NovaTTT

Fixed that. "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

So what are your ideas? "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

Thanks all for your input and comments. I had a physical yesterday and the preliminaries (BP, pulse, weight) are all good. At 180 lbs I am about 10lbs heavier than I would like to be but I'm within a good range. BP is 116/70 which seems OK. Pulse 56. The bloodwork should be back in a few weeks and I expect (hope) my cholesterol levels are low, if not at least in the "good" range. Intersting comments on high altitude jumps. Keep 'em coming. Blue ones Nova "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

don't worry, your skyhook can handle it HA HA HA!! "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

I'm thinking about this thread and the Skyhook-Cutaway thread and hoping [someday] will find an instructor or get a mentor and ask a lot of questions. And do so quickly. Skydiving is not forgiving of mistakes, carelessness, ignorance, stupidity or recklessness. The cascade effect builds quickly, [someday]. Please get some good, solid advice. Poynter is a great place to start. (edited to add clicky) "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

The KISS principle applies here: Keep It Simple, Stupid. When emergencies arise (in plane, in FF, under canopy) it is best to use the simple, proven procedures that are taught in FJCs, that we learn as upcoming skydivers and that we practice and rehearse often. When an aircraft emergency requires a bailout below the harddeck for main deployment, exit and pull the reserve handle - that's all. There is no need or time to think about RSLs. Jump and pull the silver handle. Remember the priorities of pull? 1- Pull 2- Pull at the correct altitude 3- Pull stable So jump and pull that silver beauty. I agree with the posters who suggested reviewing EPs with instructors or experienced jumpers at your DZ. Review them before each jump and think about situations and how to handle them when you're driving to work or falling asleep or sitting around waiting for the next load. It is very important to know before you jump what is the correct procedure for dealing with different emergencies. It is much more important to review those EPs often so you don't spend a lot of time thinking about them if an emergency arises - you just act on what you have learned and practiced. Good luck and have fun. "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

I know I'm getting into middle age and thankfully carry only 10 extra lbs (guess where it is). I'm getting an annual next week so I'll find out what's going on, if anything, when the bloodwork comes back. I'm going to keep snacks on hand and hope this never happens again. I'll just be ready if it does. Thanks for the feedback - I hope the OP is helpful or at least thought-provoking for others. Safety isn't just checking gear, dirt diving, etc. We have to stay aware of ourselves too. Blue ones. N "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

What did you say????? Edited to add: My balloon jumps (x2) were in north GA in 1995 to 4k at $35 each. "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

And all this time I thought free jumps were something. "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

It was for our DZ a medium busy day for tandems (8), all after 2 PM. I was packing and because of the way my day went I hadn't eaten since breakfast. It was warm (88°) and pretty humid but I was drinking water throughout the day. It was after 7 PM when I noticed that I wasn't feeling right. Not ill, not unwell, it was just that my thoughts weren't quick and I was feeling sort of "flat". So I am packing tandem #7 (Dual Hawk, PRO pack, hanging from mounted hook) and when I get around to the tail to stow the excess brake lines the configuration of the lines is wrong. The stow band is all the way down at the hanging tail-edge, not suspended up near the slider grommets as it should be. This is where my thinking seemed to stop. I looked at it for a minute and couldn't decide why it wasn't properly configured, I could only recognize that something wasn't right. It's weird because I always notice issues or problems, diagnose and deal with them quickly and then re-check everything to make sure it's OK before moving on. But last night my thoughts simply stopped at recognizing something as not right - I couldn't think beyond recognizing the change. So I called over our rigger to inspect the job and he noticed the brakes weren't stowed. Step One had been overlooked. I stopped the pack job, ate a small meal, rested a few minutes and went back to the job feeling right again and with thoughts back in my head. Packs 7 & 8 went normally and then came the last load - which I declined because I was feeling uncertain of my responses based on the thought roadblock I hit with Pack 7. It's debatable as to whether or not it was a necessary decision but I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was . . . . It's a cautionary tale. Maybe young(er) jumpers don't have this happen - I certainly don't remember anything like it from my younger days and we used to go at it from dawn to dusk. Maybe it's a one time thing - it's never happened before. I am going to make sure to eat at least light meals when I'm busy at the DZ and am posting this advice to others: ·Don't forget or neglect to eat! ·Ask for a hand when something is not right and you're not sure what it is. ·Stop if you're not feeling right, find out what's wrong and get it together. Blue ones Nova (edited to make a small grammatical correction) "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

I remember Gila from Phoenix/Z-Hills in the early 90s. He was a memorable dude. Anybody know of him nowadays? "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

(1) Land near it if safe to do so. (2) Watch it to spot its landing location if not. (3) Don't forget the freebag. (4) Receive beverage from owner. "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

I think you missed the message behind my posts entirely. You use an aggressive tone and words throughout this thread and seem to not have found the usefulness of my or others' posts. Resent what you want - nothing was used out of context - but this isn't about you and me and I regret that you've chosen to ignore my words and focus on the person behind them instead. I am not attacking you so I don't understand your defensive nature. That defensiveness showed early in the thread when you said, in response to several answers: "holy christ people. I'm not an idiot. " Like many experienced, long-time jumpers, I am willing to give advice when it is called for. Take it or not, that's not my concern, but one shouldn't smote the messenger. There is no harm in reading the good advice that many have given here. As for jumping with you - were you to show up at my DZ you would be welcomed by all. It's a friendly DZ and I think only a bad attitude could interfere with that friendly encounter. As for hurting nobody but yourself - well, when you have more experience(s) under your belt you might just see that is not the case. Despite what you appear to think, safety and safe practices are of paramount importance to our sport and can't be overemphasized. Have fun and be safe. Think. Nova D17887 "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

No, we can't agree on that. Skydiving is a dangerous sport, a sport with inherent risks. Skydiving is dangerous because the result of errors, mistakes, complacency, ignorance and/or stupidity can be SBI or death. It is a sport which is unforgiving to those factors. Skydiving is made safe, however, through training and the use of precautions, techniques, procedures and equipment to manage those risks. Safety is not the same as the absence of risk. Which doesn't apply here as there is no "point of view" to oppose. Your question in itself raised legitimate safety concerns/issues that were addressed by a number of experienced jumpers who independently concluded a need to address those concerns. Safety concerns and discussion are not a point of view opposite to skydiving in general nor to exceptional skydives in particular. I don't. I can determine a few things by your comments, demeanor and jump statistics, but that has nothing to do with stressing safety to a young jumper. An important word in our sport is "think". Please don't - you've misunderstood purposes from the beginning of this thread. I will say again, FWIW, that in our dangerous sport we must and do look after each other. We watch our fellow jumpers packing, give gear/pin checks, inspect rigs and equipment before jumping, etc. We do this all the time, whether we are asked to or not. It becomes second nature. We don't do these things to make ourselves and each other feel inadequate. We do it because we want to keep each other from making avoidable mistakes. cyn quote: "I didnt' see that at first." That is in reference to the first response to your question. All I'm saying is - it doesn't seem like you put much effort into reading the replies and judging by your responses, didn't spend any time considering their merits. Is that the point of the thread? Raft jumps are not safe? I guess they aren't when done outside of one's experience level and/or without adequate training and guidance. Raft jumps have more risks involved and greater opportunity(ies) for serious problem development but again, that doesn't mean unsafe. Again, safety is not the same as the absence of risk. The point of this thread was to answer "What about the raft?" That question raised safety issues/concerns which have been discussed. Please remember that your question isn't for you alone - everyone who reads it, noob and experienced alike, can be influenced and learn from the discussion. My only opinion on the matter of raft jumps is the same as my opinion on all jumps: Have fun and be safe. Think. Nova D17887 "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

Skydiving is not safe? That's news to me. If you realize the raft jump is not safe (paraphrase), then why would you do it? If skydiving is not safe, why then do you jump? Cyn, I think you can come up with simple answers all by yourself. Those won't necessarily be good answers. By coming to this forum and asking for advice, which is a good thing, you asked for more than you realized. But you did ask about safety - it's the point of your post - What about the raft? - remember? That's a safety issue. I find it incredibly silly of you to chastise the posters who are giving you good advice about safety issues that I feel certain never occurred to you. Skydiving is inherently dangerous, yes, but it is definitely safe when safety procedures, precautions and equipment are observed, used and followed. I recommend, FWIW, that you re-read the posts and get a lot of advice from your S&TA, experienced up-jumpers at your DZ, and jumpers who are familiar with object jumps. Also, FWIW, I recommend you find a way to understand that procedures and practices in our dangerous sport are inextricably bound to safety practices, procedures and equipment. To execute the former without the latter leads to a highly probable outcome known as "Incident". The "Safety and Training" forum isn't a bad place to begin. Perhaps a jumper with more experience than you wouldn't get the safety feedback in reply to a question such as yours, but you are not that experienced jumper. Regardless of experience, however, we all need safety reminders, gear and pin checks and the eyes of our fellow jumpers scrutinizing our practices, packing and gear. As and if you progress in this sport this will become clear to you. Nova D17887 "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

Somehow your mal probably relates to poor canopy choice - a gear-fear issue has resulted. Your Profile indicates you are jumping an A-Max at a wingloading of 3.07:1 (which puts you at +450 lbs) . That A-Max is a wee bit small for your experience level. Try jumping a SET 400. "Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73