Safety day- Equipment

[karenmeal 0]

At my DZ I am teaching the equipment portion of Safety day. I have approximately 50 minutes to speak for. So far I am teaching the sheet about gear inspections that the USPA puts out. I have also compiled a sheet that teaches my way to put a new slippery canopy in the bag. As the DZ packer, I always get asked this and I hope that perhaps if people learn to do this better then they can prevent malfunctions.

I will have my Poynter's manuals handy to show people where some of the answers to their questions are at.

I was also thinking that I could perhaps compile a brief description of canopies on the market and the manufacturer's specifications on wingloading and what not. I figure that the more familiar we all are with the canopies that are out there, the better we can look out for our fellow jumper.

Any other ideas for things that I could be prepared to cover? I've probably already got too much material for my allotted fifty minutes, but better to have too much to say than too little.

Thanks,

Karen

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

[billvon 2,463]

>Any other ideas for things that I could be prepared to cover?

Part 1 - general gear stuff


Rig shift during cutaway; people accidentally grabbing the main ring instead of the reserve handle.

SOS vs TAS

Kill line vs bungee collapsible

Gear checking a pullout (many people don't know how)

Properly stowing a bridle

Properly packing a PC

Gear checking a poptop

Activation issues with various AAD's (i.e. do not activate them at home)

Checking harnesses/friction adapters for wear

Checking cables; cleaning cutaway cables

Criteria for wear on webbing and stiching

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Part 2 - main canopies (if you're covering this)

Canopy characteristics - the impact of recovery arc length

Elliptical vs square

7 cell vs 9 cell

Effects of crossbracing

Effects of line shrink on older canopies

Effect of pilot chute size on openings

What makes a canopy "time out" - when you should retire it

Checklist for downsizing

Bailing on a botched approach - the corner

Survival manuevers - flat turns and flare turns

[kelpdiver 2]

Add something about identifying proper RSL attachment?

[MakeItHappen 15]

It is perfectly okay to be anal-retentive about a gear check.

Always do their gear check in the same order.

Never allow themselves to be interrupted during a gear check or start over if an interruption is unavoidable.

Always touch all 3 handles after putting on the rig.

Always do the pre-boarding gear check after the last dirt dive.

Always use the sit and schooch technique for sitting in an airplane. {Some people use the plop down into a lazy-boy chair technique.}

Always ask permission to adjust or point something out on someone else's equipment.

Gear up in the same way all the time.

One day someone asked me why I put on my helmet when boarding an aircraft. The guy asked me if I was really worried about hitting my head. The reason I do that is because I have both hands free and can check my handles just before boarding and after I sit down.

It is perfectly okay to be anal-retentive about a gear check.

If you are doing EPs, stress looking at the ground or altimeter more than the canopy or hard pull.

.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[freeflygirlz 0]

A lot of good stuff so far.
If you want to describe canopies on the market, I would recommend you to make a list with 3 or 4 categories, like:
very easy (Navigator, PD, most 7-cells..)
middle (Silhoutte, Sabre..)
aggressive (Stilleto..)
_very_ aggressive (cross braced..)

Which canopy is in which category might be subject of disussion, but it gives the guys a bit an idea.

I always recommend, that a change of category (eg. from middle to aggressive) should not be together with downsizing. You should make quite a lot of jumps with a more aggresive canopy _before_ downsizing too.