Hooknswoop

I didn't know until yesterday. I immediately looked up the one reserve I had packed into a Quasar II and called the owner to explain that his rig was grounded and why. That is when I got the whole story about the PC not launching on the ground and him giving his rig to Strong at the Moab boogie. He said they packed it 20 times and "it only failed once". So they re-packed it and gave it back to him. I hadn't spoken to him directly since someone else would drop his rig off for him. Derek

My customer brought this issue to a Strong rep last year. Your rig was definitely not the first time they had seen this. Derek

No, SB's are not mandated by the FAA. An example is the Sun Path main lift web SB. The FAA sent out a flyer recommending the inspection, but not mandating it. Some DZ's will not let you jump if a SB is not complied with. This varies from DZ to DZ and SB to SB. Also some riggers will not pack the reserve unless the SB has been complied with. Derek

Unfortunately, they have been aware of the issue since last year, not just 2 weeks ago. Not exactly a "quick and timely manner". Derek

Not much, the canopy I was jumping opened quickly, about 300-400 feet. Fairly accurate because of the quick openings. Derek

Those that do not believe it is possible should get out of the way of those doing it. You do not believe it is possible. That is OK. That in no way means it is not possible. How else can you explain 102 seconds of freefall from 13,500-2,100 feet? I once wore a belly cam for a state record attempt jump. After the jump we were watching the video and people simply could not believe how long or how far I was tracking. Realizing what is possible is the first step to improving your tracking. Derek

I exited in a track and pulled in a track. Derek

How can you explain 102 seconds of freefall from 13,500 feet to 2,100 feet in an RW suit? How could I fool a Pro-Track into logging more free-fall time than actual time? How could I fool the exit or opening altitudes? Newguy2005; Flat Tracking Tracking is a maneuver by which a skydiver can add significant horizontal movement to the vertical descent of free fall. It is used to gain separation from other skydivers making it safe to deploy their canopies without risk of collision. Flat tracking is the further refinement of tracking, gaining more horizontal distance for the same amount of altitude lost/used. The more horizontal distance skydivers can achieve by tracking between the break off and pull altitudes, the safer they are. With the proliferation of very small, highly loaded, ultra high performance canopies, horizontal separation has become more critical. Canopy performance has out-paced tracking skills, especially as the median experience level of pilots flying their first high performance canopy declines. Instead of a skydiver piloting their first small, fully elliptical canopy after refining their tracking abilities over five hundred or more skydives, some skydivers are flying these canopies with less than one hundred skydives. In some cases, their tracking skills may not be up to the task. Body position and stability at opening are more important on high performance canopies, with even a slight turn or unevenness capable of creating line twists. This is sometimes not completely understood by lower experienced skydivers. The higher potential for line twists on opening combined with less than adequate tracking skills and high performance canopies creates a potentially dangerous combination. Ensuring sufficient separation at pull time starts with setting a break off altitude high enough above pull altitude to give everyone enough altitude to track. Plan your break off altitude for the worst case scenario by starting at the highest pull altitude in the group and working backwards. Add enough altitude to that altitude for tracking, based on the size of the group. The larger the group, the more altitude that is necessary to be set-aside for tracking. Then add in enough altitude to allow enough time for the two highest performance canopies in the group to kick out line twists, while flying directly at each other, and turn away without a collision. On the flip side of the coin, a very experienced skydiver, due to complacency from an adequate track and separation for the larger, lower performance canopies they have flown for years, over thousands of skydives, is no longer sufficient for the new, high performance canopy they recently purchased. This is not to say their canopy control skills are not up to the task, but the ability to flat track is a critical component to safely flying high performance canopies. Also, it can be difficult for a highly experienced skydiver to admit that their tracking skills need improving to keep the same safety margin they had with their previous, larger canopy. Flat tracking achieves more horizontal separation by slowing the skydivers fall rate and by creating a low-pressure area near where he reserve pilot chute sits on the back. This low pressure acts as lift, the same way lift is created over the upper surface of an aircraft's wing. Slowing the fall rate and producing lift both decrease the steep-ness of the track, increasing the distance covered for the same amount of altitude used. Flat tracking is about achieving the best possible angle; it is not about speed. Creating the low-pressure area is done by mimicking the shape of an aircraft's wing. In a flat track, as seen from the side, the upper surface of your body should be shaped similar to the upper surface of a wing. To get a good experience of this body position, get permission from the owner and/or pilot of a twin otter first. Explain to them what it is you want to do and have them show you how to climb up on top of the wing without damaging the aircraft. Then lay on the wing facing forward with your chin even with the leading edge of the wing. Matching the curve of the wing in free fall generates lift, producing a flatter tack. If a twin otter is not available, find someone to coach you and stand next to the wing tip of your DZ's jump ship and assume the flat tracking position. Have your coach use the curve of the wing as a guide to adjust your body position to resemble the curve of the wing. Slowing the fall rate is achieved by presenting as much surface area towards the ground as possible, "cupping" air. De-arch slightly, tighten the abdomen muscles, point your toes, completely straighten the legs, and shrug the shoulders as far up towards the ears and down towards the ground as possible. Tightening the leg straps on the harness too much will restrict the shrugging of the shoulders, decreasing/limiting flat tracking performance. Of course, do not wear your leg straps so loose as to compromise safety. It is possible to over do this. If the track feels unstable or wobbles, ease off a bit. Booties on your jump suit improves the initial acceleration of tracking by providing heading control and increases the maximum horizontal distance of a track. A diving track gains horizontal distance and gives the tracker a sense of security and correct performance from the increase in speed he/she can readily feel. This feeling of security is false, as the tracker could gain more distance using a flat track, and therefore more separation, while feeling less speed. Jumper "A" and "B" both track for 2000 feet, but because jumper "B" can flat track, he moves farther horizontally than jumper "A" does in a diving track. Turning away from the formation and diving at break off to generate speed and then into a flat track is not the best technique to gain the maximum separation. Again jumper "B" will out distance jumper "A" with a flat track. Jumper "A" will arrive at pull altitude before jumper "B". On every skydive you are presented with an opportunity to practice, experiment and refine your tracking. Never be satisfied with your track, always strive to improve it. If you are going to spend an entire (or good percentage of a skydive tracking, let manifest, the pilot, and everyone else on the aircraft know your intentions. Generally trackers exit last, tracking perpendicular to the jump run for 9 seconds and then turning back in the direction of the drop zone, paralleling the jump run. This should leave plenty of separation from other jumpers. Exiting after a large group may require a longer track perpendicular to jump run before turning to parallel. Make sure, regardless of your position in the exit order, that you do not track over the top of any skydivers exiting before you, or track up under any skydivers that exited after you. Flat tracking is a survival skill. The sport has recognized the need for more advanced canopy piloting training to curb the growing number injuries and fatalities associated with high performance canopies. Flat tracking training must keep pace with canopy development. The ability to flat track is important even for skydivers that don't fly high performance canopies. Awesome canopy piloting skills are worthless if you in a canopy collision on opening. Derek

From an old post of mine: Jump run was 1/2 mile west of the DZ and into the wind (South), I opened 2 miles to the East of the DZ. I drove the road from where I opened to the edge of the DZ and added 1/2 mile. The pilot used GPS to fly jumprun 1/2 mile to the West and maintain a straight jumprun to keep the competion fair (it was a whole otter load). Pro-Track for exit, opening altitudes and free-fall speeds. I looked it up on Jump-Track Exit:13,500 Deploy:2,100 Free-fall time: 102 sec By my math that equals 76 mph avg speed and a 1.158:1 Glide ratio. Simple math to figure out the vertical and forward speeds. You can believe it or not. I tracked about a mile farther than anyone else on the load. There were about 20 other people tracking on that jump in the competition. If we had had a tail wind, everyone would have gone a long ways, they didn't. Most people do not track to the best of their ability. They track fast, which trades altitude for speed, they do not track for distance. Most people do not improve their tracking. They are content with how well they track, think they track a lot better than they really do, and that they are tracking to the best they possibly can. Derek

No medical is required. Minimum controllable airspeed with the critical engine inop. The TBO is not required to be followed for Part 91 operations. You can run the engine till it dies. 2 Years The briefing must include the procedures to be used in case of an emergency with the aircraft or after exiting the aircraft, while preparing to exit and exiting the aircraft, freefall, operating the parachute after freefall, landing approach, and landing. [quotr]Now... that was fun (and likely 1/2 wrong). But I suspect that your point was not to run a fun Monday morning quiz, but more likely to Monday morning quarterback your local DZ. IFF this is the case, I would suggest that the planned followup e-mail should NOT be posted and that this is the wrong place to air your complaints. Unimpressed IF my assumption is wrongUnsure, and this was posted for entertainment/educational value then simply consider my concerns as part of the 1/2 that I got wrong.Smile And please accept my thanks for the morning entertainment. Nothing at all to do with any DZ that I know of. Any similarity to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Derek

1. Who may pack a Tandem Main according to the FAR’s? 2. Does a Parachutist in Command (tandem instructor) need a current FAA medical certificate according to the FAR’s? 3. What is the lowest a USPA “D” license holder may deploy his/her parachute according to the FAR’s? 4. What are the FAA’s minimum requirements to be an AFFI? 5. On a twin engine aircraft, what does the blue line on the airspeed indicator signify? 6. Is the engine on an aircraft used for parachute operations (FAR Part 91) required to be overhauled according to the manufacturer’s recommended Time Before Overhaul (TBO)? 7. What inspections are required by the FAA to be completed for an aircraft used in Parachute operations by the FAA? 8. What are the FAA’s minimum requirements to be the pilot in command of a airplane used for parachute operations? 9. What are the FAA”s requirement’s for seatbelt use in aircraft? 10. What is the FAR’s specify as the minimum exit altitude for a skydiver? 11.What is the minimum equipment required to be worn by a skydiver by the FAA? 12. In order to act as pilot in command at night, what additional requirements must be met by the pilot? 13. To what standard of reliability and accuracy must skydiving altimeters certified to in order to be legal to use in the USA? 14. To what standard of reliability and accuracy must Automatic Activation Devices be certified to in order to be legal to use in the USA? 15. How long from the date of the reserve packing must a FAA rigger keep a record of the work completed? 16. Self-regulation refers to rules and standards set by non-profit organizations that represent industry. Skydiving in the USA is self-regulating. What happens when the rules and standards set forth by the USPA are not met? 17. What are the FAA’s minimum performance standards for main parachutes? 18. What are the FAA’s requirements in regards to main parachute manufacturers? 19. According to the FAR’s, a Parachutist in Command is required to have; ”a minimum of 3 years of experience in parachuting”. How is this experience defined? For example; does 1 skydive per year count as a one year’s experience? 20. What are the FAA’s minimum briefing requirements for the passenger of a tandem skydive? 21. How many skydives does the FAA require before a skydiver may jump solo without the supervision of an Instructor? Derek

When I tried to make some issues at a DZ public, I though other skydivers would be aghast at the revelations. I thought they would stand up and demand changes. I was naive. I received a PM which made me understand why I couldn't change anything: "I just want them to get out of town with as little trash as possible and ALL THIS TO BE OVER. Nothing personal and of course, I value your opinion and I listen to what you have to say about skydiving , and I respect it. Xxxxx's a shewd businessman, I know that. I guess since I feel like xxxxx is my Home DZ now (since xxxxx's closed) it's hard to hear the negative...or at least know it's out there for 5,000 people to read. Im afraid some people might consider it more "bitterness" on your part though, that's all. You didn't say anything that was not true....maybe reality check is a hard lesson." Even though they realized everything was true, they hated me anyway for saying it. They felt as though I was attacking them, since it was 'their' DZ. My saying that a skydiver that sees one or more issues at a DZ that needs to be changed has 2 choices; "1) Shut up about this forever (and any future, similar events) and keep skydiving, or; 2) Go to the authorities and anyone else who will listen and tell them everything and quit skydiving." is not an attack, it is reality. Skydivers know what goes on at a DZ. Don't think that standing up and saying, "this isn't right" is going to all of a sudden get these jumpers to stand up along side you and demand change. They won't. They already know and they aren't saying or doing anything. They are not going to see you as their savior, the good guy that cares about them, they are going to see you as the prick that is pissing in the community bowl of soup. A DZO could do absolutely anything they wanted, regardless of how wrong it is and skydivers will say, "You signed the waiver", "Skydivers don't rat on skydivers", "If you don't like it, don't jump", etc. Drug users don't call the police if their dealer parks in a handicapped zone. Derek

OK, make your choice. Stand up, put a name in your profile and write a tell-all post, go to the authorities, etc or let it go. What is it going to be? So far you haven't said that you have done anything or even made a choice about what you are going to do. I guess you really don't know anything about me if you think my head is in the sand. I have been in your shoes, made my choice and haven't jumped for over 3 yeas now. You have yet to make your choice. Derek

I absolutely agree with you.That does not change the reality of the situation. More people won't care, they just want to jump out of airplanes and figure a TI pulling low doesn't hurt them, and they "don't want to get involved in the politics", so they are not going to stand up and rally behind this guy's cause, right or wrong. Derek

You have 2 choices: 1) Shut up about this forever (and any future, similar events) and keep skydiving, or; 2) Go to the authorities and anyone else who will listen and tell them everything and quit skydiving. Realize that if you choose option 2, nothing will change except you don't jump anymore. No one will actually do anything to support you and most will attack you or at the very least, treat you like a leper. I know you are picturing the FAA stepping in and revoking pilot privledges, rigger certificates, tandem ratings, Strong stepping as well as USPA and things getting taken care of, but the reality is that is not going to happen. You can either live with it as is and keep jumping, or you can't and quit jumping. Your choice. Make it quick, it might already be too late. Derek

Exactly. It doesn't work both ways. AFF requires more skill than tandems. Some people said that an AFFI can get away from a student. That is not their job. Both TI's and AFFI's have to stay with the student, but the AFFI doesn't have 5000-lb hooks to help with that. I think AFFI's should earn $50+ a jump while TI's should earn $25+ a jump. I also think the AFF course should be brought back to pre-2001 standards with the 50% pass rate as well as an annual ground prep and evaluation jump to keep the rating. The TI course shuld also be more stringent and include an annual training and evaluation jump. The entire Instructor industry should be more professional. Derek

What is the pass rate for the AFF course? (Of course it used to be a lot harder with a much lower pass rate) What s the pass rate for the TI course? Every AFFI I have seen could be a TI. Not every TI I have seen could be an AFFI. (I have seen people fail the AFF course several times, the old course, give up and just go get their tandem rating.) AFFI's have to actually teach. Some TI's do teach, but most simply hook up and go. With AFF, the student can actually get away from the AFFI and the AFFI must be able to fly well enough to catch them again, regardless. If they cannot, they should not be an AFFI. With tandems, where are they going to go? A TI does not need to flying skills to catch a flaing student. For AFF exits, the AFFI has to fly their body and control the student. For tandem exits, the TI just arches and you are good. Being an AFFI requires much more skill, takes more time for each jump, and takes more mental effort than being a TI. An AFFI should definitely earn more than a TI per jump. Derek

If you think that riser inserts aren't needed, that's OK. I am not going to waste my time trying to convince you. The information is out there. You can find it, or not. You are not hurting anyone else if you don't have riser inserts. Derek

***I don't buy the argument for inserts in the risers. People say they need them so the manufactures (most of them) build them and sell them at a higher price. I would like to see the proof that they are required and not just a bunch of "I had a spinning mal and cut away with no problem". Mike Turoff did exctly that. He did a series of tests with and without hard housing and had the results published in either Parachutist or Skydiving Magazine. I don't have his resuts in front of me. Maybe he will be kind enough to respond or they might be on here somewhere already. I do remember that the risers without hard housing inserts resulted in much higher pull forces to cutaway fromtwisted riseers. It makes perfect sense, the risers twist togetheer increasing the friction which increases the pull force at the handle. Here is one examppe from a very experienced jumper: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=341838;search_string=inserts;#341838 Derek

I disagree here. If that was a real problem, then there would be incidents of the cutaway housing in the container getting smashed and preventing a cutaway. I have never heard of that happening. If you slam your rig in your car door and do not get it inspected, well........ Oops, I forgot about those, ya those are great too. No way they can slide down. Like what was mentioned, you can get a set of inserts from RWS and have your rigger install them in 5 minutes. Chreaper than buying new risers. Derek

You can buy any risers you wish, just make sure they are built to RWS's standards. RWS has the best inserts; metal with caps. That way if the tacking comes loose, the hard housing insert cannot slide out of the housing and through the white 3-ring locking loop preventing the riser from releasing. Derek

OK, I have decided to hell with Sun Path, I'll continue to pack Javelins w/o an RSL. This is stupid. If the FAA wants my ticket, come get it. Derek

Both should have hard housings. Derek

So, adding a RSL/Skyhook to the design of a rig is a minor change, but removing or even disconnecting an RSL is an alteration? I am only getting more confused. It appears to me that even Sun Path is confused. Does thier statement specifically cover simply removing the RSL and covering the hook Velcro w/ loop Velcro? Derek

I am a bit confused over all this. It sound slike they define the removal of the RSL, rings, and Velcro as an alteration, requiring a Master rigger. I'm OK there. To me, this again sounds like all the RSL components, not just the actual RSL. What Sun Path doesn't spell out is the very common removal of the RSL and covering the Velcro with loop Velcro. I also keep thinking if Sun Path said that for the TSO to be valid you must wear a pink and blue polka dotted jumpsuit while jumping a Javelin, how much legal weight would that carry? The FAA defines what is legal and what is not, not the manufacturer. In short, I am confused about all this. Derek