Baksteen

Funny you should mention that. Check this out. http://www.parachute.nl/interactief.html It refers to the site of the KNVVL, the Dutch parachuting association. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Apparently I came very close to losing your respect, as i only got my A-license on jump 91 I was too busy having fun to concentrate on actually having my skills signed off on my proficiency card. But that doesn't mean those fun jumps didn't teach me anything. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Dorian Grey's picture realised things could be a lot worse. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Guys? I'm done dirtdiving that backflying bit now.. Uh..Guys? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

When everyone wants to do a threeway with you "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Slimfast is da bomb! "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

True words of wisdom: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=185970#185970 Think about it. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I liked cypres's "Life long warranty" add... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Somewhat to my surprise, my insurance company assured me that medical costs as a result of skydiving are covered in my basic health insurance policy. Damages to third parties as a result of skydiving are also covered, in the standard separate policy I had already taken out. Only when I am travelling outside the netherlands do I need to take out "special" insurance; the same travelling insurance which covbers winter sports. Needless to say, I guard that letter with my life. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Dutch military jumpers *can* earn their wings by training at civilian centres. They have to complete the ground course, obviously, and make five static-line jumps to qualify. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Hell yeah! psipike02: Easy. you can't skydive very well in zero gravity. It would be more like synchronised swimming. VincentVL: The magic words: HALO-jump WR "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

You're implying that you didn't have a downplane immediately upon opening, but that you (had to) create(d) one. What did the two-out look like? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I hope your eing sarcasticv, but I'm gonna reply anyway. Put em out at 2500? Come on, they're under enough stress as it is. AFF because the ground is close enough already, and SL because they have to do it all themselves now. If you're also going to eleminate all the time they migh have to fix line-twists or whatever, I think youd' be looking at a lot of students combining their first reserve ride with their first CP, necesarily so or not. It's easy to "tell" a student something, but who's to say they actually remember to do what you said? I'm not an instructor, obviously, however, my first freefall was a relatively short while ago. And one more thing; I'm always happy to provide a new student with a little extra comfort when they're exiting, even if it means some discomfort to myself. We've all been there. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Chris, i've been wondering, If you have no interest in swooping, why did you choose this particular canopy, regardless of size/skills? It is specifically designed and sold as a swooping canopy. I'm not condemning you, I'm just curious. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I'm boring - I like nothing better than to wear my stylish jacket-with-the sleeves-on-the-back (even thopugh typing is kinda hard this way) and stare at the modern eggbox-wallpaper fior hours on end. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

2-3 seconds of freefall is all I need. I like to make H&P's from as high as i can. Plenty of time to play with my canopy, improve canopy control skills and generally just have fun. Lowest H&P is 3500. I'm not allowed / inclined to jump from lower, barring emergencies. In an emergency, everything below 2K, it becomes a Jump & Dump - I get clear, and pull the silver. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Yes, i had understood that. I was talking about hte "DZ that will", that i just cannot understand their attitude. (I'm also not talking about a goodwilling DZ who lets one slip throught he cracks.) "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

This is the bottom line: "You have the rest of your life to skydive" -dharma1976 I love two-edged statements... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I'm not talking specifically about any jumper. So does my DZ. I read the entire thread, and I was talking exactly about the kind of DZ that wants sellers to bear responsibility for the accident, but not the DZ for selling jump tickets to the hotshot. So yeah, the jumper gets PO'd and goes away when/if he gets grounded. I say, good riddance. The loss of income for the DZ should be less than the repercussions of an accident, right? Furthermore, you'd protect your other jumpers from having to watch someone burn in. But that's not the issue. A lot of people say that regulations are not the key to protecting hotshots from themselves. The thread DSE provided indicates that better training might be. While I agree that training is a better indicator to determine someones suitability for a canopy than absolute jump numbers are, it is also a lot more difficult to measure / enforce. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I say, British ladies take your chance! 6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (4%) "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

The invention of flint knapping? The invention of "the oldest profession on earth"? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

The fact that you ask the question in itself proves you are. Who else but a skydiver would be concerned? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Back when i had only ten or so jumps, I saw a fellow student walking past me. he was wearing a red jumpsuit. I frowned, looked at his rig, which I thought I recognised as one of our rentals, and sure enough, the release was red too. It took me nearly twenty seconds to locate it from two meters away. When I pointed this out to him, he gave me a Look, and told me not to worry, he just did his refresher course and therefore he was sure he'd be able to find the release [edit] in one go. And when i asked him to do a dummy, he turned out to be right.[/edit] He then proceeded to be pin-checked by an instructor, who said nothing. For some reason i don't remember anymore, the jum ping was put on hold, so the student took off his rig. I said he might change his jumpsuit while he was at it, but once again he didn't listen. When the jumping resumed, he got another pin-check and once more he passed. Who was I to argue with an instructor? So I said nothing, and felt bad about it for the rest of the day. And still do. Fortunately, nothing happened - but what if it had? I noticed the error, so I would have been responsible for his accident by keeping my mouth shut. Try to live with that. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Main difference, in standard AFF you don't do tandem jumps, you start with the ground course. During the first jumps, two instructors will keep you stable in freefall while you perform your tasks. On later levels there will be only one. But once you open your parachute, you're on your own. As to a TI rating, in the Netherlands you'd need at least three years in the sport, as well as a thousand jumps, five hours of accumulated freefall time and at least one cutaway (intentional or not). I'm not sure about the US requirements, I'm too lazy to look 'em up, but I'd expect something similar.

Why doesn't the DZ management take a hand if people need to be protected from themselves? I keep wondering this time and again. As to the "old and wise enough"-argument.. apparently they're not. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom