll pack for you and buy you booze too!

Advantages of having a B license for me: - 90 day recurrency cycle. I hope I don't need the extra time, but I live a busy life and much of my schedule is not my own to control. - Night jumps. Damn, those are fun. - No hassles if I want to do specialty aircraft jumps at most boogies. I intend to get my "C" license as soon as I defeat my personal "2 meter accuracy" monster. Quoting the SIM, the advantages of having a "C" license are: eligible for the USPA Instructor rating (except USPA Tandem Instructor), participate in certain demonstration jumps, may ride as passenger on USPA Tandem Instructor training and rating renewal jumps The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Simple reasons I tip: My packer is vigilant about having me ready when I need to be. Coordinating the timing of multiple rigs is not easy at a DZ with lots of activity. She places a priority on rigs for staff and teams. I apprecate that when I am team jumping. I have specific prefrences about how I want my rig packed. Leave the nose of my Spectre fully exposed.... it snivels plenty without help. My packer is vigilant about noting and fixing or reporting problems (worn closing loop or such). My packer is also a rigger and frequently gives me tiny (but valuable) gear lessons as things come up. Often these things are issues with other people's rigs that she thinks would be good lessons for me. "Hey Jim, look at this...." Tipping isn't always about cash. Sometimes my tip is simply making sure that she has her favorite cold drink on a hot busy day. Sometimes she has more work than she can handle. I always give her "first right of refusal" and let her refer me to an alternate packer of her choice. She has never steered me wrong. Lastly, I get free hugs upon arrival and departure!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Your question is almost a good one. CPR following blunt trauma (rather than penetrating injury like knife or gunshot wound) is VERY rarely successful. As far as I am concerned it is a total waste of time. Before anyone asks.... blunt trauma causing cardiac arrest typically is MULTIPLE injuries for which CPR just doesn't work. Knife or GSW is often one or two really injuries that MIGHT be fixable. No, I am not making this up... last time I looked at the research on outcomes from traumatic cardiac arrest it was pretty clear. Besides...most DZs are located in remote areas...even with excellent CPR, the time involved in getting the patient the necessary definitive care is usually way too long. HOWEVER... getting good access to the airway after a serious injury when the heart is still beating is VERY IMPORTANT. The only full-face helmet that I know of that gives quick access is the Bonehead Havok. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am a low timer… these are just my personal bad habits. BEFORE BOARDING Gearing up in a hurry: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3226891#3226891 Not checking the LZ carefully: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3041657#3041657 Being careless about windy days. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3178836#3178836 ON THE PLANE Over-thinking the dive. I can get really tightly wound on the plane. Now I only visualize the jump once or twice…Never more than three times. (no link for this) IN FREEFALL Being a lazy/sloppy tracker http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3187924#3187924 UNDER CANOPY Not looking at my toggles before releasing my brakes. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2740816#2740816 I am sure I should admit to more... but that is all for now. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I fully agree with the observation that "no postings" does not mean "no incidents". I know of the following in the last ~12 months which DID NOT appear posted as "incidents": --Student rode spinning mal to impact... fractured femur and pelvis. --Student landed in power lines. Gear damaged, no injury. --Collision between two jumpers at deployment time... No injuries, one canopy destroyed. --Collision between two jumpers following deployment... No injuries, one harness destroyed, one canopy lost. --Student made low turn... femur fracture. --Swooper couldn't get out of "corner"... femur and pelvis fractures. --Swooper stalled TINY canopy on landing... fractured wrist. --Tandem with drogue which would not inflate after deployment followed by inability to release drogue.... tandem terminal speed reserve deployment... no injuries. --Cutaway handle caught on doorframe upon exit and stripped out of harness. Jumper unaware of problem. Other jumper pointed out problem in freefall. Jumper deployed reserve and landed without problem. --Premature main deployment during freeflying... fractured neck... permenant MAJOR disability. Watching the "incidents" forum (or the incidents posting in Parachutist) will give a distorted impression of the real incident rate. Of course, depending on your definintion of "incident", some of the above might not qualify. I figure that most folks define incidents that those that result injury or death. That may not be helpful... there is lots to be learned from "damn we were lucky" incidents where there was no injury/death, but could have been. I figure that there are other issues that affect the reporting such as an effort to NOT attract negative attention to a drop zone. I figure that the contents of these forums will be scanned for background information about specific defendants by any bright attorney preparing a skydiving related suit. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Need not bother with the "BIG BOUND" version. Both HTML and pdf versions of the SIM are available here: http://www.uspa.org/SIM.aspx The SIM is an incredibly useful resource. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

If your tandem instructor is worth a damn, you can get a bit of canopy landing training on your second tandem. Yes, some programs combine tendem and AFF into a single flow. Students who complete specific objecitves on the tandem jumps then transfer into the appropriate place in the AFF curriculum. Your concerns about being "alone" for landing are certianly valid. The one factor that you may not have considered is that most (all?) AFF students have a radio reciever thru which their instructor can give landing guidance. Of course, the radio may not work, or the student may not be able to attend to the guidance being given. Beware, if you do your second tandem now and then wait all winter before doing AFF, you are likely to have to start AFF at the begining due to the long break (regardless of any objectives you may have met on the second tandem.) The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Welcome to our world! I am a novice too. I will limit my comments to canopy flight. Personally, I am far more willing to land far from the target and PLF AND WALK AWAY, than to try to impress anyone and increase my risk of injury. Target hunger has broken many a skydiver. I found it important to "Stow my ego" and learn to survive. PLF is my friend. Without a doubt it has saved me from my own stupidity several times. Don't give up!!!

Try this bedtime reading: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=47 I know that you don't want to have to buy a bigger canopy and then sell it soon... but let me ask this: What would 6-12 weeks of disability after a single bad landing cost you? I cannot tell you how many times I have been glad that I have a big "wussy" canopy when things get wierd. As others have said.... have a long chat with instructors who know YOU. If they are smart, they will not only base thier reccomendation on your skills, but on a knowledge of your personality (risk taking vs. risk adverse. Suggest that you read Brian Germain's The Parachute and Its Pilot". All that is in that book is worth your time and and he has very clear reccomendations for canopy sizing. http://www.bigairsportz.com/publishing.php Don't forget that the SIM has guidance on canopy sizing too: SIM 5-3,B,5 5. The following are suggested maximum wing loadings based on experience level: a. A and B license 1.0 psf maximum http://www.uspa.org/SIM/Read/Section5/tabid/168/Default.aspx#53b SIM 6-10,B,3: Advanced equipment generally refers to canopies loaded as follows: a. above 230 square feet, 1.1 pounds per square foot or higher b. from 190 to 229 square feet, 1.0 pounds per square foot or higher c. from 150 to 189 square feet, .9 pounds per square foot or higher http://www.uspa.org/SIM/Read/Section6/tabid/169/Default.aspx#610b And finally... here is a USPA video with some hot-shot canopy pilots discussing this issue: http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Other_Fly_To_Survive.wmv Have fun, Stay safe. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Smile, breathe, relax.

Yes, "packing" refers to packing other people's chutes for $$$. Many folks pay packers to pack their chutes. It is relatively simple work, however it can be physically hard. Get thee to a drop zone!!! Hang out, see what is going on, talk to people. Then go home and sell all you have... (selling your soul is optional). Yes, this is an expensive sport. There are some less expensive ways to learn (explore static line and insturctor assisted deployment as instructional methods). Less expensive is a relative term here... these methods may cost you the same over the course of your student career... but they cost less per jump. Less per jump may let you jump earlier and more often. Beware of the seasons!!! Check with instructors in your area. It may be that fall is a poor time to start as a student, as you may find the winter interrupting your training. It might be smarter to work hard all winter to build up $$$ and then hit it hard in the spring. Local instructors will be able to give you good guidance on that. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Yesterday I saw a tandem student preparing to board the aircraft wearing a Strong student harness. I noted that the fabric of the Y-Mod was MUCH more worn than the remainder of the harness. It appeared to be one of the retro-fitted Y-Mods (as opposed to a whole harness made at the same time). I wonder if the Y-Mod and the rest of the harness are made from different kinds of webbing. The wear was quite noticeable. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Welcome to our world! I am 52 and moderately stiff too. 1. This stretch was a big help: lie on floor face down. Put hands on floor palm down as if preparing to do a "push up". leave legs and pelvis on the floor as you push your torso up away from the floor. HOLD this and RELAX your belly. Note what a good arch feels like. While in this position squeeze your butt cheeks together... that will help your arch too. 2. I found the term "arch hard" to be unhelpful. To me that implied a "hard" or STIFF body position. I changed the verbiage to "Arch Deeply" and found that helpful. I relax, arch, relax, and ooze into a deeper arch. Smile, breathe, relax, ooze. 3. Keep working at it. Success IS possible. Have fun, stay safe. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Sorry to hear of your troubles. One thing that we have to learn as we become jumpers is that not only must we keep ourselves safe... but we must keep other jumpers in the sky safe too. There are many ways we can hurt or kill each other when skydiving. So.... if you have repeatedly had trouble driving within the law..... you may not be ready to jump with other people safely. (None of this is hypotetical, there were two near canopy collisions at my DZ this weekend. One was my fault, one was the fault of a VERY experienced jumper.) As a nurse myself (I teach nursing full-time), I have the similar worries about your potential as a nurse. Nurses have many opportunities to do both great good and great harm. Being reckless in your private life makes me suspect that you may be reckless at work too. That is unacceptable for a nurse. Further, your story about driving with a suspended license that you "didn't know about" suggests a lack of attention to detail that can be deadly for you as a skydiver and deadly for your patients as a nurse. So... take a big breath and make the choices and changes necessary for you to be ready to do what you want to do. As the Tim McGraw song says "How bad (sic) do you want it?" Good Luck! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

LMAO..... Their is no other weigh two convey howe much what ewe wrote made me smile. Thanks!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!