petur

Done! You're up to 74.45%... Congrats!

Hi all! Night Jumps are a pretty rare event in Iceland, I'ld say once every 2-3 years (since it's pretty darn cold in the time of year when the sun actually sets). 10 people have registered for the jumps next weekend, none of them with any night jump experience at all. We'll have someone experienced around to brief us but does anyone here have any useful hints on the subject? Any articles around? --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

These were two turkish military parachutists who collided in Ankara during a demo-jump in celebration of what I can best translate as "victory-day". One landed on a paved road/sidewalk and sustained what appeared to be only minor cuts and bruises, the other landed on a grass field without injury. See attached photo. --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

I travelled from Iceland to Skydive Miami for my AFF in february last year... After that, having visited Deland and Lake wales a couple of times plus Perris and Z-Hills, I would definately visit Skydive Miami again for sport jumps. It's a very friendly DZ, not overcrowded like many, the caravan climbs FAST, nice view, excellent landing area, no walking - just hop on the bus and exchange/enjoy jump stories with everyone on the load... and the staff is GREAT! I definately recommend Skydive Miami! --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

I've seen this happen a couple of times when people have opened their container and closed it again without extracting the D-bag from the container. People seem to get a bit confused when entering the packing-sequence at another stage than the starting point. I always pay extra attention when re-closing the container... I think everybody should :) --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Two quotes I think I got from earlier postings in the very same forum: "Remember some are destined to exist simply to serve as a warning to others." "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second." I've never been as surprised like when I heard that a jumper I know found a DZ in the U.S. where he was allowed to skysurf with only 70 jumps under his belt. He's the typical guy that falls into the category best described with the first quote above. He listened to us but decided that all our suggestions and warnings did not apply to him "because he knows what he's capable of doing". I bet he's also capable of causing us (his friends) great sorrow one day...

I recall experiencing just about the same when I started. I used the sun for a heading though, I remember I just glimpsed at my altimeter but my left-hand instructor noticed it and took a hold of my wrist and kind of shoved it into my face. During de-briefing he compared it to when people look at their wrist-watches and have to look again when someone asks what time it is... "READ the altitude" were the words I went up with on the next jump and it hasn't been a problem ever since. As I always say: RELAX and remember to BREATHE!!! that's the key... since everything else becomes easier if you do. Imagine being totally relaxed up there, looking for a heading and reading your altimeter seems like a fairly simple task... doesn't it? --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

You can look at their sizing chart at http://www.relativeworkshop.com/sales/sizingchart.htm I packed a Spectre 170 in my V310 Micron for the first 100 jumps and now I have a Sabre2 135 in it which also fits nice. It (The V310) is made for canopies in the 150'ish size category, the manufacturer said that it also fits canopies one size above/below the recommended size. (Of course, depending on different pack volumes, this rule of thumb does not apply for all canopies) Oh, and the reserve is a a PDR143... --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Jup, if it's an actual pocket, open in one end and closed in the other, I guess it might catch air and deploy during FF activities. But hey, why a pocket? What if it's open on both ends (similar to a handle split in two halves), that way it would be less likely to catch air and it wouldn't matter which hand you used when grabbing it... On the other hand, I think the grip on the standard pad-design is quite sufficient to pull the cutaway cables out of their housings.

A B-license (to my best recollection) was required when I jumped from a balloon in Lake Wales last easter and I think the same should apply to helicopter jumps. I think a dropzone (or even the pilot himself) can set their own requirements for jumps such as these... they might vary a bit by winds, type of aircraft, landing area size and surroundings etc.... I recommend that you simply contact the dropzone you're planning to jump at (or the pilot or someone involved) and ask what their requirements are. Otherwise, have fun and remember to "fall from" the helicopter, don't "jump from" it...

Interesting theory Here's a short article (in human readable form) on causes, types, symptoms, stages and prevention of hypoxia: http://www.mountainflying.com/hypoxia.htm ... and another one on g-Forces (related to aerobatic gliders) here: http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/afl/7/AEROBATICS/aerobatics_g-loads.html --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Oh, and contact PD before even mentioning it to your rigger

Yeah, I would rather buy a new one than considering coating it (Actually, I wouldn't even dream of coating it with anything) Consider this excerpt from http://www.dropzone.com/gear/articles/WhatgearshouldIget.shtml "F111 has two major discrepancies. First, F111 begins to wear out at 100 jumps and is pretty much worn out at 500 to 700 jumps. Second, F111 canopies are nearly impossible to sell on the used market." --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

A good idea is a good idea, but this just popped into my head: I guess plastic grommets, made even from "super hard stuff", will probably have some burn marks in them after sliding down the lines. One sharp edge on one grommet could cause severe damage to the lines after a very short while. The shock from severe hard openings could also deform the plastic grommet over time, making it sort of oval shaped instead of round which will make the lines tend to lean towards the narrower ends of the oval and excert more strain on these areas... thus increasing the chances of excessive wear and... you know what Teflon may be too soft, you can easily make a mark in a teflon coating with your fingernail. Try it yourself on the red teflon cutaway cables (if you can get hold of one that's not in use) and think of what will happen once the lines have made it through the coating... Effects of rapid temperature changes should also be considered. --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Hmmm... I'm wondering why not rotating the bag seems to be more convenient for bird-man jumps. In what way, other than body position, does bird-man openings differ from standard openings? --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Yup, totally agree! I made a low flat-turn yesterday (no wind) to avoid both a barbed wire fence and rocks. Practice your flat-turns too, they'll save you someday! --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

I strongly encourage everyone to read the PIA Dual Square Report (http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/dualsq.pdf) Here are the conclusions from the report: 1. conclusion: The best way to handle any Dual Square Scenario is to avoid the situation. Use appropriate and available altitude reporting devices to help maintain good altitude awareness. Follow safety regulations on proper opening altitudes. Insure that AAD's are properly maintained and used. Use properly maintained equipment and gear checks. 2. conclusion: Use great care to choose proper equipment. Choose canopies that are not drastically different in size. A general rule of thumb is to choose a reserve that is similar in size to the main canopy. 3. conclusion: If a biplane is present and the jumper has directional control, leave the brakes stowed on the rear canopy and fly the biplane using gentle toggle input on the front canopy. Do not flare either canopy for landing, and be prepared to do a PLF. 4. conclusion: If a side by side is present and the jumper has directional control, fly the side-by-side using smooth, gentle toggle input of the larger/dominant canopy. Do not flare either canopy for landing, and be prepared to do a PLF. If the canopies do not seem controllable, and they are not entangled with each other, disconnect any RSL, if time/altitude permits and cut away the main canopy. 5. conclusion: If a downplane is present, disconnect any RSL, if time /altitude permits, and cutaway the main canopy. 6. conclusion: If the main canopy deploys and the reserve is in a stage of deployment it might be best to aid the deployment of the reserve by shaking the risers. Then be prepared to take action on the resulting configuration. If the reserve opens and the main is in a stage of deployment, it might be best to remove the RSL and cut away the main. 7. conclusion: If a main reserve entanglement should occur, do everything possible to clear the two canopies by pulling on risers and/or toggles. Be cautious about immediately cutting away the main canopy as this may accentuate the problem. 8. conclusion: Additional safety devices, such as AAD's & RSL's, may cause standard emergency procedures to change. Analyze the release recommendations and be sure they coincide with your equipment manufactures guidelines. Practice these new emergency procedures prior to every jump. --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

My advice is... RELAX! In my opinion it's definately the most important thing of all, since everything else becomes a lot easier if you do... --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Just wondering... Is it any better to "test-jump" gear from 500 ft. than a safer altitude? --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Oh my god... is this true? --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Tsk, tsk... Fluffers cramp? --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

Before boarding the plane, memorize both the current wind direction on the ground and position of wind indicators relative to landmarks near the dropzone. If you can not see any wind indicators (windsocks, flags, smoke, trees, water, other jumpers, birds/airplanes taking off or landing) and you aren't sure which way you're drifting, assume the wind direction hasn't changed. I would guess that if you can't see which direction you're drifting while under a round parachute, the winds probably aren't that strong. Oh, and just for fun... if you happen to see a couple of horses somewhere around the landing spot, you can expect them to turn their arse into the wind if it's strong

Hmmm... 750ft rings some bells... oh right... the snivel on my old Spectre Experienced or not... in my ears this sounds ridiculous... he would have saved money if he jumped from a nearby cliff/antenna instead! --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

So true, everyone has opinions! IMHO you, Nicknitro71, should use opinions from other people only to aid you in forming your own, don't make them yours without investigating. On the other hand, stuff you read in the manufacturer's manual is proven test results (I sure hope). I remember my first hop-n-pop from 3k' because it was cloudy and the low cloud-ceiling prevented us from climbing any higher. The ground looked a lot bigger that low and the sub-terminal speed at deployment caused a noticeable delay during the overall opening sequence. This uncomfortable delay could definately make people adjust their body position after throwing their PC to see if everything looks allright up there, without them even noticing. Some might even kick and squirm a little, I bet I did! Fortunately no line twists or any other problems occurred during that jump, for that I am grateful, just as I am with every good jump! Anyway, here's what crosses MY mind after experiencing a line twist on my canopy: Maybe... ...my line stows were uneven ...one rubber band was a bit too tight and didn't break quick enough which caused a delay for that particular linestow to release ...one or more rubber bands snapped ...I placed the canopy unevenly in the bag (a gap with no canopy material filling one side of the bag catches more air than the other and, depending on each scenario, could spin the d-bag before the canopy is retracted) ...I rolled the nose unevenly (although I don't do that any more with my current canopy model) ...I rolled the tail too tight or carelessly before laying the canopy down on the ground and therefore I deformed the whole packjob because I pulled one side further than the other ...my body position was not perfect when I deployed (stable body position does not neccessarily mean perfect body position during deployment) ...my body position was not perfect AFTER I deployed my PC ...my leg straps were uneven ...I sat uneven in the harness during inflation, placing more weight on one side which caused the canopy to turn ...I had knot(s) (tension or regular) on line(s) on one side which came off when the canopy reached it's final opening stage ...one toggle released during deployment or maybe I even forgot to set the brakes on one side ...my lines are out of trim ...etc. etc. etc. all being factors (one or more combined at once) which I think may or may not result in a minor/major linetwist, aggressive/slow turn or any other undesired experience during deployment. ...and oh, almost forgot, I just added Pilot Chute size to this list while writing it Point is: My openings are usually pretty sweet... and then again sometimes they are not... even though I use the same pilot chute all the time. :) Blue Skies! P. --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

In my opinion, think above all of a safe first main canopy with an adequate margin for errors. Don't worry if it already has "some" jumps on it, the slippery Zero P fabric will be a lot easier for you to pack and you will probably be downsizing in a hundred jumps or so. You might be able to contact a friendly dropzone near the seller and have him turn it in for inspection before you buy it... better yet, if you don't trust the sales speech, have it sent to the manufacturer for a check. That's what I would do if I didn't know the owner or if I hadn't seen it before emptying my wallet. That's what the voices in my head would tell me to do... I myself, weighing 148 pounds, bought a Spectre 170 with approx. 3-400 jumps on it for my first canopy, jumped it 100 times, demoed a 150 Sabre2 for a few days and eventually chose a 135 which I really enjoy. --- P. "It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes - But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."