TheCaptain

I did not state I did or did not tighten the harness any different than UPT state. I am just making a statement that no one has died from the harness being too tight. Also I agree with the above person that alot of students do freak out with the harness being loose in the plane. Kirk He's dead Jim

While I do not know more than UPT, I have never read about a fatality or injury caused from a harness being too tight. Kirk He's dead Jim

How many jumps have you done with it and what problems have you come across using it I have about 50 paid handy cam videos and about 70 total handy cam videos. I would say that the exit shot takes the longest to get good at (and learning to fly the exit when it goes less than prefect and get usable video footage). First off just finding a comfortable way to leave the plane can take awhile to figure out depending on the plane. An otter is pretty easy as the standard poised exit works great, a Caravan the seated exit works fine but just figuring out body and hand placement does take time. Prior to shooting any handy cam I spent about 15 to 20 tandems experimenting with body position and hand placement in the door (realizing your left hand will not be used for the exit but for the video exit shot). As far as a Censna 182, I have not been there yet so I am not sure. Also prior to using handycam I used the 15 to 20 tandems that I worked out the exit to get use to flying with my left hand held out approx. where it would be with the glove on (this way you safely work out flying the person without one hand) Also getting really good footage of landing pattern/landing with minimumal side of head/riser shots, takes awhile too (hand position is extremely hard to get use too, as your wrist is bent to almost a 90° and your hand is turned so the camrea view is forward of you, atleast in full glide) What advice / guidance does your governing body offer on the subject ( if any ) This year was the first year our DZ had handycam, we had a couple of highly experienced handycam tandem instructors leading our program. 1. We had to do several solo jumps with the glove on just to get use to it being there (just done with our sport rigs) 2. Next, once approved by the leader of our handycam op. we took an experienced jumper for a tandem. We were told concentrate on the skydive and not to worry about the exit shot. 3. Again after review if we were OK’d to continue we could start practicing with live tandem students. Once again, exit shot comes second to a stable exit. 4. These video’s were reviewed and critiqued until the videos hit the quality that our DZ wanted. and finally What level of expierence level do you think a TI should have before us I would say the criteria for TI would be a minimum of 500 tandems plus and 100 in the last year. It is most important that every step of the way the instructor feels comfortable with that step before going on. I would stress that doing a bunch of tandems without the glove but working on exit/flying not having your left hand to fly with will help the process greatly. Kirk He's dead Jim

IMHO, the performance left birdman when Robi left and started Phoenix fly. I have been really hoping birdman would be innovative and take this to a higher level but atleast we have tonysuit and phoenix fly now. Kirk He's dead Jim

I think it is safe to say one company is more interested in fashion and the other company is more interested in performance Kirk He's dead Jim

Sorry Kim (Generally), I think of people as either short than me, same height or taller than me. I really do not look much beyond that and you fit into the catagory of short than I. Kirk He's dead Jim

I have met a few very talented smaller instructors, it is very possible to be a TI be small and be a very good instructor. Kim is the one of the most talented skydivers I have ever met. She is phenomenal, I am not a great judge of height but I would say she is maybe 5'5" or 5'6". Kim can take any size of person do 10-15 tandems in a day, pack most all of them(if not all of them) herself, do handycam and land everyone to a stand up(without any help from the student). In my opinion being shorter just means you have to be more talented and creative than us taller instructors. Kirk He's dead Jim

When you say the visor cracked, are you talking about the clear lexan insert or the part that surrounds the lexan? Kirk He's dead Jim

Well in the past year, my theme song would be working man Kirk He's dead Jim

I find it absolutely astounding that people that do not have a tandem rating, never preformed a tandem landing as an instructor find the need to chime in here. I may not be the most talented skydiver but I can say without a doubt landing a tandem canopy to a stand up landing in light to no wind conditions is one of the most challenging things to do well. The slide is the easiest and stress free way to land without issues or incendent. I will always slide in older customer's as it is in my opinion the safest way to land. I really find it interesting how many students stress the idea of standing up the landing (as one of the most important things about skydiving), after five years of doing tandems, I would say it seems to be one of the most stressed things by students. I also can say a bouched stand up landing looks much worse than a controled slide. Kirk He's dead Jim

You know Ed, I think my VX is a great canopy for wingsuit flying provided it never again opens as hard as it did on my jump demoing that Raptor I am having to grow a beard until my neck heals up enough to shave Kirk He's dead Jim

Well, I am not sure if SDO still maintains the policy but at one time they did require 25 wingsuit jump prior to jumping an elliptical with a wingsuit. I always thought the Nitron was Precsion answer to the crossfire. I took this from the gear forum here: The Nitron (9-cell ZP elliptical) is Precision's version of the high-performance original design by Klaus Schenk that is marketed in Europe under the trade name of Nitro by the designer's company, Profile Research. The first time we jumped the Nitro, we knew immediately that we didn't want to compete with this remarkable canopy, we wanted to manufacture and market it by integrating it into the Ground Zero project. Kirk He's dead Jim

Hi Tetra: while I can not answer your direct question, I can say that jumping an elliptical canopy when wingsuiting is not recommended. That is not to say people don't it just means they understand that when things go wrong(and eventually they will) it will go wrong a whole lot faster with an elliptical canopy. The real issue is how the canopy will fly in line twist? When I flew Crossfires, I noticed that in line twist it would point to the ground so I would open at 4500 ft AGL (to give myself time to deal with the canopy). While my current canopy may be far from the recommended (especially after my last openning ), I personally find that my VX flies well in line twist. In the end I would reccomend two things: 1) Fly a canopy you can stand up the landing with as wingsuits do not wear well with sliding in. 2) Borrow a rectangle canopy for your first 25 jumps to get down the pull (as per your DZ's policy) After your first 25 wingsuit jumps, if you can stand up your Katana and feel comfortable with it just jump it. I know Steve (manbird) did jump a Katana. And, oh yeah, Welcome to the Nylon Crack Kirk He's dead Jim

Kirk He's dead Jim

We now have Opie, Lug, The captain (as in captain Kirk). We use to have a freakshow, a Divot, and ricochet. Kirk He's dead Jim

Each instructor needs to know their limits. I have seen many instructors say they will not take a student for one reason or another and I commend those instructors for taking a stand. Personally, I would pull myself off line if I did not think I could handle a jump. I also feel previlged to work at a DZ that understands this, when presented with what may be a challlenging student, they will pull the instructor aside and tell them it is totally their decision and the DZ will support that decision . As far as the long day, sure after my 12 tandem I may not be quite as enthusatic as my 1st tandem but I will guarntee you I would not be there if I thought I was too tired and would be unsafe. Kirk He's dead Jim

I personally would perfer to kick out but with the Icarus and the PT, they really do not like to kick out. I have only toggled out of line twist 3 times. All of which I tried kicking out first ( I agree great tool for the tool box but not first one to use) Kirk He's dead Jim

Wow, for a whole 122 jumps it sounds like you have everything figured out. I guess we should just come you for advice. You know, I have been in line twist with a canopies loaded 2.3 to 1 and I have always had enough time to think about the correct response and execute it. Maybe your biggest issue is your lack of experience and wingloading a canopy at 1.6 at 122 jumps Kirk He's dead Jim

The only canopy I have ever used a toggle to unspin on was a tandem PT 365 and trust me some times they can spin up tight enough to not allow a toggle to be pulled as I have been there and done that. Also once again the best anwser is not to load a canopy at 1.6 to 1 with 122 jumps. Kirk He's dead Jim

The best way to get out of line twist is not to load a parachute at 1.6 when you do not have enough experience to be jumping it ( this is the first link in what will probably be a chain of events that will lead to a very bad incendent) To answer your question, understand that if you have sever line twist you may not be able to pull a toggle down anyways. I have used this method a couple of times, the best way is to pull down just slightly on a toggle and look which way the canopy is starting to turn. If it is the way you need the canopy to turn and more of that toggle, if it is not and more of the other toggle. Kirk He's dead Jim

I am not sure if what system you are jumping, but we had this happen a couple of times last year. Our rigger figures that it was caused from the S folded bridal extending beyond the edges of the drogue so it can half hitch around it, by keeping the S folds in from the edges we have not had another problem. I have attached a drawing for how we fold our drugues on Sigma rigs. Kirk He's dead Jim

As others have stated I was refering to this comment"I did my first WS jump two weeks ago, I did it on a S6 and was something I'll never forget, something that I enjoyed to the max," posted by cantoral. Yes the Tonysuit Intro is a great suit for beginners Kirk He's dead Jim

It blows my mind that wingsuiting has come so far and that it is now becoming acceptable to have someone start out with a high performance wingsuit. In a million years I will never agree with this or understand why it happens. Kirk He's dead Jim

The real problem is the dropzone ( or the video person and the editor which ever is the case) are making money from the sale of the video which inpart has copyrighted music assocaited to it and the artist (ie publishing company) did not receive anything for their particpation( and or even consent to), that is the real issue Oh yeah, not to mention with youtube.com and others there is now becoming a digital finger print that they could trace back to an indivdual DZ ( if you do not think so just try typing in your DZ on youtube.com) Some may say that it would be ludicrous to consider an music company suing an individual or a Dropzone for copyright infringement, but I would have to say just ask the woman in the lawsuit thecapt. Was involved in. I am sure she did not think sharing 50 songs, she purchase with others on the KAzoom ( or what ever it was) would end up costing her $500,000.00 either. Kirk He's dead Jim

I could easly see how you got me thecaptain and thecapt. could be confused. I am also glad to see that more than a few take this matter serious, and thank you for pushing to focus. I, personally have always been a very black and white person, so for me it is very clear the right and wrong about this. However, that does not mean it is easy to choose. Kirk He's dead Jim