darkwing

It would be useful for us to know what kind of canopy you are jumping, not just the size. Flaring techniques can vary considerably depending on the canopy. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Be careful with UPT. I just tried to get a rig, and a couple of the options on their order form aren't yet really available on all size rigs. Specifically magnetic riser covers and spacer foam. There are lots of excellent rigs in general, including vectors, Mirage, Infinity... Delivery times vary considerably, up to 25 weeks for some well known rigs (Yes, I just got that figure from a mfr for delivery of one of theirs). -- Jeff My Skydiving History

No, don't tip. Save your money, and use it to become a skydiver. That is the best tip to give your instructors. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Often if you contact a manufacturer they can help by sending (or selling) you some pads that will help problems such as yours. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

essentially any canopy can be made to open in essentially any distance (during terminal freefall) from 100 feet to never. Slider design, brake settings, and packing technique... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I think a potentially bigger problem area for wear would be where the chest strap goes through the buckle, especially given that the webbing is often loaded a bit out of line. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Do we have reason to believe it was bent during the pack job as opposed to during use? I have seen plenty of pins bent during use. Given the frequency of door strikes, and door jambs... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

This thread is fascinating. The ONLY solid information we have is that they were denied membership. We were also given a list of reasons why this may happen in general, all of them fairly benign in this context, yet posters persist on assuming something very underhanded happened. I find it difficult to believe that a broad spectrum of voters denied membership for the reasons that many posters assume to be the case. Of course, being a primate, I am curious, especially now. But if the rules forbid talking about it, and you accuse the organization of nefarious behavior, you want further misbehavior by having them talk about something that the rules forbid? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Your judgement is premature--unless you have evidence other than what is in this thread. I'm not in PIA, so I know only what is here, and it is completely insufficient to cast any blame. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I've decided this whole thread is just whining. Don't like the pay, then go somewhere else. Heck, I'd like to make more money too. I quit a well paying job, to go back to being university faculty. My pay was cut by 50%. I like working in the university. I'd like my old paycheck, and my current job. I'm not whining. You shouldn't either. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I guess I'd like to know what you would consider a fair wage. From that I'll consider the impact on my jumping, and decide as always, how the risks and benefits add up. Virtually everything we do we willingly trade away safety. Otherwise we'd all wear helmets in our cars. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It seems that on a couple of them you wre drunk and had fallen down to take the photos. Plus, I note with some dismay that I am not in any of them. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I have a video of this that I call "Aircraft in Tow Malfunction" I didn't take the video, but I use it for instructional purposes. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I've come at least as close to dying with a high time, very experienced pilot as I have with any low timer. Experience doesn't tell the entire tale. This particular pilot is now dead. I have been around a lot of pilots, and the unfortunate reality to me is that it seems to make little or no difference. And, welcome to America, land of "let the market dictate the price." -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The standard response I think is that it prevents a long length of cut line from friction locking the reserve container. Something that has happened, but seems to be more an issue of poor rigging. Still, there is something to be said for making things resistant to poor rigging. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I don't think that can be the case. There would be better ways of doing it, and I don't think it would be very effective at that anyway. I am curious what a single grommet in the top skin would be for. None of the possibilities I can think of make any sense. So I'll wait for someone smarter to chime in. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

For the curious http://www.c-27j.ca/index.php?lang_id=1 -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It is your broken collarbone that would be the problem. If your leg is so broken it is an inch away from your riser covers, you've got much bigger problems... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It sounds like you are saying if you buy for $1000 and sell used for $600 you are screwed, and if you buy for $1500 and sell for $1000 you aren't??? Pilots are great canopies. Prices vary. They seem to be flying off the shelves faster than Aerodyne can make them. I've been trying to buy another one recently. It is hard to give away a Sabre 2 around here. I certainly haven't seen anything I would call abnormal wear on Pilot lines, and I tend to pay attention to such things. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

There are many good rigs out there, and Wings is one of them. Smart reserves enjoy a decent reputation, but probably the most respected reserve is the PD. As far as your main goes, I'd recommend that opening fast is about the last criterion you want to use. Other aspects of a main are FAR more important. General a Pilot, Sabre2, Safire2 are widely discussed as being decent first canopies. Consider used. BTW - how much do you weigh? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I suspect it is mechanical rather than electrical. The magnetic field is messing with the shutter mechanism on the camera??? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

There are similar warnings for traditional systems. I have seen people install the current types incorrectly, more than once. I don't see that this system prevents cable sucking any more than the current system. I do want to make it clear that I think this is a potentially interesting development. I have not thought about it in great detail, but it does deserve some consideration. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I'm telling you (and the owner) to worry. This is not good. I would not let a friend jump this rig until this issue got addressed. It is not normal, or even tolerable. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I hope you don't think that other rigs can't get damaged by extreme openings? They can, and have, especially in asymmetrical or unusual attitudes. NO RIG is bomb proof. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Are you sure it all happened during opening? Is it possible it gradually slipped during the jump? Those are very different scenarios, with different causes. -- Jeff My Skydiving History