justinbaker27

What's done is done but this is really the bassackward way to go about it. Well it might be backwards and I appreciate everyone's advise however I did take a couple thing into consideration before purchasing a custom made container for myself. 1. The container will fit a 260-300 sq ft canopy. If I'm almost at a 1:1 now jumping a 300 I "could" go down to a 260 with this container which I don't "think" I should do after only 25 jumps with an exit weight if 290 pounds.... But I don't know? 2. "If" the worst case scenario is I'm loaded 1:1 but flying safe however I can't have as much fun under canopy I'm totally ok with that. I want to work on my fundamentals of freefall & landing for awhile before I start taking canopy courses to do crazy stuff. 3. Because I'm a big guy and student rigs/rental rigs in my size aren't exactly comfortable... the $8,000 plus this will cost me is worth the comfort alone even if it only last me 6months to a Year. But I can see your logic of thinking it's backwards.

I was thinking I would order the PD 281 reserve and the cypres now and have them installed (figured big reserve for a big guy incase the shit hits the fan) and then maybe Demo a couple different canopies that will fit in my container to see what I like best. The NAV 300 is great! "But you don't know, what you don't know" I think it feels great but who knows It might be like flying a bus and I wouldn't know because it's all I have flown. With that being said what suggestions would you have for a 290 exit weight with 25 jumps?? (won't buy the main until I'm licensed) Also to answer the question of why I bought my own rig is simple, I travel all over the country for my job and the world for fun, If there is an awesome location I happen to be traveling thru and want to jump and they don't have gear to fit me?? Well then that would suck and since I'm way above average weight for a skydiver I figure buying my own would be best.

I don't know what TSO'd means but I went to Mirage in Deland FL, and had them personally measure & weigh me and build this rig custom for me. They are amazing people so I have to assume its (TSO) for me.... So since it was all custom I had them make the colors to match my jumpsuit/helmet I use in the tunnel. (Which has nothing to do with canopies or landing but damn if I'm spending $3,000 on a backpack I want it to look good haha)

Wingloading is lbs/sq ft, right ? so 295lbs/280sq ft = 1.05 WL I reversed the numbers in my original math, 1.05 WL is correct my bad (newbie problems lol) @likestojump. Above I was trying to quote what you said but I don't know know to select a certain section and reply to that so I copy & pasted it..... How do I do that?

So would my 295 exit weight on a 280 square foot canopy after I get my A license in a few weeks be a problem? I think that puts me at 1.05 or around there... Again I'm very new. To be honest I'm just glad you guys aren't giving me a hard time about buying "my own" & "new" equipment so fast. A few people at the DZ told me it's crazy to not buy used..... (Because a huge guy like me has a lot of options I guess.....)

My exit weight on the student rig I'm jumping is 295apx. I don't know if Javelin and Mirage weigh differently, also don't know how much weight difference between the Nav 300 I'm jumping and the 280 I'm thinking about buying. Also if flying a canopy that big will be safe in general for me after student status. My guess is yes because I'm a big guy.... But not sure

I ordered my Mirage G4 container (M8 model) about 5 weeks ago and it was shipped to me yesterday. Now I need advice on how to fill it. My 1st thought was a PD 281 Reserve, Cypres 2 & PD Navigator 280. This is what the rig was built for size wise (plus 1 size up/down I was told) My basic info/goals. I'm 265lbs with my jumpsuit & helmet on. I enjoy the free fall and practicing safe landings. So I'm not looking to do anything under canopy other than a safe landing for now. I'm still in student status and haven't completed my A license yet. Currently jumping a PD Navigator 300. Based on those weight/goals what would be a good suggestion canopy wise for a big guy like me? I appreciate your input :)

MacV I did my first skydive (a tandem) 2 months ago, I weighed in a 266lbs before the equipment. Like you most places I called wouldn't accept anything over 240. Even the big DZ's which surprised me they didn't have the equipment to do it. Anyways I found a very small DZ near my hometown that said they had the equipment and would simply give me an evaluation to see if it was safe. When I got there it wasn't a problem. Seeing how my tandem instructor had over 16,000 jumps I felt comfortable with him. I did 2 tandems within 3 days there and everything including the landing was very smooth! Now at this point I was hooked and wanted to start AFF but was moving to florida for the winter. Anyways it took me about 15 calls to find a DZ that had a rig with a 300 square foot canopy which also allowed a 266lb guy to jump but I found a couple and started my AFF. Now there is no substitute for loosing the weight but I will tell you first hand as a big guy after only 1 jump I have all the motivation I need now to loose the weight! Because skydiving for me is 2nd to none on the awesome experience list, so needless to say its a lot easier to not pick up the Big Mac now. Anyways I suggest loosing the weight of course (I'm only down to 257 now) but shear determination and making a lot of phone calls will make skydiving happen also if you find the right DZ, with the right equipment and an experienced instructor capable of doing it safely. Blue Skies

"Pull & Pray"

Yes it could stall and then you're totally screwed lol

I can tell you're trying to help and I appreciate that. I just honestly forgot to answer that question. When you accidentally flare high in class I was taught to keep your flare put your legs together slightly bend your knees and then do a parachute landing fall. I was also instructed at no time do I ever let up off the toggles for that will cause me to dive back at the ground at a faster speed

I'm not waiving pitch forks, I didn't name the DZ or the Instructor for the exact reason. I'm not asking who is to blame. I'm simply asking if I felt it was right to flare and was ordered not to should I have flared? The obvious answer is yes and I wouldn't have hurt my knee. But things aren't that simple in skydiving, because if you dont follow instructions you can get seriously hurt or killed. I'm not placing blame just asking the odds. My classroom portion was 6 hours at the DZ back home, followed by a 100 question test, I missed 2 answers. (Neither about flaring lol) I have no reason to lie about my story because at the end of the day I didn't flare and got hurt, there is nothing about the situation that could make me look good.

You hit the nail on the head as far as summing up what happened. The reason I didn't name DZ's or Names of instructors is I'm not upset, or mad about what happened at all. Im a student, I'm gonna get banged around a little while learning and I don't have anything bad to say about the instructor or the DZ. Other than the instructor and I communicating differently they was all very nice people. I should have made my question more simplified instead of writing a novel. That question should have been "If I'm instructed to do one thing even though I feel it may be incorrect do I follow the instructors orders? Or listen to that little voice?" I know it sounds like a dumb question but I figured trying to learn something I know nothing about. The instructor had a valid point when he told me "do not flare for any reason until instructed, a lot of new students freak out because they think there about to hit the ground and really there 20 feet in the air" it made perfect sense to me. This post wasn't meant to Rag on anyone or place. I'm new to this community and just wanted advice. I didn't mean to sound like I was complaining. I have a very small tear in my ACL the doctors told me when I went back to the VA, almost all the pain is gone and I plan on jumping again very soon.

So I'm gonna put this out there now, I know this post is prolly gonna draw a lot of flack my way but I truly want your opinions. Especially any AFF instructors. Here we go: I move to Florida 3 weeks ago to learn how to skydive (I have a very flexible job that allows me to move and work my own hours) I'm very committed to learn this sport and was told Florida was the Mecca of skydiving. My first problem was trying to find a DZ that could accommodate my size 266lbs 6'1 inches tall. I only found 2 DZ's that had rigs they said would fit me. The DZ had me come in Sunday morning at 9am to evaluate me and choose a rig. Also because I had done 2 tandems and ground school the week before (home dz) the instructor wanted to ask questions to make sure I knew my stuff or he would administer a new ground school. He asked maybe 50 questions and I answered them all to his liking after that he grabbed a rig off the shelf and threw it on the carpet area. When I asked him the size of the Main he got very offended like I was questioning his judgment and got very shitty with me. (I'm really just a curious person and wanna know as much as I can.) I explained to him that I weigh 266 lbs and I was just wondering what size canopy holds a guy like me. He preceded to tell me I don't weigh that much.... Then brought me over to a digital scale and told me to get on. (Now mind you I was turned away by several other dropzones after weighing me so I know exactly how much I weigh) his scale said 244 and I explained to him very politely it was off that I weigh more. Anyways he tells me it's a navigator 280 and I will be fine even weighing 266 pounds. So at this point I was told I was on a 20 min call and nobody was saying anything to me, a few minutes he comes over in a big hurry yelling at me saying "What are you doing!!? Get your gear on! We gotta go soon..." First off I don't mind that the whole time he has been a dick to me since I got there I really don't, I learned this in the Army that the people are in charge of keeping you alive and teaching you so there gonna be a dick about it. So even though I thought it's unprofessional he got his point across and I can't fault him for it. Anyways when he asked why I didn't have my rig on I politely explained to him that I have never put one on before and didn't wanna screw it up. At this point he said "Oh" and I could tell he felt bad and explained to me the proper way to put it on. (Obviously it's not rocket science but it's gonna save my life in 20 minutes, I haven't put one on before and I'm gonna wait for instructions. After that he disappeared again. At this time the other AFF instructor comes up to me (very nice and cool dude by the way) asked if I had any questions. I said "where am I landing? When is the briefing on that?" He was very surprised and asked if my primary instructor didn't show me yet, I said "no" so he took me to a giant picture and explained to me landing patterns then took me outside and showed me where I would be landing.... He seemed disturbed my primary didn't cover this yet. We all get into the plane and start our assent on the way up we're going over the jumps check in, check out, prop, jump arch arch arch... At 11,000 several other skydiving are checking me all over the place and making sure I'm good to go. I said "I have a question" he immediately snapped back with "No! No questions were jumping in 3,000 feet think about your jump!"....... Okay.... Now leading up to this more than anything else he tells me at least 20 times "Do not flare until I tell you to, you listen to exactly what I tell you unless the radio dies" he says if I flare to early it will hurt a lot worse than not flaring... He is the expert, I don't know what I'm doing and my military experience tells me to listen to what I'm told regardless of what I think . We exit the plane, everything is going great I do my hat check, 3 practice touches, keep checking my altimeter, falling stable (I think 2 hours in the tunnel helped with that) lock on at 6,000 feet, pull and Arch Arch Arch at 5,500. Everything I feel is going great. I get to the play area and hang out. Now I hear him on the radio and I start taking instructions downwind, base, final. "Arms up" "Arms up" I have an exit weight of 299 lbs I'm under a Navigator 280 and I'm coming in fairly quick no big deal right? At what I perceive to be about 20 feet he says arms up so I know I have radio communication and I'm looking straight ahead as I have been told at ground and not down. About 12 feet or so from the ground I feel that I should flare a little, maybe stage 1 which he didn't teach me (learned that from my tandems) but I'm gonna be a good student and "Arms up" at this point I have the toggles thinking when is he gonna say flare? I'm coming down pretty fast and waiting for the command so I can pull on these freaking things. About 3 feet from the ground I hear "Flare! Flare! flare!" I pull down the toggles as fast as I can don't even make it to position 1 before smacking and sliding across the ground. OUCH! That seriously hurt so I just lay there, on the radio he says wave your arms if your ok and I do because at the time with all the adrenaline I think I'm ok. 2 guys ran over and seemed to be concerned for me and didn't want me to move. After a minute or 2 I stood up and sat in the golf kart while they was nice enough to collect my gear. At this point my instructor is no where to be found. When I got inside the hanger he ask if I'm gonna jump again that day "I say yes", (don't realize how much pain I'm gonna be in as soon as the adrenaline wears off) and he walks away without concern. As I go into the bathroom this guys comes up to me and says hey bud I hope you don't stop skydiving but that's not how a landing is supposed to go, I was standing next to him when he was giving you radio commands and he told you to flare way to late, not to mention a guy your size needs to give the canopy more time to respond. Hope you come back...... After I came out of the bathroom we finally had something that resembled a briefing in a back room where all of a sudden he wasn't a dick anymore, he very nice and full of compliments on how well I didn't on everything except landing, filled out my logbook and passed me for level 2.... I know that was very long winded but I want to make sure you know every detail. The next day I couldn't walk and went to the VA hospital for a pain shot and x-rays. There was nothing broken but they thought there was a tear in my ACL but I would have to come back because they couldn't exactly see with all the swelling in my knee. --- So I struggle with this question: When your a new guy in a sport like skydiving did I do the right thing by listening to my instructor and not flaring until instructed to? or a around 7 feet should I have listened to that internal voice that says Flare Flare Flare? Even though I was told it's gonna seem I'm a lot lower than I am and to take instructions from my instructor? ----- First off I will admit fault for even getting into the plane that day for these reasons. 1. Everything was rushed. 2. Instructor expected a brand new guy to jock up his equipment alone. 3. There was no Landing briefing given to me until I asked right before getting on the plane. 4. Even though the scale was wrong I was still not at a 1:1 ratio for the equipment they put me in 280 canopy and 299 exit weight for a 1st level AFF jumper. (Somebody told me there should be a minimum of even or total weight should be less than sq foot of canopy, don't know if it's true but I was told that before that day) 5. When I tried to ask a question in the plane the instructor refused to let me ask... I understand first and formost my safety is my responsibility and I'm an adult and should have made a better decision, I know I'm gonna get torn to pieces for this so let me restate my question of why I wrote this novel here. Should I have listened to him or listened to the voice in my head?

BIGUN, it's funny that you mentioned the disability thing because I am a disabled veteran honorably discharged and I carry my DD214 and my card with me. I appreciate the offer I really do but I'm not looking to fight the system because I want very badly to be a licensed skydiver so I'm gonna play ball. I just didn't find the in person answer sufficient so I came here. Also I bought the cookie because it wasn't supposed to impede my vision and spent $370 so of course I wanna use it lol

I would like to point out 1 thing that no one else has. The reason this is a valid point with me is because I just went thru it. Also I don't think a lot of the skydivers who has been doing it for years are consciously thinking about. What if you get hurt or injured in your first few jumps and you have already prepaid a USA drop zone for your AFF in a week then can't jump? It's not just about the money but the time. If you fly to florida and expect to do it in a week and then twist your ankle a little bit then your done, now the drop zone (most of which won't do refunds) has your money, you have a bum foot or leg and still have to fly home in a week. Which means you have to fly back to start it again. Anyways I'm not a negative person and I hope you don't hurt yourself even a little bit. However here is what happened to me 3 weeks ago. I moved to Florida to get my A license and like you only had tandem jumps under my belt. Time or money wasn't the issue. During my Pre-jump AFF level 1 training my instructors tells me more than anything else "Do not flare until I tell you to, if you do your gonna get hurt. You have no reference of how close to the ground you are and if you flare high your gonna hurt yourself, so listen to my voice on the radio" now coming from being active duty army several years back when training has to do with something that can hurt me or kill me I listen very closely and follow Instructions to a "T" I figure he is the professional, I don't know anything and I'm gonna listen to him. Moral of this story is I did listen to him and he got distracted and didn't tell me to flare until I was 2-3 feet off the ground and now I have a small tear in my ACL And i havent jumped in 3 weeks. Anyways my plan was to jump as much as I could everyday until I got my A license, my instructors plan was to keep me save and not pound me into the ground at 15ish mph (there was about 10 witness's standing near here that watched it all go down) anyways my point is things happen and I don't want it to burst your bubble and you stop skydiving because all your hopes and dreams was based on getting your A license in a week. So to answer your question, I would spread it out. Also another piece of advice if that little voice in your head tells you to flare because you know your 5-6 feet off the ground then do it! I put to much faith in my instructor and for another week or so I'm paying the price by sitting at home instead of jumping. Blue Skies

Thanks everyone for your advice. Again I don't want people to think I'm making waves. I ask the question simply because I want the reasons. If 90% of DZ' agree to do something and its not in the rules then there must be a pretty good reason. Since they couldn't give me one I come here to ask. Everyone is giving me good points for the most part. As far as every other person saying "quit now" "better give up" I find that pretty crazy that fellow skydivers would want a guy to quit so early on because he has questions. Again, I'm not complaining I just want answers is all. Also I should have re-phrased my initial question, I didn't expect to jump with my full face helmet until "AFTER" my 7th AFF jump until I was jumping solo, that fact I prolly should have added in there. So let me restate my question, Do you think it's a problem for a student to wear a full face helmet "after" his 7th AFF jump when he is no longer using a radio or jumping under direct instruction?

I wasn't aware that in 120mph free fall you could hear anything anyways

I'm not complaining and just because its not comfortable doesn't mean I'm not gonna suck it up for 22 more jumps. One of the instructors at a school here in Florida told me, personally I would let you but the DZ says otherwise. He didn't see anything wrong with it, he said even after the initial AFF 7 I could switch if it wasn't for the DZ and other instructors argued with him about that logic. The thing is most of the people I see jumping don't wear a full face which I don't understand, I know it's a lot more comfortable in the tunnel. It seems it would be the same in the sky

You got me all wrong, I don't care how it looks, I care about being able to see with my goggles on. Your right and I did talk a lot but the question is simple. Why should I be able to wear one? Or not be able to wear one?

Ok guys & gals I have a question. I'm new to skydiving and so far I have done 2 tandems and 1 AFF jump. After my 2 tandems I decided I was going to need a full face helmet to continue in this sport. Here is my reasoning: I am pretty much always stuffed up and on each of my jumps my goggles get covered in snot. I was told a full face helmet would fix this. So I purchased a cookie G3 and have spent almost 2 hours in the wind tunnel and it works great, I don't have the air rushing up my nose or snot flying all over the place. Anyways with that being said when I bought the helmet in my home state I was told by my instructor I could use it there for my training as long as I kept a clear lense so he could SE my eyes and I could see the hand signals. It wouldn't be a problem. Anyways the weather got bad and I was able to start my AFF training there so I move to florida, I can't find one drop zone that will let me use a full face helmet as a student? I have heard the reasoning and it doesn't make sense. Maybe someone can explain it to me. First off let me give you my reasoning and Rebuttals why it would be better. 1. If air isn't blasting in my face at 120mph you think a person could concentrate better. 2. It's nowhere that I can find in the uspa rule book that you can't wear a full face helmet as a student. 3. I was in the military, have common sense and take instructions well, this was noted by my instructors in my logbook for all 3 jumps. Good exit,arch,chin up, response to hand signals, altitude awareness. 4. It doesn't seem very effective to not be able to see well because your goggles are covered with snot. Anyways those are just my basic reasons on why I "think" I should be able to. However I a brand new and smart enough to know I don't know anything. So can anyone please tell me why this is a good or bad idea for a student to wear a full face cookie g3 helmet