craddock

Under my proposal, JC wouldn't have been slowed down in his progression. Please! JC Colcalsure? Is this who you are reffering too? If so, he started ten years ago. I do not think the Stiletto was even made yet. Nobody progressed back then like we do now. Years ago there was a minimum number of jumps required to jump a square. Some one told me the other day they could not jump a round at their DZ until they had more experience. Times change and JC started jumping in a different time so to speak. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Do you really believe this? I never knew who the hot swoopers were until I felt I was ready to compete. I had jumped a Velocity before I had ever seen one jumped before. Even so I would not have traded my canopy in after I met them because they did not like the speed. I liked it. I swoop for me. Some of my favorite landings have been landing of by myself swooping through trails and around obstacles. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Will try and not argue with you Ron. You put words in peoples mouth. When did I say I thought I was that good? or that gifted? I said something about being way ahead of the curve. Perhaps I worded it wrong. I was thinking the curve was someones progression through the canopies. something? Let me try this: I transitioned down faster than is normal. Is that better? Please do not answer that. I have not enjoyed the way you like to tell me what I am thinking. I have not came on here to be conceited, yet you paint me as such. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Reply To -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tastless comment trying to prove a point to Rhino that you can get cut off without it being your own fault. (I don't think it worked) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What makes you so sure? I have done CRW with as large as a 210 and rubbed end cells with a Tandem while holding. If you are holding trying to out float me you may be right. Are you going to hold all the way to landing Rhino. That would kind of defeat the pupose. Very good point.

Why is that Ron? Because just like our justice system every S&TA is fair and balanced. I may not sign my name behind someone in my shoes even if I though they had the ability. Mainly because of the outcry people like you would bring in the chance something happens. People who jump higher loaded canopies are at a greater risk regardless of the jump numbers. Less experienced usually means greater risk. Regardless how well it appears you fly a canopy, how well will you react in unseen circumstances. Panic? Freeze? Who knows? How many S&TAs are willing to sing the paper and wait to find out. What do they have to gain? They can only lose Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I think his point was- why should everyone have to suffer so that we MIGHT possibly save a few people with poor judgement.(we do not know that this would save anyone) I was just stating a point to back him up as far as difficulty in getting a waiver. I do think my S&TA believed I had the talent; I just do not believe he would have signed me off to do the progression I went through As far as these proposed BSR's or whatever. I really don't know what you all have came up with. Everyone had there own idea. If I could have simply took a canopy control course that was available to me; and then been allowed to progress as I had, I would have no problem with that. However under some of the proposals that I have read, I very much doubt that I would have continued skydiving. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

>how many people might be denied simply because of the volume of >requests? I am not so sure it was the labor involed that he was referring to. I know many S&TA that would have a hard time moraly signing people off. Present them a large number of people and they are going to pick and choose. They may not sign off the ones that truly could go ahead of the curve. Personally, after my first jump course I became an experienced jumper in no small ways due to my love with canopy flight.(even before I knew what it felt like I was in hooked into learning high performance landings) I very much doubt as far ahead of the learning curve as I was, I could have found an S&TA to put his name behind me. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Ron So you are saying that the group with the most jumps should have the most injuries? Or do you have some ratio your not telling us You do not think that less experienced jumpers are at a higher risk? Really? You want to change the system because inexperienced jumpers should not be getting hurt as much as experienced jumpers who do more jumps(making them much more current) making them a greater risk. Huh? At the experienced level skydiving is one of the safest sports that I have took up heavily. From my parents to my grandparents, they were very relieved when I took up skydiving and spent much less time elsewere. They had all been at competitions and could not believe the carnage. Ambulances going nonstop. Amazingly enough if you look at it from your perspective; while there were injuries in all skill levels, a much higher percentage was among those with less experience whom made up most of the group. (and also practiced less making them less experienced!) Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

If the kill line is exposed you can tie a small knot in it to shorten it a bit. Had to do this many times on Sunrise Rigging pilot chutes. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I have jumped the 72, 78, and 82 Xaos 27 and I believe the same sizes in the 21 plus a 90. I firmly believe that you do not need to go down 10% in size(or up in loading) to be at optimal performance between these canopies. As was already mentioned they are two different canopies. If you are looking for the loading that will give you similar performance to what you have, you would be best to stick with what you have. What are you looking for? It is hard to define optimum. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

what i got out of his description did not sound anything like a carving turn. j That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I would have to say that they are most likely not caused by pulling a front riser down. J That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I wasn't really repling to your post. It was just the one I happened to click reply to. sorry for the confusion. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

There will continue to be many opinions on this for many years to come. Let me offer mine. Your choice in moving from the Static Line program (which I happen to think is an excellent program) will require you to move to new DZ, at least for your training. I think this point is being overlooked. Also in my opinion, Tecumseh is by far the best DZ in MI. Nothing else comes close in my eyes. If you like the people and the atmosphere, do yourselve a favor and give Static line another shot. I don't think you will regret it. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

In my experience, a packing error in which one brake line in not set can prodece different result than what I consider a "brake fire" My current toggles/risers give me a lot of Brake fires- which usually happens and some point during the opening process. The later this happens the less of an issue it is. I have had weekends where at least one third of my openings have a toggle pop off. I load my canopies between 2.2 to 2.5. On my FX I use the riser initially to get it flying straight, and then just use the harness to correct while I stow my slider, loosen chest strap, ect. It does not take much effort on this canopy to keep it flying straight with one toggle unstowed. On my xaos 27, it does require quite a bit although the biggest complaint I have about the Xaos 27 is that it is not very sensitive to harness input compared to my other canopies. Most of my brakefires to not happen until the canopy is open, which is much different than what some may be talking about. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Bill are you still going fetal everytime you pitch? Sorry. On a more serious note, what was your experience with the Stiletto 120 of Tom's you were jumping. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I only made the assumtion because of the following statement you made. "Actually, I have jumped without one a few times and it scared the sheeeeeeeet out of me. I pulled high as hell just to make sure I had plenty of altitude to deal with." To deal with what? Fear? No shit The first thing I do is look at the ground btw- Do you also use your altimeter to set up your landing? If so I would again say you are device dependent. If not where is your cut of point in altitude that you trust your eyes. I do not advocate that others jump without an altimeter. I will however defend my right to do so. I will never encourage anyone to jump with out one. I think it is very foolish to send a student up without one, even a tandem. I was jumping for years before I regularly went without one Well, I have seen several people catch there altimeter on the door ( wrist mount) and either tear it off or torque part of that appendage. At least one person was killed by a chest mount altimeter. I could think of several more but I don't seem as though I am advocating jumping without one. There are a couple of reasons that I do not jump with one. Right now the main one is that I do not have one. I have went through three altimeters since I started skydiving. After the second one I decided not to buy on again. My girlfriend bought me one this year before I went to Rantoul. This one was either stolen at Skyquest or possibly by the baggage handlers at the airlines. If you want to buy me another one, I promise I will wear it. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Let's see, you are admitedly device dependent. Seldom have I jumped with an Altimeter in the past couple years, so I do not follow a good safety regimen and am likely to "go in" as a result? You admit that you can not safely jump without a mechanical device to judge your altitude, yet I am more likely to go in? Does this still make sense when you read it back to yourself? Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Every Jumper? Why should your limitations dictate that I need to wear an altimeter? If I worried about either of these because I was not competent to jump without an altimeter, then I to would always wear one. Endangering someone else? Do you mean pulling to high? Another thing to consoder for experienced jumpers is what kind of jump they are doing. Head down or belllyflying. I started headdown after several hundreds of jumps without any form of altimeter and I did have some problems judging altitude without transitioning to a stand/sit. This is getting of topic of the subject of Students Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Grasshoppper you really need to get out more! There are plenty of canopy pilots more than capable of competing very Competivly on the PST who are not for a variety of reasons. Those who do compete on the tour are SOME of the best canopy pilots around, not all. Also, a good althete in any sport does not necessarily correlate to a good instrutor of that sport . Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Not sure what you mean as you seem to be contradicting yourself. As Tom said we can build towers in the US up to 2000 ft although apparently there are some exceptions? I live in the midwest and while not all that common, there are 2000 foot towers around. We have a cluster of them in one paticular location along with some lower (1600 ft) ones. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I have had both the spandex and a parapack pouch and I can understand Emmie's complaint about putting it in. I have a tiny rig and it requires me to roll the pilot chute up real tight to get it in(24 inch). I have seen several packers struggle with it and I have myself when I have tried to rush and not pack my pilotchute real tight. That said, my pilot chute and bridal are as secure as anything I have seen. I really like my pouch but I can see where others would not. Pros Looks great Lasts forever ? Extremely secure Cons Difficult packing on some rigs/packingstyles Higher pull force The pull force may also be dependent on rig size, pilot chute size, and packing style/care. I have a fairly small pilotchute(24") on a very small rig and I do have a much harder pull than a spandex rig. I borrowed a rig this summer and got a bit freaked for a half second when I went to pull. As I pulled on the hackey it seemed as though the pilothute jetted out of the pouch. I bet my rig has four times the pull force as the rig I was jumping. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I have had four cutaways total. Two spun up very hard. Second to last one on my 72sq ft Xaos 27 was sick. I have never seen something spin so fast. I was in line twists during the whole deployment, but once the canopy fully pressurized; it dove straight toward the ground and spun from the top all the way through the risers in what seemed like less than a second. Happened extremely fast. There was so much force involved that it shifted my harness to the point that I struggled for a second to find my reserve handle which was way down on my hip. I have a small rig that I crank the hell out of the leg straps as I fly with harness input. I thought it had flipped under my lift web and was fumbling for it there when I spotted it way down on my hip. Still can't believe it was down there! Opened with a few hundred feet to spare. No riser inserts on any of my cutaways. Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

That comp was held into the wind the day Jeff won with that speed. The day before Jeff hit 75 I think. Mike Jazz was right there with him. I think I just edged out Andy Anderson that evening for third. I did three swoops with the gun that day and hit 65,67,66. Pretty consistent although I was setting up way back from the gun and swooping the entire pond. Most jumpers were trying to set up close to the radar to just make the gates for a max. reading. This could allow a higher recorded speed as the gates were pretty high and you could enter them with vertical speed. If you were swooping the pond he recorded your max speed as soon you were leveled off. I think Jeff was wearing at least 35 pounds of weight at one point. He looked pregnant! Hope this helps Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

[ States have their own laws protecting Land owners from liability. It is commonly reffered to as the recreational land use act (sec 895.52 of Wis. State Statues). While most states have some protection, the extent of it can vary greatly from state to state. Wisconsin Law protects above and beyond what some other states offer for immunity from liability. As an example; in some states the courts have held that only owners of unimproved land are protected from liability. Wisconsin is also one of the only states which does not require the land owner to warn of a known hazardous conditions and will also allow land owner to receive some payment for use of the property. These laws do a very good job at preventing frivolous lawsuits in some states. In some states; such as Maine, there is a section which awards direct legal costs to landowners found not liable under the statute. I have seen this statute prevent and drop lawsuits without the use of a defense laywer. For what? This is a very vague statement. What if I am being sued in Wisconsin for something that I was protected from liability under the State Statues . Actually, there is a great chance that it would never see trial as the defendent could be awarded Summary Judgment How much do you think the plantiff would be willing to spend on attorney fees knowing the defense's arguement (assuming the lawyer is not working on a contingency basis) Or how much time and resources would a contigency lawyer put into a case after presented with the history of this law being applied favorably toward the land owner. This is why I have a file on this law including history. It may be intersting to some to read how recreational activity is defined under this law(Wis. S895.525(2). so I have included it: 'In this section, "recreational activity" means any activity undertaken for the purpose of exercise, relaxation or pleasure, including practice or instruction in any such activity. "Recreational activity" includes, but is not limited to, hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, bowling, billiards, picnicking, exploring caves, nature study, dancing, bicycling, horseback riding, horseshoe-pitching, bird-watching, motorcycling, operating an all-terrain vehicle, ballooning, curling, throwing darts, hang gliding, hiking, tobogganing, sledding, sleigh riding, snowmobiling, skiing, skating, participation in water sports, weight and fitness training, sight-seeing, rock-climbing, cutting or removing wood, climbing observation towers, animal training, harvesting the products of nature, sport shooting and any other sport, game or educational activity.' Just my .02 cents Josh That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.