chuckakers

As stated in my reply to your previous post, the premature deployment was not an AAD misfire. It was the guy's main. His leg strap mounted pilot chute crawled out. As for the story about the AAD being turned off in the plane because of a calibration issue, take that with a grain of salt. Tom was very old school. He never jumped with a helmet or shoes and word on the DZ was that he never turned the thing on. FWIW, I have never heard first-hand info on it either way. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The premature deployment was not an AAD misfire. It was the guy's main. His leg strap mounted pilot chute crawled out. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I have a young skydiving friend that just got stationed in South Korea and wants to jump. She said Skydive South Korea is close enough for her to visit. She has less than 100 jumps and would need to rent gear so she wants to know that the place is safe. Can anyone recommend the place or anywhere else in South Korea? Thanks! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That doesn't say the riser will release if the reserve is deployed. It says the second riser will be released if the first one is released to keep the reserve from deploying into a still-connected main. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Bill, that doesn't sound correct. I was under the impression that deploying the reserve on a MARD system will only launch the reserve pilot chute and nothing else. If what you say is true I'd say that's a pretty big negative for MARDs. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Straw man arguments at best. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Yes. While I know there is a possibility of "bouncing" the idea does not sit well with me so I'm going to minimize the possibility as much as possible. ***Do you believe they should be mandatory? Why or why not? No. I would not like to see AAD use made mandatory by legislation or USPA requirement/directive. I think the DZO is capable of establishing the local safety measures. At the individual level, skydivers should be given that choice, after all they are taking the individual risk. I also jump with an RSL but again, that is a personal choice. I love you local policy stance. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Hey Chuck, I just looked back through this thread. Here's the first attack including the word "Asshole": ***Iyosha #57: "You cannot believe you're not being an asshole if there are people you care about in this world and you don't do everything you can to be safe." Scanning through the posts reveals insulting & nonsensical arguments, confrontational/holier-than-thou accusations, heavy ethnocentric & personal biases, & an overall adversarial approach by a vocal minority within the Pro-AAD camp. Most of the worst comments were so far out there that no one bothered replying to them, directly. I respectfully suggest that you reread the thread. You will find a pattern of antagonism, but it's from the other side. Berating people as if they were children, using disingenuous arguments, insulting people's morality & ethics, profane name-calling... All of those actions will get your butt kicked if done in-person. I think a couple of people here hiding behind their keyboards know that. Respect is a two-way street. A number of other pro-AAD posters have respectfully stated their opinions. Grimmie's posts come to mind, here. I've no problem w/that, & would be happy to sit back at the end of the jump day discussing it w/him. However, I won't be repeatedly attacked & insulted by others without responding. Sadly, the devolution of almost any meaningful debate is part & parcel of the Dizzy.com forums. It's why I rarely post. I'm not sure a lengthy, civil debate is possible, here. It was a good idea for a topic, Chuck. I thank you for making the effort. We can split hairs over how many berating, rude, ugly, disparaging, insulting, and demeaning remarks have been made by people on both sides, how many people actually made them, how many times the same person repeated them, and on and on, but it just demonstrates that it's coming from both sides and it's ridiculous. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That's what Tom Piras said. Bullshit, Tom Piras never said that. You do your arguement no good by making shit up. Sarcasm, my friend. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not choosing sides on the debate, but to be fair there have been people with arguments pro and con that have been trying to impose their views on others. first off -- not really sure now who I'm replying to - seems the quotes are all mixed up now. but... I've never seen a post where someone against mandatory aad's has said someone else should not wear one. It's always been that they don't think someone else should be telling them they HAVE to wear one. Or am I wrong on that. So who is saying you can wear one if you want but I won't imposing their view on someone else... I didn't say they were trying to get people not to wear them. I guess I should have been more clear. What I'm talking about are some in the anti AAD crowd being demeaning to the pro AAD folks, some implying that they aren't "real" skydivers if they use an AAD and others referring to them as assholes if they believe in mandatory use. I'm a do-you-own-thing guy, but I believe in respecting everyone's opinion and it seems some who don't want mandatory use don't have that same respect. It's one thing to disagree. It's quite another to be a jerk about it. I started this thread so we could discuss the merits of using or not using AAD's. I don't think we need the insults. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Since we typically get what we pay for that's kind of a scary thought. I am one of those people (although I added a brand new AAD to my rig before I jumped it) my cheap rig is a javelin container with a triathlon with around 500 jumps and a Super Raven all manufactured in 1999 and the previous owner was a master rigger. I am not scared of my rig at all but I feel like I did get a good deal on it. I went the cheap route so I could afford an AAD but my point is there is "cheap" gear that is safe. but I am a newb so I could be wrong You're not wrong. Old, inexpensive gear isn't necessarily dangerous. It's just that sometimes it is and that is scary. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

So what happens if you have a mal and count too slowly? I suppose counting is one way of maintaining temporal awareness but I wonder if it might also serve to slow down your reaction time since counting is a conscious process requiring at least a small part of your brain power while under extreme stress in the case of a mal. I tend to use pattern recognition. I know what normal is, so when things go down differently it stands out like a sore thumb. Things like a weak pilot chute launch, a longer than normal snivel, and the onset of a turn all grab my attention during deployment and cause me to go into "get ready" mode. Given the short amount of time between deployment and the need to chop a mal, I personally think just having that time frame stamped into your brain is the best bet. You can also use the "three oh shit" rule. After the "normal" amount of time passes and you still don't have a good canopy, try to clear it for no more than the time it takes to yell "OH SHIT" 3 times and then go to EP's. It's kind of the same thing as counting but much more entertaining. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not choosing sides on the debate, but to be fair there have been people with arguments pro and con that have been trying to impose their views on others. I got misquoted Fixed it for you. I don't think shortening the comment changed the meaning. If so I apologize. It's a direct copy and paste now. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Since we typically get what we pay for that's kind of a scary thought. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not choosing sides on the debate, but to be fair there have been people with arguments pro and con that have been trying to impose their views on others. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I've had this conversation countless times. I won't offer an opinion on mandates, but I do believe the company that develops the first truly protective (DOT?) helmet that accommodates the needs of the skydiving environment will own the market. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Maybe because in one case you are talking about an activity and in the other you are talking about a safety device. The two are not analogous. Much like big-ways, angle flying, CReW (which you know more about than just about anyone), and a variety of other disciplines, our choice of activities comes with certain risks and we do not want our activities of choice banned just because they come with those risks. If we were ok with that we would all be doing solos and jumping the lightest of light wing loadings - or not jumping at all. Instead we collectively accept the concept of mitigating risk through training, education, and judgement. History tells us this concept works when applied properly. On the AAD side of the house, you are talking about a device that will (presumably) protect us while we participate in (most of) our activities of choice. The AAD is a device that has a demonstrated record of saving many times more jumpers than killing them or even creating non-lethal problematic results. AAD's are part - maybe the most applicable part - of the risk mitigation that we seek in conducting our activities of choice. I do not believe in mandated AAD use, nor do I believe swooping or high wing loadings should be banned. I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with you. I am just answering your question as I see it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

And even if it does come out, does he think that an unconscious landing under a reserve loaded at 2:1 is going to be survivable? That's another interesting angle in this if we require AADs; in the case of people with high reserve wingloadings, are we actually making them any safer? (Then again, I do know lots of people who load their reserves quite highly who choose to jump AADs... I guess the theory is that some chance is better than none at all...). I don't know the numbers, but the rate of descent and forward speed of a loaded up reserve with the brakes set may not be fast enough to kill a jumper and maybe not even cause serious injury assuming the landing is on level turf. If the jumper is wearing a hard helmet the results might be a lot like drunks in car crashes. They are so limber (like an unconscious jumper) that their bodies handle the impact like jello, avoiding injuries that a conscious person often has. That said, I'm not recommending tiny reserves and I'm happy to see PD (and others?) taking the lead on marketing up-sizing possibilities. I do find it ironic how some jumpers staunchly defend some safety strategies while completely ignoring the horrific possibilities of other choices. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That's what Tom Piras said. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I'd say those people lacked proper training, proper ongoing training, or both. Where I come from there isn't a single jumper - student or licensed - that believes they should ever rely on their AAD over their own actions. That is trained into their brains from the first time they put rigs on their backs. Out of curiosity, did those 3 jumpers train at or jump at the same DZ? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Maybe you didn't see the debate raging over here - http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4730639#4730639 My point in conducting the poll is to have folks tell us their position on the issue and defend it the way positions are being defended in the linked thread. Which brings me to my point - you posted on a thread asking if you use an AAD and why, yet you posted nothing on the issue. Do you jump with an AAD? Why or why not? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That was the answer I was looking for when I mentioned not knowing what the life limit was. Not sure if I agree with your notion that manufacturers were trying to ground all canopies from the acid mesh era. I seem to recall the specific lot numbers of affected mesh were identified, effectively clearing all other canopies from suspicion. Am I remembering correctly on that? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

A recent incident involving a highly skilled jumper who didn't use an AAD and died on a jump in which one may have saved him has prompted a spirited debate on the use of AAD's on that thread. I thought this might be a better place for this discussion. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I read a lot of very interesting perspectives in that thread and would like to allow folks to go further into the topic without hashing it out on a thread that is supposed to be dedicated to a specific incident. So do you use an AAD? Why? Do you believe they should be mandatory? Why or why not? Do you not use one? Why not? The poll allows more than one vote since it's asking 2 unique and specific questions. Please be respectful but honest. Let it rip! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

And then sat there for the next 27 years or so without getting a wash. Riggers might be eager to attack it with pull test clamps and see how it fares now! And a Phantom 22 is even in the Low Speed category of C23b, not exactly the toughest of reserve categories, with National preferring a gross weight of 155 lbs max. So the pool of eligible users gets pretty small. I admit that I didn't catch the acid mesh comment, but if it's legal (all required processes conducted) and passes pre-repack tests so be it. Not saying I would jump it but if everything is in order and it's legal I know people who would. As dumb as that sounds to some let's not forget about the AAD, no-AAD conversation current raging in the incidents forum. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Doug - what are the rules on reserve canopy age these days? I know several guys that would buy a round reserve in like-new condition with no jumps as long as it's legal. Same with the main and container - especially at the right price. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX