dterrick

naah, a 7 way scramble meet. Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

ALL the saxamophones...still play my tenor but my silver plated 1920s alto (with the 'old' style no-alternate-fingering keyset) is more a cool wall ornament. I noodle on the clarinet(te) ...I took apart our Hammond B3 organ once while my parents were out - just to find out how that whirly speaker thingie worked ... good thing most of the vacuum tubes (what's a tube you say!??!) in the amp only fit in one place (no, not recently, I was about 10 at the time and no, I haven't grown up yet). Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

It's a strange country where you can buy a burger with a cheque (it's CERTAINLY not Canada anyway). Whatever happened to cash? Good story tho. Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Yes Michael Seriously, I all but gave up local amateur sports car road racing to skydive (our 1.33 mile 9 turn road circuit looks great under canopy). Downhill skiing wasn't mentioned either. We gotta do SOMETHING in the Great White North for 6 months of the year and so far our winter jump schedule has been wethered out by nasty clouds with crunchy white stuff in them that hurts at speed. Next effort this Saturday. Today, it was+7 C (mid 40's) but bythe weekend it will be -14 (don;t even WANT to convert it's so close to 0) Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Nope. Man from Glad. Scaramanga. Mr. Roarke. I wondered when the 'Dude where's my Car's ' "Zoltan" cult might emerge in real life ... So, what do we do when we find out the answer really IS 42? Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

FANDANGO gone one step too far? ... geez he missed the matress Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

It got me as Fred Flinstone #65. "Apparently I'm not original" but it claimed I 'had him going for a while' Dave ...damn we play stupid games when we're not jumping. Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

CABBAGE CRATES COMING OVER THE BRINEY!! uh, sorry cap'n I just don't seem to get your banter today... (there IS a skydiver nicknamed 'thud'who MIGHT have plf'd off something that MIGHT have been a beacon ... but that was before my time so I can;t say for sure) Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

"All right ...Stop the sketch... this has gotten far too silly" NEEH!! Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Oh! We skydivers don't EVER ride the beacon in Canada ...especially since 9/11 when they re-fenced the tower and locked the access gate to the catwalk - forcing one, hypothetically, to climb an 8 ft fence, then 30 ft of tower base to get to the hangar roof, then up the tower ladder, then rappel out 5 ft of catwalk grid just to get a warm butt ... naah. WE behave. It's the Air Cadet glider pilots!!! Dave ...OUR airbase also has a cold war era bomb shelter Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

and thennnnnnnnn !! Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

...I wanna go on THAT ride, daddy ... Uh, I'd give her 30 ft (if not 50 with a nod to the original movie Attack of the 50 ft woman). Sure looked like Tia the first time I saw the movie (and the second... and...) ...annnd thennnn Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Interesting thing that happens under AFF that might not happen under Static/IAD progression. You said it right when you said "didn't pull when you were in trouble". IAD's dont get to see ANYBODY else in the air until RW training starts and that can be 30 jumps or more. By then, altitude awareness will have set in and most processes will be automatic. (Read on... there are always different circumstances) My pre-second RW training jump (# in the 40's) I was equally freaked and elated to have a jump coach that I blew past declared breakoff. By then I was regularly pulling at 2500 ... and 4k came and went because I was "aware" I was not at pull altirude. Still pulled in time but got shit for a bad breakoff. THAT was a lesson told me only once. You too will now know that the "SAFE" thing to do in ANY equipment failure early on in your jump career (unstable and unable to get stable, lost goggoes, flipped contact lens, obstructed altimeter, leg cramp... bla bla bla...) is to pull. Pulling out of the record 300 way for a "minor" equipment mal would likely be frowned upon by 299 others and a dozen pilots (never forget air traffic when under canopy - especially when nobody expects you to be there!). Then again, nobody I know of has ever burned in by pulling too high

duuude! Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

me again skygirlpc! Was snooping on the PD website and found the link to the "accuracy trick" . the whole article is good and outlines, as the title suggests, "survival Skillsfor Canopy Control" http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/survival.pdf Enjoy. Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

...Geez, all that speculation and it turns out that the photo was exactly was it appeared to be Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Scott, Sounds like your DZO doesn't believe your logging procedures and just wants to keep you honest. I'd think it is the USPA that passes judgement on your paperwork for the D CoP and not the DZO. Dig into the SIM and I suspect you;re right about the how's. Whoever said you'd best be able to perform when called upon was right. I've heard so many stories about 'turbine babies' who don't know what a WDI is or how to calculate a spot. Is THAT someone deserving of an "expert" moniker? Hardly. Hopefully that does not describe you. Here in Canada we get NO chance at a D before 500 jumps. An EJR (pro) is a C with 400+ jumps who must make 10 consecutive DECLARED 2m landings. This does not mean 10 JUMPS in a row, only that you declare and are observed to be batting 100 when you SAY you're going to the cookie. If, after 200 jumps you had done 25 like that (1/8 INCLUDING your progression) I dont think ANYBODY would be questioning your qualifications. Just be real. Blue Skies Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Interesting numbers, Bill, but I disagree about the 50/50 part as EACH JUMP is discrete making the true probability 1/500 x 1/500 = 1/250,000. In all but entanglements, main and reserve activations are also discrete events validating the multiplication principle. There. I feel TWICE as safe now. Let's not get into the rocket science level descussion about improper procedures - that's up to US to avoid in the first place through ...what else... "safety and training" like this forum. Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Blue Skies Danielle! First off, how big is your pea pit and what do you fly? We have a 150 ft pit and FJC students have about a 50/50 chance on radio guidance. Some JM's can be as inaccurate ... but then again it's better to land safely 'out' than land in with an'ouch'. Early on I was taught the 'accuracy aproach' by some really accurate people with many national medals. The "accuracy trick" (do a search) is basicly this: Looking "straight ahead" there will be a point on the ground that appears not to move. You will land THERE. Things closer than that spot will appear to fly towards you (get bigger) and things farther away will move "up" with the horizon. If you're flying directly into the wind on final (500-700 ft AGL) you won;t land farther away than the stationary spot but you CAN land closer. ANY turning or braking will cost you altitude and make your stationary spot closer than it was. So, it helps to be high on final since you can get to full drive, sink a bit if you're gonna be long, then get back to full drive before flare. Make only 1 or 2 small corrections (say, 1/2 brakes for 1-2 seconds OR a 'sashay') until you get the feel for how the spot moves. Second (well, actually first) is to get coaching by some one good or get a student radio and ask "for guidance only if it's needed". Finally, there's lots of stuff on canopy control at the following : http://www.skydiveaz.com/resources/book_canopy.htm It's all worth a read. Anyone else have links handy? Dave PS ZP 9 cells and 7 cell F-111's fly MUCH differently. Make sure any advice you take is given from someone who understands your rig /wing loading and likes to ask you questions about what YOU see and feel. After all, YOU land the canopy and it's YOUR perception that counts. Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

IAD. One thing is for SURE ... IAD (and that damned paper pull) ensures you can fly in slow air close to the ground with confidence. Then, the 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 sec delays each teach you in discrete chunks how you can better manage your air the faster you go . When I go downhill skiing in the mountains I typically go straight to the top. A brief freakout later I KNOW the whole mountain is under my command since I'm as high as I can get. BUT, taking the short chairlift does not freak me the same was as AFF students seem to be freaked by hop n pops. Interesting contrast, yes? Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Cheers on your Beer cutaway, heftee! Somewhere around the same jump #'s as you I managed to twist up my old Raven II @ about .95:1 TRYING to make it handle like something it was not. I'm sure one of our moderators will chime in with a detailed 'why' but you describe almost to the letter what I did.... Likely, you stalled only one side of the canopy. THAT side stopped flying but the other side continued to fly, likely at a good airspeed. I'm not so clear on what all the lines were doing at that moment but a suden twist could have left some lines slack and they then caught your steering line causing the tension knot. After that, you're FUBAR'd as far as I know. (Any comments anyone?) Whatever the case, you wrapped yours waaay better than I did mine. The fact that I spun up a big 7 cell proves that it can happen under ANY canopy. Regarding the wind direction issue... it's not an issue. I too thought it was at the time. The KEY to remember is that it is only your GROUNDSPEED that changes, not your airspeed. So, in a spiral you will have an eliptical pattern over the ground but your spiral will actually be circular. Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

The CSPA manuals are less forgiving in that they state it can begin AS LOW AS 5,000 ft. They further elaborate that "smokers" could have an O2 level of about 5k MSL to begin with. Know anyone who has a smoke just prior to jumping? This thread also points out the value and importance of taking "several deep breaths" just prior to exit "to supersaturate the blood with O2". While it can't make your vision better, it can make it "less worse". It's also (and more frequently) taught as a relaxation technique early in progression. Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Yee haah! My best 'unintnetional' freestyle h n p was my first door exit (not step) and I guess I must have launched asymetrically. I did a cartwheely frontloop tunblefuq from 2800 but KNEW I had time to pull. JM was a bit pissed at the showboating in front of the remaining student but the 'kid' liked it. So did I. Told him what happened (I'm too honest, I guess) But, it made me feel like Calvin (& Hobbes) in one of their downhill escapades

...ah-huyk yuk yuk, whass a King Air? Now that you mention it, makes sense to me. In the middle of nowhere with a 1- 182 DZ there is NO SUCH thing as 'air traffic' ... except when a 1/2 dozen Air Cadet gliders and 2 tow planes are up circling the airfield and the water bombers (CL-215's) are off to fire fight somewhere. Yet ANOTHER skill I'll learn when I make my Beer jumps from a non-182 in NoCal this winter. Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

[email]blue ones Pop! I hada similar situation under my Raven (main) and I think you hit on a good point about the controlability check as well as the gear check. In my case, I'd had dive loops put on my my rigger and he "told" me he'd not repacked the main but just removed it from the container. I got lazy and did not repack the main. Somehow, one of us (likely me) managed a step-through while working with the stowed bag. On deployment I had the twisted risers but an otherwise clean opening. IMMEDIATELY I did my controlability check and found life to be ok. However, if I'd had a broken steering line and needed the risers I'd have been FUBAR'd and would have chopped. Of course in both our cases the main flight was fine but one emergency procedure option was removed. your post reminded me how vital it is that we have a clear calm head at all times inflight AND while packing. ...AND that time "saved" (bet you did a pro-pack line check and not a 2 sided flat pack line check) can come back to "bight" us . Thanks for the reminder. Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)