WooHoo 0 #1 March 16, 2006 Whilst telling a friend about the difference I experienced between making my second and third jump (about 29 years give or take a month), I explained that there had been so many innovations to make the sport, safer, easier and more accessible to a wider number of people. That was a whole new experience, as though the pioneer days were past. When I started there was no three ring release, no AAD, no audibles, and front mounted reserves were the norm. So nobody really knew what lay round the corner in terms of improvements. So I wondered what will be the next major improvement to the sport will be in the way of gear, rigging or safety, as I can't imagine what it will be. I've rules out jumps suits made of flubber ( the stuff from the Disney movie!!!) with built in helium airbags- because well that's plain dumb So any budding Leonardo DaVinci's out there would like to make a suggestion or two, we might stumble onto something LOL javascript:%20addTag(':)') ["A child of ten could understand this contract.....quick find me a ten year old"] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rsmn17 0 #2 March 16, 2006 Maybe they'll land the wingsuit Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sundevil777 93 #3 March 16, 2006 Belly bands will make a return, to keep us from falling out.People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #4 March 16, 2006 I think we're going to see the gear progression continue along the same path is has been. Smaller, lighter, faster... I see new materials and manufacturing techniques cutting the size & weight, in the not to distant future. Perhaps a new canopy design with evolve, more of a single surface wing, maybe you'll really be ABLE to 'go back up!" Could be some day they'll made parachutes as idiot proof as bowling balls...and ya won't need two! Most of all..... Hopefully in the VERY near future...someone will make 'Jet A' that smells like chocolate chip cookies coming out the exhaust. Either that, or the guy that puked on my jumpsuit the other day could stick to 182's! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigSky 2 #5 March 16, 2006 Maybe someone could come up with self checking gear. You could have some indicator lights attached to your altimeter that told you if your pins were in place, AAD on, and pilot chute cocked. Before you exit you just give a quick look and see if all your lights are on and if not then you dont get out.“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, th Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MagicGuy 0 #6 March 16, 2006 QuoteMaybe they'll land the wingsuit That's what I'm thinking, or maybe make a new design that will be landable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZigZagMarquis 8 #7 March 16, 2006 QuoteQuoteMaybe they'll land the wingsuit That's what I'm thinking, or maybe make a new design that will be landable. Ummm... hate to be all black-deathy, but people have landed wingsuits already... the trick will be landing one AND being able to then get on another load... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,395 #8 March 16, 2006 > but people have landed wingsuits already... the trick will be landing >one AND being able to then get on another load... That's been done too. The trick is now landing a wingsuit without _any_ injuries. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #9 March 16, 2006 Fabric welding. Its already becoming the rage in the outdoor clothing arena. Never would need to stitch a seam on a rig or canopy again and its stronger too.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #10 March 16, 2006 most of the innovations that took over solved a problem. So it's a question of what our current problems are. Landing a wingsuit seems unlikely to become the norm, or remotely safe for most people. No backup device. But maybe 30 years from now, we'll have a wing and a reserve parachute. More successful canopy training seems to be the big problem in search of a solution. But unlikely to be solved with equipment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JeepDiver 0 #11 March 17, 2006 miniature jet engines that a jumper can strap onto their legs and fly around untill the fuel runs out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #12 March 17, 2006 QuoteFabric welding. Its already becoming the rage in the outdoor clothing arena. Never would need to stitch a seam on a rig or canopy again and its stronger too. A couple of companies have started playing with that. I know I've seen a couple of Atair factory guys running around with a "plastic" canopy that was fabric welded together. So the future of that technology is already being tested by some. Now that some motorcycles are coming with airbags and that there are motorcycle vests that inflate automaticly like airbags, I wouldn't be surprised to see a jumpsuit do similar things in the future. As technology gets better, lighter and smaller it might happen. Wouldn't protect yourself from a burn in, but it might help protect from a low turn. Who knows. Then again, Skydiving will probably be destroyed as a sport when the FAA takes over it directly in 10 years.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #13 March 17, 2006 Some kind of an improved release system that would work for pilot chutes in tow or horseshoe situations. 3-Ring systems and the freebag on reserves have helped, but they haven't really solved those two nasty problems, where all you can do is pull and pray that it works. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattjw916 2 #14 March 17, 2006 When the FAA and lack of affordable/maintainable jump aircraft ruins the sport or makes it too expensive we'll all just fly in tunnels since they will be plentiful and affordable due to whuffos helping catapult them into the mainstream... tunnel leagues and world championships of tunnel flight are on the horizon methinks.NSCR-2376, SCR-15080 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daniel_owen_uk 0 #15 March 17, 2006 I agree a cutaway system that will cutaway the canopy at both the top and bottom of the lines maybe?__________________ BOOM Headshot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wobblyhead 0 #16 March 17, 2006 How exactly does one land a wingsuit, get the legs pumping as fast as possible and try to run it out? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daniel_owen_uk 0 #17 March 17, 2006 I didn't say anything about wingsuit (might want to click reply next to the person you are replying to). But as you asked, how about a fecking steep hill?__________________ BOOM Headshot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GraficO 0 #18 March 17, 2006 There are a few things that worry me about advances in materials and construction for skydiving. Whether or not we have the lightest, smallest, strongest materials to work from... evolution and development of those materials is going 100X faster than the evolution of the human species. If we develop stiffer more efficient wings with stronger, less forgiving lines and put it on a container that has been made to be so strong and light, we ourselves haven't evolved enough to withstand "saving out own lives" using those materials upon deployment. The human body can only take a certain amount of downward and lateral G-forces before it breaks and these new materials and construction techiques are fine and dandy to a point. Often manufacturers get clouded over by making smaller, faster, lighter that they forget that we haven't evolved as fast as our tech and forget completely about the human factor. I lost a friend and instructor that died on opening shock (torn aorta)... I've read about people breaking backs and other limbs because of hard openings... regardless of how neatly we pack there's always the chance for a smacker and less forgiving materials in my belief, can and will add to the possibility of serious injury and/or death if the human factor isn't included in the equasion. 2cents GraficOGraficO "A Mind is a terrible thing to taste." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HydroGuy 0 #19 March 17, 2006 Cheap, high altitude jump ships, so we can all be like Joseph Kittinger and get 100,000 foot freefly skydives....Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EricaH 0 #20 March 17, 2006 A safer canopy for smaller people. Currently people that weigh around 100# have to stay under a boat sized canopy until they have the skill to handle a smaller canopy. Even if they weigh 100# and are on a 97square foot canopy, that's barley a wing load, but given the canopy specifically it's much more dangerous than a larger person on a larger canopy loaded @ 1.03. But if this 100# person stays on a 150+ sized canopy (still not the best bet) they end up grounded due to wind/turbulance a lot or just floating down with the tandems. There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear. PMS #227 (just like the TV show) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmetz 0 #21 March 17, 2006 Quoteminiature jet engines that a jumper can strap onto their legs and fly around untill the fuel runs out. Already been done...check this out. [url]http://www.bird-man.com/index.php?n=windtunnel&nose=6_________________________________________ "If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #22 March 17, 2006 QuoteThere are a few things that worry me about advances in materials and construction for skydiving. Whether or not we have the lightest, smallest, strongest materials to work from... evolution and development of those materials is going 100X faster than the evolution of the human species. Not much we can do about evolution of the human species, which will always be imperceptably slow to those who are living at any given time. BUT you still raise an interesting point. The greatest changes to the gear came about in the seventies. At the beginning of that decade, people were jumping Paracommanders, with chest mounted reserves, paraboots, motorcycle helmets, etc. By the end of the decade, almost everyone was flying a square, square reserves were starting to come along, piggyback systems with hand deploy and the 3 Ring release were the norm. Jumpsuits had gone from small to huge and were headed back to small again. I would go as far as to say that most developments since 1980 have been refinements, rather than revolutionary changes. But that period of experimentation had its costs. There were a lot of experiments that didn't work out so well, or stick around for very long. Free packing, Kevlar ripcords, Kevlar suspension lines, "R2" type releases, a whole bunch of "flip-flop" lever action type single point releases, p/c pouches on belly bands, Paradactyls (even Paradactyl reserves), etc. Unfortunately some of the worse ideas resulted in injuries and a few deaths along the way. The net change was definitely for the good, but came at a cost that it would do well to keep in mind. Not to discourage innovation, but to do it carefully and intelligently, with an eye for the unforeseen problems that have a way of popping up out of nowhere. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deuce 1 #23 March 18, 2006 Pre-packed canopies. You'll be able to land, go over to the PD vending machine and put your "used" main into a bag that you will connect to the machine that will vacuum it down to a size that will fit into the "opened container" sized slot. (Like the McDonald's garbage slots in Sweden). Then you'll put your credit card in and push the buttons for the canopy you want. Bssssst-WHUMP and you'll get a pre-packed canopy with quick connects and just slot it into your container. The quick connects will be color coded and reversed for right and left so that it can't be hooked on backwards. Containers will have a built-in leverage device like is used to cock a crossbow that will quickly and simply close the container. Yes, I am a genius. Give me a dollar. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMax 0 #24 March 18, 2006 Good looking flight attendants serving chilled drinks on the way to altitude Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazydiver 0 #25 March 18, 2006 QuoteI agree a cutaway system that will cutaway the canopy at both the top and bottom of the lines maybe? What the heck for?!?! Cheers, Travis Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
