EDYDO

I know it is popular to jump square reserves, but I personally do not feel as safe with one as I would with a 26 foot modified lo-po round. They have fair penetration and you aren't going to be killed if your arm is broken or you are unconscious and can't steer. Even landing in the woods is pretty safe. I no longer jump with one, I just wish I did. It's easier to go with the flow, jump with the square reserve and hope I am not injured when I need it. Ed

So, when I heard this news, I fired off an e-mail back at him: Maybe I shouldn't be inflammatory, but frankly it pissed me off. Since there are very few people in his district who care about the bill, the Senator does not care about your concerns. Politics as usual. Ed

Yes, it's a funny fake, the back of the banner is as high as the plane. I just heard the other day that Lurina Bobbit's sister tried the same stunt on her husband that Lurina performed, but she missed and stabbed him in the abdomen. She was charged with mis-de-weiner. Ed

Me too!!! Plus a lot more. I changed my email address to stop it and am more careful where I post the correct address. Ed

If what you described had been a lineover, it would have left burns on your canopy. Ed

A CFI is under laws and regulations that hold the weight of law. EDIT: (The CFI is a trained professional and USPA officials are from varied backgrounds, elected and may not be expected to know everything.) USPA people are not. USPA "supposedly" (that is another thread) operates under self policeing, so the two should not be comparable. That's one side. On the moral side, I believe you as a USPA type should make a statement such as. "I have no legal authority, but I am a USPA official and I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't at least mention that you should not be................" Many of the "so called" violations may not be violations at all, so you have to be careful. For example, many believe it is illegal to jump from a 2 place ultralight and there is wording that could be interpreted in that way (for instruction only). However the law (regulation) does not specifically say that parachuting is prohibited or that parachuting may not be of some instructional benefit. That item has never been ruled on by a court. (I am a CFI and Ultralight Instructor) I strongly believe that where there is doubt, USPA should not be interpreting and allow the most liberal interpretation until a court says otherwise. Ed Ever hold a CFI rating? There have been cases of CFIs that just happen to be in an aircraft as a passenger being held partially responsible for accidents and incidents -- even if they were back seaters.

I have set up several Pro Tracks with new jump numbers and total freefall times, but have not been able to do it without losing detail on the past jumps. I tried page 19, setting the logbook totals. With that said, I was in Lake Wales on the last day of the year and two jumpers wanted their pro tracks set back to zero. We followed the book exactly. One worked perfectly and we never did get the other one to reset. Ed [

I have a Neptune and a Pro Track. I have had zero problems with the Neptune, but I have not used it on a short delay. My pro track will not record a jump with a 5 second delay or less and I can't find a way to get my jump numbers straight except to let someone else carry it on a jump. That's what I do when needed. Ed [ Id love to hear a reply from a pro-trac owner saying how he has had funky readings from his unit.

This is my favorite. Ed

Quade, I have a 305 Challenger that I use for accuracy and while I am not a competition accuracy jumper, I can put it in close enough for any demo that I may do, every time. I presently have 68 demos with no screw ups. (knock on wood) Ed

See www.uspa.org/news/notices/ST_Agenda_01.04.pdf (Can't make it work properly on auto url)

I saw something on the USPA BOD Agenda sheet about considering some changes in the pro-rating to accomodate smaller faster canopies. Does anyone have any detail on this? Ed

You are right. These electronic devices are fun toys and useful aids. They warn you in the instructions not to depend on them, battery operated or not. It just so happens that they are in fact pretty amazing and reliable. Last year I saw jumpers dumping when my analog read 8000 feet. Whoa, something's wrong and out the pilot chute went. The dial was bumped in freefall. It is not just those with batteries that can fail. Ed

Great, but you have to be careful when you fill out those job applications when they ask psychological questions, like: "When you are in high places, do you get an urge to jump?" Tell the truth now. Ed

I have the Galaxy III and the Neptune. The Neptune software upgrades really easy. I have not seen any problems with mine. I think most of the complaints came from the old software. The numbers are larger and easier to read. I do have a question about battery life and failure on a jump. That hasn't happened. I keep the Galaxy III so I have a backup that doesn't use batteries, just in case. Maybe later I will learn to trust it more in that respect, but not yet!!! As far as accuracy is concerned, I have compared the Neptune with my pro-track and they never vary by more than 100 feet in the logbook. Ed

I guess I missed something. Ed ]1) Get a Flight Sim (MS Century of Flight 2004 Recommended). 2) Fly around on it for a week or so. 3) Read all the manuals, especially the ones that detail ATC procedures, landing patterns and VOR Navigaton. 4) Walk up to your pilot of choice, tell him what you've done and say "I'm a pilot just like you now." If he gives you a genuine laugh or respect for your accomplishment I would be very surprised.

I drive a little Chevrolet Cavalier to the DZ and use it as a tow car behind my motorhome. Its present value is about $1500. I can go anywhere I want in it, reliably. So, you should be able to find something reliable for that or less. Of course there is no lower limit if you want to fix it regularly. Ed

We recently unpacked a PC that had been packed up for over 20 years. The sleeve was rotten and will have to be replaced, but the PC still looks jumpable. Ed

I form habits to reduce the chance of an error. For example my gear does not come out of my car until the Cypres and the Pro Track are turned on. In the plane I check 3 straps (2 legs and one chest) and I check 3 handles (cut away, reserve and main). I do that twice on the way up. My helmet does not go on "temporarily". If it goes on, the chin strap is fastened. These habit have served me well. It's not just when rushing a load that these habits help, but also when in a new environment. For example, when visiting other dropzones. I seem to feel rushed on my first jump at new places even when I have plenty of time simply because they do things in unfamiliar ways. I guess some people would say I am obsessive. That's OK with me. I feel really confident EVERY time I get to the door that my gear is right. Ed

Gary, Seriously, that is too small for you. I'll sell you my 305 Challenger in a Centaurus (70 jumps) with reserve for $999.99.

I have a 305 Challenger for a second rig. It does just fine, but seems like I am never satisfied. Have thought about getting a Startrac, but it's just a want, not a need since the Challenger does what I want it to do. Hey Gary, buy my rig and I'll get a new toy.

Are you saying that the Startrac is less accurate and has a softer landing than the Classic? As far as the flag bag is concerned, I consider that to be a convenience that could be added to other canopies, if desired and not the reason for the canopy selection. Ed

I can't seem to get a good answer to this question. Why do most accuracy jumpers use the Classic while most demo jumpers use the Startrac? (Humor me and assume the above to be true.) Ed

Yep, got back into jumping 2 years ago and did 160 jumps last year. Information on the ways insurance companies get out of paying comes from years of experience as a flight instructor. Ed Hey...is that really your D# listed in your profile?

You do not have to have a PRO rating to do demo jumps under many conditions. You do not have to have a PRO rating to jump with smoke. You might want to clear the jump with the A/C owner since smoke grenades take a lot of care in use. It is not likely that you can get the information about the use of smoke cannisters here. You will need to see the bracket and look at how the quick release works. You will also need to look at the can and possibly fire one on the ground to see exactly what it does. I have never had a satisfactory experience with commercial smoke. It is too thin to leave much of a trail, The only one I know works well is the one used by the military. Ed