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YouTube video slide show tells the story . . . https://youtu.be/JL0A_u-aZTA Arrive Safely John

Both rigs were packed here at Strong by one of our Senior Riggers - he is in his 30th year with the company. A very humble man, he is grateful that both souls onboard walked away with only minor injuries. Arrive Safely John

Strong 306 Para-Cushions w/26 FT Mid-Lite canopies http://www.strongparachutes.com/store/proddetail.asp?prod=121108 Arrive Safely John

Terry, The Strong Lil Grabber is a suitable substitute. I am told that this reserve was TSO'd with the Strong 26' Lo-Po and 24 FT Flat Circular modified by Strong with a tri-vent steering modification as the only acceptable canopies. I have a serviceable Lil Grabber that came off a trade-in canopy that's yours for the asking. Give me a call (407) 859-9317 6 AM to 4:30 PM Mon-Thurs (closed Fri). We can catch up then you can get more history on that reserve from our powers-that-be. My email is [email protected] - I'm not in the forums nearly as often as I used to be. I'm out of the office tomorrow, but I will be monitoring email . . . Be well, Mate. Arrive Safely John

IMO this is very equipment-dependent, mostly regarding canopy choice, but bleeding over into disciplines as well (Wingsuits, Camera Flyers, etc.). I did a demo in 1993 UK where we consciously exited at 1800 FT AGL over a major city because of weather. At that point I had several hundred exits from 2000 FT on the same type of canopy (200+ jumps "dialed in" on my current canopy), many of which were live demos as well. It was a calculated risk and successful despite being very busy once I was open. I did not at that point become emboldened by the experience and lower my own standard pull altitude which was 2500 FT at the time. When I began jumping camera I was still jumping a canopy tolerant of lowering deployment altitudes, but I raised my own to 3000 FT for ALL jumps because I occasionally had to sort out my big camera wing getting in the way of my hackey BOC. I can definitely understand newer jumpers who are accustomed to a deployment altitude of no lower than 3500 FT say being uncomfortable with those who still take it down to the lowest "legal" limit. But - there is training value there if - with the right gear - one can experience an intentional deployment altitude much lower than they are used to . . . one day you may have to (emergency exit) and it will be far easier than if it is the first time. My $0.02. Arrive Safely John

I greatly valued his opinions, even when we disagreed. I can only say that about a very few people. He was a shining example of how the value of this online community transcends international "boundaries." Rest easy, Good Sir. Arrive Safely John

My Wife Robin and I have a strong connection to Hal. First and foremost he was our friend (as Skymama said, he had lots of them). He also married the two of us and set us upon our lifelong journey as Soul Mates. We chose him with no other options and he agreed without reservation. To say he was unique is an understatement . . . he holds the distinction of being beyond description. To say he will be missed does not do the emotion justice. I called him "Haloycius," but he always reminded me of Eddie Haskell from "Leave It To Beaver." Either one resulted in a smile. His influence on all of us will never fade. Fair winds and following seas, Dear Friend . . . Arrive Safely John

And so it goes . . . It has been a year since both my car and my rig were stolen. I have heard nothing about either one, and at this point I seriously doubt I will recover anything. I appreciate the Moderators leaving this post stuck to the top this long, but I think y'all can unstick it to make some room for more current and relevant discussions. Thanks to all who tried to help get my gear back. Arrive Safely John

You are quite welcome! I look forward to hearing fro you... Oops... Posted from the wrong account. Well, the message is the same Arrive Safely John

No luck yet The rig was actually in the trunk of my car which was stolen as well. No leads on the car either. I think the rig, or components thereof, will show up eventually and may lead the police to the car. I hope so, anyway. Arrive Safely John

Thank you, sangiro my friend, and thanks to all of you. I considered it a privilege to be brought into the Moderator fold ten years ago (wow - time flies), and have tried to honor the position as such. The pay has been awesome At this stage in life I am making a great deal of changes, and how I fit into this community is one of them. I will continue to post personal content from this username, but you will most likely see me posting as Alti2_Staff (duplicate created with permission). I hope to make a contribution to the sport and to these forums from my new position in the skydiving manufacturing industry. I hope y'all will stop by the office and visit if you are ever in DeLand. Cheers. . . Arrive Safely John

Thread of the year. The sage advice in the original post is priceless and worthy of a sticky. And - for once - I am all in favor of non-Bonfire humorous thread drift. I am laughing my ass off. And . . . . . . . . . . DODGEBALL! Arrive Safely John

The image is for a project, not for training. I guess I should have said that to begin with. Arrive Safely John

I am looking for an image (diagram) of the shape of a progressive 270 turn (not influenced by winds). Does anyone have one? Thanks in advance . . . Arrive Safely John

Very very sorry to hear this. He was a unique character and I enjoyed getting to know him. Arrive Safely John

Thank you! Arrive Safely John

In the conditions I am speaking of, facing into line of flight will allow me to hold my position over the ground or move backward (negative ground speed) as little as possible, but not travel back up line of flight. Having inventoried the load already at the mockup and knowing who exited behind me, I keep those jumpers in sight - I look for each of them as soon as I open. With proper exit separation due to the aircraft's reduced groundspeed (another subject altogether) I have plenty of space to set myself up for successful pattern entry. Arrive Safely John

I have no idea what this person's context was when he/she made the comment, but the actual opening of the canopy won't be affected by high winds aloft. Orientation to the wind line, however, does become very important. In very high winds aloft, I like to face into the direction of the winds at opening altitude. Assuming an upwind jump run, this keeps me facing directly into the upstairs winds while I handle all of my post-opening tasks prior to clearing my brakes and actively flying the canopy. I control my heading during these tasks with my lower body using harness inputs to stay pointed in the desired direction. Now once I clear my brakes I have preserved as much linear distance between myself and my pattern entry point as possible, and have remained directly on the wind line. In cases when the winds at opening altitude are stronger than the inherent forward speed of the canopy I am jumping, I have the advantage of the forward airspeed of the canopy reducing my (backward) ground speed as much as possible to keep me upwind until I choose to change position. At that point I have also prevented straying laterally off the wind line requiring some sort of olympic effort to crab back onto it and ensure I reach my pattern entry point. At my experience level I like jumping in high winds under canopy because it requires my "A Game" and I get better by working through the challenges high winds present. Bear in mind that I trained into that over a lot of years and a lot of jumps. Anyone can do that with good coaching, choosing reasonable goals and choosing the right conditions for each stage in their progression. Cheers . . . Arrive Safely John

All rig info has been entered into the dropzone.com and USPA Stolen Gear databases. Arrive Safely John

As of yesterday the Sanford Police have all pictures and serial numbers. If you come across it online, please PM or email me here. If you see it person, please notify local Police. Thanks. Arrive Safely John