alti or no alti?

[taipan 0]

Scenario- You embark on an intended 2way freefly from 14000'. You are climbing and are at 4000' and realise you have left your visual alti on the ground. You have a dytter and your partner has both a visual and audible. You inform your partner of the 'problem'. Do you jump?

[PhreeZone 15]

Sure.. you've got eye's. Look down and pull when things look pull altitude.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[dkf1979 0]

Well, I've only got 3 jumps under my belt. And I sure as hell don't know how to freefly, let alone solo!! But I would think freeflying could really eat up some altitude at times. I think I'd really want an alti. Maybe I'd offer my freefly buddy $20 to let me use his.

http://bodypilot.bounceme.net

[hookitt 0]

Yes I would most certainly jump. I believe you would too with >3000 jumps under your belt. Am I correct?

I've done solos, 2 way's big ways lots of ways with out an Alti. This subject is not cut and dry. Eventually a person needs to figure out any way. Look at the ground, if it looks like you're going to hit it, get a parachute above your head before you do

If that scenario happened and I was in ear shot, I'd gladly loan the jumper my altimeter.

I learned long ago how to judge altitude with out an altimeter. I used an altimeter and looked at the ground to see what it looked like at 5000, 4000, 3000, feet and so on. Every time a person tracks away from a skydive, he/she should look at the ground to see what it looks like. It's just good practice.

I can't say whether to jump or not, that's up to the individual. There are plenty of discussions on this site about this exact subject.

So far I think the best answer belongs to dkf1979 for this quote:
Maybe I'd offer my freefly buddy $20 to let me use his.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[taipan 0]

So far I think the best answer belongs to dkf1979 for this quote:
Maybe I'd offer my freefly buddy $20 to let me use his.

[billvon 2,391]

>Do you jump?

If you can visually judge altitude - yes. If not - no.

[akarunway 1]

I have forgotten mine twice. When you see ground rush it's time to dump

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[mr2mk1g 10]

I had that exact same scenario... except it was a 3 way FF.

And yes, I jumped. I still had my primary (eyes) and tertiary (dytter) altimeters so why worry too much about having forgotten my secondary.

[Liemberg 0]

Your scenario is incomplete, because it doesn't state what your experience is and what your partners experience is. How many jumps total, how many freefly jumps, how many jumps at this DZ, how many jumps from 14000ft, what is the weather / cloudbase, etc, etc.?
This is a situation where you can easily be tempted to act cool when you are not so cool as you think you are. Years ago I was a 250jumps wonder on a 3way (belly) as pin-base together with a 1000jumps wonder for the 1000jumps wonders girlfriend. I had a chestmounted altimaster 2, the skygod had no altimeter but that wouldn't be a problem for he could look at mine. I should concentrate on my flying, he would wave off.
But during the jump he was way to concentrated on his girlfriend who had problems docking us. Still holding on to the guy, I looked at my altimeter at 2200ft, which was 1300ft below our agreed upon separation altitude.
(Well, you live and learn...)
On another occasion someone without an alti tried to dock an 8-way but with to much speed and downward motion. He funneled the formation pulling four people on top of him, came out low himself, panicked and pulled - almost killing me in the process...
(please don't feed me a pilotchute in freefall...)
Having said all that I have jumped without an altimeter and I have had altimeters malfunction in freefall. I know how long it takes and what the ground looks like. Beepers are reliable.

Hey, what could possibly go wrong?

"Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory." - Leonardo da Vinci
A thousand words...

[fudd 0]

If it was a jump with my regular team, and i were current: yes, 3 more altis and 4 audibles should be enough for 4 people.

Solo: Probably not. Maybe I'll go last and do a high pull if its ok with the pilots.

Freefly: No, I've only done belly jumps so far, so my internal clock is not set for the shorter freefly time.

A 10000+ jump guy once forgot his altimeter, when the jumpmaster noticed and offered to go get one for him he replied: "No. No googles, it's going to be blury anyway."

There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[riggerrob 558]

According to your profile, you have 3,000 jumps and an AFF Instructor rating. You should have developed a decent internal clock and "eyeball altimeter" years ago. When this dilemma presents itself - at your experience level - you should remind your partner that you forgot your dial and keep your eyes moving outside the formation.
The only reason for walking back to retrieve your altimeter would be to avoid setting a bad example in front of students.

[taipan 0]

The only reason for walking back to retrieve your altimeter would be to avoid setting a bad example in front of students.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Jump.

I never hear my pro-track, broke my altimeter, and jumped (freefly) without it. Opening altitude was 2700'.....

[SabreJoe 0]

Ive got 140 jumps and have forgot my altimeter 3 times so far....i go out with someone, we sit or do a two way or sumthing, and at 4500 he waves me off....i turn and track for a few seconds, arch for 2-3 seconds, and dump....easy as that

===============================

Don't Die

[btucker 0]

to err is human to fuck up you need a skydivier. Of course I would!


Blues Benno

[Tonedog1980 0]

I guess it all depends on how well you trush yourself. I am a noob to the sport so obviously I would be asking for the alti or ridding in the plane to the ground. I see allot of people saying that if you can judge your altitude then go for it. As a noob I have to ask the question is this good practice? I know it would be good practice to try to teach yourself visual altitude awareness but is it good to intentionaly jump with no alti and only relying on your instenct? I guess if you see the ground rushing or you know you are still at a high enough altitude to get your chute open it would be fine, but what if you miss judged and pulled to soon and someone unaware of this slames into you? I think if you had a partener with you and he/she had an alti then I would be able to trust them to pull at the correct time. Otherwise they wouldn't be my partener. Also I dought they would be willing to wait till it was unsafe to pull, so I would just watch them and pull when they did. But as a noob I am with dkf1979. $20 or experence a landing in the plane for once. =P

Why live your life only to get to death safely? SKYDIVE!

[Jimbo 0]

Quote

According to your profile, you have 3,000 jumps and an AFF Instructor rating. You should have developed a decent internal clock and "eyeball altimeter" years ago. When this dilemma presents itself - at your experience level - you should remind your partner that you forgot your dial and keep your eyes moving outside the formation.
The only reason for walking back to retrieve your altimeter would be to avoid setting a bad example in front of students.

Perhaps he's presenting the scenario on behalf of another jumper, perhaps he's just trying to provoke discussion.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[kyros1 0]

Yes you jump.
I have done that mistake and I jumped. I was with my buddy in all freefall, waited for the dytter and his signal to break off and then I counted plus eyeballed to open.
Dont think that I will forget my alti again!

[nbblood 0]

Interesting....and probably everybody will run into this if they stay in the sport long enough. With only 225 or so jumps I still consider myself a rookie. However, I have forgotten my alti twice and jumped both times. Somebody once told me your primary means of altitude awareness should be visual of the ground. I truly believe that. I am comfortable judging, within 500 feet either way, my altitude by looking at the ground and the objects, i.e., cars, houses, etc., on the ground. After all, an visual altimeter can be inadvertently damaged without your knowledge, audibles can have low batteries, etc. Don't rely on these tools solely. I think you've got to be able to rely on your eyes too. It's another tool available that's often overlooked by many.

That all said, I wouldn't make a practice of leaving these "tools" behind. They're reliable, they help. And, if I remember correctly, the FAA regulations require a visual altimeter for any intentional parachute jump from an aircraft. But, hell, I'd jump and wouldn't think twice.

Another note. If I was with any other skydivers, I'd let them know. They deserve to know that you may rely on their break signal or you may be within that +/- 500 feet for breakoff. Don't take them by surprise. Plan the skydive, skydive the plan. Knowledge is power (and prevents accidents).

Nathan

Blues,
Nathan

If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute.

[Tonedog1980 0]

Since we are on this subject. I am new to skydiving. Only 2 jumps so far =( Bad weather has stoped me from moving on for awhile now. But, I have a problem with looking at my alti. When I go skydiving I have to sike myself up and get in a certain mode I call it so that I am not freaked out so much that I mess up. Once I get in that mode I have no problems at all. I can stay calm and remember what to do, and to tell the truth I am not scared at all any more, and have allot more fun doing it. So far I have only done one tandem and one static line. But when I look at my alti and see my altitude that is the only thing that brings all my fears back to me. After that happens I am just a mess. If you watch any of my videos on dkf1979's websit you will see that I am tottaly happy and having a blast. But, the other day I went and I could not get into my, "mode," and I was freaked out just leaving my house LOL. Well not freaked out but I had allot of anxiaty. Luckly the winds where to high and I couldn't jump anyways. But has anyone ever had this problem and if so what are some things to help me get over it? Just stop being a puss?!?! lol. So far on all my jumps I tried to look at my alti while I was in the plane, but they where quick glances, and I never looked at it while in FF on my tandem. On the S/L you don't have time to look but I probably wouldn't have. I only looked at it once while under my chute and that was a quick look also. LOL for some reason this freaks me out more then thinking about the fact that I could die. Don't ask me why cause I don't know. But I know this is going to be a big problem for me once I start doing my free falls. Can anyone help with this? Or is this just something I have to get over? Thank guys.

Why live your life only to get to death safely? SKYDIVE!