Hooknswoop

Line dump is when line stows release pre-maturely, but the canopy remains inside the deployment bag until line stretch. This will have almost no impact on how the canopy opens Bag strip is when the locking stows release pre-maturely and the canopy comes out of the deployment bag prior to line stretch. This can cause extremely hard opening, injury and/or canopy damage. I have asked for video of bag strip on a sport rig before and no one has ever come forward with any. I have video of some extremely hard openings that were not caused by bag strip or line dump. I think people blame bag strip or line dump for hard openings when that isn't the cause. #1 cause of hard openings, I believe, is the slider not being against the slider stops during deployment. During packing, it is easy to allow the slider grommets to slide down the lines, off of the stops, an inch or more. This will cause a hard opening. Take a look at a reserve free bag, 2 locking line stows only. The rest of the lines are in a pocket. I have deployed a number of mains out of a fee-bag style bag without a change in opening characteristics. Essentially, it is line dump on every deployment. Derek

I don't see that, just a loose back/lumbar strap. Looks like the leg straps are correct. Derek

It will be entertaining to see what Mr. Absolutelynofear comes up with. Derek

Kayla flys HD at 83%. We can hop in and fly HD with her at that speed. Justin is at about 76%. He's got it, just needs more time to get solid. I think being smaller worked against them, more so for Justin. The slightest movement would send him sailing across the tunnel. Easy to spot, but hard for him to fly. Plus the motor skills and focus needed to fly HD is hard to find in an 11 year old, much less an 8 year old. They are an absolute pleasure to work with. We had to re-invent how we teach HD with Justin, since the slightest burble would really throw him off, a burble that an adult would never even notice. Plus the smallest Pro-Tec is still a large shell and that really affects him when he is HD. I think I learned more teaching them than they did

Probably just that. Definitely a supercharger. Have fun, mustangs are cool cars. Derek

Sorry, I didn't mean to come off like the Shelby was a much better car, just that it was from that driving experience that I was suggesting the supercharger for your GT. Derek

Nice car. A friend mine recently bought a new Shelby GT Cobra. 500 HP, supercharged, and the block is signed by the guy that put it together. He can go to a larger supercharger without voiding his warranty. I drove it and in the straights, the only thing I have driven faster was the MB Maclaren SLR. If your block can take it, supercharge it. Derek

I have a lot of respect for someone that puts someone else's needs ahead of their own. That is a diffifcult, long term sacrifice. Soldiers, parents, public service, etc. WEll done. Derek

I guess I need more lessons. I can feel how much pressure is being applied to the closing loop with my tools. I can also apply a tremendous amount of force with a B-12 hook. The closing device is easier and I have yet to damage anything with it. Why work harder? Oh ya, I threw away my molar strap years ago. I can pack much neater without it. There is more than one way to skin a cat and everyone else's way isn't wrong. Derek

You sound biased. They either have canopy control skill or don't. For the same reasons you wouldn't make a student avoid you, you should assume responsibility for avoiding tandems and remaining clear of them. A sub 100sq ft canopy should have zero problems remaining clear of tandems. Derek

Tail end of the video, looks like one of the AFFI's directly underneath the videoman??? Derek

That is for the whole thing. The price doesn't change if you have 2 or more people flying at the same time. Derek

Exactly. Derek

The staff here at SVCO works very hard at what we do and the owners back us with training and a great facility. As for being 'the best', I think it depends on how you rate tunnels. SVCO is a 12-foot recirculating, 1200-hp tunnel. I 'believe' Airkix is 1000-hp. Unless you are flying at very high speeds, you wouldn't ever notice the difference. We also have some of the most highly trained staff anywhere. I don't know where that puts us in the standings for the best tunnel competition, but I do know we have a great facility with a great staff. Derek

If you started a DZ, I just might jump again. Derek

Because every student has to learn from the AFFI (or S/L I or IAD I), Not every student has to learn from a canopy control Instructor. The AFFI has the student's undivided attention. Derek

I have to deal with that all the time, when I am flying with the student. Every time I fly with a flyer, it is like doing AFF in a 12-foot tube. Can all be stopped, without them hitting a wall or me using a wall or the net to brace. The tunnel can teach an AFFI to hold a student within a 12-foot tube with a constant fall rate and no turns. A terrific idea. Absolutely. Do any DZ's already do this? Derek

Not at all. Some actually do care. But how can they afford to pay their AFFI's more and still compete with the DZ down the road? If you know a DZO that is interested in how our training, currency, etc program works, I would be more than happy to explain everything to them. I think the tunnel is a very valuable tool for AFFI's. Imagine doing AFF, but having to keep the student within a 12-foot tube and control their fall rate. Maybe you could approach your DZO with a request for them to pay for tunnel time with the condition that the time be used to improve your AFF skills only. The DZO gets better AFFI's, you get free tunnel time. Derek

Because DZO's don't want to do that. Why pay an experienced AFFI more when you can fire them and hire 2 new ones if they complain about pay? In the tunnel, it is just you and the student. If something happens, it is the Instructor's fault, they cannot blame the student or another Instructor. It pays to have quality Instructors in the tunnel, it doesn't pay to have quality Instructors at the DZ. Derek

1) There was an Instructor shortage in 2001. USPA responded by lowering the standards to become an AFFI. 2) DZO's make their money from AFF by the quantity of jumps, not the quality of the instruction on those jumps.. 3) DZO's make more money with poor AFFI's since the students are more likely to have to repeat levels because of the AFFI's mistakes and/or poor instruction. 4) There will always be skydivers that want to get paid to skydive and will do it as independent contractors for lousy pay, lousy treatment, and no benefits. 5) There are no standards for currency, just do at least 15 AFF jumps/year and you are good to go. Doesn't matter if the next time you saw the student after exit was on the ground for those 15 AFF jumps. 6) As long as USPA continues to represent DZO's and not skydivers and skydive Instructors, there are jumpers willing to work for cheap in lousy conditions, and Instructor turn-over remains high, nothing will change. 6) Students always think their Instructor(s) are 'awesome'/'the best', because they are much better than the student and the student has no experience base to determine the quality of the skydiving instruction they receive. 7) An AFFI with 500 AFF jumps and that is really good, makes the same as an inexperienced, poor AFFI. 8) It is much easier for a DZO to influence/pressure a brand new AFFI into pushing safety limits in the interest of profit than an experienced AFFI. Derek

They will inflate during aggressive maneuvers with a HP canopy. The bungee cord's elasticity changes over it's life so that the PC inflates and deflates at differing airspeeds. The PC may not inflate immediately during an emergency, low-altitude/low-airspeed exit. They are difficult to set up with the correct length of bungee so that they inflate/deflate at the airspeeds you want. They don't deflate as the canopy comes out of the bag, so they influence how the canopy opens. I put a bunch of jumps on one too. Derek

Cock the PC after laying the canopy on the ground and before putting it in the bag, problem solved. Bungee PC's have too many issues. Derek

What do you hope to accomplish with this? Who are you thinking should enforce this? How is this any different from the incidents section here on DZ.com? (Which is a much more complete accident/incident database than USPA can maintain). Derek

TI's are indepndant contractors. If the DZO decides he doesn't like you, you are fired, if the DZO hires too much staff, you get less paid jumps, if you don't pay for health insurance yourself and get injured, it is out of pocket, plus you can't work. If the weather is bad, the plane broken, or no tandems to take up, you make no money. You work long days as much as 7 days a week. If you are full-time, it is easy for a DZO to take advantage of you, since your only options are to take it or quit. There are always more TI's that are just happy to get paid to skydive and just get by. I have been full time skydiving instructor and there is no way I would ever do it again. With a mortgage, you stand to lose a large investment, your house. Don't risk it. Derek

If the canopy is flying in brakes, then it doesn't have the airpseed to trade for lift to flare with. Longer risers would be a fix. If the jumper's arms are to short to reach the toggles with the longer risers then that canopy probably isn't the right choice. I don't think any canopy should have taut brake lines. during a turn, the wind drag on the lines increases, pulling the opposite side of the tail down. Canopies should always have some slack in the steering lines. If you can pull a toggle down an inch and the canopy turns, the steering lines are set too short. Derek