sammielu

1. Do mental practice and physical practice on the ground. Have your instructor help show you the best way to practice where you can tell what's going on with your body while you practice, and then go practice at least 100x. At least. Practice slow, practice real time, practice the entire dive flow from climb out to landing, practice mentally calming your body before you jump. If you do tons and tons of (free!) practice on the ground and still have trouble in the air, then you know the problem is in your head not your body and you should do zone work on focus and look onward to why you are letting your body freak out in the air and not on the ground. 2. After 3 jumps in a day as a student you're going to get diminishing returns due to fatigue. 3 is max for you, (per me), 2 is ideal. 3. You're doing fine for a student. Slow down, calm down, keep at it. I licensed plenty of folks who had to repeat jumps to build the necessary skills. Thank your instructor for making you learn - They're making you a better skydiver by not signing you off before you earn it. 4. The benefit to all the extra jumps you're getting is the extra canopy time with your instructor around to help you. Get your canopy skills signed off, work on accuracy every jump, and debrief your landing plan, pattern, and accuracy on every jump.

Why did the pilot take you above the clouds? A solid layer building during flight means there is a lot going on in a short period of time; you don't know how thick that layer is, and 5k is pretty close to break off altitude. Riding through a cloud when you can hold on to your jumpmate and break off below for canopy separation and visibility is one thing, but being able to do that depends on the jump plan and the experience level of the jumpers. You don't want to lose her location in the cloud and then be underneath it at/below break off with no idea where she is. I wouldn't have jumped unless a hop n pop under the clouds was an option. The tandem are a different situation. Tandems don't have much horizontal movement during the jump and get separatioin from each other at exit. Let the TIs (and pilot in command) make their own considerations of location, possible surrounding hills that change elevation, and local airplane traffic.

I second the idea of buying used canopies. Especially at the 209/210 size, lots of folks downsize out of them as they gain experience in the sport. Demos are great and you can learn what you like, but saving jump money and packing frustration by buying used is something to consider. While you demo, remember that canopies flare differently (and fly differently, but you'll likely notice it only during landing) and there are many reasons for it: how your rig fits your body, riser length, your arm length, brake line length. Talk to an instructor to understand what I mean, and get yourself into a canopy course ASAP.

My thoughts exactly. From the description given, I'm not seeing an error on Manifest's part, it was on tge 4 way group - so they should fix it, not you. If you're not manifested, you don't get on a plane, period. No special accommodations because your friends are on the manifest list, if someone in your group forgot you, it's on them. A serious 4 way competition team (not just a 4 way group jump) would communicate their training schedule clearly to manifest, usually for the day or for the first few loads at least, and would most likely have a video flier.

It's not the container Dave - that's what I'm saying. It's body position, training, and gear choices. Deploying on your back is not a good idea - and that is FJC material. That was my point. I'm glad you jump an AAD in case of the unconscious jumper scenario. Hopefully, this is an example of some reasons to further stack the deck in your favor with additional gear options (RSL, MARD), to reconsider your EPs that resulted in you being on your back waiting for a reserve to deploy, and to review how you stow your brakes to hopefully prevent the toggle fire that started the chain of events.

While this conversation is interesting, the ultimate solution to the OP is first jump course stuff: -Containers are designed to work on your belly. Deploy stable (on your belly). -Arch through deployment (to keep you on your belly). -Use every bit of emergency gear available. This specific instance is a really good example where a MARD would come in handy (know what's bigger than a reserve pilot chute? Your main parachute). Even an RSL could have helped. Both are options to order with new Wings, and can be added to this existing container. Other applicable lessons from student days: -Stow your breaks correctly (excess line goes to the inside, brake line goes to the outside) every time. Human error happens. RSLs and MARDs help. Choosing to jump without one "because I've never had one" is silly - and this jump showed exactly why.

Your logic is generally sound. However, some rigs and components hold their resale value, some don't. Sometimes color is a factor too. Container size compared to canopy size compared to human being size is a factor - average human + beginner canopy sizes are easier to sell, for example.

Also: accidents and deaths are the only parts of skydiving that non jumpers can understand (and they don't really understand the detail, just the healine leven summary). 3 ways, tracking, CRW, RW, FF, BOC, DZ, caravan, otter, skyvan, porter, 182, 206, DC3, minutes in the tunnel, swooping, accuracy, any skydive you went on, skill you're building, or gear you have, etc, it's all gibberish to them, but someone who died or landed in a tree they can discuss with you.

I have a feeling as newer and younger jumpers enter the sport, perceived experience and number of jumps will not be a factor in people wanting to jump a camera. Fixed it for ya. Do you really think the USPA will take away safety regulations? PS. Your poll only has options for age, not disagreement.

It looks to me like all the responses in thus thread are referencing a flip through - the result looks like twisted risers on both sides and a square, symmetrical canopy. It increases friction, and therefore toggle pressure, but will likely pass a controllability check. I've landed one on a tandem canopy, it's do-able, just requires more muscle. A step through is one of those malfunctions that looks like a huge mess, sideways canopy, where do those lines even go, type situation and you would instantly know you have a bad canopy. The names don't matter when you're in the air though, just for Internet and dz banter. On opening, a canopy is either bad (broken things, bow tied, WTF am I looking at), or maybe good - you don't know if it's good until you controllability check it (because damage can happen on the top of a canopy that you won't see or feel until you put it through its paces). If something looks a little off but it passes a controllability check, think through what you're seeing and make a choice; choices are different at different experience levels and that's ok. You did what was right for you in this situation, now you know more. FWIW, my only cutaway was my first hop n pop on jump 41... I didn't know to expect a much slower opening, watched that thing flop around all over for what seemed like forever, and got myself a new canopy for the rest of that jump. Now that I'm used to what wierd things canopies do on opening, I wouldn't chop a sniveler until altitude becomes a problem - but I did the right thing for me that one time.

So it's fit for a larger/taller person, and the adjustable MLW means the market for it is beginner jumpers, but the canopy sizes are not the beginner jumper sizes for those large people sizes (i.e. if it was built for a 190 this would be easier). You're looking for a pretty specific market here. I would try to get $1500 for container and reserve together and accept $1200 (and I'd offer just the container for $1300).

Also: Riser lengths differ and human bodies differ. Long arms (doesn't require that you're tall) can make a big difference, as can how your rig fits you and how much you sink into your leg straps. I recently sold a canopy and the new owner is shorter than me but has longer arms and bigger thighs (more sink) and the brake lines needed to be lengthened a few inches for him, he had a nice stall on his first landing. Never assume a canopy has the correct brake line setting for you.

The signatures on the A license card must be from an instructor. Take your card and your logbook to them during a non-busy time for signatures. Your logbook should show every jump and is the record of skills the instructor will refer too when adding his/her signature to your A license sheet. Make sense?

Flight 1 201 leaves you with a 500 jump checklist to complete before adding turns. Start there.

You're new! Congratulations and welcome!! Remember that you are new to this. You don't yet know what it feels like in your body to "exit stable". Accept that. The only way you'll learn that is experience, so actually learning to tell if you are stable or not is not on your list of things to figure out in your first few jumps. You can't practice it or analyze your memory of your exit into knowledge in your body of how to do it, do set that goal aside for now. Your instructors will tell you what you actually did (and if there's video you can watch yourself) but the experience of doing it from your perspective is still developing. Your goal right now is to learn to arch. Thankfully that can be learned on the ground and practice is free. You can practice your current exit about 100 times in 5 minutes - and practice absolutely pays off in the sky. Get some direct coaching from your instructor on what you should practice for your next jump, and then go practice it at least 100 times. When you have days you're not jumping, practice your exit at least 5x per day. I used to practice while I waited for my coffee to brew in the morning and anytime I was waiting for my food to cook. Practice the whole thing: climb out, hang, exit, after exit count, etc, watching your canopy open, controllability check, canopy fligt, landing pattern, flare, plf, 10 times. This visual/mental practice will help prepare your body for all the unknowns - what it feels like, what it looks like, what are your legs doing??? :) etc. Practice practice, listen to your instructors, and then go jump. You're doing fine for where you are, you're just new.

Split the reserve. You'll be hard pressed to find someone who wants a 23 year old reserve and pay for a 5 year old container. Reserve value might be a few hundred $ to the right buyer. That said, I did just purchase a 95 PDR and am very happy with it, especially because it was a great deal and easily passed inspections. What size container is it and what size person it it built for? Rigs for averge human size with beginner canopy sizes sell faster.

This proposed list/thread is going to have a whole lot of missing data in the "resolved" category - asking jumpers to self report issues they had that others don't notice will likely give you few results and skew the numbers. Plus, aren't all jumps camera jumps these days?

Somewhere between 1 & 2. For breakoff planning it's pretty important to know and to check that everyone has a normal plan to stop the skydive, track away, stop tracking, and wave, reach, pull. I've heard some wacky stuff here and there that makes me sure to ask with every new group I jump with.

Students are expected to PLF all of their landings until they learn flare timing. There is no safer way to land for new students. 3 things I'd say for you: 1. Stop trying to learn on the internet. It is not helping. 2. Talk to an instructor where you want to get licensed, ask them to teach you a PLF (start in slow motion on a soft surface). Practice PLFs until you are good at them and your body can handle them from at least 1m high. 3. Listen to your instructor. Do everything they say.

Several times with students who changed their minds, once because I just wasn't feeling it. I have scratched off of group jumps and done solos when we didn't get enough altitude to do the planned whatever and breakoff on time... if I don't trust everyone I'm jumping with to be able to adjust to less time and breakoff appropriately, I don't want to be near them.

It sounds like the conclusion is that Cypress and Vigil AADs also require being turned off and reset after an offset landing area jump, the difference on a M2 is that it turns itself off for you. Out of curiosity, where are you jumping and how much is the offset? Do you land on a big hill? How do you get back down to the airport?

Get in person canopy coaching. Start your patten at the same place over the ground (in relation to your target) every time, and only change one thing at a time when you are working it out. Remember the wind already changes a bit on every single jump, so the fewer changes you make the more you'll identify what is working or not Debrief the following after every jump: -what was your landing plan? - did you fly according to plan? -if you did fly according to plan, did your plan work or do you need to make adjustments to your plan? From a very basic level: If you landed short, you need to conserve altitude and distance during your pattern. Tools to use: flatter turns, don't fly too far downwind, angle your base leg closer to the target, make your body smaller during flight. If you landed long, you need to burn altitude during your pattern. Tools to use: faster turns (i.e. a deeper, faster 90 degree turn, don't use controls in the pattern you are not proficient with up high), angle your base leg away from the target, make your body bigger during flight. PD Flight-1 teaches flying your pattern in 1/4 brakes (that's generally hands at your ears) to add an additional tool to use to travel farther or shorter; get some in person coaching from a good instructor on this one to be sure you're only using 1/4 brakes and not disrupting traffic behind you. On that note - you can make this all easier on yourself by holding in deep brakes as soon as you open to let the riff raff land before you and have the sky to yourself at landing (one less thing to think about). Consider buying a Flysight to use for debrief and to track and plan your canopy flight skill building going forward. Best $250 I ever spent in this sport beyond the basics. Edit'd to correct body position notes.

Either way you win some/lose some jump recoring accuracy. It is really easy to change jump numbers in the Viso2, that's what I did as needed.

Searching through the Facebook groups I see 3 for sale, all similar condition. $1500 - ads have been up for 1-2 weeks $1600 (with 10ish jumps) - ad has been up for a month. All with no comments to indicate actual interest. If you want yours to sell faster, lower the price.

Gear checks!!! Handle each part of your gear, with bare hands to feel small signs of wear. After practice, a thorough gear check takes less than a minute even if you have to give something a second look/wiggle. Thanks for the post and picture! Flex pin plastic coating wears faster in the cold and with abuse (i.e. new or inefficient packers who struggle to pack efficiently to make closing the container easier, thereby putting all their physical effort into monkeying with the flex pin).