Gear suggestions for senior citizen jumper...

[Guru312 0]

I've been kicking around in skydiving for many years as a DZ operator and jump pilot. I have a S/L Instructor Rating and J/M (not current, obviously) and chest/back senior rigger ratings but I have not jumped since 1986.

I'm 65 years old. 900+ jumps with this experience: 28' LL & TU cheapos: 600 jumps. ParaCommander: 200-250. Thunderbow: 50. RamAir of various types: 100. 24' reserve: 1.

I never expected to go 20 years without jumping. Years ago I couldn't go 4-5 days without a jump fix.

I want to get jumping this coming Spring, 2007. I thought I'd start now investigating what would be good for my old body.

My point: I want an assembly (main/reserve) which will be forgiving to my old body but still have some fun flying it. I've always gotten a huge thrill out of cross-country flying from 12,500 or higher. [Do people still do that?]

I'm in very good physical condition. 5'11" 170 and walk or run a few miles every day.

I don't plan on swooping or playing close to the ground...(I've seen way too many injuries and my body won't heal quickly.)

What are your suggestions regarding main and reserve combinations? Harness assemblies? AODs or other safety devices?

I have no experience packing square reserves but I certainly want to do so for my jumping. So, I'll be planning on some major packing guidance for main and reserve plus whatever recurrent training that will be required.

I'm 45 minutes from Cross Keys, NJ and will probably be jumping there. I've spent many fun days hanging there with folks I've known for 35+ years.

Comments? Suggestions? Warnings? Ideas?

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[IanHarrop 37]

I was out of the sport for 16 years, 1987-2003.

I'm 5'9", 180 lbs and I'm now 50 years young.

I came back and I'm jumping a Pilot 188 which has really nice openings and I have no plans to down size or swoop anything. Parachutes land a little differently now than they did back in the day. They have more forward speed so you should consider jumping student gear a bit before you buy something. I still had my old gear, an old Wizard main and a 26' lopo reserve. After I bought the Pilot I made some jumps on the DZ's 210 before I jumped it just to manage the transition. The instructors/riggers at your DZ will have lots of good ideas on whats right for you.

Work with the instructors at your DZ. The people I worked with were really good to me. They had me review EPs and do an IAD, then a Hop N Pop, followed by a 5 second delay, and a 10 second delay. The idea was to make sure I still knew how to deploy my parachute and fall stable. After that I was cleared to the roof. I did a lot of solo jumps for a while after that and then started back at 2 ways and worked my way back up.

Best thing I ever did was get back into skydiving.

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[jarrodh 0]

Im sure there will be plenty of other people offering gear suggestions and Im a newbie so my only advice is have a good time and be safe.

2 BITS....4 BITS....6 BITS....A DOLLAR!....ALL FOR THE GATORS....STAND UP AND HOLLER!!!!

[skybytch 259]

If you'll be jumping at Cross Keys, make one of your first stops Square 3. You can rent/demo/buy a variety of containers and canopies from them. Jumping different combinations is the best way to figure out what container/canopy is right for you.

As far as main canopies go, I'd suggest demoing at least one seven cell (Spectre, Triathlon) and one nine cell (Sabre2, Pilot, Safire2). Judging by your previous canopies you'll probably prefer the steeper approach angle of a seven cell, but the only way to be sure is to jump 'em both.

I'd also suggest getting ahold of some other over 60 jumpers (join SOS!); they probably have relevant gear and safety suggestions.

AAD's and RSL's are good things to have no matter how young you are.

[justchrisdsp 0]

i agree about the pilot, i think its a great canopy for people in just your situation. soft, on heading openings so you dont have to worry about that, plenty of flare on the bottom end so you dont have to worry about hard landings. not to mention the color coded line attachments so you dont have to worry about packing. great canopy for all those needs. as for reserves the smart is as good as they come. great flare in the smart so even if you end up on your reserve you dont have to worry about the landings there.
like was said above though, demo whatever you can and make your decisions from that. if you want to try the pilot and/or the smart, check out www.flyaerodyne.com
they have a great demo program. but before you do anything get current on student gear and with instructors. skydiving isnt like riding a bike. especially since canopy design and skydiving in general have changed dramastically in the last 20 years

The only bad skydive is your last!
chris "sonic wookie" harwell
Piedra-belluda-roja Rodriguez

[councilman24 36]

Disclaimer: I missed the DZO part at the beginning of your post so please don't be offended if I stated the obvious below. But you did still call an AAD an AOD.


AOD's are now AAD's, Automatic Activation Devices. Some decided that they didn't "open" a canopy, they "activated" a canopy. I'm still a Cypres man, others will differ. But they have the longest track record.

Steven's lanyards are now called generically "Reserve Static Lines" or RSL. They have a shackle so they can be disconnected if not wanted on a specific jump. Otherwise they are built in to the reserve rip cord system and most people believe a good idea. There is a fancier version that uses the cutaway main for drag to deploy the reserve. It's called a Skyhook and is only available from one manufacturer, the old Relative Workshop, and one model rig the Vector. I still can't remember their recently changed new name. It's not enough to make that your only choice of rig but IF you came down to a dead heat between a Vector and something else it might be the deciding factor. It wouldn't for me but others will differ.

Main deployment systems are now all hand deploy, even for many students. You have the choice between throw out and pull out that you had in 1986. But, the throw out has moved to the "Bottom of Container", or a BOC. The pouch, either spandex or spandex mouth cordura is on the bottom of the container and out of sight. It is NOT an issue although Rear of Leg strap is still available.

I don't remember when the Dytter came out but audible altimeters, in addition to visible altimeters, are now common. If your not familiar with the dytter it and it's descendants are small matchbox size units that fit inside your helmet over the ear. They are commonly set for 2 or three altitudes. Many/most now record data about each jump. Exit alt., opening alt., avg freefall speed, max speed, etc. I still wear my chest visible altimaster II from 1980 but most newbies wear smaller altimeters on the back of their hand. Jumpsuits have gotten much smaller and freefall speeds faster. After the wing wars the sport realized that the faster we fall the faster we can maneuver.

There are lots of expensive carbon fiber helmets available, but for protection the $40 Protec that was available back when is still one of the best. NOBODY jumps a motorcycle helmet anymore. One reason to get something besides a Protec is to get a full face helmet. But I doubt you would like it.

There are lots and lots of goggles available but I still like the Kroop goggles you probably had back when.

Learning to pack your own reserve won't be much more than learning to pack your main. Especially if you only want to do your own and only need to learn one H/C. Hmm, PM sent.

Get a Paragear catalog. Still one of the best encyclopedia of gear. They DON'T carry the second most popular AAD last I knew. Paragear's decision.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[Guru312 0]

Quote

Best thing I ever did was get back into skydiving.

That's why I'm asking the questions and want back in... because I know how much it will mean to me.

The suggestions I've had so far are right on with what I want to know.

I don't want to hijack my own thread and divert from gear and rigging... but I want to get back to jumping because of the people!

I am unable to relate to people who don't jump out of airplanes.

Thanks to everyone so far for the comments and suggestions. Don't stop!

Guru312

I am not DB Cooper

[BIGUN 1,053]

My story is not that unlike Ian's. Got in it in 1981 got out in 1990 while a lot of the benchmark changes were going with rigs and canopies, etc. Got wrapped up in finishing my last year of college, then was activated for Desert Storm, after Desert Storm got accepted to grad school, got in corporate America and before I knew it nine years had slid by. Stayed friends with all my old skydiving buddies while I was a ground-pounder.
Then one day in 1999 - I made a couple of Hop-N-Pops and it was off to the DZ every weekend ever since. This is a magnificent sport. From young to old, rich to poor, Christian to Muslim, black to white. There's a discipline for everyone and everyone has a single goal. The outside world doesn't exist and we all share one passion.

But, since you asked about gear and specifically mentioned HAHO's and cross-countrys; Go big. Those are some of my favorite jumps... the most favorite being the HAHO SUNSET cross-country. For that, I use my rig that has the PD 300 main. Big, slow-moving, long-riding, soft landing canopy. Skydivers give me a hard time about creating a sunset eclipse with a canopy that big. Some days speed is what I need, but a lot of days; that sunset all about me dive keeps me in sync for days to come.

Welcome back.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[bob.dino 0]

Canopies known for their good opening characteristics include the Spectre, Pilot, and Safire2.

Some camerafolk that jump with lots of heavy head-mounted gear swear by Spectres lined with Dacron. Most canopies these days come lined with Spectra, which stretches significantly less than Dacron.

Pretty much any modern container will serve you well.

When it comes to AADs, it's my belief that you can't really go past the Cypres2. The Vigil and Argus are still too new to trust my life to - there's still some bugs being worked out.

Reserves - PD-R and Smart both come highly recommended.

[wmw999 2,122]

I was out from 1988 to 2001. I found in coming back that I like faster openings than most people now; 1000 feet to open is more like a malfunction than an opening.

Personally, the timing of the flare of a 7-cell is easier than a 9-cell, but that might have been my choice of 9-cell.

I'd suggest that you first get back in with something reasonably big and cheap, while you find the long-term canopy for you. What canopies are expected to do has changed in the time you were gone. They're more specialized, and have characters. You owe it to yourself to find out what you really like about them.

Landing timing on the modern canopies was very different; you work the landings a whole lot more, and I find myself still just flaring sometimes, rather than feeling and working the flare.

If I were advising you, I'd suggest starting with about a 200+ sq. ft. 7-cell (bigger if it's not zero porosity) just to get the feel of the freefall part back. Just think about one part of the skydive intensively at a time. Once the freefall part is back (which will be quick), then you can start to work on the long-term canopy of choice.

And have fun; it's great being back.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)