darkwing

Anything you do in skydiving is great fun, except femuring. Try them all, in a sane progression, and do what you like to do. Generally beginners learn belly flying first, and try other things, and end up doing what they like the most. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Solid color canopy with contrasting thread color. That is my official riggers and skydivers perspective. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

My favorite canopy in this category is the Pilot. I jumped a Spectre for a long time, then moved to a Pilot after demoing a Sabre2. Many people like all of those canopies though. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

http://www.uspa.org/competition/records.htm -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Rigging is much more complicated now than it was when I started about 30 years ago. Just an observation, not an excuse. I note that most of the errors you cite aren't issues of complexity of gear, but of attention to the same details that you would have expected 30 years ago. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Then this seems like something else to me. Can you dredge up some reason that the lines were damaged prior to the jump at that point? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Generally lines fail just above the fingertrap, so tto have them fail at the same place isn't a big surprise, assuming that is where yours failed. Still, that is a LOT of broken lines. "quite a hard opening" sounds like an understatement. How many jumps on that line set? But wait, in the photos it looks like much more than a foot above the risers. If they didn't break just beyone the fingertrap, then you should look for some other problem than just exceeding the line strength, such as they were hung up somewhere. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I should have remembered the Starlite. I used to own one, but I've tried to purge that memory. It was not a pleasant relationship. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Is that a russian PC in the background??? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I have been on two long-term 4-way teams. Did you organize the team? No in both cases How did you find teammates? They asked me (in both cases) Were you asked to join the team? Yes How many jumps did you have when you joined your first team? About 500 How many seasons did you compete together? 5 in the first case, and 3 in the second Was there much turnover? only 1 person changed in the first team, after one year, and on the second team no changes, except for the alternate. The first team was very successful competitively, and the second team was less successful. They were equally satisfying experiences though, fun and instructional. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I doubt you will find a place that will let you make more than 3-4 real student jumps in a day. If you are talking tandem passenger stuff you might get more. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The reason is that we don't KNOW the long term effects of the treatment. Lack of proof that there will be a problem is not sufficient to convince me that there is no long term ill effect. If I am going to be wrong, I know which way I want my error to be--on the safe side. Anyone reading this thread should pay close attention to what the riggers are saying.... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I bet you will still find riggers who won't pack it, and I'm curious what the rig manufacturer will say. Sorry, but I'm an old guy, and still alive. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Yup, that's what they do. People who have well behaved openings on Sabre2's are the exception, rather than the rule. It is a good flying canopy after it is open though. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I don't credit the marketing for the PC's success, it was just the best canopy. As for the Starlite, I had one of the non-slidered, non-relief slotted ones for a while. It put me in the hospital. At pull time I often thought it would be better to go in. I wonder who I sold it to? My first jumps after recovering were on a ropes-and-rings Strato Star, and I never looked back. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The generic response you will get from riggers is "don't do it" While sharpies would generally be considered benign, one of the rules in dealing with safety-related and officially certified equipment is don't mess with it, especially by putting chemicals on it that have not been thoroughally tested for their effects. People who have violated this guideline (although usually on a bigger scale, by dyeing their rigs) have had riggers refuse to pack it. I will admit that doing so on a main flap is much less likely to get you in trouble, but still, I say don't. A better plan is to land in a ditch, and get dragged through the mud. Then the little scuff will seem insignificant. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

In my mind I was, but unfortunately the reality was otherwise. My teammates coined the term "doughboy" for that jumpsuit. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

ahhhhh! Sounds like he has a piglet reserve for you. Remember, don't pack anything without the instructions in front of you. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Actually, have your friends program it into their phones. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I wouldn't call it a PC style canopy. It was an advance round though. It used lo porosity fabric, had skirt extensions, but it didn't have a pulled-down apex (like a PC). The diaper was pretty standard as diapers go, although I don't have a photo for you. Basically you folded the base of the canopy up, wrapped the diaper around it, and stowed the lines on the diaper. So during deployment the lines unstowed, then the two locking stows (just like on a modern deployment bag) opened and allowed the diaper to open up, exposing the skirt of the canopy to the air. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

It wasn't as scary as it looked on video. They took precautions. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Have your rigger sew them up with E-thread... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

There is only one way, the way the rig manufacturer says. You don't want to be a test jumper. So, what does your gear mfs recommend? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I started in 1973, and was very active in the 1970's. Jumped a little in the 80's, multi-year layoff in the 90's and started up again in 2001. Getting back into it was the best thing I ever did too. Check out my history page. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I think your chances of dying getting stable are far greater than your chances of dying because you didn't get stable. -- Jeff My Skydiving History