obelixtim

Awesome work Gabe. Did IFLY give you any logical reason for their decision making? It seems odd that: a: They would turn down business. b: They wouldn't recognise the positive PR they would garner from participating. I've participated in a programme with an organisation called Canteen....kids (teenagers) with terminal cancer, where they had an annual week long live in camp (mainly to give caregivers a break) where volunteers gave up their time to help out (doctors, nurses etc) and the local operators donated activities for them. We gave free tandems, but they got to go jetboating, white water rafting, sea fishing, rides on Harleys (the local bikie gang chipped in with that), as well as many other activities. The local service clubs (Rotary, Lions etc) provided all sorts of help and organising, and basically the whole community got involved. Those kids had a ball, but I think all of us got much more out of it. Money can't buy that kind of experience. Sadly very few of those kids were seen at the next years camp.....which was sad. Not a good look for IFLY, especially in todays world of social media. I'd like to hear their reasoning.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Fear is normal. What you are experiencing at this point is fear of the unknown. However, once you have been through the training you will understand a lot more on how the equipment works, and how to deal with problems. Knowledge dispels fear. What you learn will better prepare you for the jump, and while it won't dispel the fear totally, it will reduce it to manageable levels. If you are not ready to jump, your instructors won't let you get into the plane. Even in the plane, no one will force you out the door at the point of a gun. Jumping is voluntary. Every skydiver in the world has experienced pre first jump nerves. Just go for it! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I've been considering intentionally packing myself a toggle fire (on a dedicated jump with nothing else going on, of course). Has anyone tried this? Will I regret it deeply? Under test conditions, with experience, yes. For you, bad idea. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I've watched those, as well as the Australian Parachute Association videos. They only cover serious malfunctions, and not common "opening mishaps" like this, with the exception of line twists, which were easy the first time I encountered them. This time the canopy failed the first visual check; it wasn't there (*points up*), it was _there_ (*points forward*). Intellectually, sat on the ground, it's obvious, but on this first time it happened to me, I just couldn't see what was wrong; the canopy was mostly inflated, riser input did nothing, it sped up in very short order, and my reaction was more instinctual than logical. I think this is probably something of a gap in training: not really a malfunction, but surprising enough to be tricky to deal with. The only videos of toggle fire I can find through Google are cases where the human was smart enough to pop both and get it under control; am I the only one who has ever chosen to cut away in this scenario? You won't be the first or last to chop this. Don't beat yourself up over it. Move on. You are better prepared for next time. That's a positive. Be very aware, simple problems can get you just as dead as major ones. In fact, IMO, simple problems are the ones most likely to nail you. Major mals, no problem, easy decision, go straight to EPs. Minor problems tend to make people indecisive, and while that goes down, a minor problem can very quickly turn nasty. Canopies spinning up can create a whole new set of problems, not the least of which is eating up altitude. It doesn't matter what is causing the problem, the important thing is decision making. Not a good idea to spend the rest of your life wondering. Don't waste precious time and altitude trying to figure something out. If you have a set procedure ingrained, (as you should) have one quick go at solving the problem, but be ready to go to EPs at once if there is no result. Its difficult to have a solution practised for every scenario though, so keeping it simple is the best move. Canopy good? or bad? Make a decision and stick to it. Tried and true. I had a very lucky escape when I tried some in air rigging on a simple problem one time. And I was experienced enough at the time to have known better. Stupidity overruled good procedure, and I benefited from some good, rather than bad luck. But the reaper lurks for us all. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

That cameraman should not be paying for a beer for a very long time. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You did very well. Don't worry about it. And don't overthink things. Its a life or death situation. Survival is the priority, and you did. Its easy to second guess after the event. And no two situations are ever the same. Gear can be replaced. If you are in doubt....always chop. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

It was discussed fairly fully while the first trial was in progress. I doubt there is much more to be discovered vis a vis the parachute part of it all, because I doubt there is anything new there... I don't think many were aware the second trial was underway till a couple of days ago. At the moment it seems to be unloading dirty laundry. It would not surprise me to see him walk, seeing the first trial didn't convict him. I don't think the prosecutions case was very well put in the first trial, and I can't see them coming up with anything new or more convincing. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Just bumping this, wondering if there have been any developments regarding a retrial. Any of the UK posters heard anything? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Friendly or not, that attitude on a DZ often ends in tears....Make your own decision based on logic. Don't be a sheep! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Practise your PLFs in the meantime, otherwise you prolly will only do it once. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I wonder how big a kickback he's been promised? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Target fixation. Like a moth to a flame. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Are you saying radios are not used AT ALL? I assume then there must be moveable pointers on the ground as there used to be back in the roundie days pre radio. So, how does the instructor watching stop a confused first jumper flying off into the sunset? A student can go a hell of a long way under a ramair. Its no fun watching them disappear over the horizon..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Not in the least, no radios at this DZ’s. He landed over a gentle roll in the horizon, where I knew were some pretty good size rocks and boulders. I started walking out about 10 minutes with not seeing any sign from him. I found him sitting down and smarting over a broken humerous. I called the DZ and asked for a car that made its way out a bout an hour later. The AFFI gave a very demeaning speech to all of us before the jump on Sky Van procedures, the fact that we had been jumping it for the three previous days didn’t seem to matter much. This was the first and last time I saw him, a short, cocky, dark haired Australian. Later, when I asked him why he didn’t follow thru with his student, he was all apologies and had his hat in his hands. Knowing then what I know now, I would have made more of an issue. No first jump (or early jump) student should ever be without a radio. Period. I found that out the first and only time I ever put out a student on a ram air canopy when I first introduced squares to students, and that was back in 1987. I do train them to fly without the radio though, in case it doesn't work....the first ones I used were a bit unreliable. For that reason an altimeter became an essential part of student equipment, because I gave them waypoints to follow when they got to certain altitudes, plus an altitude to turn in on final approach. That worked well on the occasional time the radio didn't work. And it meant in most cases, they didn't need a radio after 3 or 4 jumps. It sounds like this DZO and his minions need a swift kick in the nuts..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You should be able to exit without flipping, as long as you present your belly to the relative wind. Head up, head down, sideways....it shouldn't matter. So it doesn't really matter much which way you dive. Leaving after the base means you are running towards the tail anyway, so it makes sense to keep going that way. More important is keeping visuals on the base as much as possible, and as they will be behind and below as you exit, its easier if you keep going that way. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Whoosh!!! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Pulled my 180 (1956) to bits and rebuilt it one time. A lot of the components were original and basically just falling apart. Replaced all of those with new stuff. Not surprising since it was nearly 60 years old at the time. That turned out to be a nightmare job. Never do that again. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

That's a bit personal, isn't it? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I don't think he had a problem with his ears.... I had to laugh at a comment I saw on another forum. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

LAND FUCKING ELSEWHERE IN THE DIRECTION DECIDED ON THE GROUND. FOR FUCK'S SAKE, PEOPLE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LAND IN THE LANDING AREA ALL THE TIME. First rule of skydiving: Land safely. Wherever that happens to be is pretty secondary in the big scheme of things. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

This is very BAD advice. I hope you misheard, rather than he misspoke. If you're in a biplane situation, with the main canopy in front, chopping the main canopy will send your lines and risers back into the lines of your reserve. This has a good chance of causing an entanglement of the two canopies. The best option is to release the brakes and steer the front canopy. As it turns, its trailing edge will push on the nose of the trailing canopy, making it turn also. I've done CRW biplanes where we spiraled like mad. The biplane stayed stable the whole time. Look, no one wants to have two canopies out at once (although it's better than NO canopies out), but if you have a stable biplane, just fly it. Don't chop it. Landing biplanes has a high success rate. Chopping them doesn't. Quite agree. If 100 people with biplanes just chop, a good number of them will end up very, very dead! Next time you see him, ask him to explain what will happen if one canopy has gone between the lines of the other during deployment (quite likely if an AAD fire coincides with main pitch) and the jumper chops the main. His answer should be along the lines of attending a funeral in the next week or so! My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Not sure if that is true at all. As far as I know very little meaningful testing has been done with this scenario anywhere, and I'm sure chopping every time is not necessarily the best way to deal with it. RSLs play a part in this, they need to be disconnected before a chop. There are a lot of variables, and like many problems, what is successful one day, may very well kill you the next. You will always get a variety of opinions and answers, there simply is no right or wrong answer. I've seen a student land a biplane, they picked up both sets of toggles and steered both canopies together, which I thought was quite a good way to deal with a two out that has biplaned, but I would not go so far as to say that is the perfect solution. Like has been said, every scenario has to be dealt with on its merits. Logically, if you have a stable situation, and you have to steer, you need to first make sure your RSL is disconnected (in case you need to chop if it turns sour) then be VERY gentle with inputs to steer. Doing nothing is an option, at least you have plenty of fabric over you and shouldn't land too hard. I wouldn't be worried too much about making the DZ if there is clear ground underneath you. Staying calm will aid your chance of survival. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

5K is plenty altitude to get a decent track in. As has been said, you don't need to stage the breakoff, At breakoff everyone needs to track like hell. Bigger formations will prolly mean staging breakoff, but not necessary for 10 - 12 ways. During the track it is NOT the time to be looking for an altimeter. You need to be scanning for other jumpers, and avoiding when necessary. If you know you are at 5 K on breakoff (which you should be if your base man is diligent with breakoff), then all you need to do is count to yourself, as you track, if you get to 10, its time to wave off and dump. That should have you activating at 3K. It should not be necessary to track that long if you know and trust your fellow jumpers. This is why you need to be careful if there are rookies on the load. Pre jump briefings and jumper discipline is really important. Plan the jump and jump the plan. Anyone who doesn't, needs to be axed. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Well plenty of aircrew in WW2 managed it, so yes it is possible. Their training would have been pretty limited. I'm sure quite a few didn't manage it either, even with training. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Fill a rucksack with wallets??? My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....