lilryno 0 #1 March 18, 2004 Just wondering if anybody knows anything about an altimeter training device where you can program fall rates into it at certain altitudes to simulate a skydive... Any such product like that out there? I would think it would be a pretty useful thing...surely somebody has thought of it. "The value of man lies not in the knowledge he possesses, or means to possess, but in the sincere pain which he hath taken to find it out." - G.E. Lessings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerry81 10 #2 March 18, 2004 I don't know how programmable the 'normal' training altimeters are, but the Neptune will have a training mode added 'soon' and my guess is that could also feature something like you describe. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hazarrd 1 #3 March 18, 2004 not really sure what you are asking, but when i did aff, my DZ had altimeters that were for training. they had a wind up clock sort of thing that allowed the arrow to go down to simulate freefall. it was very helpful. .-. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,379 #4 March 18, 2004 There are clockwork analog altimeters commonly used for training. The Neptune digital altimeter also has a "training" mode to allow students to get used to fallrates. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilryno 0 #5 March 18, 2004 Yeah...what I'm talking about is programming "malfunctions" into the altimeter for training on the ground. So if I want to open at 3500 feet the altimeter should be indicating a terminal descent until around 3000 where it starts a 1000'/min descent for a normal canopy ride or 3000'/min (for example) for some "malfunction". It would help simulate the time/altitude aspect of analyzing a malfunction and give some practice cross checking altitude while analyzing the canopy and looking for your decision altitude. I would use this with a DVD my wife and I made. Each chapter on the DVD is a different canoy opening and malfunction. So while seeing what malfunction she has on the TV she can go through procedures to correct the malfunction while watching the altimeter and then cutting away at decision altitude. "The value of man lies not in the knowledge he possesses, or means to possess, but in the sincere pain which he hath taken to find it out." - G.E. Lessings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 3 #6 March 18, 2004 Digitude makes the "Digitrainer Skydive Simulator" that is programmable. They are digital LCD display. (Para-Gear No. TD215) SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerry81 10 #7 March 18, 2004 QuoteThere are clockwork analog altimeters commonly used for training. The Neptune digital altimeter also has a "training" mode to allow students to get used to fallrates. Is that available already? I noticed version 2.1.1 is out, but the changes list doesn't mention the training mode yet. Or were you guys on the World Team given cooler Neptunes than us regular folks get? Anyway re: lilryno, IIRC, Neptune's training mode is supposed to have settings for high and low speed malfunctions, so that's probably the closest to what you're looking for. Perhaps you should contact Alti-2 and ask about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilryno 0 #8 March 18, 2004 That's a great idea... Thanks so much for the help. I'm going to check out both of those products right now. "The value of man lies not in the knowledge he possesses, or means to possess, but in the sincere pain which he hath taken to find it out." - G.E. Lessings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KCJumper 0 #9 March 18, 2004 The new version for the neptune doesn't include the training mode. I just upgraded mine and we are still waiting on that feature. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilryno 0 #10 March 19, 2004 I talked with the Digitude people and they say the freefall can be adjusted from 100-300 mph but the canopy descent is fixed at 20 fps (little more than 1000 feet per min). So that's not really going to meet my needs. I still haven't gotten any response from the Neptune people on what the training mode will do when they come out with it. "The value of man lies not in the knowledge he possesses, or means to possess, but in the sincere pain which he hath taken to find it out." - G.E. Lessings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #11 March 19, 2004 20 fps is the speed of a canopy on decent... That should get you to your low speed Mals. The inbetween stuff is better to be treated as a high speed mal anyways. Unless you are going to be doing this from a full hanging harness there are a lot of issues with just pretending to pull. I ran the hanging harness station this year at Safety day and a lot of people pulled out instead of down, a lot only pulled 3 or 4 inches before going to their reserve, and a lot never looked for their handles. The whole peeling thing is something that a lot of people never practice and it shows at the fumbles to cutway in the harness trainer.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilryno 0 #12 March 19, 2004 Good point about peeling and pulling correctly. I think I'm going to try to get ahold of a training harness to go along with the training altimeter and use both in concert with video presentations of canopy malfunctions. This ought to allow for some fairly useful drilling at home for my wife and me. "The value of man lies not in the knowledge he possesses, or means to possess, but in the sincere pain which he hath taken to find it out." - G.E. Lessings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 14 #13 March 19, 2004 This is seeming like a lot of work... are you really doubting your ability to correctly deal with a malfunction that much?Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilryno 0 #14 March 19, 2004 I don't doubt my abilities but it's for my wife. She's only got 9 jumps and she's been very anxious about skydiving lately. She's thinking about giving it up. So I'm hoping that with some good training on the ground she'll feel confident that she'll know what to do if she has a problem. And it will do me good too I think. The timing aspect is nice to get a feel for how quick it may be with a mal. "The value of man lies not in the knowledge he possesses, or means to possess, but in the sincere pain which he hath taken to find it out." - G.E. Lessings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bmcd308 0 #15 March 19, 2004 You might search through the old threads about whether it is a good idea for people who do not really (in their hearts and for their own reasons) want to participate in this sport to continue to participate in this sport. It has been discussed several times before. ---------------------------------- www.jumpelvis.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lilryno 0 #16 March 22, 2004 Yeah absolutely. We've talked about it and will certainly talk about it some more. She jumped three times this last weekend, however, graduated AFF, had her first solo jump, and tip toe landed the canopy three times in a row (first times). She discovered the diving exit and said that has made her not scared in the plane because it's so stable. She seems to be enjoying it as she did the one other weekend where her dives went well. But she could be making herself enjoy it or something. We'll take a look at those other threads for sure. "The value of man lies not in the knowledge he possesses, or means to possess, but in the sincere pain which he hath taken to find it out." - G.E. Lessings Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
