davelepka

Dan Rossi, another blind skydiver, has a couple hundred jumps, and even packs his own rig. he jumps with a couple of audibles, and makes sure there's a couple of AFF Is on every jump he makes. He's not doing student jumps, just fun RW, but the AFF Is are there in case both audibles fail. He uses a radio, but it's failed before and his solution was to 'flare when he could hear the crickets'. Seemed to work out fine.

Sure. 11 Otter loads is 231 slots, and it's not hard for a busy DZ to swing that. Consdier that on the weekends, some busy DZs are running two Otters non-stop, which could be 20+ loads (per plane). So that's 40 loads per day, which equals 861 slots/day on Sat and Sun, for a weekend total of 1722 slots. If you're looking for a yearly total of 93k, that's 1788 per week, so a busy weekend takes care of most of their weekly quota. So factor in some weekday activity, and some weather days, throw in a boogie or big-way event (or both), and there you go.

Don't do it. Outside of other jumpers, think about how many people you talk to about jumping who say that 'you're crazy'. When was the last time someone hired an employee they thought was 'crazy'. Think about all the other people who say they're interested, but never actually jump. If I was talking to an opera singer, I would also be polite and act interested, but I'm really not interested. That's because I don't like opera, but it could also be because I thought opera was unsafe and 'crazy', in either case it wouldn't appear that way to the opera singer to whom I was speaking. Share as little as possible when interviewing for a job. You can always tell them more about yourself later, but it's impossible to take something back once it's out of the bag. Get the job, prove your competence and that you're an asset to the company, and then you can reveal the 'real you'.

Get in touch with Kurt - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Powered-Paraglider-Lifetime-Free-Training-Nationwide-/221151546683?pt=Motors_Aircraft&hash=item337da8cd3b He's a jumper, sells powered paragliders, and offers training. I don't think he's got a ton of jumps, and I don't think he's jumped much in the last 10 or 15 years, so I don't know what sort of comparisons he'll be able to make to skydiving canopies, but he's got most of what you're looking for.

It's a good idea to be conservative with your canopy choice, but for a 130 lbs person, a 210 is a VERY conservative choice. A couple of thoughts regarding that - -Your exit weight is probably around 160lbs, so even a 170 main would still have you under 1 to 1 wingloading, which many consider to be a good 'starting point' for a licensed jumper. -Your WL on a 210 would put some pretty conservative wind limits on your jumping. Of course you never want to jump in turbulent or gusty winds, but when they are steady, winds are not a bad thing. What it comes down to is the forward speed of your canopy, and with a very low WL like you would have a 210, it wouldn't take much wind to end your jumping for the day. -A rig that will hold a 210 main and reserve is not going to be small, and based on your description, you're on the smaller side. You might find that a smaller rig would be more confortable, and easier to fly. If your rig is too long for your torso, or wider than you are, it will get in the way of your flying. That said, you should only jump canopies you're ready for, and the way you get ready is by moving down one size at a time once you and your instructors feel you are ready to try a new size. While that might not be today, if you work toward it, you might find that a 190 is in your near furture. Beyond that, look for a used rig that fits whatever canopies you end up buying, and than have the harness resized to fit you. Figure on anything from $250 to $450 to have the work done, with the end result being a new, custom fit harness on the used container. Get the serial number from any used rig you're considering, and call the manufacturer for a quote on a resize. You might find a used container you can pick up for $1100, and then add $400 for a resize. Now you have a $1500 container with a new harness that fits you perfectly. That's still $1000 less than it would cost to buy a brand new container, and you'll get the used on quicker. You could spend the $1000 savings on an AAD, or just more jumps.

How many people know this type of info about their DZ? Really, too many factors come into play. You have year-round DZs and seasonal DZs, and within each catagory, there will be DZs that are open 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days per week. Comparing them becomes tough when you have such a variety of days open per year. Just wondering, why do you ask? My feelings are if I can show up to a DZ and make as many jumps as I want, the place is 'busy enough'. If I want to make 7 or 8 jumps per day, and they fly 25 loads and I get on every 3rd load, good for me. If they fly 8 loads, and shut down in between each one so I have time to pack, and I make every load, also good for me.

Oooohhhh!!!! I just had a look-see at your profile, and big surprise, you list Lodi as your home DZ. I'm willing to admit that Bill and the MX staff at Lodi know more about airplanes than I ever will. I'm sure if you sit down and talk shop with those guy, they seem very well informed. However, I'm also smart enough to know that they don't know as much as the FAA or DeHaviland (when it comes to the Otter). If the guys at Lodi insist that what they're doing to right, and the FAA/Dehavialnd disagree, I'm going to side with the Feds and the Canucks.

I added the bold parts in case you didn't see it the first time around. The findings in the Pitt Meadow King Air crash were that the high volume fuel pump failed due to corrosion on the drive gears. These gears are supposed to be inspected at regular intervals, but the MX records revealed that these inspections were not done. Here's a quick quote from the FAA website Full article here- http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=11980 What's neat is that less than a year later, they went back and came up with this - http://news.aviation-safety.net/2011/08/29/faa-proposes-269000-civil-penalty-against-the-parachute-center/ Let me guess, the FAA doesn't know what they're talking about? Bill personally looks the planes over every day? He doesn't allow swooping, so the DZ must be safe? You pay your money, you take your chances?

Not forever, but if you sew the bridle to the bag, you can eliminate the wear point all together. I jumped a Racer for years that came from the factory like that. In fact the bridle was only half the width of a standard bridle, but it was sewn directly to the bag, and I put 2500+ jumps on it with no problems. I did have to replace/adjust the kill line a couple times, but otherwise it went the distance. The PC mesh was starting to show some wear, but after 2500+ jumps that's to be expected. It is harder to change the PC, but again, with PCs that last for 1000's of jumps, it's not that often anyway.

Good plan, the PD190 is not going to be the one. Even with low jumps, the performance is going to leave you wanting. I won't glide as far, it won't fly as fast (meaning wind sped becomes more a factor) and it won't flare very well. People have had good experience with F-111 canopies, but there was a time that was all you could get, so people had to jump them. Take a look at the F-111 canopies you can buy new today, and that should give you a clue as to what you should look for (hint- there are almost no F-111 main canopies you can buy new today). Keep shopping. ZP canopies can last for 2000 jumps, so there's a wide range of 'used' canopies that will work for you. 2000 jumps is for the fabric only, the lines will need replacing well before that. In any case, don't buy any used gear unless your rigger has inspected it, and deemed it 'airworthy'.

Don't lie to us, you weren't thinking at all. Canopy size is not related to what you can 'get away with' at a given DZ. It's related to your own skills/training/ability, and the point at which a DZO would toss you out on your ass has nothing to do with that. If you can't see that getting anywhere near the point that a DZO would turn down your business is a terrible idea, and real threat to your health and well-being, you might want to quit while you're ahead (and still walking/breathing). Do a search on this site for Ted Nelson and Sangi.

I don't disagree that UPT(Vector) makes a good product, but so does VSE (Infinity). I'm wrapping up my 8th season jumping an Infinity, so that puts it at about 1400 jumps, and I have only had one problem with the build quality of the rig, and it wasn't even a VSE component. The attachment point where the main PC bridle (outsourced by VSE to Cazer) wore out where the rapide links go through the bridle to keep it in the bag. The bridle rubbed between the metal links and the grommet and just wore out. I remomved the links, and simply sewed the bridle to the top of the d-bag, and that solved the problem. Otherwise, 8 seasons and 1400 trouble free jumps, and the rig still looks like new (after my yearly washing each spring). For no other reason than 'just because', I'm going to order another Infinity this winter. The old one is great, and I plan to keep jumping it as a back-up rig, but I just want a new one. You won't regret buying an Infinity. You'll get it sooner than a Vector, and it costs way less (you can spend the savings on jumps).

Just wondering, what sort of student jump are you planning to do from 8000ft AGL? Student jumps tend to come in two varieties - first is the SL/IAD in which the canopy is opened right as you leave the plane so the exit atlitude is generally between 2500 and 4500 ft agl. The other is the AFF type, which adds freefall training and uses exit altitudes between 10k and 13k agl, mostly depending on the plane (182s don't like to climb much above 10k/11k). The reason for this is that if you're going to train in freefall, you want as much time as possible to get though the learning objectives for the jump. Doing AFF from 8k makes for a very tight schedule trying to get all the learning in before pull time. To answer your question, you'll be provided a jumpsuit by the DZ for your jump, so that takes care of your outer layer. Under that, dress like you're going skiing with a couple of close fitting, comfortable layers. A turtleneck shirt with a snug collar is a great was to keep your neck warm without having worry about a scarf or gaiter coming loose in freefall. Do wear warm socks, do not wear boots with any sort of hooks for the laces. Gloves are an issue, the DZ should have gloves available, but if you want to bring your own look for baseball batting type gloves. Any padding or insulation can make it hard to reach/feel your handles and should be avoided. Be aware that any outerware you bring for your jump may be vetoed by your instructor if they think they're not safe. The DZ will provide you with a helmet.

You can do any sorts of manuvers you want (traffic depending) while killing time (altitude) in the holding area. However, remember the winds and their effect on your canopy. For example, if you chose to just do big circles to stay in the holding area, that's fine, but you won't get that by simply locking into a slow turn and holding it. Half of the turn will be with the wind, and the other half will be against the wind. The end result will be a ground track that looks like a long 'curly Q' line extending in the direction of the wind, and carrying you out of the holding area in short order. What you would need to do is speed up the with-the-wind half of the turn and slow down the into-the-wind half of the turn to make a circular ground track that remains in the holding area. The overall lesson is just to watch your drfit while manuvering. You can't stop the drift, but you can fly your canopy with it in mind so you stay where you want to be over the ground. If you can stay in the holding area, and not create any traffic conflicts, what you want to do with your canopy is up to you.

One thing to think about is the non-fatal accidents. While deaths and severe injuries are 'rare' in the sport, minor injuries like arm or leg breaks are more common. Are you able to support your family with such an injury? Do you have insurance to cover the medical bills and living expenses during your recovery? Do you have a job that will 'wait' for you if you need a couple weeks or a month off due to injury? People will always make the argument that you can be injured walking across the street, but that's not what you're talking about. You need to cross the street in order to conduct your life, you don't need to jump in order to conduct your life, so it does represent an additional risk.

What you're going to jump is up to the discretion of your instructor after they meet you and spend the day training you. Factors will be the weather, field elevation, and available equipment. If you were my student, and your body weight was 215 lbs, I would not have jump anything smaller than a 280 for a first jump. Once you add 30 lbs of gear and clothing, your exit weight will be pushing 250lbs, and a 280 would be my choice at my DZ (field elevation 980ft msl).

Yeah, it's too loose. I'm willing to bet that it was a mistake, not the way he wears it all the time. You can see that it bothers him to have his rig coming off his shoulder because he takes the time to hike it back up there. I cannot believe that a jumper with that amount of experience (and sponsorship) would just 'live with' a rig that didn't fit prorperly and regularly came off his shoulder. On another note, EVERYTHING is backwards in OZ, it's crazy! The door is on the wrong side, and the ground and the sky are weird colors. Looks like a cool place.

Just because you didn't get the answer you wanted doesn't mean you didn't get the right answer. You can argue your points with me all you want, but if it's about skydiving, you're just not going to win. Again, I ask you, as an accomplished aviation professional, to think for a moment about the wealth of knowledge and experience that have in flying, and then realize that I have an equal amount of that with regards to skydiving. Now consider if a non-pilot (or possibly a skydiver) was trying to tell you about the best way to do anything involving flying airplanes. Crazy, right? That's right, and if you wanted to do a tandem, which is the equivialnt to dual instruction, I would say read or think anything you want before your jump, because your instructor will be strapped to you the whole time and will take care of any 'mistakes' you will make. Let's say you were not offering dual instruction, just some sim time and than a solo flight. The instruction you would have to give would be more in-depth, more specific, and all it would do is slow down the process if you need to 're-teach' mistaken notions that the student had when they walked in the door. It's a different world. I know this because I am an expert skydiver and a student pilot. One of the best lessons I learned from skydiving is that being an expert in one thing has no bearing on your standing in another area. We see new jumpers who try to progress too quickly all the time, and often times their defense is that they are an 'expert' motorcycle racer or snowbarder, and that they're used to 'high speed' or 'extreme' situations, and almost always, we see that this is no help to them in the sky. The same goes for pilots. There are some things you may understand better, or quicker than non-pilot when it comes to jumping, but the operative word there is 'may'.

Just not about student gear, that one never crossed your mind. How important could a parachute be to making a skydive? Which qualifies as instruction, so you did indeed recieve instruction. As I stated, due to the high number of 'unknowns', the intent of the jump, the gear being used, 'Clear plane and pull the handle' is the best prep you can get. Sport skydiving is more deliberate, and involves more equipment and systems you need to consider before making a jump.

You're done. Other people who don't think they're already 'ahead of the curve' despite not having made jump #1 are still reading. While your mind is closed, theirs is not, so I will continue. Case in point - toasty warm gloves had been linked to several fatal accidents where the lack of feel prevented the jumper from pulling their handles in a timely fashion. Lucky for you, no instructor would ever let you jump with gloves that would impair your ability to save your life, but that is a prime example of what you don't know. No instruction? Any aerobatic instructor woth a damn would have told you the exit command, to clear the aircraft before pulling the ripcord, and where the ripcord is located. To me, that sounds like instruction. Beyond that there is no way to instruct you further, as the circumstances of your jump will be unknown. The altitude, attitude and condition of the aircraft are all unknown, but assuredly they will not be idea (otherwise you would not be jumping). Sport parachuting is another story. Many of the 'unknowns' involved in an emergency bail-out are 'known', and can be accoutned for and you can conduct yourself in such a way to minimize the irsk to yourself and others by properly accounting for these factors. Like I said, there's more to than you realize. I have to say, I'm shocked to read this. Go back, and read your words, and replace 'skydiving' with 'flying' and think about what you would think if a guy with zero time was saying them. "I've done a ton of research online, I already know who to preflight a plane, the take-off checklist, and how to do touch-and-goes. It's just staying in the pattern, it's not that hard. I haven't flown yet, but I feel I'm ahead of the curve." What sort of response do you think that would get from high-time, expert level pilots?

I do suggest that, I have suggested that in the past, and will continue to suggest that in the future. What you do not realize that there are many different ways to do things in skydiving. Which way you choose depends on what equipment you're jumping, what plane you're jumping out of, who you're jumping with, who else is on the plane, what the weather is like, and where you are jumping. Any one of the above factors can make whatever you 'learned' on the internet the wrong choice, and a danger to yourself and others. The right idea is to go to the local DZ, and take the Frist Jump Course. Learn what they want to teach you, the way they want to teach it to you. They are the ones who will be jumping with you as a student and providing your equipement, so they know best exactly what to teach you (and what not to teach you). Skydiving is more complicated than it appears on the surface. Very small details can (and have) killed jumpers in the past, and worse, caused them to harm (or kill) others in the process. If you think it's on the same level as repairing the side mirror of your car, or grilling a salmon steak, I suggest you rethink your decison to take up skydiving.

Frist off, at your stage of the game you can learn very little from reading. There are 10 different ways to do just about anything in skydiving, and which one is correct for you depends on you, the gear you're jumping, and the situation you're in, so if any one of those don't match what you're reading about, at best you're wasting your time and at worst you're implanting the wrong info into you brain. The internet is a terrible place to learn about skydiving. It's an 'OK' place for an intermediate jumper to do some research, but it's best use (skydiving related) is watching videos and arguing back forth about stuff you already know about. Tha said, jumping is about fun, not some master plan for building skills. If you don't think it will be fun, then don't jump. From a guy who's been at it for awhile, I can tell you it does seem like less fun when you're sitting at home thinking about the long drive to the DZ, the cold, and all the relates hassles of making a jump. However, I've come to learn that I want to jump anyway, so I still make plans to go to the DZ very chance I get. So I might be thinking that it's 'stupid' when I get up early on a frosty Nov morning, and put on 3 layers of clothes, by the time I get halfway there, I'm already starting to drive faster to so I make the next load. Once I actually get there and make a jump, I forget all about the 'stupid' parts, and spend the day jumping and packing as fast as possible so I can make the most jumps before the sun goes down.

Do you mean the Mirage pull-out PC has the handle attached to the apex of the PC? The last pull out I jumped was a Mirage, and the lanyard was attached to the bottom of the PC. Again, for operational reasons I think they attach it to the bottom, I would be surprised if you could order it attached to the apex.

I'm sure that's true, but is doesn't address the issue of when the 'test phase' for hoodies will be over. If you don't like what I have to say, don't read my posts. If you don't want me to reply to your posts, don't post anything stupid, and I'll have nothing to comment on.

How many jumps, over how many years by how many individual jumpers does it take to complete the 'testing'? At what point can we sign them off as 'good to go'? 5 years? 10? 15? 10,000 jumps, 20,000 jumps, 50,000 jumps? 1000 jumpers? 2000 jumpers? 3000 jumpers? I would suggest that we've reached (or exceeded) the all of those numbers without incident. Here's a fun thought - how many test jumps do you think they put on the Skyhook system before they released it? More or less than the total number of trouble-free jumps with hoodies? That's a freaking HOOK in your reserve container, no less.