DocPop

The most dangerous thing ever said. WTF? How is that dangerous to say? Are you saying that someone's life is NOT worth a $100 canopy course? I think I understand what you are trying to say, but frankly to state that what I said is dangerous to anything other than your bank balance is preposterous. Where is the line? Are you OK with a reserve parachute being mandatory? Personally I would be OK with mandatory AAD usage, and many DZs agree with that. So now you are agreeing with my original statement that you challenged. Maybe I misunderstood the tone/meaning of your post but you seem to have contradicted yourself. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Please post back and let us know how you like it when you get your REvolve. I hope you love it! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

This is a great point because the guy who goes in flying a wingsuit probably dies alone, but "that guy" who is not competent to fly a canopy in the pattern is a risk to others as well as himself. Your comment on the S&TA being overruled by the DZO is quite concerning. I have not seen this in my limited time in the sport, but this means the enforcement system is broken and it needs to be addressed. It seems to me that without addressing the enforcement system, any changes to the BSRs or license requirements will continue to be pencil-whipped. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Front (_!_) "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

And those are your only two choices; British or Irish? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

That's really awesome. I am pleased you're enjoying integrating into the DZ on a social level. You have a new family now! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Good plan GP! Have you learned to pack yet? You could be rich by the time you jump next!!! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Yeah, I am surprised by the lack of pride Americans have to actually be American. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

B.A.S.E? I thought it was a removable slider. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

As a Brit in the US this sort of thing annoys me. Go back and you won't have to worry about it. I didn't say I worried about it. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Me too! This is a danger from which nobody is immune. The difficulty (as you obviously know) is balancing what would be really effective, with what is actually practical to implement given that many people will not voluntarily cough up the cash for a canopy course. I think the problem here is a mix of denial (it won't happen to me), ignorance (you don't know what you don't know) and either complacency (I've got 2,000 jumps and nothing ever happens to me) or arrogance (I am a great canopy pilot - what do I need more training for?) Hell no! I am not happy sharing the pattern with anyone who flies their canopy poorly and unpredictably and refuses to listen to anybody else, regardless of their jump numbers. In fact we have a group of senior jumpers at my DZ who I just will not be in the air with because of the fucking chaos in the pattern. I am not sure if the following questions were rhetorical, but I'll answer anyway: "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

We'll take it back if you don't like it!

There's nothing wrong with a slimy cunt - you just don't necessarily want one running the country! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

I understand your point but if there is a slight increase in costs (say $100 to get your A-licence) then I say let's do it. If it prevents even one fatality it will be money well spent. We need to be careful to address the facts here. The data do not back up the assertion that it is "noobs" that are causing all (or even most of) the canopy related incidents. From the USPA website's Accident Reports, I looked at all accidents classified as "Canopy Collision", "Low Turn" or "Landing Problem" and the jump numbers were: Mean - 1540 Median - 884 I am not saying all is well, but just wanted to add some data to the discussion. [Disclosure: I might be "that guy" you are talking about. I jump a Katana @ 1.5 but have taken multiple canopy courses and have DZO and S&TA approval.] "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

My thoughts: "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Why don't you email both companies and ask them if they would take the helmet back if you didn't like it? That might answer your question, and it gives them a chance to excel at customer service. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

You can get a pretty different view of the world by reading/watching media from other countries. Of course, you still have to apply your own filter! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Seems about right. He's all flash and marketing. No substance. Somebody once said he was a great presidential candidate, but a lousy president. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

That's great in theory, but until I am in a situation when this decision needs to be made, I cannot be sure how I will react. I most probably will be fine - I am not a stranger to high-stress environments - but I have not had to handle this one yet. I have not been convinced that sticking with "pulling the handles in order" is a bad idea. I fully understand that there are situations when it could turn out to be bad, but those situations are only identifiable with hindsight. BTW - the jumper in your example above would probably have been fine if he had pulled his handles in order. Chances are he would not have got to handle #2. Please note that I am not advocating that anyone else adopt my way of thinking - just throwing it out there. Remember: Always cock you pilot chute; but don't shoot your pilot's cock. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Thanks. I can see that in a hard pull situation cutaway is unnecessary and wastes time/altitude. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Are you going to cutaway a hard pull as well? Yes, probably. Would that be wrong? "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

As a Brit in the US this sort of thing annoys me. Stop pretending to be something other than American and then your country might start to develop it's own culture and traditions. Even yoghurt will develop it's own culture if you leave it long enough. I met a girl in a pub last week who said "I am Finnish" to which I replied "What, proper Finnish?" - "Oh yes" - "Where in Finland are you from?" - "Well I've never actually been there"! To make matters worse, her (American) boyfriend had a Finnish tattoo on his arm! "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Good discussion on Skydive Radio show 119 I believe with Frankie from Skydive Chicago. Talks about his double mal due to cutting away a pilot chute in tow before reserve deployment. direct show link: http://hw.libsyn.com/p/d/9/9/d993f6e21d1b381a/sr119_07_15_09.mp3?sid=b204e778a2370add0b3bbe1b5a0444d0&l_sid=21714&l_eid=&l_mid=2011400 That is an interesting discussion. However, n=1. It is not a scientific study and nobody can say what would have happened if his main had deployed without a cutaway. Thanks for posting. Food for thought.... "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

It is no longer "funny" or "wacky" to spell skillz with a "z". It is now just showing a lack of imagination. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA

Some good info there, Dave, and I can't disagree with anything that you say. The only defense I have for my thoughts in the previous post are these: 1. I have not had a cutaway yet and I think it will be better for me to go with the muscle memory that I have practiced (ie. both handles). It is true to say that I am nervous about my first mal and the thought of having to consciously change my EPs in the middle of a high speed mal make me even more nervous. 2. I do think that a cutaway main is less likely to inflate if the D-bag escapes the container, compared with a main that is still "anchored" by the risers. Please note that above is just my line of thinking and, as stated in my previous post, I acknowledge that it may turn out to be wrong on the day. I hope you don't take this as dismissing your points, which are very valid, just trying to explain my thoughts. "The ground does not care who you are. It will always be tougher than the human behind the controls." ~ CanuckInUSA