UDSkyJunkie

I can't narrow it down to one, but: Jump 26, turned a 14-point 4-way (I had a good crowd with me) Jump 700, turned a 15-point 4-way with my little sister, who had less than 50 jumps (it was even cooler to be part of the good crowd for someone else). NSL playoffs this year... my team had a very good meet. At Rantoul this year I was diving last on a big-way, and the guy in front of me was a member of Airspeed. I jokingly said normally I would challenge the guy in front of me to a race, but that I'd probably lose this one. He smiled and said "well, you can always try." I gave it everything I had, and we prettymuch got there at the same time... I'm well aware that he wasn't pushing as hard as I was, but it was still awesome There are dozens more... "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I know of which you speak. I'm only 24, but a DZ rat... I've personally known a dozen or two, and my father is probably into three digits by now. Plus I've seen hundreds of close calls, some of which were myself. My father has had several close calls, but most were in the 70's before they got rid of pins and cones, front-mounts and capewells. With my father and myself heavily involved in the sport and my younger sister having just bought her first rig, sometimes the realities of the sport are a little terrifying... it's not just myself and my friends I have to worry about. Despite all of this, I count myself lucky for two reasons... first, I haven't yet personally witnessed a fatality. And second, it gives perspective and wisdom beyond my years. I wish the newer crowd would tap the old fogeys for information and ask for details when they're telling "no shit, there I was" stories... that casual conversation could save someone's life someday if they're paying attention. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

"The" future of 4-way? probably not. A future freefly discipline at nationals? very likley. Completely badass, and a true evolution of the sport in general? Unquestionably! And I'm not a freefly guy at all (for now). I give you guys a lot of credit for developing the sport... I've been wondering when freefly would start doing true sequential. Not to say there's anything wrong with the current freefly format, but I've always preferred something judged more objectively. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Personal opinion that scrambles meets should be all randoms unless you are scrambling from a pretty strong pool of jumpers... scrambles are usually about exposing newer jumpers to more experienced ones, and blocks (even if they go well) will mean lower scores and less confidence-boost. My team has a speed drill dive we use because it flows well and is very fast: meeker-satellite-donut-open-star We've busted out a couple of 21 point dives (in time) with that one even though our best competition average ever was a 9.7... I'd probably ditch the satellite in a scrambles because 5 points is too much and because it interrupts the flow more then the others. Randoms like sidebuddies, twins, and cat + accordian can be challenging and a lot of fun for newer people. omniskore.com has software that will create pools, but I don't know if it will print them out with all the pretty pictures. You might contact Kurt Gaebel at skyleague.com and see what he's using to create the PDF files of draws. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I think it's true that these are the main factors, but some canopies are just more random then others, and the Sabre2 is one of them. I've put several jumps on two separate Sabre2 120's (W/L 1.4ish), and they both opened identically, which is to say dead on heading and soft snivel, followed by chaotic diving in random directions until the slider comes down. One of these canopies was serial # 70 and had about a million jumps on it, a dozen patches, a half-replaced cell, tons of eloy-dust and a built-in right turn. The other is still crinkley and has a fresh lineset. I found that what works for me is to not watch the pilot chute, dump stable, and not touch the risers... then wait through a clean snivel for the inevitable random dive and lean against it in the harness. I love my Sabre2, but it's openings require heightened awareness compared to all other canopies I have jumped. To be fair, it's a small size and it's loaded significantly. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

"Want to"??? hell no! and I think I speak for nearly everyone in this thread (with a couple notable exceptions) there. when i see a bounce video, I'm not interested in the bounce... just the sequence of events and mistakes leading up to it. Also, "snuff video"? That really depends on how you look at it. In the case of UntamedDog, who wants the "thrill" of seeing someone die, yeah it's a snuff video. someone could get off just as easily on that seat belt video. Maybe more, it's a hell of a lot more graphic. Others see both as educational, as training, as evidence for the use of AAD's, ect. Your opinions are your own, and I won't try to change them. However, as said about a million times on this thread, it's a part of the sport; stay in it long enough, you'll see it first-hand. I've been lucky enough to get through 24 years without seeing one for real yet and hope to keep it that way, but I still remember the first skydiving fatality of someone I knew... I was 5 years old. My mind was spinning for days. If watching fatality videos teaches even one person enough to save their life, it's worth it. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I feel comfortable trying the PD143R or other very good reserve (Smart 150) in a well preplanned test jump -- best thing short of the optimal solution of replacing my entire container. (Unless somebody at my dropzone has pointed out some good reasons). I don't want to discount any of the people who you have spoken to about the performance of various reserves... however, I feel your information may be skewed a bit. Yes, the micro-raven is older than the PD airfoil, and designed to be flown a lower W/L. Yes, the micro-raven is known for having a short flare range with a sudden stall. However, any problems with the raven I have ever heard of were VERY small reserves (120 range) and much more highly loaded then 1.25. My one and only experience on a micro-raven 150 loaded about 1.15 was perfect. I'd also note that before the PD reserve took over, the Raven/Micro-raven was one of, if not the most popular reserves out there. Many, many, many people have used them and they worked very well. The experienced jumpers at my DZ 5-10 years ago (I've been around longer then my profile suggests) flew ravens almost exclusively, and most were 150's... that is not exaggertion. As for PD, well, it's PD... 'nuff said. It's the best reserve out there today. As for the Smart... from what I understand (so say the riggers I have spoken to, so if someone else knows better, say so and I'll shut up), the airfoil is a carbon-copy of the Tempo reserve made by PISA, which Aerodyne bought. If true, I'd rather jump a micro-raven any day over a Smart... the tempo was known for landing like a brick, and of course the smaller the canopy the bigger the brick. Again, I could be wrong, but I'd research the Smart a little more... just because it's new doesn't make it "very good." "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

On a similar note, how many of us were forced to watch video or see pictures of car crashes and the aftermath when they took driver's ed? Not everyone, but I was. I would have preferred not to see that, but it was educational. I've seen several skydiving videos of fatalities, though usually they cut out the final moment. Many of those I saw well before I was an "adult". All of them have taught me something, even if it's just that shit happens in this sport. I'm a safer, more informed jumper for having seen them. A tandemaster at our DZ watched the side-spin training video, which shows a few fatal tandem sidespins and how to get out of them, only a few weeks ago. It saved his and his student's life this weekend when it happend for real. The problem (in my mind) with the video that started this thread isn't whether it should be watched or if anything can be learned... it's context: this video was posted on a "wacky videos" website, as if it was supposed to be funny. It does not belong there. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Yeah OK, a valid question, though I would call that an extreme case of #2 and probably #3 combined. However... as pointed out by others after me, another good question would be "how comfortable are you with it in traffic?" It is quite accurate that eventually someone or something will force you to make some aggressive moves, and you need to be ready for it. Hell, I got cut off by a velocity 84 right as I initiated a 270 just last weekend. At 70 jumps and 10 on a canopy 40 sq ft smaller than the one before, NOBODY is going to be ready if someone cuts them off at 50 feet... so for awhile it would be wise to do become accustomed to some aggressive moves up high so you know how the canopy will react, as well as to stay away from traffic (open higher, land away from others, or hold in brakes until the hot-shots land) until you've gained some skills under the new airfoil. I also cannot overstate how much it helps to have a plan in your mind about how to react to that sort of thing... drilling into your head that low, emergency turns must be flat-turns, and then practicing them up high (and later low, but without the emergency) so you've got some muscle-memory is as important as the cutaway/pull reserve drills you did as a student. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

This seems a lot more reasonable than a ban. Question: (and forgive me if I'm just ignorant here) Wouldn't it make more sense to have classes based on max W/L than weights/no weights? Let's say that I (as in, me specifically) wanted to start training hard and become a CPC swooper. I'm currently flying a Sabre2 120 loaded about 1.4, and that's WITH 16 lbs of weight (I'm a pretty small guy). I don't wear weight to enhance the performance of my canopy, I wear it for RW and always have. So if I had to drop the weight to train for swooping, I would have to make every jump EITHER RW or swooping. Furthermore, if I decided to go strait swooping, I'd have to drop to a 107 to get the same W/L. We know smaller canopies are more challenging to fly, so this is actually more dangerous than me wearing the weight on a 120. Where's the advantage??? So why not have classes like 1.5 or less, 1.5 to 2.0 and 2.0 and up, or something similar, and have each competitor declare their canopy size and stand on a scale with all their gear and weight at the beginning of the meet? Just a thought. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

It's a higher wingloading than most would recommend at 70 jumps, but not necessarily outrageous. I was jumping a Sabre 135 at 1.25 W/L at 80 jumps, and bought one at 110 jumps. It was perfect for me. DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying this is the right canopy for you, just that it's not necessarily out of the question. Personal opinion you should ask yourself these questions: 1) Can you stand it up every time? (you say you've stood up every landing since jump 5, but not what canopy said landings were on...) 2) Can you put the canopy where you want it every time? (VERY important) 3) Do you feel confident and comfortable on every landing, even if it's cross-wind or slightly downwind? 4) What do those around you have to say about your skill? If the answer to any of the first three is "no," then the answer to your question should be self-evident. Otherwise I'd say talk to some people who know your ability and make an informed decision. Good luck! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Again, more experienced people can explain in more detail, but Matthewcline above is pretty much on the money. It's a good idea for new teams to let the center build first and then the outside, not only from a building perspective, but from a discipline and awareness perspective... if you're thinking about those sorts of things, you're probably seeing more. Later, when everyone has some experience, it becomes more simultaneous... my team is sort of in-between the two stages (10 pt avg in intermediate). The two best peices of advice I have ever recieved about building formations are (these were from team Fastrax): 1) move to your slot, stop, take grips, make eye contact, key, in that order... heavy emphasis on STOP! and, 2) take grips lightly... you should be able to just put the palm of your hand on the grip and keep it there. If you can't do that then either you or someone else isn't stopped in their slot, and taking grips won't solve that problem. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I've never heard of two tandems and two cutaways either, but I've seen close to that... we had a gentleman come out for his first jump and had a tandem cutaway. He knew it was a rare thing, and loved the jump anyway, so he decided to go through the student program. About a month later, he did his third tandem, and had another cutaway! Coincidentally, it was the SAME tandemaster, the SAME canopy, and the SAME malfunction! Before anyone asks: no, that canopy didn't have an unusual malfunction rate, and neither did the the J/M... just one of those weird quriks of fate. Unfortunately, the 2nd mal in 3 jumps was enough to scare the guy off, and he never came back for a 4th. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Conservation of energy, as Kelpdiver said, is the answer to this. A canopy has only "potential energy," read: energy due to elevation above the ground. As you decend, you can convert the potential to kinetic... speed. Once you have run out of altitude, you have used up all your potential energy... meaning you no longer can gain any more speed. SO.. IF (and of course this isn't real) you were to go instantaneously from vertical from horizontal, and in the abscence of loss of energy to to air resistance, your horizontal speed would be equal to your vertical. In real life, you still lose some altitude in transition to the horizontal, so you gain a little... you also lose a little to air resistance... so the answer is you MIGHT be able to go faster horizontally that veritcally, but not much. I can't imagine it being the difference between less than 78 mph and 90+. On a side note, I love being an engineer, and knowing the answers to some of this stuff "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

depends on what kind of dive I'm doing... I'm a 4-way guy most of the time, so I prefer the otter. For other dives, I don't much care, although I'll give the Casa points on big-ways IF (and it's a REALLY big if!) the jumpers don't get lazy getting out the door just because they can. I've seen a lot of Otter big-ways get out faster than Casa big-ways, and that's just sad (rant, rant... sorry for getting off-topic). For sheer cool factor... Pitts Special Biplane You'll think backwards is cool until you do upside-down! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Don't wear glasses myself, but my peice partner on my 4-way team does. I have kicked, knee'd, slammed, ect him in the face more times than I can count, and he's very happy with his helmet and how it treats his glasses. He's got a Z-1. I also fly a Z-1, and personally think it's far and away the best out there... very clean, NEVER comes open accidentally, you NEVER lose a face shield for no reason, and the STI version is just plain sweet. Others might disagree for various reasons, but I really don't care... Z-1 is where it's at. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Hi Jarrett, I noted a couple of things in your profile... mostly that you've been born into the sport. I was also, though I didn't get to jump at 9, I had to wait until I was 18. The above points, while all good canopies, are kind of irrelevant, since you stated ahead of time that they were not options (I'm assuming not options from a financial perspective). Been there... we can't all just go buy whatever is perfect at the time. From the choices you gave, I would say the triathalon 160, at least for 50 more jumps or so, and after that, well, I think you need to evaluate what you're comfortable under, and make your decisions from that. Saying that a 150 is great if you work down to it, and then turning around and saying that a 135 is WAY too small is, quite frankly, a giant load of crap, especially for someone who would be weighing a 135 at like 0.9 to 1. True, canopies do not scale linearly, but people tend to forget skill, which some people have more of than others... I have no idea what end of that spectrum you happen to be in, but I'll use my experience as an example of something that most people would say was stupid, but was perfect for me. Disclaimer: I don't recommend this, but I'm illustrating a point. I weighed 155 lbs out the door. I started w/ 200+ student stuff for 30 jumps. Then I went 5 jumps PD 190, 2 jumps sabre 190, 4 jumps sabre 170, and bought a PD 170. I did a dozen jumps on that, and had some opportunities to try some other canopies... 2 jumps sabre 150, 1 jump sabre 135, 1 jump stiletto 120. that was jump 58. Was I in over my head? Yes. But not until the stiletto... I went back to the 170 I had bought, and jumped it until I had about 95 jumps, and then bought a Sabre 135, which I still own. Point here is, the above will (and probably should) sound incredibly stupid to most people here on DZ.com, but it wasn't, and here's why: people who are born into the sport are frequently unique... they can learn through osmosis more than most new jumpers do in their first 500 jumps. Were I you, I wouldn't be particularly inclined to take the advice of people you don't know, and instead go with those who watch you, and your own observations. Watch for the warning signs... if you can't hit the spot you want to hit, you're pushing your limits... the same goes if the flare scares you, or you frequently do not stand up landings, or any number of other things. If you find that to be the case, the canopy's too aggressive, so back off. That's what I was doing when i jumped the stiletto... I wanted to keep dropping size until I felt I was over my head. I had the 135 at less than 100 jumps, and it was PERFECT for me, loaded about 1.2:1. That wouldn't be true for most people, but then most people don't have 19 years of paying attention and they don't weigh 125 lbs. Anyway, bottom line: find your comfort zone, and stay there. If you're trying a canopy that you think might be pushing it, do a hop'n'pop, so there's no traffic... if you pay attention you'll know if it's past your ability. I'm sure about 800 people will crucify me for this posting, but I really don't care... I tired of people giving advice based on formulas and standards, so fire away. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I do not want a Wings, as I have observed about 1 in 3 to have issues with riser covers refusing to stay closed. Yes, I realize this is partially rigger-dependant, but it shouldn't have to be. I also don't like the reserve flap on the wings, as I have observed it to also have a tendancy to come open. They tend to build Wings thick and short, which can be an issue when wearing a weight belt and flying 126 over 120. All that, and it's several hundred dollars more expensive than the Vortex. Don't get me wrong, Wings is a great container, and priced better then most... but they won't be getting my buisiness. Thanks to everyone who answered by the way... the info is appreciated. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Saw the Vortex II at WFFC this year, and liked what I saw... all the things I like about the Javelin Odyssey (which is to say, half exposed pop-top, general rig layout, comfort, and asthetics), plus it addressed all the things I do NOT like about the Odyssey (Vortex II has a vector-style main flap and well-deisgned secondary riser covers). Also, the price for a decked out custom rig is $1500. The only red flag: it's manufactured in South Africa, and I know nothing of the field history. I'm looking for input from people who know at least as much about gear as I do (I am a rigger). Is there any reason this container would not be a wise purchase. Are there any loopholes that might allow a south african manufacturer with a US-based dealer to bend TSO laws? Are there any design features of this rig that have a history of problems? Anything else I might not have thought of? Please keep this objective. Thanks for any info! "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

"Solved" eh? Actually, at the WFFC this year, they had a huge yellow arrow for just that purpose. Did it help? Probably. But I saw many, many people landing in a direction directly opposite the arrow. It's a good idea, but it only works if people follow it. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Parapak is shiner when it's new... cordura is vastly more robust. Stain resistance is about the same. Seriously, that's about all there is to it; try to find someone who ownes a parapak rig with a thousand jumps on it... they tend to have a lot more wear and tear. For this reason, parapak went mostly out of fashion 20 years ago. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

You think so? Other than a 2-out situation, what training is needed for a square reserve that you don't already get for a square main? Round reserves require their own unique training that can be confusing to a student, other than the obvious change in flight performance... - you should assume you'll have to do a PLF - you should never flare (i've seen lots of people make that mistake) - you probably want to land slightly cross-wind instead of upwind Round reserves have worked well for many years, and always will. I'm not opposed to their use, as long as it is done in a safe manner. That being said, any DZ that is still using them (wether safely or not) is going to get some bad publicity, and I could see it working against them in a lawsuit... were I a DZO, I'd use squares for those reasons if nothing else. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

I feel your pain, but I personally recommend waiting for the custom suit... even an off-the-rack suit that seems to fit well is unlikley to fly as well as a full custom suit. It's hard to explain the differences to someone who has never had a custom suit, but I found it to be like night and day... everything was easier to do, crisper, more precise. Smaller jumpers, who need tighter suits, will notice even more difference (at least in RW). "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Thanks you. I can't count the number of times I've seen someone on this site say "you should always/never do ," then look to the left and see a profile of 150 jumps, and have to wonder of that person's ever even been in that situation. It's pretty rare to hear someone with thousands of jumps and decades in the sport speak in absolutes. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

Also from the PD manual: "Exceeding the absolute maximum suspended weight is illegal, a violation of federal aviation regulations..." They don't give a formal FAA reference along with that, but you could try contacting PD and asking for it. And if true, then yeah, there is a lot of illegal skydiving going on... I know a few people with an exit weight over 254 to begin with. As for max speed, that's pretty gray... It's maximum DEPLOYMENT speed, so it could be argued that it isn't illegal to freefall faster than 150 knots, just to deploy faster than 150. I could see a team of lawers having a field day with that. "Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."