davelepka

True, but I think the question was why you don't see many skysurfers at DZ's across the country. I'm sure there are fewer competitors in that comp. as compared to five years ago. Stlye and accuracy are still part of competitions across the country, but again, the participation is down from where it once was.

This all just my opinion, but: 1. Takes up aolt of room in the plane. Even in an Otter, if the load is full, it's a big pain in the ass for you and others during ther hook-up. With samller planes, it only gets worse. 2. Beginner boards are generally smaller. This means when (or if) you get on top of it, you are hauling ass (slow freefly speeds). You can either pull at that speed (ouch) or belly out, try to keep the board out of the way, and dump. I have seen many a d-bag bounce off a beginner board durung belly fly deployments. 3. Cut aways. Most boards are equipped with a recovery chute, so if you cut it away, it will slow the decent, but it's still a big chuck of wood falling from the sky. Unfriendly toward people and property underneath it. 4. Limited mobility. You aren't moving very far, or doing a whole lot of tricks aside from spinning and flipping. Docking and tracking around the sky are reserved for the very experienced. 3. Freefly / X - Games. When skysurfing went big it was because of the X Games. Once that was cancelled, it lost some steam. During the X-Games run, freefly started to grow in popularity. It gave jumpers easier and more immediate access to the type of flying (non-RW) they were looking for, without the added risks of skysurfing (yes freefly does have it's own risks, but they pale in comparison to skysurfing). Those would be my guesses as to where skysurfing went. If you want to try, give me a call when you are ready. Filming first time skysurfers has always been tons of fun.

Canopy size is not related opening times. Yes, your reserve is too small.

Still seems like a waste. Besides, why are you taking advice from the "dangerous guy" on your DZ? Also, be glad that your risers are long. Short risers will kill the performance of a canopy. Yes it will react faster with short risers, but it will fly further, and dive longer with longer risers.

You could try this. Have the tracking dive exit last. After the second last group gets out, have the pilot take you out a little further, than do a wide (2/10's of a mile or so) 180 (left or right, dependent on the winds). Now you are headed back toward the DZ, on an alternate, but paralell jump run. There are several advantages to this system. First you are tracking in the general direstion of the DZ. When you open up, you should be upwind (if you have chosen your distances properly) with only a slight crosswind crab to get back on the windline. Second, it affords you the oppertunity to track in a strainght line for the entire jump, making the job of teh leader far easier. Last, by tracking the direction of flight, the plane will carry the last jumpers out along the line of the dive while the first people are exiting, so when the last guy gets out, his swoop is primarliy vertical, as opposed to having to fly down and over to the group.

Two things. IF DONE PROPERLY, there's nothing wrong with toggle swooping (most people don't do it properly, and you can go faster with risers). I have never heard of pulling individual suspension lines. That sounds like a huge waste of time.

Here's an idea. Set a beeper to go off 1000 ft before the agreed break off alt. When you hear it, slide away from the burble slightly (5 ft or so, souldn't affect your shot much). Now watch closely, and when the first person drops a grip for breakoff, say goodbye to your pilot chute (quickly). You should be high enough that a little burble during deployment shouldn't hurt, and it gets you out of the way ASAP. Even someone with a two sec. track, after they turn , track, and pull, will be throwing out after your canopy has already opened. If you don't pull right at break off, or for some reason you can't pull right at breakoff, then you need to go to plan B, which is fly to the center, look around, clear your airspace and dump there.

Get your PRO rating first. That will demonstrate some competency under canopy. Then take an advanced canopy control course. Next, spend 100 jumps each working with different degrees of building speed, i.e. double fronts, 45's, 90's, 180's, and 270's. This is pretty universal advice. If you have 100 jumps, it will take a bit to get the PRO rating. If you have 1000 jumps, maybe you already have the PRO rating, or you could get it in the next ten jumps. Regardless of your jump numbers, if you have no swoop expereince (or if you do) the advanced canopy course is the way to go. I jump with a guy who has two years in the sport, 1000 jumps, and jumps a Velocity at 2.1 to 1. Thanks to swoop coaching, he is competeing on the PST, and has a spot on the US team for the World Cup of Swooping. Swooping a modern canopy is a world in itself. You wouldn't suggest that a whuffo make a jump without taking the FJC, so why would anyone attempt high performance landing without taking advantage of the available training?

825. Bigger. Stronger. Good.

Pro's- Can't think of any. Con's- Angry tandem masters?

Yeah, me too. Except it was a freefly suit, and I went 2.1 miles, but I pulled at 4000ft. But it's almost the same thing.

Quite the interesting and lengthy thread. I've seen some talk of increases in dues to cover the additional cost of the general insurance. Instead, my vote would be to maintain the current dues, and kill off Parachutist all together. How much does that mag cost the USPA each year? How about the fact that while I was married, I got a copy each month, and so did my wife. Same address, same last name, still got two each month. What about the interenet? I know it's new technology and all, but hosting an interent mag has to represent a huge cost reduction over the printed word and snail mail. Also, I'm not usre what the details are for the USPA Museam, but if it costs one cent, fuck it. Lets keep everyone jumping and covered form losses first, and try to make a buck from ticket sales and a crappy gift shop later. One last thing. I know that the Demo insurance is tied to the general liability policy, and there is a discounted rate because of that, but considering the disproportionate dollar figure with demo claims, if we can save even 10% of the premieum by dropping the demo insurance, than drop it. 10% would represent a savings of $50,000 annually, and when were facing the loss of the enitre policy, who cares if were not getting the same value for our dollar, the membership as a whole needs the general coverage. Who the hell is running the USPA anyway? It would seem that any self resepcting businessman would have seen these troubles brewing long ago, and would have been making moves to avoid the damage, as opposed to the current situation of trying to stop the bleeding. Maybe before buying a new building, erecting a museam, and funneling money into that rediculous magazine, we could have been getting some sound business decisions on how our money was being spent (or better yet not spent). Oh well...

Yeah, when the topic said "floaters" I was really thinking about the jumpers who leave the plane just before the base.

My guess is that people won't ask to borrow your gear because your main is 55 sq ft. Anyone capable of jumping a 55 is capable of working a pull-out. I would think that if your system is giving you a "harder pull", that would be a good reason to switch something. Maybe getting a throw out, or a container that sits a little lower on your back, or whatever. I have a 99.99% of my jumps on a throw out, and have had no problems with the system.

I'm with you on this one. No brakes makes it open slooow.

Dude, your ability to sneak to the DZ for a jump has been comprimised.

On my back, but out of the "danger zone" (no Top Gun reference implied or intended). If you picture the tandem pair poised on the tip of a cone, with the walls of the cone extending downward at 45 degree angles from center of the tandem, just stay out of the cone. There will always be risks involved in skydiving, and yes accidents can happen even if you are outside of "the cone", but being inside the cone, in my opinion, adds to that risk significantly without having any real benefit. There is a similar cone above the tandem as well, which needs to be respected as much as the lower cone. Again, from expereince, although it may look fluffy and friendly, the drouge is not something you want to touch (or even come close, you'd be in the cone).

Actaully the passenger who grabbed me took ahold of my head on an extreme close up during the middle of the jump. The reserve handle problem was theoretical. This doesn't address the additional rick you are putting on the student by flying under them. Yes this is common practice in freeflying (I do it frequently), but other freefliers understand the risks, and choose to participate. The student was not informed that you will be putting them at this additional risk. If the student had the choice between camera flyers, and it was explained that if your gear was to malfunction it would endanger their life, but this other camer flyer would either slide off to the side for back flying, or belly fly in front of them with greatly reduced risk, I think you would have a hard time finding video work. I used to fly under tandems all the time. When I switched DZ's one of the tandem masters pulled me aside and related the story where he saw an unitentional reserve deployment from his camera man, and that it was way to close for comfort. Since then I have moved myself off to the side, or out in front, and the shot is still good, and all involved are safer.

Like I said, it's a long thread and I may have missed some points. Generally the bigger formations will get some addtional time from the group behind them. There is plenty of space for several people to track on either side of the jumprun, fanning themselves out from the center of the formation. Yes this may create some possible overlap with the outer most trackers from different groups, but it's better than the guaranteed overlap you will have with people tracking up or down the jumprun.

Directly below them is an interesting place to be when one of your closing loops break, your Cypress misfires, your pilot chute makes works it's way out of the pouch, the drouge relaese gets a mind of it's own, etc. Move over a couple feet and make it safer for everyone involved. Oh yeah, wait untill the tandem passenger grabs onto your harness. Been there, done that, didn't like it (they don't know not to touch the silver thingy).

Sorry

This is a really long thread, and nobody mentioned the practical side of avoiding close calls. With reasonable time between groups (the number should increase with an increase in the winds at altitude), not tracking up or down jump run,and not flying your canopy up or down jump run will go a long way toward avoiding close calls. If the time between groups on a given day is 5 sec., and you exit, freefall, and track (perdendicular to jumprun), after opening you should be able to look down the jumprun, and if the group after you was falling at the same speed, in about 5 sec., you will see them open, and it is now safe to turn up the jumprun and head toward the DZ. For the first group of freefliers (assuming freefliers are out after RW), you will most likely open before the group in front of you, and most likely be up wind of the DZ, and needing to fly down the jumprun to get back to the DZ, you need to hold and wait for the group in front of you to catch up to you and open, and then you can trun back down the jumprun and head home. The prevailing idea is that all movements need to be made perpendicular to jumprun untill you have cleared that airspace with a visual check. Many people seem to strive to track toward the DZ after a jump, or turn toward the DZ with a back riser the second the slider is down. That sucks and its not safe. I have watched many people from other groups fall past me and open, but from a safe distance, because I am holding my postion on the jumprun and I am LOOKING FOR THEM. You know they are out there, you will respect their space once under canopy, just besure to respect their space through the entire skydive.

Man thats wrong. Sure we all know they are for, but its his daughter, and you don't have to point it out. My daughter is only 13 months old, and your comment made me cringe. I think I need to go to Walmart for a rocking chair and a shotgun (you know, for the front porch).

After reading the additional posts in this thread, specifically those by Fritz, I think this guy is out to lunch. His points regarding his state of mind, and ability to fly his canopy after a real world cutaway are rediculous. He doesn't posses those skills now, on a controlled staight in landing, but he's sure that after a cutaway and subsequent "adjustment" to the spot, he seems sure that the skills will come to him. Fritz, please print out this entire thread, and take it to the CI at your DZ. See what he (or she) thinks about all the opinions presented here. You seem to think that shit doesn't happen. I think you have a rigger in the loft in Lodi named Jeff McAnn. If so, ask him about his first freefall, and the mal that he had, and the round reserve he landed in the parking lot in between two cars. Shit happens, plan for it.

If you take a look at my previous posts in this thread, you'll see that I made a strong argument agianst the 135 main he was considering for his first rig. He went on to admit that he had difficulty landing the 135, while the 160 or 175 let him down nicely. When I reccomended that he use that info as an indicator that the 135 was not the right canopy, his reply was " Thanks, but some guy at my DZ says a two stage flare will do the trick, so I'll just do that and keep jumping the 135. By the way, any reccomendations for a reserve?" At this point I figure that he's not going to listen to realistic advice anyway, so I told him what I jump. At his weight and experience, I would say that the pd160R would be the smallest reserve I would like to see him under. I would actually prefer to see him under the 176R.