aresye

Well, since I just got my license, I'm obviously interested in learning my first discipline. I'm still working on my belly work, as it's a valuable skill, but never, and still don't have much interest in RW, and competition. I was the first off a very small load, with only a few tandems after me. Knowing this, I knew I had a relatively safe zone to play around. My rig I took to the riggers and made freefly friendly, and since I don't own a suit of any kind yet, I wore my flight suit (military). First I tried working on getting myself into an atmo position, as I've been pretty interested in what it may be like. Well, I definitely got myself into the right position, because I was soaring across the sky pretty fast, away from the jump run. Definitely different than your basic track. After a couple thousand feet, I switched and attempted for the first time to get into a sit (probably should have started with back). I couldn't manage it at all. Now, obviously it's going to be hard to get into a good sit, and I will be taking a few coach jumps to work on it, but I'm wondering if my flight suit had a major part in my overall instability. It doesn't cuff the ankles. It's very loose around the feet. I'm thinking that because of the position, air is getting cupped in the legs of the suit, and flipping me around. If I have air entering my flight suit at the bottom of the legs, is it going to be near impossible to manage a sit? If so, what would you recommend as a suitable thing to wear that will allow me to practice? Take into consideration I cannot afford anything more than a couple jumps a weekend, let alone an actual freefly suit. My car I just found out (2001 Honda Civic), is having its transmission go out at 95,000 due to a damaged torque converter, and will likely be $2500 to fix. So much for a reliable Honda, huh? So if I can't afford a freefly suit, what would you guys recommend to wear, in order to get some practice in? Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Interesting argument. From my personal experience though, I've had more close calls driving to the drop zone, than during my actual jumps. It's like my instructor said to me, "Skydiving can be as safe, or as dangerous and you make it to be." Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

First time I've seen 1337 on a skydiving forum. I swear to god, if you get the skydiving community hooked on it!!! Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I like this one I saw on one of basejumper.com's articles: "It's cool, I knew this would happen." Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I say go for the AFF. Even one tandem can encourage bad habits. As part of my IAF program, I had to do a total of 3 tandems. Well...most of the stability is from the TI, so I had some bad habits going into the AFF portion. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Definitely one of the best news stories I've heard in awhile! Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I was just saying because remembering back when I was 13-16, my ability to carry out more complex tasks was lower. If I was faced with a life/death situation in which I would have to rely on my own knowledge and skill to live, I don't think I would have done so well at that young of an age. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

That would definitely be a rush, but that's a nasty bellyflop coming! Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Screw a bomb bay, I'd love to be attached to a weapon pylon by some kind of harness. Pilot: "Okay, and firing jumper #1..." Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Unless you're in the US. Starting at 13 is very young, and on a grim note, that's a terrible age to die at in the case of an accident, which is more likely when faced with the teenage years, when you feel invincible. For USPA, the minimum age is 16 w/ parental consent. I think that's fine, for a tandem, but that's still pretty young to be piloting a canopy. Not a good time to be learning to drive, and pilot. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Small error in my pick for words. Yes, I meant change direction, not pattern. I started off on a 260 F111, and that's when I made the majority of my slide in landings, and other crashes and burns. Went down to a 240 hybrid, and soon went to a 220 because I talked to my instructor, and he said it looks like I have good control with it. The 220 so far I've done my best on than any other canopy size. Every jump I've had a stand up, even on no wind days, days with shifting winds (due to thermals), and days with relatively high winds. Well, high for a student. I already bought my own rig, with a Spectre 190 main. I'm going to ask my instructors this weekend if they think I should downsize to it, as it would be about a 1.1WL, on a 100% ZP canopy compared to a hybrid. I personally feel I'm ready for it, as I've had great landings on the 220 with a variety of circumstances, but in the end, the instructors have better judgement. This will be the same canopy I would do this demo jump on, for I've been working hard to get my self down to my own main's size, but not in any hurry to get to a high WL. So far I've landed at only 2 DZs. This weekend I'm going to register myself at Skydive San Diego, so I can have a closer DZ to jump at during the week days. Thanks for posting that skypuppy. What I see from the incident, is that the guy was using a canopy with a higher WL, without many jumps on it, and decided to initiate a high performance turn into a small area which was not the designated landing area. Could have been a miss, but it also could have been intentional. I'm sorry to hear about that incident, but it goes to show that you can't do too many new things at once. As I've said earlier, and will say again, I am not going to attempt this jump until both I feel ready, and that an instructor feels I could do it. I really didn't want the topic to get this far in depth, but it's good it did. The one thing I was really wondering about was the effects of turbulence from a mountain. As of right now I haven't gone into planning an actual jump, or planned any time to do it. Could be something I do a year away, perhaps 2 years. It could end up something I'll never do. I'm willing to accept either way, and am not going to push myself into doing this, or try to persuade myself I'm ready. I'm just leaving it up as a possibility in the future, based on the skill level and experience I have then, not now. It'd be much better to surprise my parents by showing them my rig, and maybe showing them a pack job, than to land in a tree, hospital, or grave. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I would sign up for the excel camp this weekend, but unfortunately I have duty and watch this weekend. I'll be up there this Friday to pick up my rig, and make a few of my first licensed jumps. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Well, after 3 months, and $3000 of training later, I finally earned my A license today. I stayed at Elsinore overnight last night, and did 5 jumps over the two days. I was pretty much there all day today, and finally got to do my check dive on the next to last load. My rig is up at the riggers, getting some modifications done to it to make it more safe, such as covering up the some 1 1/2 inches of exposed bridle, and getting toggle keepers installed. I can't wait to jump it for the first time next weekend! I definitely want to thank all the instructors who've helped me get here, along with everyone on this site, for their advice definitely helped. I look forward to jumping with some of you in the future, and begin working on my first discipline. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I consider myself a fairly good pilot for the number of jumps I have so far. I seemed to crash and burn a lot, earlier in my training, so I've learned from my mistakes, and I've stood up the past 10 landings I've had, even having downsized twice. Some of those jumps were with gusty winds, that frequently changed direction. I worked on my flat turns, low turn recovery, and techniques for staying on heading while flying through turbulence. A couple jumps I ended up having to change my landing pattern during final approach, due to inconsistent winds. As I said in my post, I consider myself a pretty good canopy pilot, but I am in no way even near an intermediate or expert pilot. Maybe I should have said, I consider myself a fairly good pilot for the number of jumps that I have. ----- Thanks for pointing out the military's SGLI, and the line of duty report. That is definitely something I overlooked, and I must take into consideration. Being an aircrewman, they consider us very valuable, which is true, because they have spent an enormous amount of money in our training. For this reason, many commands have not allowed aircrewmen to participate in any extreme sports, such as scuba diving, skydiving, motocross, even mountain biking. My command I got pretty lucky with. I've talked to my Chief, and the way our command's policy works is, "As long as you wear the appropriate protective equipment, there's a low chance of you getting into trouble if you get hurt during the activity." Most of my command knows I skydive, which I was originally trying to keep on the down low, but they said I can continue to do it as long as I'm safe, and wear my parachute, lol. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Well, I obviously have a lot of time to think about this. I have a contract for 6 years, and I'm only 2 years in. There are plenty of other times I can take leave and pull this off. As what was said, it all comes down to a risk assessment. What risks are there to the jump? 1. Turbulence: The mountain/tree side will likely produce very dangerous turbulence if coming from the east-south. Any wind from those directions on the jump day will be an immediate abort. 2. Pilot/Other Jumpers: Most likely the biggest the demo would ever get would be a 4-way. I know a couple of friend's dads are pilots. If they think it is risky, or are uncertain, it will be a no go. If other jumpers feel uncomfortable, it will be a no go. As we say before every flight in a helo for the military, we'll fly at the lowest level of comfort, and the highest level of safety. 3. Air Traffic: Having lived in the area for a long time, I think maybe once I saw a small plane fly over where I live. The main airport is approx. 20mi away, and the local dropzone is approx. 20mi away, at a different airport. Air traffic should not be a very high concern, but just to be safe, an appropriate NOTAM should be made. There's little to no air traffic in the area the jump will take place. 4. Jump Run/Spotting: A winds aloft forecast will be taken prior to the jump, and the exit/opening points carefully calculated, and double checked. Spotting will be very important to make sure we are exactly where we need to be for the exit. A bad spot/changing winds will be a no go. 5. Updrafts: Happy Valley, which is where I live, is known to have thermal updrafts, due to the nature of the weather and location. These must also be taken into account, and the possible effects on the jump run, spot, and canopy flight. 6. Landing Patterns/Divert Areas: The target field is approx. 30-40 acres, so it is relatively large. The landing pattern, based on wind direction, shall be followed as to stay above the divert areas, and not over the woods. 7. Individual Skill Level: Every member that will participate in the jump must be an expert canopy pilot. I already consider myself a fairly good canopy pilot, but far from expert. Very far. In order to prepare, I must take canopy control courses that are offered, work on target accuracy, with different approaches, simulated emergencies, and different landings, including crosswind and downwind. These are only a number of risks associated with the jump. The biggest risk of all, is an overestimation of my ability and skill. As of right now, many of you feel I am not ready to do this jump. I respect your input, which is the very reason why I posted this topic in the first place. I will be working on my safety, ability, and skill. Before I would attempt this jump, I will consult with my instructors here at Elsinore, my home DZ, and my local DZ. If the instructors think I have the ability to plan, coordinate, and pull off this jump, then I will once again take everything into account for a risk assessment, and plan accordingly. If any instructor believes that I will not be able to pull it off, or that I am not ready, I will respect their input, because that is why they are there, and plan the jump for another time, possibly even another year or two down the road. Thank you everybody for your input. I understand I am not ready to do this jump. All I will be doing right now, is continue to enjoy this sport, and work on getting myself better every jump I go on. That is one thing I love about this sport. You can ALWAYS improve. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I'm surprised nobody caught on to this. I am not planning on doing this jump for awhile. I am still a student, and will likely be getting my A license this weekend, I hope. I did the math. If I jump at least 4 times a weekend, which sounds like it'll be a possibility once licensed, or more, then I should have over 100 jumps by the time it would come around that I would even consider doing this. I completely agree with all of you. As a student with only 21 jumps, it would be moronic to try and attempt something like this now. EDIT: Also, I've been talking to my dad about the possibility of this jump. He and I have been keeping it down low, so it can be a big surprise for the rest of my family and friends, by having a welcome home party planned. Everybody except my dad would be expecting me to pull up in my car. My dad and I would also get together before the jump, so we can place wind socks, zero altimeters, and judge conditions. Nobody else would think twice about a wind sock. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

About a month ago I made a post about a question regarding the possibility of making a demo jump into my own backyard, to surprise my parents and friends when I can take leave this fall/winter. Judging from the size of my backyard, and the many alternate landing areas, many on the board said it is definitely a possibility. Well, the only concern I have with the jump is the fact that I live a little ways up a small mountain. For those that live in Pennsylvania, or the tristate area, they know that the local mountains are generally just a large rolling hill, compared to the steep, sharper peaked mountains on the West Coast. My question is, will light winds coming from the South pose a danger? The mountain is approx. no more than 1500-2000ft above ground level. The landing area is shown in blue, with emergency divert areas in red. Obviously any strong winds coming from the East - South are going to pose a risk. The small tree lines to the North behind my house are actually lower than the house, so winds from the North will be ideal for final approach. The small tree lines to the West are fairly small trees, and the landing area is far enough away that turbulence should not be an issue if winds are coming from the North - West. I've included an aerial photo of the area, and would like to ask several members of the board if this is a possibility, and what kind of effect mountains have on turbulence. Obviously I'll need to plan the spot very carefully, and I should be able to do that with a local experienced jumper. It would be a very small demo, with no more than 4 jumpers total, and because it wouldn't be a large event, I have absolutely no problem calling it off it conditions are not ideal. In the end, it would be nice to surpirse family and friends, but if the conditions are not good, it could be a surprise in a very wrong way. Most of the time the wind in my area is very calm, if not nonexistent. Some days there's a gental mountain breeze coming from the South, and others, a breeze from the North. http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t242/aresye/DemoJumpLandingAreas.jpg Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I'm stationed in San Diego, and I drive up to Elsinore almost every weekend. If you fly in to Limburge (sp?) airfield, which is the San Diego airport, I wouldn't mind giving you or anybody else a ride up to Elsinore. It's only an hour drive. It's a bit down the line, but I should know at least a month in advance to the boogie if I can, or cannot do it. If you're interested, just give me a PM. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I would say above average. A lot of my friends who are close to getting their A license still have some canopy control issues, especially regarding flare timings. I got a few compliments last weekend at the DZ because I ended up flaring too high, but recovered very quickly, and made a very nice stand up landing. It was my third jump on my second downsize, and every jump ended with a great stand up. Regarding freefall though, I'm not quite sure. Looking at videos of some people who are around the same experience, I would say I'm average - above average. I think people around my level still try to go through a mechanical process in turning, tracking, etc. I seem to have a more natural feel, and can perform fairly well in the air. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I'm active USN, and unless things have changed in the past two years I've been in, I believe that they still offer the enlistment vs. jail option. It really depends on the offense, but I did have a few guys in my boot camp division that were in because they had that option. If you need any more information about military life, just PM me. I don't have too much information about the military vs. jail option though. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Depends on how hydrated I am. I wouldn't have any second thoughts if I was well hydrated. Now if I was dehydrated. Well, that's some pretty nasty pee. Definitely wouldn't do that to a friend. Now, I'm sure all us guys can all agree that we would never rub one out in a friend's shower. That's just plain messed up. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Well damn, I need to get myself tested for dyslexia, or something. I read the whole freakin thread thinking it was about cows. Stupid r. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

Or else none of the passengers would have had seats http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24594248/?GT1=43001 Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

When making your first s-fold, keep constant forward pressure on the end of the packjob, where the lines are. Then, place your knee in the same spot. If done right, it shouldn't slip around anywhere. You just need to find that sweet spot. Next, wrap the rest of your canopy, and get it down to size. When you're ready to make your second s-fold, keep your knee on the first. Bring the second s-fold over with one hand, and when you've got it in the right spot, remove your knee, but keep a hand on the first s-fold. Then quickly take your hand out, and place a knee on the entire packjob. Feel that sweet spot under your knee, and if you got the right spot, your canopy won't grow on you. Then just simply roll the tail in and bring the bag to you. Remember that with the bag, you're pulling the bag over the pack job, not pushing the pack job into the bag. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.

I did my training at Emerald Coast, and my instructor definitely challenged me. As I said in another thread, I had a problem with a very flat arch. I had to repeat a jump because of that. When I switched duty stations, and now jump at Elsinore, a lot of stuff I was taught at Emerald Coast was extra training and information. Both Elsinore's and EC's training programs make sure that the student is ready for solos, but EC's definitely pushed that extra training, and a higher standard. Definitely a lot of professionals there, as at Elsinore as well. Skydiving: You either learn from other's mistakes, or they'll learn from yours.