chuckakers

Of course, it is a dynamic situation. That's why the solution is to look where you're going. Yes, you can check around to get an idea of what's what, but your eyes need to be focused on where you going to be momentarily any time you are doing some other than flying 'straight and level'. Let's say you do torque yourself just short of a line twist and look behind you. By the time you straighten yourself out and commence with a turn, that guy who was out of the 'danger zone' may have flown into it. There is no way to replace the value of looking ahead of your turn. It's a must every time you change direction. Look where you're going to be, and if there's something there at that time, stop the turn before you get there. It's a bad precedent to set. Modern canopies with their steeper trims and faster roll rates (even the bigger ones) should not be taken close the edge of 'uncontrolled' flight as a normal practice in traffic. It's not neccesary, there are other ways to clear your airspace while maintaining a wide margin of controlability of your canopy. As I mentioned, and simple 45 degree heading change and back again will reveal anything that is directly behind you to start with and maintain your ability to immediately react to any traffic conflict that may arise. So I should look in the direction of the torque during a turn on a roll rate steeper than the margin of bullshit? Thank you, Professor. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I have many times, usually when I've forgotten my goggles or given mine up to someone else who forgot theirs. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The guy directly behind you could be the guy behind and below you moments later. I prefer to know where EVERY jumper is that could affect my trip down, whatever I have to do to achieve that. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Contact someone at Skydive Dallas. They should know. John Story of Story Parachute Works should also know how to reach him. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I don't know if I have a Viso or a Viso II, but mine will do what you are asking. I keep mine on altitude mode during the jump, then it will play back my freefall speeds starting 6 seconds after exit until some amount of time after there are no new altitude changes. Mine gives me the choice of 2 read-outs - speed vs time and altitude vs time. My only complaint is that I would prefer altitude vs speed in the playback. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Listen to Ian. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Ponce in in Deland. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Stability is a luxury in a cutaway scenario. Getting your reserve open quickly is mandatory. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

If a jumper needs "techniques" for avoiding spectators, he/she doesn't need to be on that jump. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

If you are going 310 mph and your AAD fires at say 750 feet, you might impact before your reserve even finishes deploying. Good luck on deploying your main. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

That's over-think gone overboard. Hindsight is perfect, so of course it would be easy to determine whether a check-in system made a difference in any particular situation after the fact. The scenarios are infinite. The constant is the need to make sure everyone on the load makes it home. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Is it the responsibility of the DZO or the individual jumper to make sure he won't be laying out in a field with 2 broken legs, with nobody knowing about it? The DZO. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

So if DZ's readily fix this problem by implementing a check-in procedure, how is it a DZ doesn't have some responsibility if they don't have such a procedure and someone goes missing? The DZO IS responsible for everything that happens - or doesn't happen - on his/her DZ. Of course because no one should have any personal responsibility. It is someone else’s fault. That's not at all what I said. Each person and entity in the process has responsibilities, including the DZ. By personal responsibility I assume you mean that an injured jumper who lands off the DZ should drag his busted femurs or broken back a few hundred yards to the nearest road and flag down help? If there is a hole in the manifesting/jumper accountability system, exactly who or what besides the DZ is responsible for that? I am about the biggest "individual responsibility" guy you'll ever know, but an injured jumper who lands off the DZ is at the mercy of the system - or lack thereof. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

So if DZ's readily fix this problem by implementing a check-in procedure, how is it a DZ doesn't have some responsibility if they don't have such a procedure and someone goes missing? The DZO IS responsible for everything that happens - or doesn't happen - on his/her DZ. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Actually it would be foolish to attempt to make the distinction. Do you really sit on the airplane staring at your altimeter to make sure your AAD arms at 1500 feet...or 1490...or 1527? Yeah. No one else does either. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I dunno...any hot dogs and buns on the plane? Dogs. No buns. Your call. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

There many situations where a pilot might order an exit at a grand. Fire, severe control issues, catastrophic damage, hell even oil on the windshield might cause a pilot to want everyone out rather than risk having them on board for a possible or probable crash landing. If the pilot believes the jumpers will be safer with a low altitude bail out vs landing with the plane, why would he/she not order everyone out? Getting out at 1,000 feet isn't a good situation, but there are many situations in which it would still be the best option. Look at it this way. If the plane was at 1,000 feet and on fire, would you rather bail or stay with a plane? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

While I agree with your statement about understanding one's equipment operation and limits, I think that in most cases - this one included - stuff like arming parameters shouldn't be part of a jumper's considerations when deciding how to handle an emergency situation. The exit in question may be at 1,000 feet but that doesn't mean the plane didn't make it to 1,500 or higher before the eventual exit. Under those circumstances, the AAD might be armed. Bottom line - the margins are too thin to know for sure, so I wouldn't suggest having emergency procedures based on whether or not an AAD has armed. Never assume your AAD will work when it should and never assume your AAD won't work when it should. 5 left and cut. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The use of AAD's and today's longer average opening times has changed the perception of altitudes. Back in the day, we used canopies that typically opened in 400 feet and didn't have AAD's. That meant we routinely tossed pilot chutes passing through 2 grand without a problem. With that as the norm, an emergency exit on a reserve at 1,000 feet wasn't considered anything radical. Butt cheek-squeezin' maybe, but not radical. Many jumpers today use 3k as their minimum main deployment altitude. Exiting at a grand for those folks might seem like suicide. Or they're just pussies. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

8 jumpers on a Huey helicopter at 9,000 over Ft. Hood, Texas. Pilot screams "get out". We did - quickly. As planned, everyone took just enough of a delay to be sure we weren't dumping in each others' faces and landed - in the middle of nowhere. Got a ride back to the DZ in the back of a troop truck! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

So you think allowing kids to conjure up their own version of the horror and carry that around in their minds is better than an adult calmly explaining the insanity of the incident while reassuring the child that it is statistically a very rare occurrence? Ok. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Skippy was a dear friend and one of the most unique and colorful guys I ever knew. I remember when I first met him he would weave stories (like the cake-in-hand water landing) that I really thought were folklore, but the first time he invited some of us to his house, I saw framed newspaper articles about so many of his hijinks that I only then realized all his stories were true! Skippy never seemed to have a bad day. He was always ready for any kind of jump folks wanted to do, was a badass CReW dog, and while he was seldom the first guy to his slot, he was always there. Of all the things I wish Skippy had left with me before he passed was his INCREDIBLE dirty rice recipe. It was - like him - legendary! See you someday, Skippy. Hopefully not real soon, but someday for sure!! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Just a little reminder that gear checks save lives and reserve repacks, regardless of who you are or how many jumps you have.... I organize jumps at Skydive Spaceland in Houston and always insist that folks on my jumps get a gear check FROM ANOTHER JUMPER before boarding the plane on every jump. Recently I was checking the gear of a good friend and very competent jumper with about 1,000 jumps as we stood in the loading area waiting for the plane, and found his cutaway handle pulled completely out of its' pocket, just dangling there waiting to be a problem at the worst possible moment. He confirmed that he checked his gear before donning it, so we presumed that he somehow caught the handle on something between the packing area and the loading area. We also do a visual inspection and confirm handle and attachment points before exit. Gear checks, please. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I used to jock at a legendary rock station in Houston (KLOL) and we always played Alice's Restaurant on Thanksgiving Day at noon. Tradition for sure. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Thanks, bro. Not sure why the link is dead. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX