Hooknswoop

How much experience with the Skyhook do they have? Did they say why they were not impressed with it? Always ask "why?" when you get an opinion. You'll be surprised with the amount of poor answers to that question you'll get. Find a different rigger. Derek

Any move in free-fall, fowards, backwards, sideways, they are all the same. You are merely deflecting air in the opposite direction you wish to go. If you are turning as you slide it is because you are deflecting too much or too little air with either your lower or upper body. For example, if you are sliding to your right and turning to your right, you are deflecting more air to left with your upper body than you are deflecting to the left with your lower body. The fix is simple, deflect more with your lower body or less with your upper body. It sounds like you are thinking about it too much and flying mechanically. Try not to think about it and just fly. Don't position your body like you practiced on the ground, move as necessary to go in the direction you want to go. If it isn't working, change something. If the change makes it worse, move whatever you changed the other direction. Derek

LOL- that is good. As long as Instructors are either doing it for beer and pizza money to suppliment their day jobs and think they are "giving back to sport" by working for peanuts and there are Instructors that are happy if they can afford their ramon noodles for the next week and live on the DZ, the good Instructors will continue to not renew their ratings. Look at the cost to become an Instructor. Look at the time investment. Look at what a full-time Instructor gets for pay and benefits. The pay and benefits do not attract professional, high-speed Instructors. I have seen the profit margin of a DZ. L-39's and DC-9's aren't cheap. Derek

It isn't just one square foot, as someone already mentioned, those 2 reserves are night and day apart for performance and weight carring ablility. Derek

I did. Derek

In the U.S., USPA lowered the standards to be an AFFI to deal with the Instructor shortage. Quanity over quality. DZ's make their money by the jump, not by the quality of the Instruction. When things go wrong, the ranks close up. The video is hidden or destroyed and the student is told the camera didn't work. If anyone speaks up, they are ostracized from the DZ or even banned. It is a culture that is not going to change on its own, since the people that could change it are benefited by the status quo. Jumpers will defend a DZ vehemently, even if the evidence shows otherwise. “Our DZ has great maintenance on the aircraft.” The engine was 2,000 hours past TBO.” “Um…….our DZ has great maintenance on the aircraft.” “He wasn’t skydiving with a BASE rig on.” For the perfect example, look at the Skyride thread and the people defending it. It is a cult mentality. Students are uneducated in how skydiving works or what makes a good Instructor. Ask any student and they will tell you the Instructors on their DZ are the best anywhere. Of course, they haven’t been anywhere else to compare. Later on they may find out that their training maybe wasn’t what is should or could have been, but by then, it is too late and speaking up about it will only bring the ire of the DO and their fellow jumpers. So the cycle continues and nothing changes. As long as DZO’s are allowed to do whatever they wish, governed by an FAA that doesn’t want to be bothered and a USPA that is a puppet organization, they will continue to do whatever they wish. Why wouldn’t they? Skydiving is corrupt. If you don’t see it yet, stick around and open your eyes. You will. Then you will be faced with a decision. Live with it as is or quit. Unfortunately changing things isn’t one of your choices. Derek

Was the reserve 'concave' before the mod? By this, I mean, was the top flap even with or a little below the side flaps? If it wasn't, then the rigger is not going to be able to pack it after the mod and make it look good. Derek

Damn, that is a lot of wine. Don't let it go bad. Derek

You'll have to come up for dinner when we get back, we are extremely well stocked with very good wine now. It was a long tough day, tasting, buying, tasting some more, but we pulled together and got it done. The current haul stands at 22 bottles. BTW- 4 wineries in one day is the limit. After that, it all tastes the same. Derek

I'm glad there wasn't a test, I would have gotten that one wrong. Derek

I met both of them a few months ago. He is a short little guy. Derek

Not me, I have my aluminum hat on. Derek

Don't jump an RSL. Yes, it is, and that is one of the downsides to RSL's. Derek

There is still some debate, but I agree with how you were trained. The problem is releasing the brakes may turn a stable bi-plane into a wrap or downplane at low altitude. 2-canopies out can be very un-predictable. Derek

Complicating emergency proceudres is never a good idea. Making the system more complicated is usually not a good idea. It is highly recommended to disconnect any RSL before enganging in CReW, eliminating the extra step of disconnecting the RSL prior to a cutaway. RSL's have advantages and disadvantages. The Skyhook eliminates most of the disadvantages. Derek

I wouldn't, since the thread locking a finger-trap or the no-sew finger-trap method isn't designed to bear weight. It may be OK, or may cause a weak point in the steering line where the non-cascaded steering line finger-traps intot he cascaded steering line. I would remove the knots from your steering lines and either sew them or use the no-sew finger-trap method to keep the finger-traps from coming un-done. Derek

I have made several requests for video of a hard opening caused by bag strip, i.e. the canopy coming out of the d-bag before line stretch, with zero replies. I have had and seen video of line dump, resulting in normal openings. I agree with several other people that not having the slider against the slider stops is the most common cause of hard openings. Derek

I agree completely. Derek

Again, you misunderstand. You have no credibility period. Derek

I'm afraid I simply cannot believe anything you have say anymore. When you admit you falsely accused me of blaming the victims, I'll re-think that position. Until then, don't even bother replying to my posts because you have lost all creditbility. Derek

I see them often here in CO. Definately a sign of bad weather. Derek

LOL- you mean: there is no additional annual training. Instructors are not paid what they are worth because there are so many of them (USPA lowered the standards to be an AFFI), and so many of them don't depend on the income, so a little pay is great by them. Derek

LOL!!!! Derek

Ok, send me the money and I'll bring them to your house and let them tell you in their own words that they chose to stay and complained about the relief effort. Would that suffice? Derek

I'm still waiting for you to quote me where I am blaming the victims.................. Derek