Doug_Davis

This person sounds like a townie trying to get the DZ ops shut down. Town reps did a conference call just this past year, with FAA officials and tried to raise the same concerns. The FAA response was: They also sent the DZO a letter requesting... So DZOs are now responsible for customers using curse words? What is it with these small town city councils and small minded local citizens trying to get skydiving and airport ops shut down? If you dont like the noise then you shouldnt have bought your cheap house in a neighborhood at the end of a runway, move idiot.

I understand your point. Still better to be safe than sorry. There is no reason, given my post deployment procedures under a normal non-emergency situation, to let go of my toggles. So I dont. Its what my instructors and numerous other people have told me to do, so I do it. Again YMMV.

Some friends and I had a discussion about this last weekend at the DZ. I wonder what others think. The discussion went as follows: we do all sorts of things without holding on to control inputs. For example, even in your steps here (not calling you out, just using this as an example) you stow your slider while not holding on to any control inputs. Why does that change significantly after your release your brakes? I mean, I understand the obvious -- you're going faster. But if something were to become an issue while stowing your slider, presumably you'd reach up and grab a handful of rear riser. Why couldn't I do the same with my toggles unstowed? For me personally -- this is the short version, obviously I do traffic etc. checks -- I stow my slider, release my brakes, drop them, loosen my chest strap, and then get my hands in the toggles again. From that point on I generally don't take my hands out of the toggles, but I don't see a serious problem in doing so as long as (a) you're plenty high up (i.e. not even close to pattern-entry altitude), (b) whatever you're doing, you're still watching for traffic etc., and (c) you can easily get the toggles again (or grab some rear riser) when necessary. So I guess my question is this: is "don't drop your toggles ever except for in an emergency" really a big deal? Do people loosen their chest straps etc. with their toggles in their hands (for those of us who release brakes before loosening chest strap)? All I can tell you is what I was told by my instructors and others with far more experience than myself. If you let go of your toggles after releasing them they could zing up into your suspension lines and become caught, a tension knot could develop from them twisting in the wind, or any other number of foul horrible catastrophes. I was just taught its safer to not let go, than to let go. So I dont. YMMV.

1. Throw out PC 2. TAP (traffic, altitude, position) 3. Watch as canopy deploys for problems 4. Use harness turns to turn toward DZ and off flight path as it deploys. 5. TAP 6. Use rear riser to get fully on path to holding area 7. TAP 8. stow slider, get butt fully seated 9. Release brakes (Once brakes are released except for an emergecy, I dont let go of them. I think thats dangerous.) 10. TAP 11. Loosen chest strap, open helmet visor 12. Do any canopy exercises I wanted to practice that jump. 13. TAP 14. Get in landing pattern 15. TAP 16. Land

Since the thread in incidents got locked I figured I would post this here. For those of you who knew Brian or his family, his mom Holly has created a facebook memorial group for friends and family. Please be respectful when posting their. Its meant for a place to reminisce about memories, not debate what led to the accident. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1455329304703481/

Kilmore Quay in Ireland. Perfect seaside fishing village. Close enough to Rosslare Harbour that I can catch a ferry over to the UK or France anytime I want for a weekend.

If and when I get to the point both in jump numbers and my own experience level to seek out a coach course, I would look for one such as that.

NPR story yesterday said they would also over log, above their permit limit illegally, but the state wouldnt do anything to stop it or fine them. Similar to the problems in coal country. Accidents like this keep happening and maybe people might smarten up enough to listen to the geeky scientists when they tell them not to do something. Probably not though.

For marriage, yes. For a girlfriend? No. Just had a friend of our's move to town for her fiance. As soon as they moved here he dumped her. She left a 6 figure career in the fashion industry of NYC to move here for him. If you want someone to move for you...put a ring on it.

Sounds to me like you are getting blown around so much on final due to how light your wing loading is. Ive only got 48 jumps, I weigh 190 and use a 190 canopy. But Im not an instructor, so Im just guessing. My canopy piloting instructor has been Maxine Tate, on the UK's CP team. And I've been taught arms up on final, otherwise you arent going to get as much flare power (due to already engaging brakes) or you are consistently in a flight cycle. If you need to make a small adjustment on final (caveat: in a normal non-emergency situation), we were taught to use harness steering as it minimizes the flight cycle.

Incorrect. Belly to earth it is ~840 ft. Other attitudes such as back to earth etc is can be as high as ~1040. Similar to Cypres in that regard though the Vigil is ~100 feet higher across the board. Changing to student mode isn't the optimal solution as the activation speed is slower and there is the possibility of setting it off under canopy depending on the situation. RTFM I did RTFM. http://www.vigil.aero/wp-content/uploads/Vigil-II-users-manual-II.0.6.pdf Misread it last night as to the difference in pressures between back and belly to Earth. From the manual: So its 1100/840 not 840/580.

Valid question. I dont know that answer as I didnt ask them. I decided to buy a Cypres.

I figure his wife is just smarter than he is. She's probably thinking, well hell if he cant figure out at a high enough and safe enough altitude how not to hit a parked stationary helicopter when landing, maybe he needs to take up bowling! She's just looking out for the guy.

You can tell people what they are doing wrong all day long. When you show them on a TV screen, its like watching a light come on. Ive been teaching and training 20+ years and found out how valuable video feedback was decades ago. Especially in a high risk adrenaline situation where their memory might be a bit fuzzy. Personally with the newer smaller digital cameras (google glass anyone?) on the market these days, it doesnt make sense having coach requirements at one level and camera recommendations at another. Raise coach to the level of camera or lower camera to coach, one or the other. Or remember the camera is just a recommendation and ignore it. YMMV.

In general that is a bad idea at your level of experience. It can easily result in the timing of the "final drive" vs when you need to flare being wrong, resulting in you getting hurt. Talk to your instructors about the details of this, as you may have been giving plenty of time/altitude for the "final drive". The spectre should be a better canopy, no need to debate that at all. I was wondering the same. Why is she doing turns on final leg of her landing pattern, in a non-emergency situation?

I called them and asked them if they had plans to move to a changeable system like Cypress as I was looking at buying all new equipment. IIRC they told me their system has always been changeable, in the manner you mention above. From what they told me thats the only way to change the normal opening altitude. Typically in promode their cutter activates as high as 840' (580' if falling face to earth). So either #1 you switch it to student where it activates at 1040' or #2 you enter an altitude correction which is a DZ offset but has the same affect of setting a higher activation height. They said this offset is remembered and used by the system each time you jump, until the offset is returned to 0'.

Cite your sourse My 4th point of contact (ie butt). Just based on newer jumpers who I chat with who are all running around with GoPros on their helms. I had actually been asking if anyone ran a camera course, or had heard of such a thing. Lots of people were coaches who started jumping them prior 200 jumps or a C license because they wanted to use the footage to debrief the trainee.

Coaches have been trained to observe and report. They have not been trained to jump with a camera without endangering themselves or others. Seems pretty self-explanatory why the two ideas are mutually exclusive 99% of people jumping with cameras havent been trained to do so.

+1

#1. There is no recommendation specifically addressing GoPro use, there is one regarding all camera jumps. This would include GoPro's. #2. Its not 200 jumps. The recommendation is to have a C license, which takes a minimum of 200 jumps. #3. Its not a USPA rule or BSR, its a recommendation. Some DZ's follow it, some dont.

News reports yesterday out of Washington by local reporters stated that 8 years ago, after the last slide on the very same hill, when the reporters showed up to do their live reports from the scene there were contractors building houses that very day in the neighborhood that was buried. A whole lot of blame to go around. From the county who issued the building permits at that site, to the contractors and real estate agents who sold homes at that location. Lots of people questioning if there was full disclosure. Kinda like the statements from the governor. First statement he said there was no indication that area was unstable. 24 hours later, he changed his tune. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023218573_mudslidewarningsxml.html

No, but you will need to ask the DZO or TI to find out what the manufacturer or DZO's requirements are. Asking here wont do you any good.

Money over everything. When I was a student skydiver at Ft. Bragg, NC in 1960 my first dozen or more jumps were out of a helicopter. Can someone explain why jumping a helicopter is an "advanced maneuver"? Does the USPA have an official position on this? I have never read anything which makes a helicopter jump more dangerous than a fixed wing craft. What am I missing? I think that Sergey's entry into the sport can only help spread good word about our sport. Unless he gets killed. Thats an excellent question and Im glad you asked, because Ive often wondered the same. Half of my military jumps were from helicopters (UH-1, UH-60 and CH-47), so in the neighborhood of 100+. But Ive been told (by a few boogie organizers) I cant make one now as a civilian till I get a B license. Although there is no such restriction in the SIM or BSR's themselves.

Yep. If you look on Google Maps or Google Earth you can still see the remnants. Look at the sand line and downed trees right across the river from the neighborhood on Steelhead Drive. Its the same hill that just let go. https://www.google.com/maps/place/31009+Steelhead+Dr/@48.278042,-121.8464,758m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x5485374eb0dcce51:0x47b3d9f25bd560f2

Ended up with these... http://www.cryeprecision.com/P-APRCPE0232R/G3-Combat-Pant%E2%84%A2 In OD green with the knee pads. They breathed well and were comfortable despite the heat Saturday at Deland. Slid in one landing Saturday and they didnt even show a dirt skid on them. And with 2" velcro closure on the ankles Im sure I can eventually do some basic FF in them.