JYorkster

Read "Born to Run" and start running on the balls of your feet.

Congrats!

My wife actually used student loans to pay for her rig. It's a lower interest rate than you'll get on any personal loan, and you're generally eligible for some money since you are in school. Also, don't be afraid to go with older/used gear at first. Do the math to determine what it will cost to rent for 3-4 months. Depending on how many jumps you are doing, you may already be spending enough to get a used rig. Ciao, Rock P.S. - Tell Buddy I said Hello!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! There is some great info here, but it's become so buried under the same old questions about readily available information that it's become not worth the time to wade through it all. People, the SIM is free for download at www.uspa.org. There is plenty of other info out there on the net as well. Please do some research on your own before coming here to cry for help. That is all... Rock

4000ft Rock

Glad to hear you got it worked out. I just think most people do not consider the increased chances of this type of malfunction when they downsize. We talk a lot about landing accidents, and certainly those are a real threat. But most people don't put the increased probability of a cutaway into their equation when deciding on a smaller canopy. Small harness adjustments or bad body position are less of a problem under docile canopies at lighter wing loadings. Just something for else for everyone out there to be aware of when choosing a canopy. Have fun at Eloy! Wish I were there too! Rock

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_threaded;post=1979447;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC; Maybe these are being proposed for a reason... Glad it turned out OK. Rock

I have tracked a Tandem easily with a military radar. I would expect the same for a solo jumper. Of course as others have said, it depends on how the radar system is set up. It also takes a skilled controller to know what to look for, and it helps to know when/where to look. Rock

I would recommend NOT getting the largest reserve that will fit in an Icon unless you live in a really humid climate. As someone else stated, it will end up fitting like a brick. For example, the 150 Smart in an I4 is extremely tight in a dry climate and can make an otherwise comfortable rig very stiff. Rock

I know there are quite a few people from Wichita Falls that jump at Skydive Dallas, but I couldn't tell you how far the drive is. I'm in Oklahoma City and drive 3.5 hrs to jump at SDD. As far as the jumping while on active duty, as has been said, let your supervisor and commander know about it. You'll probably get the standard hazardous activities briefing and go on your way. The more knowledgeable you are, the easier they accept it. AETC is sometimes a little more restrictive when you are a student, but I've never been told I can't jump. In fact, I jumped out there at Opelika while I was going through SOS. Supervisors will be even more accepting if/when you get your instructor ratings. If you've got more specific questions, PM me. Rock

Small Cessna DZ with no rigger at all. Like one of the previous responses, my rigger is 3 hours away in another state. It makes for some interesting ferrying chains sometimes to see my rig again after dropping it off. I have also been at other small DZ's that did not have a full-time rigger or one at all. You just find a rigger you like in the region and make a trip to him/her every four months. Luckily, with no cutaways, I have rarely had the need for same-day, immediate service. Rock

Yes.

Let me first say that I still believe something should be done, and I agree with 99% of your suggestions. However, I don't think you are truly buying much more of an education from a 30 degree front riser approach than you would get from a straight in front riser approach. What you may buy is a false sense of security in a few skydivers that will say "Oh yeah, I know how to swoop...I've got my D!" I'm just afraid too many will see it as a license to swoop instead of a license to learn. Also, as you pointed out... I just don't believe that a few lines in the SIM and a single, slightly turning front riser approach will change that fact. To truly see the impact, we should apply your recommendations to all the fatalities over the last several years and try to determine which ones these rules may have prevented. Certainly it won't be an exact science, but it could provide some very convincing data. -Rock

Although I applaud the attempt to deal with a serious problem, and I agree with some type of wing loading standard, I have to disagree with the following: Not everyone has a desire to swoop. I don't need to have this skill. If we view this as another discipline, we may as well add required skills from every other discipline to get a D...must be able to hold a head down...must be able to get in last on a 60 way RW...must be in an 8 stack...etc. I know I'm being drastic, but swooping is not a requirement and we shouldn't treat it as such. Pilots are trained how to recover from stalls, because they may accidentally induce one. I'm never going to 'accidently' do a 180 front riser approach. Swooping is a separate discipline, and we need to treat it as such. Those unskilled in the RW, FF, or CRW are not allowed on dives they are not ready for. Someone learning to swoop should be under the supervision of a coach and not allowed to perform maneevers for which he or she is not trained. Ground them if they get out of line, or let them continue to jump until they hurt or kill themselves and bring bad press to your DZ and the sport as a whole. Just my 2 cents, Rock

Casual glances at the direction of flight along with the timing spent on a particular heading, give me a fairly constant sense of about where we are at all times. Also, in larger aircraft at unfamiliar DZs, I get a sense of jump run before leaving the airplane. The compass could be distracting to some, but I hardly notice myself looking at it. Rock

Well, I don't think I'm the jumper you saw, but I also have a small compass on my altimeter band. Besides all the negative replies you got, I find it useful in a airplane that I can not see out without moving around...for example sitting on the floor of a 205 or 182. It reads fairly accurate in the aircraft and near the altimeter. Once out of the airplane, it is clearly easier to use the ground for directions, unless of course you are above some industrial haze. It is not my most used piece of equipment, but I am glad to carry it along. Mine is a small plastic compass made by Sunto. It cost about $4 at a sporting goods store. It came with a velcro strap, but mine slid easily onto my alti strap. hope this helps, Rock

We have a Toyota Prius and love it. Obviously gas mileage is the big plus. With gas prices as they are, I'm saving well over $100 per month with my 20 minute commute to and from work. It gets better mileage in the warm months than the cold months, but still averages in the high 40's. Newer models are claiming even better mileage. Also, we got a $2000 tax break (2K off the total taxable income) the year we purchased the vehicle. Many cities already have the carpool lane rule for hybrids, and it is actually working to reduce pollution. My brother lives in DC, and he sees a ton of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles in the carpool lane. I'm sure its not helping congestion, but I guess you gotta decide if time of clean air is more important to you. Batteries in the Prius are under warrantee for 10 years. They are also made in cells instead of one large battery. That way if a cell goes bad, you just replace that cell...similar in size to a normal car battery. That's my 2 cents, Rock

I have taught both IAD and Static Line, and have used both instructor back to IP and student back to IP. Having seen both in action, now I will only use instructor back to the panel... Think about a fully loaded 182, and think of CoG when the first student has left. If the instructor is facing forward, he/she will have to move backward to allow student #2 to get into position. Now ALL the weight (2-3 students and instructor) are aft of the pilot. Add an inexperienced pilot trying to build time and you're asking for trouble. Also, with the instructor facing forward, he/she has less direct control of all the students and is exposing his/her rig to students. He/she is also blocking the door in case of emergency, requiring the instructor to leave with students still in the airplane in order for everyone to exit. I'd prefer to be facing the students and be able to 'verbally encourage' (GO! GO! GO!) them to get out in case of emergency. Certainly, I'm not going to ride the plane in yelling at a student, but I don't think I should be the first one out the door either. We have put out very large first jump students wearing a very large rig (300 sq ft main) this way with no difficulties for the student getting out. Just my 2 cents...but ask your pilot which he/she prefers and why. Rock

You may not have 'settled in' to what will be your true body position yet. Many students fresh off status still tend to over-emphasize their arch and, as you said, fly with their leg bent too much. Without seeing your body shape/size/composition and watching you fly, it'd be hard to say what you should do. I agree with the suggestions...get a few more coach jumps or just go up and jump with a friend to work on fall rates. Get those legs out and feel some positive pressure on them. Get some video if possible to get a clear picture of your body position. You've got some great instructors up there, so get some advice. If you want to come down to Hinton and check us out, we'll hook you up as well. Rock

Been there, done that... As others have already said, there should be no control problem once the unbroken steering line is released. No need to get out the hook knife. As for landing it, it should be fairly simple with a reasonable wingloading and a current jumper. I landed my Saber 170 (loaded at about 1.1)on rear risers just as softly as I would have with toggles. Those that watched me land didn't even notice a difference until I showed them the unattached toggle in my hand. This may be another argument for not downsizing too quickly (or at all). Had I been under a ridiculously small canopy, I may have chosen to chop it and go to an equally ridiculously small reserve, but at least it would have toggles. As has also been noted, experience helps. Practice flying with your risers to see what capabilities and limitations you have. Get some basic CRW training to make you really learn the flight characteristics of all your control options. That way if (when) the time comes, you can make an informed decision about whether or not to chop. Rock

Sometimes we can't at all predict what a student will do on any given jump. However, waiting a week between the last PRCP and the first freefall could have contributed to the problem. According to the SIM, the last PRCP and first freefall should be the same day. Other than that, appreciate the fact that your emergency procedures training worked like a charm. Rock

I'm not sure I get what you are asking... What is the difference between what you are proposing and the current SL/IAD progression? The ISP already allows for what you suggest and you don't have to be an AFF I to jump with a student in freefall. Am I missing something? Rock

Home is where the heart is! What I list as my home DZ is where all my friends are, where I learned to love this sport, and where I know I'll be welcome anytime. Unfortunately, I no longer live there, but home to me is always home. Just my 2 cents, Rock

I'm not an AFFI (yet) but I wear a full face (Z1) on most jumps. A few months ago I was kicked in the jaw on exit. This happened even though I had the helmet on. The jumpers foot managed to hit directly under my chin where the helmet did not cover. I was dazed for a second and later experienced difficulty closing my jaw as you described. Although I think a full face makes me safer, I found out that it doesn't completely protect you. Rock

I did several demo jumps on a Pilot 132 and experienced exactly what you described. There was no actual input on the canopy until the toggle was almost at my shoulder. I asked the aerodyne reps about it, and they said all other canopies have their brake setting too tight. The slack is intentional to prevent warping the tail of the canopy while you give input to the front risers. While this is a valid concern, I think they overcompensated. Besides, I don't use my front risers nearly as frequently as others. Its a simple problem to resolve by changing the location of your toggles, but I don't think it should be so common. Just my 2 cents, Rock