chuckakers

There are technologies that are way beyond that stuff commercially available today (google search "gps micro tracker" or "sms tracker"). So many in fact that I doubt anyone wants to invest in marketing them to skydivers for fear that jumpers will just obtain the same thing or something similar on their own for less cost. Technology is moving so fast that it's getting tough to find something worth investing in. No one wants to spend money applying a technology to a discipline-specific customer only to have the customer go get the same thing for less without the middle man involved. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

When I was teaching students I typically used the shoulder dip, but also had good success with a "lift and reach" with the opposite shoulder/arm on people who tended to loose their arch with a shoulder or elbow dip. If I had a student that had trouble dipping a shoulder or elbow I sometimes had luck with a "salute" turn in which the student pulled the turn-side hand to the side of the head while dipping to promote a dip in that direction. I never found any one technique to be better than another. Always seemed that different strategies worked better with different students. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Just callin' 'em as I see 'em. Heat. Kitchen. Dz.com. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Both of my Stilettos opened very nicely in a short amount of time. The 150 sniveled just a bit more than the 135, but never any heart-stoppers. Who packed yours? Do not roll/push the nose, IMO. The first, have no clue. Probably a packer as the DZ was very strict with packing. They had a spy keeping an eye on me every time I packed the canopy. I did not do anything to slow down the openings. I tried to open the nose as much as possible, I even folded the slider at the front end on the last two jumps. The guy I wrote about above wanting a fix for his canopy, he also had a Stiletto. Line trim and canopy use can also have an effect opening times. Does the canopy you're referring to have a lot of jumps on it or are the lines old? Was it jumped in adverse conditions like the desert? Exposed to the sun an abnormally long time? Repeated water landings? Anything that can effect the condition of the fabric or lines can alter opening characteristics. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

PD Reserve I know, that was a punch below the belt. I have heard from a follow jumper who also likes quick opening canopies that it's very hard to get the manufacturers help to speed up the opening. Their reasoning, according to him, was that this is how the canopy should open and they did not want to change it. As of his story, he was at the factory several times trying to pursuade and beg them for a fix. And on the last day of his visit one of the workers handed him a smaler slider secretly. They probably all got fed up with him Yep, below the belt for sure although I did expect someone to post that. As for a manufacturer not wanting to speed up a canopy's openings, there's a fix for that. Choose a different manufacturer or model. Not all canopies open slowly. One of the reasons I chose a Stiletto when deciding to retire from the Velo universe was the quicker openings. You chosed Stiletto for quicker openings? I rented a rig when I was visiting another DZ and it had a Stiletto in it. I was truely scared on the first jump because it opened so slow. Those 5 jumps I made with that canopy was the worst jumps for me ever. And that was only because of the slow openings. Stilettos typically have a shorter snivel than most elliptical canopies. Mine never snivels more than 2 seconds and usually has almost no snivel at all. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

PD Reserve I know, that was a punch below the belt. I have heard from a follow jumper who also likes quick opening canopies that it's very hard to get the manufacturers help to speed up the opening. Their reasoning, according to him, was that this is how the canopy should open and they did not want to change it. As of his story, he was at the factory several times trying to pursuade and beg them for a fix. And on the last day of his visit one of the workers handed him a smaler slider secretly. They probably all got fed up with him Yep, below the belt for sure although I did expect someone to post that. As for a manufacturer not wanting to speed up a canopy's openings, there's a fix for that. Choose a different manufacturer or model. Not all canopies open slowly. One of the reasons I chose a Stiletto when deciding to retire from the Velo universe was the quicker openings. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Might want to talk to your instructors about that. While it is important to follow a prescribed pattern it is also important to do what is safest in the moment. I can't say whether a turn contrary to the normal pattern would have been appropriate based solely on a verbal description of the situation, but if a deviation from the norm is the safest thing to do and will not create additional risk (airspace is clear, etc.) then do it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I don't know any manufacturer today that recommends cutting a hole in the slider to speed up openings so it's likely that any rigger who is performing that mod is doing so without consultation. Unfortunately there are some riggers who are willing to perform mods without consulting the manufacturer. Many are "old timers" who have done mods for decades and don't think about design and material differences in modern canopies and how those things can affect the outcome. I'm always open to learn. Anyone following this thread know of a manufacturer that recommends slider holes to speed up openings? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Riggers are not designers and should not make mods that are not approved by the manufacturer. Modern day canopy designs vary widely and a mod that may work well on one brand/model may cause catastrophic failure and/or injury or death of the jumper on another. Also keep in mind that there are sometimes "bastard" canopies - canopies that for reasons unknown have unexplained problems, often hard openings. Modifying one of those in a way that has worked just fine on the same model in the past could yield dramatically different and possibly devastating results. You can choose to do whatever you like but let's remember there are a lot of new jumpers on these forums. To the jumpers at large, NEVER modify or have your rigger modify your canopy in any way that is not approved by the manufacturer!! Most often a simple phone call to the manufacturer will provide the solution. Many (most?) manufacturers will even take the canopy back and test jump it to determine what the problem is and replace it if it's a bastard. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Bad advice! Unlike the old F-111 7-cell canopies that could have opening characteristics "safely" tweaked with the aforementioned mods and many others like them, today's Zero-P, higher performance designs can produce anything from streamers to slammers when modified in the field. I suggest anyone wanting to change the opening characteristics of their canopy contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer designed it, built it, and test jumped it - a lot! The manufacturer knows more about the canopy than anyone else by a big margin. ANY mods should be approved by the manufacturer first. DON'T experiment! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I hope that's not a trend in the sport. I personally know two jumpers who would clearly be dead had they not performed solid PLF's. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Looks to me like the seam was sewn too close to the edge of the fabric and simply gave out over time. Quality control issue for sure. Is it OEM (original) or aftermarket? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I've been jumping the Z1 for 16 years and have a Go Pro on it now with an aluminum low profile mount. I'm not overly worried about getting the helmet off in an emergency. Even with the strap snugged tightly I can pull it completely off by simply grabbing it from the back and pulling it forward, hinging it at the chin. Give it a try. Unless your helmet is pretty tight on your head you should be able to remove it using that technique without a problem. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Without commenting on the wisdom of banning specific behaviors, I respectfully disagree with your opinion on swoop comps drawing crowds. I have followed competitive CP since its inception, attended five CP Nationals and competed in one. The biggest "crowds" I've ever seen beyond skydivers and competitors' family and friends are the dozen or so locals that come out to watch for an hour or so, and most of them are the same guys that come to the DZ on a regular basis anyway. The general public simply isn't overly interested in watching swooping. To the uninitiated every swoop looks pretty much like all the rest, crash n burns notwithstanding. The typical comments I hear from whuffos at CP comps is "that was pretty cool", said as they walk to their cars after an hour +/- of watching. I believe if we want to draw a crowd with CP, the best way is to take CP to the crowd. A competition at a venue where there is already an audience like airshows, festivals, and other competitive sporting events might be the best way to promote the potential. People do like watching jumpers for a few minutes as they do at ballgames and opening ceremonies at airshows and auto races, but getting them to come just for a skydiving competition or exhibition has so far eluded us in any significant numbers and CP hasn't changed that. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That was indeed a snappy opening and yes a sloppy packjob can cause hard openings. I would see if your instructor had a fallrate device. Higher freefall speeds can definitely be the cause of hard openings so I would also work on trimming down a bit. Doing so will also help you be a better skydiver. You will have more range of fall rate and will have better maneuverability when jumping with people who naturally fall slower than you. Packjob and fallrate aside, understand this. Any canopy can hammer any jumper on any jump. Even fatality. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Your response seriously put a smile on my face and made my day that much better.

I won't speculate on your speculation about the cause of the reserve deployment but its' great to hear the noob in the saddle did his job well. Not sure of your experiences but I have never heard that it's "somewhat common" for jumpers not to check their pins - and every other component of their gear - before donning it for a jump. Where I jump the experienced jumpers do lead by example. I am a load organizer at a major U.S. DZ (Skydive Spaceland) and insist that my groups get a gear check from another jumper before boarding the aircraft as a secondary inspection to the individual's (assumed) pre-donning inspection. These inspections do occasionally catch a gear gig, and interestingly my folks notice gear gigs on people who aren't in our groups through simple observation more often than they do on people with our groups. Seems giving gear checks puts people in the mode to casually glance at everyone's gear and it has paid off. My guys have caught stuff like dislodged handles, mis-routed chest straps, and unsecured pin flaps and riser covers just by having them jump out into their vision. As for people who refuse gear checks, understand this: if you have a premature deployment near the door, you may bring down the entire load. Thanks for that. Get a gear check. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I don't think Hans was all that heavy. He's not very tall, so even though he's a bigger guy he wouldn't tip the scales. My guess currently would be Windmiller. He's pretty tall and built like a tank. He's also solid as a rock - lots of muscle mass. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

As far as I know, most/all manufacturers accept custom reserve color orders. If you are trying to verify the canopy was manufactured by PD, pick up the phone and call them. As for the number of pack jobs, good luck with that. On one side it isn't unusual for a rig or canopy to sit in a closet for years, thus making the age vs pack jobs seem out of ratio. On the other side, there's nothing stopping people from cheating on documentation. If you purchased this canopy my advice would be to not purchase a 23 year old unit and then ask for advice on the internet. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

We changed the channel after realizing that the rest of the show is probably as staged as the skydiving scene. Yes, the dude climbs into the chopper without his legstraps on and away they go. The jump was an IAD (not static line) and somehow the guy instinctively reached up and grabbed the steering toggles and steered to the ground in close proximity to the camera crew even though this was supposedly his first hop. Oh well. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Been around for 29 years and never heard of such a thing. A lot of boogie events and competitions that drew participants from all over would do that. As part of registration, they would have a rigger check all gear for whatever recent set of gear problems had been happening, like leg strap replacements, soft 3-rings, or whatever. Or just checking general safety items like riser wear and reserve seals. And then they would put a colored or coded cable tie on the handle to show that the rig had been inspected and passed. I've also seen this used as a means of showing that the boogie fee was paid, so that as people are boarding the plane, the DZ employee can scan all the jumpers and see that they're not sneaking on for free. Many jumpers would not remove those ties after each boogie, and would accumulate quite a collection, as a sign of how well-traveled they were. They became like a badge of honor. Nowadays they seem to use those plastic hospital wrist-bands instead. Want to drink the free boogie beer? Let me see your wrist band, buddy! I follow the premise and have seen all kinds of inspection and boogie fee tags, just not a seal on a reserve r/c. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Easy. Sew a pocket onto the D-bag where it's accessible with the container closed - upper right or left above the container side flaps. Wouldn't work with all rigs but would with some, and if these gizmos or something like them become the norm, rig manufacturers would likely design around them or even incorporate pockets into bags from the factory. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

There are a lot of people in the sport who make choices based on a perceived cool factor. That will probably never change, but there is a way to combat it. I call it the fullface factor. Remember when all the cool kids jumped without helmets or with leather frap hats at the most because all the hard helmets of the day were perceived as looking stupid? When I started in the mid 80's the hard-shell choices were pretty much pro-tecs, hockey helmets, or motorcycle helmets - none of which had a cool factor. The cool kids went without. Then along came shit hot 4-way with booties and knee shots to the face and the fullface helmet was born out of necessity. As soon as folks saw the hottest skydivers on the DZ wearing them, they started flying off the shelf and now they are the standard in the sport - even among many freeflyers. If we want to promote good choices, just get the badass skydivers to embrace the right stuff and the vain will follow - in theory, anyway. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Not to hijack the thread, but are you saying the responsible pilot starts from above people on final and makes a performance turn in front of them to land before them? Am I getting that right? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I suggest having a candid conversation with the DZO to find out (not guessing based on history) the motivations behind the decision. You didn't mention the experience level or progression of the jumpers who died, but that should be part of the conversation. I jump at a large, progressive DZ with a lot of performance pilots and we have very few issues with performance landings. This is mainly because we have a culture that includes competent swoopers and DZ management that understand the discipline and polices it. Unless the incidents you guys have experienced are anomalies, there's a pretty good chance that they had something to do with jumpers getting in over their heads in wing loading and/or technique. I obviously can't know that but it is certainly a common element. We can be of more help if we know the DZO's reasoning. If the motivation is emotional, you will probably be up against a wall. If the DZO's stated decision is based on people screwing up, you have an argument - assuming you can fix that. Investigate and reply here, and I'm sure you will get lots of advice. And when it comes to support, don't forget to include folks like the experts at Performance Designs. I often pick the brains of the folks on the factory team to support my positions on canopy best practices and procedures and find their input invaluable. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX