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Well, I can't say anything for sure, because many of us were not privy to the details of the lawsuit, even if we should have been. I don't believe that USPA was in any kind of distress, financial or otherwise. If they had USPA "over the barrel" to that degree, USPA could never have gotten the concessions from them that we did related to requiring that they discontinue some of their questionable practices. Numerous people like to portray USPA as being fragile. I think that is insulting to its members, most of who proudly support their organization and who go out of their way to work within its guidelines so that it remains strong.

Douglas, I was following you pretty well until this point. What lawsuit do you think almost destroyed USPA? Who told you that?

I don't know. You will need to ask someone on the Competition Committee. For many years in the past, the entire list of events were held by the same DZ within a short period of time, and they usually bid for a time period later in the season. Now that different events are being held at different DZs, they can (and are) being held at a variety of dates. That's all I know.

USPA's BOD (using the advice and information from the Competition Committee) selects which bidder gets to host (a particular part of) the Nationals. Only Skydive City bid on Canopy Piloting Nationals. It has very little to do with USPA deciding anything. The only decision would be to accept their bid or don't have a CPN. You would need to contact the bidders to ask why they chose a particular set of dates.

That is correct. Just so that some people are not horrified at the simplicity of that, we might add that "make it up as you go" means, provide review based on current and local conditions. At a small DZ they may not need much more than that for a solo jump or two. Beyond that you would need to update the jumper on procedures and rules that may not have been in place when they jumped last, especially at a larger DZ. FYI everyone, I support a business owner's right to do business (or not) with whomever they see fit.

The downside I would think of is that something must heat that heatshrink enough to make it shrink. (If anyone knows how this is done to keep the heat away from the lines, please tell us.) I use a couple layers of Spandex sewn into a cylinder to do the same job, and this allows the lines to spread out to their natural spacing. Not quite as durable though.

Because I'm doing research for someone who is experiencing a short life on many of their loops. I know what the manufacturer suggests. I'm looking for data in the field.

That is very helpful, thank you. Anyone else?

I was interested in some data from the field. (Yes, I am aware of what is in the manual. Yes, I just read it.) How many jumps are some of you getting on your Sigma tandem main container closing loop before they are needing to be replaced? (Assume a conservative approach, replacing them if in doubt, not trying to squeeze in a few more jumps.) Factory purchased loop or made locally by rigger? Pullup cord type? Etc.? Anyone using a flat washer with some kind of knot rather than a "disc" like on the factory made loop?

Good observation, sir, and well put.

If that is all an AAD had to do then yes, it would be simple. It is all of the exceptions that make it complicated. For example, what is "freefall" speed? We have wingsuits and canopies flying with each other now. It's complicated.

Tom, although I'm sure you did not mean to imply that we have different "commitments to safety", someone might take that away from what you said. I have a significant history with safety and training issues. I have dealt with local safety issues that "other people" do not even know about. I am puzzled. Why would you be a dropzone.com Moderator unless you thought that dropzone.com forums were a good place to discuss safety? I learn a lot here.

Good for you David! You can expect my help and support, or at least as much as I know how to give.

Orly was one really cool guy in skydiving. So nice and no ego. A sad day for all of us that knew him.

Too long. The only ripcord cable I would expect to be that long would be on an SOS rig.

If you are observant, you may very well notice the correlation between packing variations and the variation in openings that they cause. Beyond that, it may be difficult to prove any particular theory without a great deal of test jumps with detailed notes on how the parachute was packed. E.G., when I have someone pack for me, the initial part of the openings feel different than when I pack.

You sure that you do not mean: Fact- Manufacturer's can impose a service life at time of initial certification. Man, you guys sure are detail oriented sometimes! It keeps us all sharp. Yes, Jerry, I think you stated that more accurately, and I think Terry was talking about when the time period starts. I would think that it starts at the date of manufacture.

Sammie, it's not that crazy. A static line is simply another method of deploying a main parachute. If people wanted to pay a bunch of money, dropzones could even offer a static line first jump from a balloon. Look at all the pilot chute assist deployments that BASE jumpers are doing. It would be very similar to that. "skyh2omedic" is not some crazy kid trying to jump a balloon before he is ready, (although I can see how you might think that). I'm sure he will get good information before he does a static line jump from a balloon. Static line attachment points are not "approved" in the sense of their suitability for use with a static line. If a static line attachment point is "permanently" installed on an aircraft, it may need aircraft "alteration" approval and documentation. Here's an interesting question. What would the emergency procedures be for if the student got tangled in the static line and was "in tow"? Land the balloon.

Thank you for your work. Scammers are relentless.

I have a Stiletto loaded at 1.8 with Dacron lines and a slightly larger slider. Always good openings, and I think you will find a Stiletto to be fun because they turn quickly. I don't have a neck injury, but I also will not put up with a hard opening canopy any more.

I don't know if posting a message here alerts all of the other people who have posted, so maybe you all will just need to check back. To answer Brian's questions, yes, I think that many DZs and instructors are not willing to spend the time needed to teach the canopy control needed for a first-time or low-time jumper. It is easier to treat them like "radio-controlled students." I know of one drop zone that I used to frequent where the DZOs often used very tight control over the radio rather than letting the student make small errors and therefore learn. I think they wanted to have the student land very close in the nice grassy landing area because they thought that this was giving the student better "customer service" than landing them further away. (It is also possible that the DZOs thought that there was less possibility of a landing injury if they landed in the nice level, grassy area. This is a valid concern even if the students have been taught to PLF well, especially if the fields surrounding the landing area are rough.) The times that I was the instructor on the radio, I tried to say very little so that they could learn. I had several students thank me profusely for not saying much on the radio. I have been noticing a very good trend in instruction now where students are not even told about the radio until very late in the first jump instruction. This causes the student to pay more attention to the instruction about landing rather than assuming that someone will be doing it for them.

Thank you. Mike and I wrote that article to answer questions just like these. As you can see, some of the older jumpers still refer to "NOTAM" rather than "notification". They are not the same.

Meso, that was very nice of you to take the time to do that research and give him that explanation. After all, it was 7 years ago.

You heard correctly. They have a Twin Otter planned for Labor Day weekend at Winterset, Iowa, the home airport of Des Moines Skydivers. Nothing lasts forever, but I was hoping that they would be able to have it a few more years. I think that mainly, just like the WFFC was, that it takes so much effort to set up a complete DZ at another airport, that you must know that a minimum number of jumpers will come, or you will lose too much money.

Yes, see me at the Symposium for your beer!