Hooknswoop

True, but if it is the reserve system and the rig was sealed, then either the rigger did the work, or packed it in that condition. Derek

I think you are right. John- I'm sorry, I cannot explain in a way you can understand. I tried, but I can't do it. Maybe someone else can explain in a way you will understand what I am trying to say. Derek

If you wouldn't make the jump w/o an AAD, how does having an AAD change your ability to handle the skydive? Let's say you turn on your AAD and as your are putting your rig on, the cutter becomes disconnected. Now you think you have an AAD, but you don't. Next you go make a jump you wouldn't make w/o your Cypres, but, unbeknownst to you, you don't have a (functioning) Cypres. Why go make jumps you wouldn’t make w/o an AAD when you don’t know if it will even work. I think the reliability of modern AAD’s are working against jumpers’ attitudes towards safety. They are putting themselves in higher risk situations because they have one. I am not, and have never said, don’t jump an AAD. I said don’t rely on a back up, optional safety device. If you make a jump because you have an AA you wouldn’t make w/o one, you are relying on it to increase your level of safety, when it might not be. By not increasing your risk level because of an AAD, you keep your risk level lower than making a riskier skydive and expecting the AAD to offset the risk because then it is no longer a back up when you are relying on it. Do not expect an AAD to offset risk. Because if it fails when you need it, there are no more back ups. It is an attitude difference, not a gear difference. I’ve never made a jump that I wouldn’t have made w/o an AAD. Derek Derek

I see this sort of stuff all the time. Derek

You have to take the test, they don't just give them out. Talk to the S & TA that witnessed your landings and did your demo training about the test. Derek

You landed hard because you let the toggles back up. In the landing flare, pulling the toggles down is a one-ay action. Letting them back up will result in a hard landing, even you you pull them back down again. Think of the landing flare as meeting the ground with the toggles. Try this exercise; start at the top of a flight of stairs with your arms in the "full flight" position. Walk quickly down the flight of stairs, beginning your flare when your feet are about 10 feet off the ground. Slowly simulate flaring as you descend the steps, finishing with a full flare on the last step. Get an Instructor to watch you and make any corrections. It is amazing how many people will either be 8 feet up and fully flared or have not finished their flare by the time they get to the last step. Derek

The difference you do not need an AAD to skydive, it is optional. A reserve is not optional, in the U.S. anyway. I agree that everyone should use as much safet gear as possible, but my point is do not accept a higher risk level because of that optional gear. If you would not do a 100-way without an AAD, don't do it with an AAD. If you do make a skydive only because you have an AAD, then you are depending on that AAD to offset the hoghe risk level. If the AAD is inop for whatever reason, you are now at a higher risk level without an AAD to offset that higher risk and you don't even know it. That is my point. It is simple, really. Derek

The jumper has a reserve ride. Some packers that are riggers will re-pack the reserve for free. If you don't want a packer-packed mal, don't use packers. Derek

Upon further review of the tape, airtwardo had the correct answer first and is the winner. Derek

I try to, but it is hard to track down riggers. I've found out that I am really not going to change or improve things, so I stick with trying to make my little corner of the world a better place. Derek

OK, Denren, you get the bonus points too It is an old J5. There was a ton of things wrong with it, the most serious is this buckle and the main closing loop tongue grommet faces the D-bag. It had been packed as recently as November of 04 like that. The cypres kit was installed poorly, with the cutter elastic held in place with 2 tackings, one of which had come un-done. The rig is a mess. Derek

We have a winner! Look at the thicker part of the hardware at the bottom of the pic, it should be towards the leg strap webbing, it is backwards. Can't do this with step-throughs. Derek

1 point for DeNReN

There is one obviously wrong thing, 1 point. Find the less obvious problem for the bonus points. Derek

They don't have an TO flying jumpers. DZ's lie on their web pages, some worse than othes. So now you know why I do things better than I do? FYI I jumped at MH after Jeff was gone, so he had nothing to do with me stopping going out to MH. If you want to discuss DZ's false advertising, OK. You can even pick the DZ. Do you disagree that DZ's lie on their web pages? You can PM me if you want to discuss other issues. Derek

You made my point for me, all DZ's are the same. Just because almost every DZ lies on their web page doesn't make it OK. I agree it does, but MH doesn't have a TO flying jumpers, does it? I picked on MH because it is an easy target and their web page is the worst offender in CO. No DZ in CO follows the BSR's. Derek

Care to explain your thinking because I don't follow. Is it because you think an AAD offsets the higher risk level? Derek

Yes, a VX-60 and a Safire 189. Because they had different flight charateristics. Yes, jumping the VX-60 carried a high risk level with it. Adding say, skysurf jumps, no wait I did skysurf w/ the VX, birdman jumps increased the risk too high. Jumping a Crossfire 104 brought the risk level down, then adding the birdman jumps brought it back up, but not above what I considered acceptable. Because that could take the risk level above what I consider acceptable for me. Why? If jumping a larger canopy off sets the higher risk level, how is it flawed risk assessment? The larger canopy's flight characteristics are known and decrease the risk level. Derek

That is correct and if you cannot pull, you should assume you are going to die. Anything else is a bonus. You need all those things to jump, they aren't back ups that you can jump without. You don't decide to accept a higher level of risk because you have or don't have a pilot chute. Those item are different from an optional back up safety device. This isn't about failure rates or what is more reliable. It is about risk assessment and the impact an AAD should or shouldn't have on that assessment. Let’s say a skydive is beyond what risk you are willing to accept. Thinking, “My other rig has an AAD, so I can make that jump if I use my other rig.” is flawed risk assessment. You miss the point. Derek

Ferrari F40. I wasn't talking production cars, but since you narrowed it down Do you think a helmet is less likely to protect a jumper than an AAD? A helmet will offer a level of protection. An AAD may offer zero protection. Accepting a higher level of risk based on having an AAD is foolish. If you won't do it without an AAD, then don't do it with an AAD. Derek

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1542624;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Most DZ's lie on their web pages. Derek

Fly well, fly smooth, stand up the landing, that is setting a good example. HP landing, done right, are not bad examples, they are good examples. Derek

No, it doesn't. A safety belt doesn't have inertia reels, etc. Take a look inside a race car to see what a safety belt look like. I would trust a safety harness over an airbag any day. If the webbing fails, you are dead anyway from an impact that large. To make it easier, use the helmet analogy. It doesn;t have to do anything to protect you. It does have it's limits, but it won't fail and offer zero protection like an AAD can. I think you are missing the point. Using an AAD to offset increased risk is a bad idea since if the AAD fails, you will find yourself with an increased risk without the offsetting safety value. If you wouldn't do it without an AAD, don't do it with an AAD since your AAD may not work. Given the choice between jumping with a helmet and no AAD or no helmet and an AAD, I'll take the helmet anytime. Again, then entire point is skydive like you don't have an AAD, because for all you know, you might not. How many people have tested their AAD down to firing altitude? Are you sure it will work? You should think that if you don't pull, you will die. Derek

I said, "it may not lower your risk." as demonstrated by the recent fatality. That attitude that it WILL lower risk is what I am talking about. The fatality that inspired this thread had an AAD and it did not lower her risk. Sure, safety belts, airbags and AAD's all have their own risks, but a safety belt doesn’t have to do anything to protect you, it is passive. An airbag must activate to protect you. If for whatever reason it doesn’t activate when you need it, it is worthless and has done nothing to protect you. It is an active safety device. An AAD must activate to protect you. If it doesn't it has done nothing to protect you. It is an active safety device. I would drive faster (if it didn’t endanger anyone else) if I was wearing a safety belt than if I wasn’t. I wouldn’t fly an airplane in conditions where without the autopilot I could not control the aircraft. If the autopilot fails, I’m dead. I will accept a higher level of risk if I can offset that risk with passive safety devices that will work. I will not increase my level of risk based on active safety devices. This is because if they don’t work, my level of risk is higher that I am willing to accept. AAD’s are great, they may save you if you need it, but I wouldn’t expect it to and I wouldn’t accept a higher level of risk because I had one. Derek

The problem is unlike a safety belt or helmet which are passive safety devices that will offer a certain level of protection without actually having to do anything, an AAD is an active safety device, which has to do something to work. It may not, negating any increase in safety it may offer if it works. An AAD does not necessarily make you safer, a helmet does. That is an important distinction. If the AAD fails to work, for whatever reason, you are no safer because of it. Therefore one should not accept a higher level of risk they normally wouldn’t because they have an AAD. I agree and have not ridiculed or even suggested anyone jump without an AAD. I think people should jump them because they may work if they ever need them. If they need it and it works, they are saved. If they need it and it doesn't work, they are no worse off than if they didn't have it in the first place. This my exact point, it may not lower your risk. Because AAD’s have become so reliable, people are beginning to think they will work every time. It may not. I do not think that someone should increase their acceptable level of risk based on having an AAD in their rig. I think that is a false sense of security and they are relying on the AAD to of set the higher level of risk that they would normally accept. A skydiver should have the attitude that I they do not pull, they will die. If they don’t because of their AAD or another skydiver saves them (Bill Von), that is gravy. If their AAD saves them when they had the capability to save themselves, they very nearly died and should reconsider their participation in a sport that is unforgiving of such errors. Derek