chuckakers

From uspa.org... "USPA members receive third-party liability insurance to include bodily injury and property damage while skydiving at a sanctioned drop zone." USPA offers membership without regard to citizenship, and that membership includes benefits without regard to citizenship. Hay Chuckakers, Do you have your USPA membership card at hand? Please turn it arround and have a look at the backside. https://uspa.org/Portals/0/files/INS_ThirdPartyLiabilityOverview.pdf Foreigners are only insured in the USA (its territories or possessions) or Canada. For ex. a Belgian skydiver (non-green card resident) jumping in Europe at USPA group affiliated DZ is NOT insured. Ah, I see. Learn something new every day! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The latest from a google news search... http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local-news/ci_31796746/longmont-city-council-vance-brand-municipal-airport http://www.timescall.com/longmont-local-news/ci_31793078/longmont-city-council-review-municipal-airports-annual-report Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I like your drop zone. Where do you jump? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I just did exactly that. Upsized both main and reserve. Wendy P. +1 About 3 years ago I decided jumping a Velocity at 2.2:1 was becoming more work than I wanted to put in. I flew Velo's for 15 years but on the day my wife asked me if saw how beautiful downtown Houston looked from under canopy and I had to remind her that I didn't have time to focus on anything but traffic and setting up for landing, my decision was made. I realized that all those years I had been having fun at the expense of having fun. I put a lot of thought into what to get and decided on a Stilleto 135, a canopy I jumped for many years as a working skydiver before going to cross-braced. At 1.6:1 it's a medium-ish wing loading by most standards, but between the decrease in loading and the insanely flat glide it was a dramatic change from the Velocity and one I have truly come to enjoy. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I second that. I organize jumps at a big DZ and see this as a very popular choice for a lot of smaller people. Properly sized, this setup stays put wherever you want it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The only practical reason for downsizing IMO is to achieve better penetration in higher winds, but even that is debatable since many people who prefer to stay lightly loaded are also the type of people who simply don't jump in high winds. Tell people who give you grief about not downsizing to pound sand. It is the "you need to downsize" mentality that contributes to the sport's ongoing canopy carnage. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

"Shady" Shuster backs down. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Private-Pilots-Allege-11th-Hour-Move-Would-Jeopardize-General-Aviation-480733271.html Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I don't like the sound of that, especially given the crazy body positions/attitudes people get into chopping spinning mals, etc. Personally I want the most boring reserve possible. My PD 126 has opened beautifully on heading 11 times in a variety of cutaway scenarios. I hope it continues to now that I jump an RSL. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

False. The Katana is a perfectly fine canopy. However, like any canopy it has specific flight characteristics and must be flown accordingly. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Proof once again that experience does not always bring wisdom. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

From uspa.org... "USPA members receive third-party liability insurance to include bodily injury and property damage while skydiving at a sanctioned drop zone." USPA offers membership without regard to citizenship, and that membership includes benefits without regard to citizenship. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Speaking of health insurance, I recommend any American jumping in Europe buy a special travel policy that covers extreme sports. Americans are not covered under the government sponsored healthcare system there and can be denied treatment without proof of 100% coverage. AIG offers a policy called "Travel Guard Plus" that covers pretty much all high-risk activities. This is the policy the US Parachute Team purchases for competitions in Europe. You will not see it on the Travel Guard website. You have to call and get a quote. BTW, it also covers routine travel stuff like trip interruption, lost luggage, etc. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Flight 1 Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

There is no requirement for a drop zone to be a group member or foreign affiliate to offer USPA-type training. However, for you to earn a USPA license the training and endorsement (document sign-offs) must be performed by USPA rated instructors who are current USPA members. I have no idea what drop zones in Russia are the best for training, but here is a worldwide locator map that appears to show 2 USPA affiliate drop zones in Russia. Contacting them would be a good starting point. https://uspa.org/dzlocator Have fun! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty. This thread cannot be for real. Did I just end up on the sofpidarf page? Nope. Chuck just got trolled. And unfortunately while I was getting trolled, the troller was dispensing advice that some noob might take seriously. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Apples and oranges. The Bev comp is the same as the Tony Pit Special, not the Tony original. The Tony original is the slowest. If you want to slow down more, get the comp grippers, inside thigh grippers, mega booties in cordura or ballistic nylon (don't get the Airspeed mega booties unless you are an accomplished flyer), and for the slowest of slow get the lined arms and legs option. Get these options in any combination you like. The more of these you add, the slower you will fall. Have an experienced dealer take your measurements. Fit is everything and suits are expensive. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty. From the PD Katana page: > The Katana is a fully elliptical nine cell canopy that is the ride of a lifetime for the experienced canopy pilot. Warning: this canopy is not for the faint of heart. Soft smooth openings, long control range, steep dive, light front riser pressure and a powerful flare make the Katana an excellent choice for those looking for the engine to push their limits. Whoever posted this advice needs to know that when talking to new jumpers it is not appropriate to make mocking jokes like this. Unfortunately the person who posted that may not have been mocking. It blows my mind how much misinformation is out there and how many people share it without researching the accuracy of it. Bad stuff, especially in an activity where bad advice can kill you. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

There are many things that are allowed by the rule book that are still dictated on a case-by-caase basis on the drop zone and this would/should be one of them. Just as things like acceptable wing loading, maximum winds, and minimum deployment altitudes are flexible (within the USPA guidelines) based on a student's abilities, whether or not to allow a student to conduct group jumps should follow that same model. I think it should be assumed that a qualifier for group jumps would be the student's ability to track and clear the air properly. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

http://www.chutingstar.com/flysight-audible-gps My son is a competitive canopy pilot and uses this for training. It will provider just about every parameter of canopy flight you can think of. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Worst advice I've heard in a while. The OP mentioned that this a newer jumper. The Katana is an elliptical canopy with an aggressive, ground-hungry design - NOT intended for young jumpers. A newbie should never jump a canopy with those qualities. This young lady is already having problems flaring completely and/or properly. An incomplete or improper flare under a Katana would not be pretty. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That story didn't mention that the teenager also had an GPS ankle bracelet, so I'm guessing he may need some occasional voltage therapy! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Or you could just pack yourself. Seriously, I used to absolutely despise packing. It made me want to punch myself in the face. Yet here I am now and I pack every jump and I do it on a brand new canopy which sucks ass to pack. You just have to fight the suckness and after you do it two dozen times you'll be doing it all the time. If you make 300 jumps in a year, that's $2800 a year saved assuming $7 a packjob plus tip. You could literally buy a new main every 225 jumps from the money saved. So look at it that way. Pay someone to pack your stuff or do it yourself and buy a brand new main every 225 jumps with the money saved. Which sounds like the better deal now? There was a time when no experienced jumper used a packer. When I started jumping in 1985, the instructors often packed their own tandem rigs and packed student rigs while teaching their student how to pack. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

RIP, Larry. The following is from Ed Scott, Executive Director the U.S. Parachute Association "Larry K. Bagley, D-4522, passed away on Tuesday March 27, 2018 after a brief illness. Larry served on USPA’s board of directors from 1975-1995, and as USPA President from 1981-1989. He also served a number of positions on the USPA staff from 1995 until his retirement in 2011. In 2003 Larry was honored with the FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma. In 2013 he was honored by USPA with the Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 2016 he was inducted into the International Skydiving Museum’s Hall of Fame. A recap of his many contributions to skydiving and USPA will appear in the next issue of Parachutist." Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Don't get discouraged. If skydiving was easy the boring people would do it and we'd go do something else. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

What was incorrect or incomplete on the gear check? Also, did the TI attempt to deploy the reserve after realizing a cutaway was not possible? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX