UDSkyJunkie

Agreed, but I want to add something. The assumption that this behavior is somehow restricted to the "young" or "inexperienced" irritates me. A couple of stories from things I've seen: A jumper over 60 years old, with well over 1000 jumps (and not 30 years ago, either) who regularly jumps stiletto 120's, blade 120's, and the like. This person weights easily 250 out the door. He has like 4 rigs, and is constantly buying and selling gear, so never really gets more than a few dozen jumps on any one canopy. He rarely stands up a landing (to be fair, bad knees have the effect). Has very poor canopy skills overall. He regularly proclaims his goal to jump a sub-100 canopy "just to say he did it". This person insists he is safe, because he "flies conservatively" (i.e. he always comes strait in on final), and because he's been doing this for years, and "hasn't been hurt yet". Sound familiar? An older (50-ish) style and accuracy jumper with thousands of parafoil jumps (and not much else), who bought a 111 velocity for his "fun rig". He says he's amazed at how much lift this thing produces, and after jumping an X-braced canopy, doesn't understand why anyone looking for performance would buy anything other than a X-brace, because it's so obviously superior. He, too, can barely stand it up, and at maybe 165 out the door, isn't even loading it that high. After a jumper who was killed at a local DZ earlier this year due to a panic turn to avoid power lines. Said jumper was not an aggressive pilot, but was very uncurrent... maybe 3-4 jumps one weekend a month in the summer, and this was the first weekend of the season, and he had put on some weight. I couldn't believe the number of people (young and old, new and experienced) who were shocked that someone could be killed because "he was never an aggressive pilot" and "he was only jumping a 170 Sabre2". The young and inexperienced are the loudest, the most boastful, the most obvious, and yes, frequently the most stupid. But look around... there are a LOT of people of all varieties in over their heads. I feel that way too sometimes, and I'm only 25. But we've got to hang in there, and try to help as best we can. Exactly one time, someone had the balls to tell me a just did something really stupid. He was right, and I listened. For every hopeless jackass, there's someone else who just needs to be quietly pulled aside and given some good advice on how to get good with *less* risk of getting killed. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Lots of good advice from others... listen to instructors/experienced people around you, they can tell you more. You don't get "more performance" out of a smaller canopy, only the POTENTIAL for more performance. In the end, the pilot provides the performance. Learn your canopy... I guarantee you haven't even scratched the surface of it's performance envelope. I have 400 jumps on my current canopy and learn new things every weekend... and I regularly out-swoop several local sub-100 velocity pilots on my lowly Sabre2 loaded about 1.45/1. Anyone have that video of one of the PD Factory guys swooping the hell out of a Nav 220? "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Does anyone know what the specs are for the old Sabre? Not too worried about handling more so about it blowing up. Looks like the PD site has removed the Sabre W/L chart... however, I recall all Sabre's (except maybe the 210 & 230) being recommended at a max W/L of 1.5/1 by PD. Personally, I flew my Sabre 135 at 1.3/1 for years and it was great. I've seen LOTS of people with Sabre's load them past 1.5/1, and some as high as 2/1, without problems. Barring anything crazy, you won't blow it up. I guarantee PD has drop-tested the Sabre at and beyond TSO-like conditions. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Congrats! It's a good feeling, eh? My first save was my girlfriend (at the time). 2nd was me... that was a neat feeling too. Keep it up! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Holy shit! I've heard of reserves coming out stuck to themselves like a brick, and I've heard rumors of spectra coating material melting together, but that's a new one on me. Any more detail on cirumstances? Was this Arizona-type heat? left for a couple days, or a couple months, or all the time between weekends? Trunk, or direct sunlight (like back seat)? I would NEVER leave a rig in the trunk, and I've given the speech about why other shouldn't to more than one person... this would add to the ammo. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I would imagine it's pressure-related. I don't normally have the issue you describe, however I have serious hay-fever in late august & september, and during that time I will get headaches after 2-3 jumps that get progressively worse throughout the day. It's related to the pressure change and my inability to completely clear my ears/sinuses during and after the jump You could be experiencing a more severe case of the same. things that might help: try to clear your ears immediately after opening, as well as during decent if necessary and when you land. This will reduce the pressure differntial somewhat, and may make it easier to clear them. Time may also help... lots of jumps will eventually make your ear canals more flexible and adaptable to pressure change. For me, it used to be difficult and somtimes painful to clear them, but now is very easy and never painful except when congested. But, I'm just guessing. If it's really bad and doesn't go away, see a doctor. Good luck! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Otters are going back into production... not in big numbers for now, but I imagine lots of spare parts may also be made, since a market for new planes should mean a strong after-market also. This, to me, means that the otter will remain the large-DZ plane of choice for awhile. Limitations of the Caravan: - slower climb rate! it's the same engine, but you've only got 1... find me a caravan that climbs in 15 minutes full. - Prop-blast. For us 4-way nerds, bad propblast sucks. That said, I have plenty of jumps out of both, and can say that a good, courteous caravan pilot will provide a more comfortable exit than an otter pilot who doesn't give a shit and gives the green light at 110 knots in a left-hand bank. there's other small disadvantages... smaller door, less ability to climb around outside. I doubt you'd want to train 8-way out of one. But overall that stuff is no big deal and wouldn't work into a DZO's radar. Limitations of the Otter: - You've got to fill it. High fuel prices & more maintenace mean needing 12 or more people to fly. No problem in Eloy or Deland, but a caravan is a much better fit at many smaller DZ's. - By the same token, if you're on the edge you might have to shut down an otter between every load whereas you could fly back-to-backs on a caravan. This nullifies much of the climb rate advantage of the otter and means more cost (engine cycles drive more maintenance than flight hours), especially with 2 engines. Personally, I've flown both and they're both good planes. Ideally I want an otter, but I'd rather have a caravan if it means the DZ stays in buisiness and/or they can keep jump prices from skyrocketing. It's not worth a $25 otter ticket if I can get an $18 caravan ticket (current rate for 25 ticket blocks at my DZ!) Plus, the pilot makes all the difference. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

For a guy who's generally pretty smart, I think you're intentionally missing the point. Obviously you can't inspect your rig to find internal rigging errors. That said, if one learns about their gear, it might inspire them to become their own rigger. Or at least research the available riggers and choose one they trust. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Thanks for bringing attention to that error... more people need to be able to recognize that kind of stuff instead of assuming their riggers/packers/instructors are incapable of error. Potentially fatal errors I have personally caught: - Chest strap mis-routed - RSL clip attached to largest ring of 3-ring - Main bridle routed out the bottom, pinned, then into the top and back out the bottom, guaranteeing a PC in tow - 3-rings mis-routed (loop through middle & small ring at the same time) The last 3 of those were within the last 2 months or so. Our local master rigger recently opened up someone's reserve and found clamps STILL ATTACHED to the canopy Learn about your gear, people... in the end, you're responsible for saving your own ass, and the fact that it's someone else's fault and/or you didn't know any better isn't much consolation if you're dead. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

nothing when executed correctly. however, on all tracking dives I have been on, noone follows the "leader", noone keeps level, and within seconds it turns into chaos, with 10 people tracking blindly in all directions. After two or three experiences of seeing people zipping all over the sky like bumper cars, I decided not to do them anymore. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Maybe I should say "percieved moral high ground". There's definately a prevailing view that the swoopers are intentionally engaging in behavior that raises the risk to non-swoopers (sadly often true), and thus the swoopers need to modify their behavior (again, true). All I'm saying is that when modifications are put in place for the saftey of everyone and NOONE follows them, including non-swoopers, that perception is proven incomplete... in that situation, you have non-swoopers intentionally putting swoopers (and themselves) at higher risk. I think this is very sad, and it irritates the crap out of me. now I'll get off my soapbox for awhile. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I have about 350 jump on my Sabre2 120. I have had a similar experience to yours, although mine typically snivels nicely, then does the violent stuff. I have discovered two ways to reduce the issue: 1) minimize pushing the nose in... do a really good clover-leaf on the slider to slow the opening. 2) use harness input to counter the turn. wait patiently while it's on-heading, then as soon as it starts to dive, bring that knee up and lean hard the other way. this may not work as well on a larger model. It took me ~100 jumps to get mine figured out, but now I'm very comfortable with it. It's worth it to me becuase the shitty opening is made up for by the amazing flight performance!

obviously not, but you seem to have figured that out. Things I will not do: - exit immediately before certain individuals/groups whom I know to ignore exit separation rules. - "casual" big-ways... after a couple of ugly 50-60 ways, I plan to limit my casual dives to less than 20 people. - swoop when conditions don't permit it (traffic, weather, landing area...) - BFR ("big fucking round") and similar zoo-fests with 10+ people who don't know what they are doing - tracking dives (at least not with people of the skill level at my DZ) - get my coach/AFF ratings before I really have the flying skills (just got coach rating) - CReW with microline or with anybody who has no prior experience (so far this has resulted in zero crew) - Go balls out on landings during the first several jump of the season The list goes on... by the way, I observe several of the above done by other people nearly every weekend. They are possibly safer. They are also at risk to become complacent, and therefore may become less safe. The key is to keep doing things that are new and challenging, but do them one at a time, and push forward slowly. I know people with 10,000 jumps who are completely complacent and unsafe (no joke!) and others with similar numbers who avoid big risks but I trust completely. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

If you asked people to their face, they'd probably say no (and probably think they're telling the truth), but I've been around the sport long enough to know that the answer is an emphatic YES!! The other problem is people just don't give a shit. My DZ has implemented separate landing areas. Both areas are far from the hanger and require a truck to pick them up. The truck usually sits near the border of the two areas, and therefore in theory noone has a longer walk. But guess what?... People STILL land wherever they feel like. The few swoopers (I am one) usually land in the appropriate area... not always, but usually. The non-swoopers (easily 90%+ of the jumpers) so far have not been good at all about staying in their area (which, I might add, is about 3 times as large). I don't mind a longer walk myself... it's a good saftey precaution, and swoopers who violate landing patterns or separate landing areas are out of line. But non-swoopers frequently aren't helping, and that behavior is starting to erode their current moral high ground. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Funniest: Did a small dive with my dad flying video, and we were like 3 miles from the DZ (don't even ask how!). Anyway, I only had like 150 jumps, so I followed my dad down, and he knew I was following, so he landed in a big open backyard of a farmhouse. Then when I was at about 100 feet, I saw a huge german shepard charging him from the house! He whipped off his camera helmet and was about ready to start swinging when the owner figured out what was going on and reigned the dog in! Stupidest: in a maybe 50 x 50 foot patch of grass surrounded by two large aircraft hangers, a tent, and a parking lot with an RV on the edge at Rantoul. There was also a van in one corner, and 20+ mph gusty wind. An incredible string of bad decisions led to me whipping a 180-left-270-right toggle hook from like 300 feet and coming to a flawless tiptoe landing, 10 feet short of hitting the van. Exactly one person saw this (I didn't know him) and he sincerely congratulated me for surviving. I remember thinking at 80 feet or so "shit. I'm going to die" followed immediately by something to the effect of "never give up until blood fills your goggles", and the next thing I knew I was shocked to find that I had pulled it out of my ass. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Probably not fair... words like "twitchy" are subjective anyway. What one person thinks is a wild ride of an opening, another might think is tame. I have about 500 jumps a Sabre1 135. It was very predictable; it would snivel breifly and then turn to the left 90-180 degrees, on every single opening. I jumped a Diablo 120 for awhile, and agree it had a weird opening... if I tried to put any input into it, it would rock all over the place. I learned to go slack in the harness and let it do it's thing, and the openings cleaned up nicely. Then with the Sabre2 120, it has been just the opposite. If I let it do it's thing, it'll take me for a ride... I have to wait for the end of the snivel, and then lean hard in the harness to counter the inevitable dive to one direction or the other. Each canopy is different, even within the same model. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Having not flown either, I can't speak to that specifically... but in my mind results speak for themselves. Velocities dominate the swoop competitions, period. VX is a distant second, and I occasionally see a Xaos. Granted, there's a marketing and budget aspect to the velocities domination, but if the Xaos was really better, the best in the world would convert. this is believable... my Sabre2's openings took some getting used to. Although a lot of the Pilot and Safire pilots I know say their own canopies are the best introductory 9-cell because they open so nicely. Regardless, as long as the opening is reasonable, I'm personally more interested in flight charachteristics than openings. As long as they're better than flight concepts... The Raven is, in my opinion, Precision's one decent product, although they've had some issues a few years back with the -M's exploding. And I don't even want to start on the -MZ. But really, given a choice between an R-max and a PD reserve... few would argue against PD. final note: All this is my opinion, feel free to ignore it. And I'm a self-proclaimed PD snob, although they've had their share of flops too (vengence anyone? Silhouette? Excalibur?) "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Dude... stick with the most advanced people you can! If you want your self-esteem back, watch some recent video, and then go watch your video from the beginning of the season. Your self-improvement will blow your mind. Best experiences: getting to know my team and watching us all grow. Seeing all the hours on creepers and blood, sweat, and tears pay off when we kick ass on a challenging dive (round 5 at nationals 06 comes to mind). Setting team records. Worst experiences: arrogant team members with delicate egos on my first team. having to call off the team this year due to injury of our inside center (non skydiving related)... we had a promising lineup and a serious shot at intermediate gold in chicago. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Personal OPINION: Precison is obsolete. PD and Icarus dominate for a reason... "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Mine opens always soft and on heading at first, then becomes an adventure after it's 1/2 inflated, almost always diving one direction or the other. Oh, and the slider tends to stay waaaay at the top of the lines for several seconds after the snivel. Took me about 100 jumps to get comfortable with that. But then again it's a 120 loaded 1.45 to 1... anything would be a little twitchy under such circumstances. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Sadly not... that's my only complaint against it, otherwise I love mine (and it's a good deal cheaper than the competition). I usually forgot to turn mine off last year, and still got 6+ months of battery time, but audibles that shut themselves off should last years on a single set of batteries. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

not an instructor, so I've never done this, but I know a few that have had to... one guy told someone to take up bowling after having to pull for him on 5 consecutive AFF jumps. The guy did everything else great, but just didn't get the part where you had to F***ING PULL!! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Hard to pick one... here's a few highlights: Solo Exits: - Hanging from the wing of the Pitts biplane - Balloon jump! RW Exits: - Anything that seems impossible... snowflake comes to mind. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

The challenge. I'm a 4-way guy, and there's a nearly infinite amount to learn, just about that tiny aspect of the sport. Every 4-way jump I learn something, and the more I learn and the better I get, the more I want to learn even more and get even better. When I'm not busy being an "RW cyborg" I also do some organizing, am working on a coach rating, and am slowly teaching myself to swoop. I have found each of these things to have the same nearly infinite potential as 4-way... there's always a ton more to learn. Also, I like that the sport is small enough that the best in the world are friendly. In 2005, I went to rantoul, and jumped with Airspeed on a bunch of casual organized dives... many went well. I was just another jumper, but I went to Eloy for the christmas boogie that year, and every one of them remembered my face, and some remembered my name. Could you say the same in any "mainstream" sport? It means a lot. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I was born into it (my dad was jumping before I was born). More important question: what keeps me jumping? The people, and the continuing challenge of competition, both with other and myself. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."