Skydivesg

Grow a pair. I've pissed off more than a few people over the years because I told them what I thought. Most are still alive, some are not. But I've never had to say " If only I had said something.................. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Oops..... Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

OK here's the deal. If both yours and Granny's profile pictures are correct, then you are bringing shame to our generation by having all this computer knowledge. I would never admit this knowledge even if I was in possession of it which clearly I'm not. Maybe it's because I'm always at the airport. You should be ashamed of yourselves. (tic) Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Be proactive. Instead of looking for a canopy course, set one up on your own. As you can see there are a lot of young jumpers looking for the same thing as you. Talk to your dz management and tell them what you want to do. Ask them to help you recruit the attendees. Then get in touch with Scot Miller in Deland, FL. He travels to put on his course and he is an amazing canopy coach. If you get a total of 8 people to enroll in your local course it will cost less than if you travel to some other DZ. Bring the course to your home DZ and it will be appreciated by others. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I hope you let us know how your landings progress. And thanks Granny. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

You'll find it's quite common for experienced jumpers to have their own kids packing for them. My son started coming to the dz with me every weekend at around age 7. I started to teach him how to pack at age 9 under my supervision. At 10 he was packing for me all the time and at 11 he was packing for my 4 way team. At age 12 he would pack for anyone including my 4 way team. It was common for him to come home from a weekend with 250-300 bucks and more from a boogie. He went through AFF when he was 17 and did 25 jumps to get his A license in one week along with an hour and a half of tunnel time. He paid for all this with the money he saved from packing. He had roughly 2500 pack jobs before he made his first jump. In fact his only concern about going through the FJC was that they wouldn't let him pack his own rig. This made him very uncomfortable. He's now 22 and has about 5000 pack jobs and only one malfunction. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

OK Granny how did you do that? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

OK, as I mentioned in my last post I was confused as to what you were trying to say. And I think you misunderstood me. I wasn't bad mouthing any gear including the blast handle. I had blast handles on two rigs and I did not think they were a problem as I stated below. ---------------------------------------- Blast handles only killed people when the people started modifying them. Like sewing down the housing. ------------------------------------- I too believe that the problem is with the misunderstanding of gear or lack of knowledge. Blast handles worked fine when they were used and maintained properly. The last jumper to die using a blast handle not only miss routed his belly band (as you mentioned) his rig was also modified by having the end of his reserve ripcord housing sown down with roughly three inches of binding tape. So we're on the same page here. It is the lack of knowledge and the lack of training along with the over dependence of gadgets like ADDs and Dytters that contributes heavily to the death toll in our sport. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I don't consider myself a pimp. I would have to be getting paid something for that service. I prefer to be called a "slut". Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I agree that you should be very cautious taking advice on these forums, especially on subjects that require first hand knowledge like watching your landings. Get video of your landings and advice from an instructor or canopy coach. In the mean time go the following site and watch this video. It can be burned to a DVD or watched from the site. No cost. I use portions of this in my canopy course. There is a section on landings that is very worth while. It includes excellent footage of good and bad landings with voice over explaining technique. www.uspa.org/safety/fly_to_survive.htm Sorry I'm not good at making clicky. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Lots of very good stuff here from everyone. The bottom line is you have to make the decision for yourself. If you are pressured to quit against your wishes you will forever be resentful of those who brought the pressure and will lead a life of quiet desperation. Good luck. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Reply To -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blast handles only killed people when the people started modifying them. Like sewing down the housing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Designed for use in ejection seat use the “Blast handle” is really an “anti-wind blast handle”. It was used by pilots who in almost every case had never jumped before. The center post was not drilled out, this defeats the “anti-wind blast” aspect of the design, and the housing was hand stitched to the webbing. This was to keep the handle in the same place so the pilot would know where to look for it. Sound familiar? The same thing manufactures of sport rigs do today. --------------------------------------------------- Sparky, I know were getting off topic and I'll probably get spanked for doing so but I'm a bit confused. I do understand that the blast handle was originally designed for the ejecting pilots and then picked up for use on sport rigs. And I understand why they were tacked down for the pilots and that the center post should not have been drilled out. But are you saying that the housing near the handle also should have been tacked down on the sport rigs? As I remember this was a taboo thing to do and directly contributed to the death of the last jumper to die before these handles were gounded in our sport. Please enlighten me. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

You are getting some great information (and some not) from this thread. Aggie Dave had a good perspective. I would strongly recommend that you contact the guys at PD. No one knows their canopies better than they. And they really do want to help you get the most out of your canopy. If you've never contacted them for help or advice you'll be surprised how much time and energy they will spend with you. I'm especially partial to Nick in the marketing department. Nick is a PD tour rep and he really knows his stuff and he has put tons of jumps on all the canopies. If you really want the best advice give him a call. He loves to talk to new jumpers. His direct number is (386) 344-9486 Be Safe Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

You should try the PD Optimum. It's an awesome canopy. It has an unblievable flair even in zero wind. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Blast handles only killed people when the people started modifying them. Like sewing down the housing. (does this post make me sound old? because I'm not. I want to clarify that. I can't stand old people.) BTW: My Javelin has two different soft handles available. It came with the regular softies on both sides. A couple of years later I ordered the Fat Daddies and put them on. The old ones are still OK to use. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Thank God for the renegades. Would we have a sport without them? BTW: Do you remember Snake? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Can you imagine what would have gone through his mind if the guy who climbed on his back to hook him up had caught his reserve handle on him as he was rodeoing him and had a premature opening? He wouldn't even be able to cutaway to make a second attempt at him. Surreal moment. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I heard the guy that works at PD and runs the canopy league in Florida would be a good coach. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

If you go for the 1000 let me know and I'll buy the 9. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

QuoteFrom AC 105-2c (back of SIM) (emphasis added) " who are interested in obtaining authorization" __________________ Obviously if you aren't "interested" then just go do it. Besides the pilot isn't going to fly with the door "open", he's just going to reclose it because something caused it to become "ajar" while in flight. It's easier to get forgivness than it is to get permission (tic) Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

This is one of the best "put ons" I've seen on this site in a long time. Good one man. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Where is Tri-state Skydivers? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Yeah but you still have to carry it when you're on the ground which goes right back to cutting into your shoulders and neck. I like to put it on at the last possible moment. When it comes to comfort....... I'm a pussy. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I don't have a problem paying a registration fee. Especially when you factor in that $20 to $25 over a 5 to 10 day period. Cheaper than camping. AND you're camping with friends! *** Where are you guys talking about for only $20 to $25 for a five to ten day event? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

According to your profile you are loading your canopy right at 1 to 1. I load mine at 1.6 or 1.7. If you add 15 lbs (which is a lot) you would be at just over 1.1 which is still very conservative and I doubt that you will notice that much difference in your landings. However this all depends on how you fly your canopy. Based on your choice of canopy you appear to lean on the conservative side which is not a bad thing. If you fly your final approach with some brakes applied (even just a couple of inches) you will notice that your decent rate is a little higher and your flare will not be as affective. If on the other hand you approach in full flight with the toggles all the way up to the keepers, you will notice just a bit more forward speed but that speed will quickly convert to added lift when you flare for landing giving you a more dynamic flare. If you are of the belief that air speed is your friend during landing then you will actually come to like the added wing loading, even on a lightly loaded Triathilon. As I said before don't think about it and you will likely not notice much difference. As far as belt vs vest. I strongly urge you to not even consider a vest, even if someone donates one to you. A vest cuts into your shoulders and collar area. The more weight the more uncomfortable they are especially during opening and if you are a skinny guy it's even worse. Vests dig into your shoulders even in the plane where a belt is not even noticeable. The belt also puts the weight where your center of gravity is. As you know about big ways there is always one last "full gear" dirt dive that seems to go on forever. You can be wearing a vest all that time or you can carry your belt over and set it on the ground and then slip it on while walking to the plane. Go with the belt man. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.