USPA Urgent Call to Action!

[Communications 0]

The U.S. Parachute Association is issuing an Action Call to skydivers, DZOs, and S&TAs in an effort to reduce canopy collisions above our landing areas. Conferring with our sport’s leading experts, USPA has identified immediate actions that can help keep our skies collision-free. Please review it carefully and identify the actions you can implement or be responsible for. Meanwhile, USPA will continue to work toward developing other viable solutions that will help each of us stay safer under canopy.

www.uspa.org

Read the USPA blog!

[4dbill 0]

Thank you U.S.P.A. for doing something. It is a good start. Now we all have something to build on. Let the suggestions and flames begin.

Bill
http://www.dslrforvideo.com

[Coreefdiver 0]

lets hope some thought is put into action here and not knee-jerk responses.

DS#727, DB Cooper #41, POPS #11065, SCR #13183, FA #2125, SCS #8306, HALO #309 SRA #5930

[craigbey 0]

I wouldn't worry to much about knee-jerk reactions from the USPA. They've been thinking about it for a while...

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3964876#3964876

Too bad nothing more specific was said or done earlier. Same goes for the enforcement of DZ rules at Perris.

[AndyMan 7]

Quote

lets hope some thought is put into action here and not knee-jerk responses.

If "knee jerk reactions" had been done years ago, we wouldn't be here.

Thanks to the USPA for putting it out. Lets all put pressure on our DZ's to implement their part, and take note ourselves for doing our part.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

The U.S. Parachute Association is issuing an Action Call to skydivers, DZOs, and S&TAs in an effort to reduce canopy collisions above our landing areas. Conferring with our sport’s leading experts, USPA has identified immediate actions that can help keep our skies collision-free. Please review it carefully and identify the actions you can implement or be responsible for. Meanwhile, USPA will continue to work toward developing other viable solutions that will help each of us stay safer under canopy.

One thing everyone ought to realize is that each of the three collisions this year were between 2 jumpers with similar WLs.
These collisions did not have issues of greatly disparate nominal descent rates.

One collision had a severely errant jumper doing turns down through the pattern.
I thought were were done with these blatant violations after Danny took out Bob.

The other two collisions had two people apparently doing the right type of pattern, yet they still ran into each other.
To me, this highlights the fact that we are not looking where we are going and clearing the space of where we want to go, especially when turning.

Every jumper should personally own the problem of 'It might be me that runs into someone else.'
Stop this blaming a mystery person that could take you out from above and behind.

Repeat this out loud:
"The issue of canopy control is with me and my actions."
"I need to see and avoid."
"I need to only do 90 degree turns." (when landing in the general conventional pattern area)
"I need to create and maintain horizontal and vertical separation from others, starting up high and all the way through landing."
"I need to fly a predictable pattern."

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[faulknerwn 36]

Something I was thinking about doing is writing a daily/weekly or something "article" about some aspect of canopy flight safety and emailing them out to our dz email list..

Then it occurred to me that lots of dropzones could benefit from this - it might get information out to people who don't jump regularly or who can't/don't/won't go to a canopy class but may read an email..

We could have multiple authors.

Possible topics

Canopy Separation starts from exit
What to do if you're too high on final
How to fix a pattern that's off
Look before you turn
Bad spot - now what?
Why no swooping in the main area - yes that means you

Lots more that I'm not thinking of..

We have so much knowledge in the community - if we just get people to write just 1 article and get it out there to people and get it out to people who can send it out to dz mailing lists it could get mass reading.. And education is an important step..

[Coreefdiver 0]

Quote

I wouldn't worry to much about knee-jerk reactions from the USPA. They've been thinking about it for a while...

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3964876#3964876

Too bad nothing more specific was said or done earlier. Same goes for the enforcement of DZ rules at Perris.

to clarify my position, I'm referring to actions to be taken by DZO's.

DS#727, DB Cooper #41, POPS #11065, SCR #13183, FA #2125, SCS #8306, HALO #309 SRA #5930

[chriswelker 0]

Every "Call for Action" should be illustrated so assholes can comprehend what the real issue is.

Thanks Arkansas Bob!

Chris

[bdazel 0]

Quote

Every "Call for Action" should be illustrated so assholes can comprehend what the real issue is.

Thanks Arkansas Bob!

Chris

Yeah, that's productive.

[r.panfil 0]

***I am not trying to step out of my a license box here*** I have heard a lot about the benefits of taking a canopy course, but as a student, who is struggling just to make a few jumps a month, taking one of these courses is out of the question. At the beginning of the year, Raeford did a full day of canopy skills for their monthly jump club event. If you aren't familiar with Jump club, it is a monthly event where experienced jumpers donate their time to teach inexperienced jumpers different skills to help them progress in the sport. My question is.... How feasible would it be to do something like this at other dropzones? I understand that many people might not want to spend their saturday giving free coaching, but this would be great to help broke new jumpers (like me) become safer in the sky.

If its called free fall then why the hell is it so expensive?

[MorfiusX 0]

Ask the instructors at your DZ to help you with your canopy skills. I wasn't able to make it my DZ's course, but I will be working with the instructors there and working through the course a little a time. All of the instructors I know would be willing to help someone be a safer jumper.

[pjc 0]

Also worth noting:

A good few of these collisions were in relatively empty skies. There doesn't seem to be such an issue after larger group jumps when people are expecting and looking out for traffic.