drewcarp

Thanks everybody! Some great information. Calling UPT this afternoon if the Skydive Store can get me the serial numbers. Really appreciate you all taking the time to post. D

I am looking at a Vector 3 built for someone 5'8-5'10 190lb. I am 6'1 180. I have read several places that a rig can be resized by a master rigger. What would be the difference between getting it resized and ordering fully custom rig? Is there any downside to having a resize done vs built custom? Is it just as strong after the resize? Easy to mess up? Does it affect resale value? Thanks in advance, D

Skydiving is a service you are paying for just like any other. Would you let a raft guide push you onto the other bench of a boat or let carnys manhandle you into your seat on the ferris wheel? Unless you are pulling someone out of harms way there is no excuse to manhandle anyone, AFFI or not. Tell him to fuck off and find another instructor that knows better and talk to the DZO. DZ's have a monopoly in a lot of areas and think they can do whatever they want, don't make that worse by putting up with it.

Dude will you do my math homework? This is a skydiving forum, ask how big a camera you can take on your AFF or how many coach jumps you need to fly a velocity. You are making my head hurt, and it appears you are confusing Davelepka, which usually seems pretty hard to do, so I guess congratulations but easy with all the numbers. Jump whatever they give you, Nav's aren't all that different between .07 and 1.1 anyway, just don't fly it into anything any you will be fine, flaring is kind of optional on those And don't forget the world would be a better place with less math in it so try being part of the solution and not part of the problem. Good luck on your jumps, dude. And don't read this forum too much before you get some jumps (or even after), I think there might even be a 200 jump minimum to post in Gear and Rigging.

I have "heard" that overstuffing a main tray "could" lock you reserve in should you have a total main malfunction. Someone with more experience could probably elaborate? -D

Why don't they make skydiving canopies that recover as fast? And, you say that GL canopies have better glided as well? Isn't the idea of a swooping canopy to have a great glide? Why would a swooping canopy have a worse glide? Does it have to do with not being able to due to the extra construction necessary to withstand deployment?

Hi All, So I have been paying attention to the classifieds here for a while and cannot seem to find a rig that I would think to be pretty common. -- Something name brand (Mirage, Jav, Vector, Wings etc) just not a dolphin or something similar (sorry, i'm sure they are decent but I'm not going to buy the cheapest parachute system ever made). -- Holds a 210 or 230 main and reserve. Everyone says I should buy something smaller but I would like the safety margin of a bigger canopy. I live in CO so I won't jump for a few months a year, I'm a more casual jumper than most at least now and I don't want to have to scare my self every spring. And the DZ is at 5K MSL, shit comes in sporty here. -- Fits a guy 6'1 180. Where the hell are they? I see tons of rigs that fit 130-170, a decent amount of tiny rigs and everything that holds a 230 is sized for someone 6'5 240. I saw 1 and it sold before I could get the cash together. Why is a newish rig that holds a 230 so hard to come by? Should I just buy new? I don't plan on staying current enough every year to jump something small and plan on doing my best to avoid swooping, I'm more interested in wing suiting down the road (yes I plan to abide by the minimums) so I will probably stick with the same size canopies for longer than most. Even so most people say don't buy new for a first rig? Thanks, D

Nobody has said Angry Birds yet?

Otherwise would we be required to have on board oxygen above 15 k or if we're a half hour at 10k? You can be above 12500 but below 15000 for 30 minutes without oxygen, above 15000 requires immediate oxygen to satisfy FAA requirements. The actual time of useful consiousness is way above that, in the twenty minute range at 20000 for most people. Come to mile high, we get out at 17.5k w/o o2 all the time, as long as you aren't above 14k I think for more than 30 minutes you are legal.

What DZ is that? Awesome scenery. I did the same thing but got 30 sec of video or so without the safety line and almost dropped my phone because my hands were shaking, haha. At about 35 jumps, with an assembly of children below to catch my phone if I dropped it. Just sayin go big or go home. Not dropping a phone when on the ground is cake, under canopy at 12K its really hard, weird.

You don't need an A man, finish AFF and go do one. I kinda freaked out a little on my first full altitude H&P. it's a very different feeling/view being under canopy at 13K than 3. I don't know why I would freak out at 13k more than 3k considering I was in the air by myself and the only other thing that could hurt me was that ground and it was farther away than usual!! Solo High pulls are like the safest jumps you can do! Maybe you could get hit by a 727 but I bet you would hear it coming and have a good excuse to disconnect that RSL get some bonus free fall! It was just freeky though, like was going to drift into space or something. I know I wanted to be on the ground bad for a minute or so then I got use to it. Done pry 7 or 8 since, love em now but its too cold in CO to do em now, for me at least. You can do high pulls pretty much right off AFF so bang out a few more jumps and do one. Good way to get comfortable with a canopy too. I'm not too comfortable doing weird shit with my canopy at 2k with 20 others in the air with me. High pulls are the shit.

I cleared a lineover on a Nav 260 on by just pumping the shit out of the breaks. Took about 8 very hard full pumps. Exciting first solo. I would try that first. Cutting lines could go very wrong very quickly if you didn't do it exactly right you might make a barely survivable situation not survivable by cutting a few wrong lines... What are the chances of living through landing a spinning lineover on a 1:1 canopy? That Shawna(?) chick landed on on asphalt and lived right? (despite being pretty broken) Would she be more the exception or are your odds pretty good for at least living after spinning in a lightly loaded canopy? (a strong case for a big reserve)

Dude I was just like you, looking for the "safest" way to learn and the "best" instructor. My advice is don't bother. Put 20 or 50 jumps under your belt at wherever is closest and you will realize your "safety" is a matter of blind luck and simply not being a dumbass. Great instructors can help you learn faster but really aren't going to make you much safer. Besides, highly experienced instructors are very complacent because of their experience. Only the brand new inexperienced ones really pay attention. I know because I have 50 jumps and you will know everything too when you have 50 jumps, its awesome! I will tell you what everyone told me when I asked your question, shut up and jump wherever its convenient as long as its not a Fandego DZ (see the FAA fines Lodi 600K thread for where not to go) and you will figure it out just fine and still have an ok chance of surviving it even with a idiot instructor, which there aren't hardly any of (see darwin). Believe it or not you will see lots of experienced people "try" and kill themselves skydiving and fail at it, its really cool, (usually, to know when it's not cool see incidents). And btw, have a shitload of fun while you are at it and packing sucks, just have someone sign it off for you. But don't forget...this shit is really dangerous...read up here and you will be bowling in no time!! Godspeed!!

Mile High is about 45 min from the tunnel. They have and Otter, King Air and a 206. Boulder has a DZ too with a 206 as well and is about an hour from the tunnel.

Fate Is The Hunter by Ernest K. Gann. One of the best aviation books ever written. If anyone reads it let me know how you liked it.

Anybody landed with rollerblades? Maybe some fast downwinders on the runway (only at a busy airport of course) or grass landings on those blades with the big off road wheels? Was also thinking you could do some sweet in town ground launching with some blades... and of course look sweet doing it... Anybody got video / a story / warnings / thoughts / wanna give it a go?

Not to be a dick but...Skydiving is dangerous. Much more so than driving to work. For many the risk is well worth the reward but don't try and make it seem like tennis. But, there are ways to make it safer than the numbers indicate if you are super worried about it, you can take it slow (kind of). Jump a big square canopy even if everyone tells you it will be boring (they will). Don't turn low. Don't let anyone run into you under canopy and don't run into anyone else's. Don't jump in large groups or high winds and check and maintain your gear. If you do all of that it probably is safer than driving to work. Problem is, after jumping out on airplane becomes "normal" your safety concerns are rapidly eclipsed by the fun you are having and you forget the above or move on to something riskier to get the rush back, see 'risk homeostasis' According to the numbers, bad shit probably won't happen to you even so but to some people it does. And that will never change. I don't have enough experience to give you any technical advice but i will say from a philosophical view point; bad shit WILL eventually happen to you whether you skydive or not, that's life. Statistically speaking you are most likely to NOT encounter any major problems even after thousands of jumps. And in reality skydiving is some of the most fun this world has to offer, its nothing short of [Keanu Reeves voice on] fucking amazing! and my journey has just begun. I would highly recommend getting at least an A licence which won't expose you to too much risk and you can get a taste of it and give it a fair shake. If you do that it will change you forever, in a good way, whether you continue on or not. But don't ever forget that jumping out of airplanes is a risky endeavor and could kill you in many ways you could never think of, it ain't tennis! Good Luck!

I did exactly that in March. It went very well even with 2 days spent watching the wind blow. Z-Hills is a very professional and fun dz with an awesome vibe. I have only been to a few but know from my research last winter and my experience there this spring that it is a great place and almost all skydivers that have been there would agree. PM me if you want more details. I stayed in a hotel because all the rental trailers were full but it was cheap. You could also get a tent if you are into that sort of thing, there is a bar and restraunt on the DZ and lots of people living there. Don't plan on doing anything but skydiving/drinking with skydivers because there is shit else to do in that town (my only gripe) Have fun!

I deployed on my back last week. Opened fine. Never forget your pull priorities, altitude is more important than stability. Granted I was at 12k so I probably should have rolled over first but now I know you can pitch on your back so if I am ever low and need something out quick I know what I'll do. There are lots of no no's in skydiving, most of them are described in the incidents forum. The biggest one is don't turn into a lesson for others

I agree with everything you said. That does not change the fact that no matter how many times you may tell yourself you will not cut away low, you still might. Like you said things happen fast in freefall and for a newer jumper 2000 feet isn't all that different from 700 especially in a panic after something unexpected happens like a collision or a collapse or throwing yourself into line twists and the one thing that is ingrained into jumpers heads from day one is that if there is an emergency LR LL PR PL. I know its wrong and everything you do in the air should follow some analysis but the fact remains lots of people have just cut away too low and bounced and people will continue to do so, no one is immune people with 5000 jumps have done it and so have people with 50. The Skyhook will save a few, not all but a few. Betting on it by lowering your hard deck would be retarted but you can bet people will, even if it is just in the back of their minds. Dave I respect your experience and all the time and effort you put into this forum. I'm in no place at all to have much of an opinion with 35 jumps but I do enjoy the discussion and since I will be making the choice to Skyhook or not to Skyhook soon I appreciate you input on my elementary analysis on the subject. The real lesson to take away is, if you get a Skyhook DONT CUT AWAY ANY LOWER THAN YOU WOULD WITHOUT ONE! Don't even entertain the thought of it. I'll save it for another thread but lets hope the OP doesn't get word of the reserve container lock issues that have been discussed as of late...Stay tuned another container lock thread coming soon, haha.

All the more reason to spend your money on jumps, coaching and tunnel time. The piece of equipment that most often fails a skydiver is the grey squishy bit between the ears. You'll have a hard time finding many, if any, incidents that have been prevented by a skyhook or that may have been averted by having a skyhook. You'll find lots of incidents due to skydivers making bad choices, flying beyond their abilities and other human factors. If safety is your goal, your money would be better spent improving your knowledge and skills than on a piece of equipment that has a 1 in a million chance of being a deciding factor in an incident - unless perhaps you're a millionaire and money is no option. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3915091;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Maybe this one that just happened is why he wants one? or this one http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3823178;search_string=zhills;#3823178 A shitload of people go in at line stretch following a cutaway. I saw the above happen this March after my 6th jump and yes a functioning skyhook would have saved him, but so would of bigger squarer canopy or deploying 300 feet higher or cutting away 300 feet higher. The chance of you cutaway much below 1k is low and a HORRIBLE Idea even with a Skyhook but if it ever happens the chance of a Skyhook coming in handy is pretty high. Certainly no the end all be all of safety but it could save your life some day. If you are anything like me you will want one for a few more jumps and then start to worry about the added complexity and possible failure modes of a mis-rigged skyhook. If you keep skydiving you will have to cut away. Most likely at an altitude that you don't need a skyhook. Do you trust the new technology of a skyhook to work correctly and not inhibit the cutaway and reserve launch even when you don't need it too? Part of me thinks the fewer things to go wrong between cutting away and having a reserve over my head the better. i'll use my brain to make sure there is enough altitude for the "basic and proven" system to work properly. On the other hand the incident threads above and many like it tell me that jumpers better than me have made that bet and lost. Not trying to steer you one way or the other, I don't know shit and haven't even made up my mind yet but I have recently started to realize there is something to be said about simplicity and proven technology (standard RSL or your left hand) and thats after wanting as skyhook since I heard about them 2 years ago. If skyhooks continue to work properly for people for another few years and prove themselves without killing too many people then yes I will want one but I am a little weary of anything attached to my last chance to live that hasn't been around and used successfully a few thousand times. I don't want to discover a failure mode if that makes sense. Plus it's damn near impossible to find a used rig that will fit a 210 and has a skyhook and the wait is 20 months on a new Vector or Jav (which I don't like the sound of the retrofit on) But I will say they are remarkable devices and do get a reserve inflated faster than anything else when working properly and I'm sure many people made the same argument about complexity when the RSL came out and RSL's have saved a lot of people and proven themselves to be reliable just as the skyhook probably will. I think after typing all that I talked myself into wanting a skyhook again, damn. Does anyone know of any incidents where a skyhook failed to work or contributed to a fatality?

If you have a choice between a field with one cow or one with a lot of cows, pick the one with a lot of cows. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hahaha, that is a good call.

Well I am much more sold on the rig now due the the personal attention given to my questions here by the owner of the company. Find that from a US manufacturer! Very nice of you Jerome. What is your current wait time for a custom? Do you have any stock rigs for sale or a used rig for a 6'1 180lb guy? Could you reply with a price range for a custom/stock if you have it or PM me? Or should I talk with Chuting Star? Thanks! Drew

Thanks for your quick reply Jerome. I tend to agree with you that simple is often best. And for the record I think your rigs looks great, don't waste your time on the website.

Hi Jerome, Your Seven looks like one awesome rig! It's obvious your customers like theirs very much and I see why. Any chance of introducing a introduce a Skyhook/MARD like system on the Seven down the road? Thanks, Drew