Hooknswoop

Wiz, I don't think you are an idiot at all. In fact, you remind me of me when I had 19 jumps. But you did make a point for me. You don't know what you don't know, yet. A 100 sq. ft. canopy loaded at 1:1 out-performs a 200 sq. ft. canopy loaded at 1:1. Hook

Exactly the reason the BSR should be put in place. A set of skills that can be demonstrated to the S & TA or I/E. Same idea as the PRO rating requirements, but different skills. The S & TA system is broken, which is partially the reason low experience jumpers are jumping too small of canopies. There is no perfect solution. I have heard the BSR/education/training/test-out proposal criticized from every corner. What I haven't heard is a better idea. Hook

Until someone' main or reserve PC gets free...... I remember a cool picture of the side of a Cessna ripped off because someone's PC went out the open door. Hook

I don't want you to get all worked up. I don't know who does either. And the proposed BSR takes this into account. If someone doesn't need the training and wants to exceed to wing loading limits, they should have no problem testing out. So of all your friends that have femured, they should have been under the canopy they were under? Isn't that illogical? If it wasn't the canopy or lack of training/education, what was it? The "senior jump friends and DZO's and S & TA's" system doesn't work. That is how wwe got to where we are. The ones w/ above average skill shouldn't have a problem testing out and a bit of training and education never hurt anyone. The ones with below average skills shouldn't be on small canopies and should receive canopy training and education. We legislate pull altitudes, "blindly applying that to skydivers in general". Is that foolish? Where was your outrage when "A" license pull altitude was raised? No, the wing loading limits wouldn't change by region, same as pull altitudes don't change by region. You are falling faster at pull time here in CO during the summer, should we change the BSR's to to include a complicated formula to accommodate DA into minimum pull altitudes? Yes, because they are not, for the most part, doing it now. If the system wasn't broken, this BSR would never have been proposed. You yourself were a victim of the broken system when the DZO wouldn't allow you to jump the smaller canopy. I think in the future more DZ's will institute wing loading caps for everyone, such as a DZ in KS did and I do not want to see that happen. And if they had had better canopy training and education when they had 1-500 jumps they would have been much less likely to femur with 1000+ jumps. What's your solution? Hook

No, they wouldn't. I have been down this road before. It is very easy to say that you would do something, much different to actually do something. Hook

The canopy does respond the same, but because of the lack of foward ground speed, less flare is required. The initial part of the flare stops the vertical speed, the second half of the flare stops the horizontal speed. No horizontal speed= no 2nd half of flare. This is what makes swooping across the ground possible. Hook

Nothing wrong with that. The key is that cocking the PC before laying the canopy on the ground, it is possible for the weight of the D-bag to cause it to start to slide down the kill-line, collapsing the PC. Cocking it after putting it in the bag can cause the kill line to wrap tight around part of the canopy, preventing it from fully inflating and possibly damaging the canopy. Hook

You can take a seam ripper or other tool and re-distubute the thread a bit. You can see how it is bunched up on the right side of the pictures. Slowly and carefully, moving from the loop take the slack towards the bunched up section. Or just have your rigger do it. It most likely won't hurt anything to jump it as-is for a few jumps. Hook

The problem is not the amount of risk available, but people's inability to accurately guage their risk level. The new "A" license card requires riser turns in order to get the "A" license. How can we get people into a class once they have their "A" license? I would recommend leaving the brakes stowed, or releasing the brakes and pulling down the rear risers for a long upwind spot, not front risers. And the BSR is designed to educate, not regulate. How else, besides this BSR, do we get these people into a canopy control class? Arming people with education will help prevent landing incidents. I agree people need to be educated, how else can we do that besides the BSR? Not a solution and bad for the sport. Hook

There isn't any regulation preventing it? Obviously, that isn't working, as you yourself was let down by that system. Another reason why the BSR would be a good idea. If people need a reserve wingloading BSR, why do they not need a main wing loading BSR? Please excuse the selective quoting. Hook

What is the cost of a reserve inspection and re-pack at your home DZ? Hook

Depends on the manufacturer, but here are a few: Sun Path (Javelin) Stainless Steel, Velcro-less mini-risers: $100.00 Relative Workshop (Vector) Stainless Steel, Trulok (Velcro-less) mini-risers: $115.00 Mirage Systems (Mirage) Stainless Steel, Velcro-less mini-risers: $130.00 Sunrise Rigging (Wings) Not sure if they are Stainless Steel or not., Velcro-less mini-risers: $80.00 Hook

Great questions. I think the life of mini-risers can vary drastically depending on environment, care, suspended weight, and the opening characteristics of the canopy. I have found that the area just above the '0' grommet to show wear, as the webbing stretches around the hole for the grommet. Also, toggle keepers and Velcro (for non-Velcro-less risers) wear out. Mirage Systems recommends replacing mini risers between 200 and 400 jumps. I have found that 500 is a good number and they may not last that long or might last longer, but 500 jumps on a set of mini-risers should get you seriously thinking about replacing them. A riser breaking with an RSL can ruin your whole day. I think that Slinks are an use and inspect item. As long as they pass a simple inspection, keep using them. If they are ever suspect, replace them. Any sort of fraying or un-stitching should be enough to replace them. I don't think 1000 jumps would be an unreasonable life span, or more if they are still in good condition. The numbers I have put out there are far from concrete and should serve more as a very rough benchmark of average life span, a little on the conservative side. Below that and you are probably in good shape, above that and you are probably on borrowed time. The downside to replacing a component early is the increased cost of maintaining your gear, the upside is, you have a new or several new components that you won't have to replace for a long time and you know are in good shape. Also, replacing components may save you serious problems in the air or unexpected down time. If you have a reserve ride day one of a big boogie, and your rigger tells you that one of your risers is bad and you need a new set, which will take 3-5 days to get in, you will have wished you had replaced your risers before. Hook

Also, a piece of type-12 sewn to the top flap so that the tuck tab tucks into the type-12 makes for a very secure main tuck tab on Javelins and Vector II's. Hook

A CI would not have to charge for their services for it to satisfy the requirement. I would think one-on-one training would satisfy the requirements. The requirements to be a CI haven't been laid out, but I would like to see something that takes into account someone like you received training from. Maybe send people interested and with the experience, a syllabus and a written test they complete and send in. In the past I have charged a small fee for my canopy control course and kept the class to a maximum of 5 people. Also, the ISP could be seen as a way to "soak more cash from the low time jumper", but it isn't. Why, because it is obvious to everyone that they get better training and it is worth the extra money. Skydiving is going the way of main stream and with this change, things that used to be free will carry a fee now. The BOD is going to discuss the appropriateness S & TA's charging for their services, something that traditionally was done for free. I would prefer to see this training done for free or only a small fee. Hook

An upper body turn will cause the center point of the turn to be near your knees. A lower body turn (legs or knees) will cause the center of the turn to be around the head. A center turn is from using both the lower and upper body, as WMW described. Dropping a knee and the opposite shoulder in proportion to the knee produces a quick center turn. Hook

The Dutch made a chart that went by canopy type. The more complicated we make, the less likely it will be used and the more difficult it will be to use it. Jump numbers and wing loading has errors at each end of the scale that can be corrected with a very detailed and complicated chart. The point of the BSR isn't so much to restrict people as it is to make education mandatory. Hook

This is how I explain it: A bit of Zen philosophy. Picture a tree. The tree has leaves on it. A leaf falls out of the tree. If it is perfectly symmetrical, it will fall straight down (no wind) without turning. Now pick up that leaf and bend an edge of it and drop it. It spins. It is all about defecting air. If you deflect more air to one side than the other and this deflection is not in line with your center of gravity, then you turn. If you deflect more air to one side than the other and this deflection is in line with your center of gravity you side-slide. Put your hand out the window of a moving car and deflect the relative wind in different ways and see the resuls. Hook

I made it from scratch, and yep, same thing, a dot of nail polish to indicate if the barrel nut has loosened up or not. Hook

From: http://www.skydivingmagazine.com/ques01.htm From: http://hem.passagen.se/tkolb/fun/skyd/sdgloss_e.htm From: http://www.parametric.co.nz/skydive/skydivez.htm From: http://www.skydivenet.com/fatalities/fatalities_us_97.html From: http://www.xlr-8.ch/events/seminars.htm They are very poor helmets. Hook

Chicago "And now, ladies and gentlemen, a tap dance" Hook

Um, wow. I had been debating whether or not to post it. I figured I would get a lot of grief and people telling me how wrong I was. Thanks. This is what I am going to start putting on the back of my new rigging forms. The other side is attached. Hook Edit: Oh ya, you can use Rapide links if you really want to. Just use bumpers, lock tite and nail polish and inspect them every 30 days gear worksheet.doc

 Use Performance Design's Slinks for the main and reserve canopies instead of Rapide links. Slinks are stronger, lower bulk, easier to install and remove, and won't damage the slider grommets.  Clean cutaway cables every 30 days with Ace Pure Silicone Lubricant, sold at Ace Hardware stores, to keep cutaway pull forces low.  Flex 3-rings every 30 days to prevent them from taking on a "set" and hanging up during a cutaway.  Inspect Rapide links and bumpers or PD Slinks every 30 days. Always use slider bumpers with Rapide links to prevent damage to the slider grommets, "Lock-Tite" to keep the link from loosening, and nail polish to torque-stripe Rapide links.  Use metal, capped, and tacked riser inserts for the excess cutaway cables, regardless of main size or type. They prevent difficult or impossible cutaway resulting from the channel "gripping" the cables or from line twists that include the excess cutaway cables.  Replace the main closing loop early and often. Adjust main closing loop so that the closing pin is snug. Use a stainless steel washer thick enough that it won't bend when closing the container.  Have Velcro replaced every 100-200 uses.  Use a kill line pilot chute, regardless of the size/type of main canopy you have. Check the length of your main pilot chute kill line every 30 days. The kill line should have a little slack in it when the pilot chute is "cocked" and the bridle is under tension. If it doesn't, have it fixed.  Replace a damaged or old kill line pilot chute with a new one.  "Cock" a kill line PC after laying the cocooned canopy on the ground and just before putting the canopy in the deployment bag.  Take the twists out of steering lines every jump or, at a minimum, after the last jump of the day.  When setting the brakes, set them so that the steering line is to the inside (between the risers) and the excess is to the outside. This will put the excess to the bottom of the riser channels, helping to protect the excess steering line.  Keep gear out of the sun as much as possible.  Use Velcro-less toggles/risers. Velcro requires replacement every 100-200 uses, and Velcro damages the steering lines, risers and anything else it comes into contact with.  Replace mini-risers every 500 jumps or less. Inspect them every 30 days for wear.  While packing, check your line trim every 30 days or less. When new, all the "A" lines are the same length (on 'most' canopies, check with the manufacturer). Spectra shrinks from the heat from friction with the slider grommets, pulling the canopy out of trim. Pay special attention to steering/control lines. Replace line sets that are significantly worn or out of trim.  Use the proper size rubber bands, 'Sky Bands', or 'Tube Stows' and do not double wrap them.  Have your rig washed every 500 jumps or so, more if jumping in a sandy or salt-water environment. What to do After Landing Your Reserve: First, place the toggles back on the Velcro. This will prevent the hook half of the Velcro from damaging the lines. Second, daisy chain the lines. Use the slider to keep the daisy chain from unraveling. This will keep the lines neat and untangled. If you have an RSL, remove it from your main canopy and re-mate the Velcro to keep the hook Velcro from damaging your gear. Be very careful with the canopy. Get it out of the sunlight and into a large plastic garbage bag and then into your gear bag. Be careful when zipping the gear bag shut to not get any fabric caught in the zipper. As long as it is clean, put the reserve pilot chute and free-bag in the center of your rolled up reserve. This will protect the spring inside the reserve pilot chute from damage. Do not take the main canopy off of the risers to untangle it. It got tangled on the risers, it will come untangled on the risers. Taking the canopy off the risers, or worse, the lines off the links, will only make the job of re-assembling the main more difficult. Put the cut away cables and reserve ripcord back into their housings and the handles back in their pockets. This will prevent any dirt on the cables from getting on the reserve or the Velcro from damaging lines, the container, or the reserve. If you lost one, or both handles, order them and have them shipped to your rigger. Also, if the free-bag and reserve pilot chute was lost, order a new one and have it shipped to the rigger. Make sure when ordering handles or free-bag to order the correct size for your harness/container. In the gear bag, put a card with your name, address, phone number(s), and any special instructions, such as "install/replace soft links", "wash the container", "remove/install RSL", "I need the rig by this weekend", etc. If you have a Cypres, check your reserve packing data card to see when the scheduled maintenance and 2 year battery replacements are due. If the maintenance is due (4 and 8 years +/- 3 months (+/- 6 months for Cypres "2") from DOM), make arrangements with your rigger to ship the unit or have your rigger remove it and ship it yourself (your rigger will need the original Cypres box to ship it). If your batteries are due (two years since installation for the Cypres1), check with your rigger to see if they have new batteries or if they will need to be ordered. The batteries will have to be replaced if there is less than four months remaining in the two-year cycle, for a Cypres "1". Cypres2 batteries are replaced at the 4 and 8 year maintenance by the factory. Hook

There will be a proposal before the board to create a BSR requiring helmets for tandem Instructors and passengers (as well as AFFI's). 1. Tandem Instructors, do you wear a helmet on tandem jumps? 2. Why or why not? 3. If yes, what type of helmet? 4. Do you have your passenger wear a helmet? 5. Why or why not? 6. If yes, what type? 7. Have you changed your helmet policy for tandems? 8. If yes, how? 9. What rigs are you rated on? 10. How many tandem jumps do you have? My answers: 1. No 2. I have found it isn't that hard to keep from getting hit on the head while doing tandems. I don't feel it is necessary. Hard helmets are a bad idea and Frap hats are almost worthless and can make an impact worse. I have found that good communication with the student, not blocked by a helmet, can prevent the need for a helmet. 3. N/A 4. No 5. Same reasons as 2., above. The better they can hear me, the less anxiety they have. If they can't hear me or misunderstand me, it can cause more problems than wearing a helmet solves. 6. N/A 7. Yes 8. I used to have my passenger wear a Frap hat and I used to wear a Bone-head, open face hard helmet. 9. Eclipse, Vector, Sigma, USPA Tandem I/E 10. 899 Hook

Is this an indication that the board would like to discuss this issue? If so, was this interest brought on by the discussions here on DZ.com? Thanks Hook