faulknerwn

Section 5-1E 3. All malfunctions can be classified as one of two types: a. total malfunction (parachute not activated, or activated but not deploying): (1) A total malfunction includes deployment handle problems (unable to locate or extract the main parachute deployment handle), pack closure, and a pilot chute in tow. (2) If altitude permits, the jumper should make no more than two attempts to solve the problem (or a total of no more than two additional seconds). procedures: (1) In the case of no main pilot chute deployment (e.g., missing or stuck handle, ripcord system container lock), deploy the reserve. (2) hand-deployed pilot chute in tow malfunction procedures (choose one): (i) For a pilot-chute-in-tow malfunction, there are currently two common and acceptable procedures, both of which have pros and cons. (ii) An instructor should be consulted prior to gearing up, and each skydiver should have a pre-determined course of action. Pilot chute in tow procedure 1: Pull the reserve immediately. A pilot-chute-in-tow malfunctions is associated with a high descent rate and requires immediate action. The chance of a main-reserve entanglement is slim, and valuable time and altitude could be lost by initiating a cutaway prior to deploying the reserve. Be prepared to cutaway. Pilot chute in tow procedure 2: Cut away, then immediately deploy the reserve. Because there is a chance the main parachute could deploy during or as a result of the reserve activation, a cutaway might be the best response in some situations.

I'm also very surprised they told you to chop. That happened to me a lot on student status - I just flew it in gently and it landed fine... W

For those of you know ex-skydiver Mike Badarnik - he's now the Libertarian candidate for President! I'm amazed that I've drank beer and jumped with a Presidential candidate :-) http://www.statesman.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/monday/news_04ab9d613359b1ed003d.html Wen

Oh Yeah. Our 182 regularly goes to 14k in a faster time than our 206 can get to 12. Although our 206 can get to 12k MUCh faster than the Otter I jumped last weekend (not a Super Otter). And the Cessna's are a lot more comfortable to me - the Otters unless I'm lucky enough to be sitting on the floor by the door you invariably have someone sitting on top of you squashing you to death and causing you dire pain. Cessna's are a thousand times more comforrtable.... W

I'll agree with that. I was experimenting a bit recently with not stowing my brakes on my Lightning. With the brakes stowed it opens very consistantly quick and on-heading. Without them stowed it opens slower but more unpredictably - line twists or off-heading openings.. W

depends on what you're doing really. The front riser 2-1's are what I mainly use, but the b-line I find useful on low wings. Adding them both makes lots of bulk on the risers.... W

I definitely don't track after a freefall mal - but my last CRW cutaway as I chopped I could see at least 4-8 other people without good canopies at the time. I tracked my ass off! I only had 1 parachute left! W

My reserves open pretty softly actually - much softer than my CRW main!!! W

If you're a beginner and have never chopped I'd agree with you. I also recommend RSls to novices as a general rule except when doing CRW. But most people who've had 1 or 2 cutaways are cursing more than anything during a mal. I know I am ;-) I've always had a rule that I get stable if I have altitude. If I don't, or I'm not sure, dump unstable. I dumped on my back after a spinning mal on a sunset jump last fall. I know I didn't know my altitude and it was getting dark enough I didn't trust visual cues. Other times I've known I had time and I took a second or two to get stable. Heck, after CRW cutaways, I normally track for a couple of thousand feet, give a good wave off and check very carefully for traffic before I pull. Don't know how many other of those crazy fools are coming after me :-) Generally the overwhelming excitement and such goes away after your first or second cutaway and you find it fairly easy to think sensibly. W

I was in a Super Otter which had an engine problem a couple of years ago. It lost the engine at 1300 feet. The pilot did his thing, turned onto a downwind jumprun and asked us to leave :-) We were all happy to oblige. He didn't want to land on our short grass strip with a full load, and he wasn't having any problem maintaining altitude (he actually started climbing once people left). W

That is cute! The explaining would be tough tho.... W

Enjoying Life of course!

Its a brand new Beetle, water-cooled, convertible turbo-charged, a beautiful red. She hauls ass... I love her :-) I love the built-in MP3-player as well. That and the heated seats :-) Not quite the spartan life of the old bugs eh? W

I'll have to double check but I'm pretty sure its only 6 letters. But FLYNBG would work :-) Course I do want to avoid any plates which would attract police :-) W

I'm debating what to put on my new Bug's license plates. Its a beatiful red Turbo bug convertible and it just is calling for a cool license plate. She's definitely a flower-power bug, and as cute as a button W Pictures here (more coming after the eyelids go on tomorrow :-) http://crwdog.servebeer.com/~faulkner/bug

I like doing it during a bath. The hot water seems to expand it and they slide right in and out. W

I believe that 2 guys named Chuck Blackwell and Paul Ferrell both call Moss Point home. They can probably help you out. And I wouldn't worry about canopy size too much at this point - you don't have to have perfectly matched canopies to do small-way CRW - my Lightning 113 (WL 1.37) flies well with .9 loaded Spectres. Definitely check out my website - have lots of CRW info there. http://crw.boxofclue.com/skydive W

Yeah. I didn't know JR was sick either until I saw his obituary in the newspaper. Very sad cuz he was such a nice guy. W

Yep. The same things happened to me. I only realized it when I leant it to a friend one weekend and had the same experience as you. W

Dude - I REALLY REALLY don't recommend that. Have you seen the video previously mentioned? That's what can happen when you do high-performance CRW - those 2 are VERY lucky to be alive. I can't say I've never done higher-performance CRW, I have, but I've got almost 2000 CRW jumps and 3500 jumps total. I'm pretty experienced at CRW but I am still extraordinarily careful on the occasions I do it. The little canopies don't handle canopy formations particularly well. They're not very stable. You're on a very small, very radical heavily loaded canopy at a pretty low jump number for the kind of parachute you're jumping. I also suspect that you most likely don't have much CRW experience. It only takes one very small mistake and you're in the situation like in that video. You may not end up as lucky as those guys. Have fun, enjoy flying close to your buddies on those jumps, but please don't dock. One small mistake on those kind of canopies and you may not survive. Save your CRW for Spectres and Lightnings and Triathalons. Please... Wendy

An Otter? Heck! I stand up and walk out of our C182! W

This is what I've been trying recently (well my last 4 Lightning jumps). 3 were reasonably soft - partly because the slider stuck halfway up the lines, the 4th was of normal "harness." Its worth a shot... W

WOMEN'S CRW WORLD RECORD EVENT The dates of April 30th -May 7th 2005 have been selected for the Women's CRW World Record event. Perris Valley CA is being considered for the location for the Record. The goal is to build a 36-way diamond. The current Women's CRW WorldRecord is a 25-way diamond built in October of 1997 at Perris Valley CA. The organizers for the record event are Cheryl Michaels, Wendy Faulkner and Lyn Hannah. The planning for this event is in the beginning stages. Many questions such as registration fees, wing loading and license requirements have not yet be en decided. Just as for the recently completed World Record, participants w ill need an FAI sporting license for the completed formation to be judged a World Record. We will be establishing a web site for information and announcements. If you are a women ( the first requirement) and are interested, you may respond to: wwr@boxofclue.com According to Cheryl and Wendy there are more women interested in CRW now than anytime they can remember. Let's use that collective interest to build a new Women's CRW World Record. It is anticipated that 12-14 women from Europe will be joining us. Thank The Women's CRW World Record Coalition

Right. But consider the other "main" CRW canopy that was popular before the Lightning. My 150 Prodigy has a MUCH greater descent rate than my more heavily loaded Lightning. But the wing-loading is lighter. Does that make it safer? All in the eye of the beholder. I personally think a 1.3 loaded Lightning is much easier to land than a 1.0 loaded Prodigy. The Lightning with sequential trim has a very flat glide angle. Its really not that difficult to land - often on hot no-wind days I'd often rather land my Lightning than my freefall canopies because its easier. W

So much depends on the angle attack of the canopies. Me on a Prodigy 150 WAY WAY outsinks me on a Lightning 113. A Jedei 120 would outsink my Lightning in full flight, while I suspect a Stilletto or a Cobalt 120 would noticably outfloat me. So much depends on the trim of the canopy. I know I've been on sunset 8-ways where I flew my Diablo 88 back on rear risers and made it back while people on 9-cell ellipticals didn't. A LOT depends on trim. The Prodigy 150 would outsink even my Cobalt 75 - they drop like rocks. But I've got a considerably higher wing-loading on my Cobalt. Obviously the Cobalt turns faster and flies faster, but its floatier. Prodigys are definitely large boats, but they're large boats with a hole in the bottom. That's because their angle of attack is so steep. In general Brian Germain's canopies will sink considerably faster at full flight than the equivalent PD canopy. Brian normally trims his steeper than PD. Lightnings have such a variety of line length and trim its hard to make a generalization. Put demo trim on a Lightnings and it'll land as well as a Spectre. I know as a newbie CRW dog it was a whole lot easier for me to fly and land the Lightning 113 than it was a Prodigy 150 or 175. Its not all about wing-loading. W