Jalien

I'd like the Hitchhiker's Guide cover text on the cutaway handle DON'T PANIC

Well, I was hoping that this wouldn't simply descend into arguments about the existence or otherwise of climate change, and its causes... but I think there are some useful points made. My conclusion is that no-one's really convinced me otherwise that I'm a hypocrite for being environmentally-minded and a skydiver. There's some justification in the "carbon budgeting" approach - i.e. reducing fuel use elsewhere, so you can keep skydiving. I think I'm going to have to minimise my skydiving in order to salve my conscience... just as soon as I get my C licence... and my wingsuit first flight... Oh dear, hypocrisy seems like my natural clothing

N/A

I don't really agree with this attitude, that "what I do doesn't matter because it's such a small part of the whole", but in any case, it led me to calculate roughly what impact skydiving has on one's carbon footprint. Taking a Cessna 208, it apparently burns ~60 gallons of fuel per hour; taking ~20 skydivers to altitude in ~20 minutes means that you are responsible for burning one gallon per jump. Googling suggests that this is equivalent to ~20 pounds of CO2. So in a modest year's jumping (100 jumps) you're increasing emissions by ~2000 lbs. To put this in perspective, this is about 5% of the average American's carbon footprint. I disagree that this is a very small contribution to total personal emissions.

Not sure if this should be here or in SC, so apologies if it's in the wrong place... When we jump out of a plane, we've burned a hell of a lot of fuel to get there, and released a lot of CO2 just for a few moments of fun. So for those that believe that climate change is occurring, and that we should be doing something about it, what is your justification for continuing in such an environmentally-unfriendly hobby? Personally, I do believe that we are changing the climate for the worse, and I have tried to cut down my carbon emissions to some extent. On the other hand, I really like skydiving, and so currently feel like quite a hypocrite. What are your thoughts? (Obviously if you don't believe in any negative consequences of burning hydrocarbons then the question is moot and you don't need to answer )

"Delphi method" - well I learned something from this thread, so thank you for that

What kind of research method is this? "Here's what everyone else said, do you want to let that influence your response?" Sounds badly designed at best

grab my right-hand main lift webbing with my left hand, then pull my main and try to grab the opposite MLW with my right hand...? might sitting up to deploy if possible help to channel the opening forces more into the leg straps, reducing the chance of falling forwards out of the harness?

The way that everyone on the jump knows and has practiced on the ground, so that they all know when to leave the plane?

What about cutting away once you had the 2 out? Or would the main have choked the reserve?

A quick bit of maths tells me that if you divide your WL in kg/sqm by 5, you'll get near enough your WL in lb/sqft (to within 3%)

"Thinking of moving to Dubai? Read this first" http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4480979;page=unread#unread

I've heard that people who get part-way through a foreign training system (including USPA) sometimes have to re-take some levels in order to comply with the UK system - so if you aren't sure that you'll have time to get your licence and a reasonable number of jumps in the US, you might consider saving your cash to start from scratch in the UK

Not really epic, but my first freefall (4s delay after static line progression) is one of the most memorable - I walked around with a huge grin on my face for the rest of the day! It felt incredible to be falling so smoothly through the air after all the static lines and dummy pulls

silent agreement here to be honest, the fact that everyone immediately compares anything to Jeb is more flattering than anything else... he probably enjoys the attention! Would you rather be the "bad boy of BASE" that some people love to hate, or be the other guy that gets compared to him?

that was painful on my eyes. I struggle to believe it was 10 years ago too - looks like it was filmed in the 1960s all sarcasm aside, looks like fun - although I'd rather have the rig on first, then simply abseil off the end of the rope! there'd be that "oh shit" moment that you never want to experience as a climber :)

If you're eligible for the government grant (brings the cost down to ~50%?) then I can't understand NOT going for this diploma! If you simply look at it as 200 jumps, then the cost works out pretty cheap - and then you get specialist training and all that on top of your jumps. Go for it! I'm just jealous that I wouldn't get subsidised to skydive!

Don't know if this changes your mind, but when I watched the video, it seemed that he had a seatbelt fastened while the 4-way exited (see 1:45), then when he was getting attached to the TI the door was closed again (see 2:40). I'd say that reduces the risk of the passenger falling out of the plane somewhat Edit: links

I'd guess that a tie would be a bad idea - you wouldn't want to jump with a noose around your neck! Clip-on might be safer

Thanks for your to-the-point post

*sigh* I know it's difficult to get advice from a forum, especially from people trying to put it into words... Hence the request for any pictures or videos from people who know what they're doing. I was hoping that there would be something as useful as the FS manual (http://www.bpa.org.uk/training-and-progression/training-manuals/) (which shows body positions for different directional movements) and DSE's wingsuit manual (http://www.dropzone.com/safety/Disciplines/Wingsuiting/Wingsuit_Flight_-_A_Reference_Guide_779.html) which shows some examples of good and bad body positions for different flight modes. Actually, having re-read the FS manual, I notice that it's got a small section on tracking - however it's not very detailed on body positioning.

Hi folks I'm a fan of tracking, and have been on a couple of multi-way tracking dives, however I'm not too sure about my body positioning. I tend to struggle to get down (being long and light I don't fall fast), and would love to see some examples of good tracking positions - not just for flat distance tracks, but also for diving down to meet people, and maybe exiting the plane in a track (and any others which are good to practice). Have had a search on the site, but pictures tend to be more of the artistic rather than educational variety (if you don't know exactly what you're looking at). So please post your pics with a description of what's being done correctly, or links to some good examples. Thanks in advance

I'm sure others with loads of experience will be along shortly to tell you why you should be conservative in your canopy sizing. But for my own interest, how many instructors at what level (e.g. CCI, DZO, whatever) suggested moving straight on to a 170? (I make that about 1.3 wing loading). What DZ is that (I think you jump in the UK, no)? I would suggest trying their 190 before buying one, if they are happy with that, and never jumping something you aren't comfortable with for reasons of finances or peer pressure (or even due to "good advice") good luck finding kit!

Tube! One skydiver sits with their legs out the door, the other bends over and they grab each others' knees, then they fall out in a sort of cartwheeling somersault. Great fun! Get someone who knows what they're doing to show you properly, of course.

It varies between dropzones, and between people, and depending on the weather... Most DZs will do packing courses, which have a fee (£30-50), and I think you can expect to get a day of focused tuition and progress towards your packing cert for this. Otherwise, you can try to collar an experienced packer on a quietish day and ask them to show you how to pack; they may well be too busy packing though! Regarding briefs for CH2, JM1 etc, I think that most DZ instructors actively want people to progress, they are just pretty busy quite often - if you can find a small group of people that need the same brief, then it will make sense for them to give the brief to everyone all at once. Again, quieter days are better I imagine. Also, some DZs do progression weekends, where the focus is on getting the briefs necessary for certain licences. I've just started working through my CH2 stuff, and my impression is that you just have to put yourself forward and ask for stuff - it's a bit different from student status in that the impetus is on you to seek out progression, rather than being told what to do next. However it's probably not a good idea to pester the instructors constantly when they're busy chasing around with 100 tandems etc! As I say, I've only just started on this road too, so others may have a different perspective