peek

That is correct. A parachute flaked like a "pro" pack is somewhat more symmetrical, but not by much. I think you might consider the quality of the pack jobs, not the method. If the problem is always tension knots then Dave's suggestion about watching for twisted steering lines sounds like a good idea.

Excellent post Luis. This is the kind of practical advice that I really enjoy seeing offered to another student skydiver. Of course, a student skydiver should not be giving another student skydiver advice about the instructional aspects of their training, but this type of advice is really nice. I wish that more experienced jumpers could acknowledge the difference between the two types, and not just offer the stock answer, "talk only to your instructor" no matter what the question. It has been so long since many of us were students that we have lost the feeling of what it was like to be a student.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridezilla_%28term%29

First of all: Thank you for your service to our country! I can't say that I have any particularly good advice on how you can make a skydive, because weight affects safety, and most dropzones do not have gear for heavier jumpers. Unfortunately, skydiving favors the average sized jumper. Anyone that is large or small needs to work much harder to succeed in the sport. You might need to purchase your own gear that is compatible with student training, but it will be worth it.

To all: Martin is not only prolific poster of ideas and comments to dropzone.com for the benefit of skydiving, but also has gone to the effort of suggesting changes to USPA BSR's via the waiver system. He sets an excellent example that I hope everyone can learn from. Some of this stuff takes work.

I would like to understand that, but I'm having trouble visualizing the parts and what they were doing.

Here is a start: http://www.parachuteaccuracy.org/

In a way that makes perfect sense. I actually like the golf course style announcements. "Travis 4 way on tee, Gary 4 way on deck."

Actually, I'm not considering any changes at all. This is a quickly done program that some people might find useful, and some programmers like yourself can improve on. I'll leave the perfection to others. Who is Justin, and what is the demo data screen snapshot? It sounds like you might have evaluated a manifest program lately.

No one is using this. I just wrote it. The local DZ is using the microcontroller hardware based design like I said in the OP.. About $200 for the USB version at Sams Club in the US. www.betabrite.com to see who the distributors are, and to get protocol documents. Software support is the "magic" part. I have been working with large LED displays for many years. Go to http://www.industrologic.com/products.htm#largeled and follow the links to the display you want. Go to the Software page and get sample source code. I didn't feel like buying a text-to-speech engine. I was in a hurry so I just made audio files. Both by design. No reason to keep the config file open. The time is displayed in the minimized window.

By this time, most USPA members have received their April 2010 Parachutist magazine. On page 67, Jim Crouch, headquarters Director of Safety and Training, suggests that it might be appropriate to start considering rigid helmets for tandem students. He provides some good arguments for this, and I can't say that I see any downsides. Comments?

I think they might have caught a gust to about 30MPH at landing. It's usually the gusts that get you.

So, has anyone downloaded the program and given it a try?

Could you supply some more information about that? What are you calling "back straps"? A picture would be helpful. What manufacturer?

We knew it was going to be windy, and we knew the winds were going to increase. Two Otter loads went with little trouble, then it got windier, and a number of us said "not now". Next load, winds pick up after the load launched, but not enough to cause alarm and call the load down or anything. It was marginal, but they were all big boys and big girls and could decide for themselves. Result? One destroyed jumpsuit. The owner saved his rig by sacrificing his suit. Only a few superficial scrapes to the rig. One rig that will need a patch on the lower part of the reserve container. Reserve is probably OK, reserve bag may need a patch. Possible sprained ankle. One rig that has been boxed up and will be sent to the manufacturer because the reserve container and reserve risers have been damaged. Only one person on the load cutaway on landing. Why? What are we not teaching people to give them confidence that this can save them in a tight spot? Why would 3 people land anywhere near a runway where they could get drug across it? When there is a wide open airport?

I noticed. Congratulations "team".

I have written a Windows application that is an Aircraft Load Timer program. It is basically a replacement for the kitchen timer and manual PA announcements used at manifest to keep track of loads. It includes PA announcements via the sound card using a set of included audio files, (which can be replaced by audio files of your choosing). A version of the program can display messages on a BetaBrite large LED display (electronic sign). (This is the unique part, because I'm not sure many people know how to program messages to these displays via a computer.) The descriptions and links for download can be found at the top of this page: http://www.skydivestlouisarea.com/peeksa.htm Some background: Years ago I made a hardware device for a local DZ that did something similar. You pushed buttons to set the time while viewing the display, then started the timer. It produced beeps over a speaker every 5 minutes and displayed a countdown to the load. Note: If any of you programmers think you can write something better, then go for it! (I'm sure you can.) Some of you folks who write manifest programs could integrate this stuff into your programs. Feel free to use the audio files, and if anyone wants to create audio files with the voice of their favorite sexy-voiced manifest chick, then that would be great too! We can make this some kind of open-source project if you like. It would be neat to have a number of sets of audio files with different voices.

They would be if something unusual happened, like, I was incapacitated for some reason. It is also probably a good idea to have an experienced jumper on front that can actually reach the drogue handle instead of just taking the smallest person you can find. Problems on jumps like this are rare, but can happen.

OK, I was just wanting you to know that the USPA Group Membership program does not assure anything, and that not being a Group Member does not mean a DZ is less safe.

Joe, what goods and services are you referring to that are officially certified?

Luke, you mean they didn't tell you? That you are on triple-secret probation?

Sometimes that is not easy to determine. Sometimes the DZ web sites still exist. I can understand them being hesitant to delete a listing if they have not communicated with the person that created the listing.

There are drop zones listed that have not been in operation for years, (literally). The people that used to run them have no incentive to remove the old listings, so they will stay there and confuse people forever. I just saw another post referring to a dropzone that is gone. Anyone in management have any idea how to solve this problem?

This is an educated guess, but I imagine a Flight Concepts ZP Manta 320 (zero porosity) would be close. Pack volume 675. http://flightconceptsint.com/zp-main/zp-manta FYI: The old name for the non-zero porosity canopy this size was the Man-o-War, then they started using just the name Manta with the size.

Thank you for the explanation. That explains a lot.