skydiverek

Please tell us more - what malfunction, what did you do, were you spinning, how fast was a reserve deployement, any line twists, etc.

Let's not start it again... BTW, the thread on this is here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=643895#643895

rigging65 said that "you can jump whatever you want...as long as your intent upon exiting is to land the canopy you are deploying as your "main". If you want to jump a bedsheet (literally), and don't plan on landing it, legally you must have at least 2 other canopies. The law states you must have one parachute on your back that you don't plan on using except in the case of an unforeseen emergency, and that canopy must be TSO'd (US rules)."

If your penis doesn't get bigger, it's not dangerous or life threatening. If your reserve doesn't open in 64 feet, and you cutaway at that altitude, it IS dangerous and life threatening. Different products and different scale of negative consequences if the claim is not met... (I cannot believe I just wrote that

Well, the claim was not on the "Breakaway", but about 15 years ago Jumpshack run the ads in Skydiving magazine, claiming 64-foot reserve deployment, based on a very similar footage. More in the thread I mentioned.

Watch the commercials on "Breakaway" tape then. It's there. My 64 ft comment was a tounge-in-cheek one. Check the link in my post (two posts above) for the full story on this controversial JumpShack commercial.

True. There was a discussion about these 64 feet. My posts concerning it can be found here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=Question+about+Racer+rigs&search_type=AND&search_fields=s&search_time=&search_user_username=skydiverek&sb=score&mh=25

Unless you jump a Racer, where only 64ft is required from breakaway to fully open reserve .

True - to take it even further, look at your reserve freebag design... BTW, SunPath is testing the main "Breger Bag" - the bandless bag. I saw it at the PIA and it was very cool!

Here are some pieces of advice and tips collected from Bill Booth, Performance Designs, Precision Aerodynamics and others, on how to prevent hard openings: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1580970#1580970

Check this good thread on that topic: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1502430#1502430

Below is a reply a wrote to someone who had back issues and needed advice on choosing a slow opening canopy: "Hi there, Yeah, Spectre would be perfect. Also, opt for Dacron lines, which strech more than Microline and have more friction when the slider grommets slide on them. Here is Performance Designs' opinion on them (from their website): "Why would anyone want to use Dacron line on their canopy? Though most people prefer the lower bulk and drag of Microline or Vectran, Dacron is often the best choice for some applications. Dacron is a fairly elastic line, so it gives a little when there is a sharp "spike" to the opening force. This elasticity won't change the really good openings very much, but it can take the edge off those occasional abrupt openings where your packing was a little off or your airspeed was a little high at opening time. Dacron may be preferable in a student operation, where unusual body positions can compound opening issues. Some camera flyers with very heavy helmets also prefer Dacron lines. Older jumpers, who may not want to subject their bodies to hard openings, may want Dacron to help reduce the impact should something get a little out of control at opening time." Also, Bill Booth made some comments on that issue, too: "Spectra (or micro-line) is strong and tiny, so it reduces both pack volume and drag , which means you get a smaller rig and a faster canopy. Unfortunately, It has a couple of "design characteristics" (this is manufacturer talk for "problems") It is very slippery (less friction to slow the slider), and stretches less than stainless steel. This is why it hurt people and broke so many mini risers when it was first introduced. Now, I must say that the canopy manufacturers did a wonderful job handling these "characteristics" by designing new canopies that opened much slower than their predecessors. However, the fact still remains, that if you do have a rare fast opening on a microlined canopy, Spectra (or Vectran) will transmit that force to you (and your rig) much, much faster, resulting in an opening shock up to 300% higher than if you have Dacron lines. (It's sort of like doing a bungee jump with a stainless steel cable. At the bottom of your fall, your body applies the same force to the steel cable as it would to a rubber bungee cord, but because steel doesn't stretch, your legs tears off.)" Moreover, you can opt for lighter, brass slider groomets, instead of heavier, stainless steel slider groommets. Lighter mass equals less momentum (speed) down the lines. BTW, Precision Aerodynamics favors them, saying they contribute to softer openings. Also, on their website Performance Designs says that "larger Spectres open slower than the smaller models". So, to sum up, if I were you my choice would be large Spectre, Dacron lines, and brass slider grommets. Careful packing and deploying at no faster than 120mph (and not while tracking, especially steep tracking) will help, too. Some people also say that Psychopacking helps, but I am not sure about this. Good luck and welcome back

The record is true. He jumped from 2K, not 12K. He had like 20 chutes being packed all the time. One or few planes, I don't remember. Your other calculatioans are correct. Read this other thread from THIS post down (the guy had the exact same doubts like you): http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1503590#1503590 That link has also a reference to that record in Guinness Book of Records. We already converted one non-believer like you in the thread linked above

534 jumps in 24 hours. http://www.mostjumps.com

I would deploy a reserve - there is already enough of "emergency" in this situation...

Who did most jumps in a single calendar year (OR during 365 consecutive days). I heard about Airspeed making 1,200/year. Adrian Nicholas made 2,500 jumps in a single year: "How many jumps did you make last year Adrian? I was lucky, it was a good year. More than two and a half thousand, in 14 countries." http://www.bpa.org.uk/skydive/pages/people/adriannichols.htm Anyone beats that

True : http://www.aarrgghh.com/no_way/noChute.htm

OK, 99% of experienced jumpres do not use Ripcord on their main. Happy

I did not mention freebag - just ripcord activated system, just like the one students use on their main (bag and PC stay with the canopy).

If RIPCORD is the best and safest for the reserve, wouldn't the same apply to main? We all trust our life to ripcord, yet zero experienced jumpers choose it for their main deployment... Fashion, design, comfort, functionality? Just stirring some pot

EXACTLY...

Maybe it is assumed that 99% of letters are answered, so same "work load" will go both ways, balancing the work and cost of invilved countries. But what about airline fuel cost??? Who pays them???

Hey, how does it work? Let's say you send the letter from the USA to China. Airmail or surface, doesn't matter. You pay a a $1 or so at your local US post office. The letter gets send, lands let's say in Amsterdam, is sorted again, gets on a plane, lands let's say in Russia, get's sorted again, gets on a plane and finally lands in China. Then the Chineses post ofice sorts it and Chinese mailperson deiveres it to someone... ...So, most of the work is done by foreign post offices, yet it is only the US post office that gets paid (postage charges). How does it work - are there some kind of agreements between countries saying "OK, we will work for free on mail coming from your country, and you will work for free on mail from our country?" What about the airline fuel cost for hauling tons of mail??? It made me thinking after I got a 16lbs package here in Poland today, that was sent from the US. The postage was $50, airmail. It probably stopped at several countries on the way. Polish post office courier (not mailperson) delivered it to my door in a special car, not used everyday. All that for free? Similar case with phone calls - you make the call from US to China, pay AT&T, but the calls goes through so many countries, wires, switchboards, etc, at someones cost (whom you did not pay), right?. How does it work?

Here in Poland most skydivers say "Ready, Set, Go!", but I heard some say "In, Out!". What other countdowns are there, mainly country-specific? Is it always in English language? USA: "Ready, Set, Go!" Poland: "Ready, Set, Go!", "In, Out!" Please continue the list

I cannot comprehend this. Why don't we hear about built in turns on non TSO-D mains, and we hear about the on TSO-D reserves??? How difficult is to make the lines egual lenghts ?