slotperfect

We have had a lot of responses from non-swoopers of various experience levels that want to participate using their existing approach and landing. A separate but concurrent plan is being worked to accomodate all of you. Pricing for y'all will also be different, final word on that is to be put out at Friday morning's registration (see John Nolan). Again, I have reg forms and info sheets with schedule, lodging, and DZ infor available via email. PM me your email address and I will be glad to send it your way. Swoop course update: Irene is coming by this weekend to fill up the pond Arrive Safely John

Schedule has been finalized: THURSDAY 5:30 – 8:00 PM REGISTRATION PK’S GRILL & PUB DAILY 7:00 – 8:00 AM REGISTRATION MEAT LOCKER TEAM ROOM DAILY 8:15 AM SAFETY BRIEFING MEAT LOCKER TEAM ROOM DAILY 9:00 AM LOAD ONE 20 MIN CALL N216PK SATURDAY EVENING CATERED MEAL (INCLUDED IN ENTRY FEE) I also have an info sheet with lodging suggestions and map/directions. PM me with your preferred email address and I will send it to you. Included will be the registration form if you are the proactive type. Be sure and bring your USPA credentials & rig to registration. Neither CPTS nor RPC manifest is set up to take credit cards. Cash or personal check; there is an ATM on site although the lightning has been playing Old Harry with it lately. You can also pay John Nolan through PayPal - [email protected] Arrive Safely John

Schedule is being finalized right now. Plan on an early morning start on Friday . . . registration will be available for a couple of hours Thursday night and first thing in the morning all weekend. More to follow . . . Arrive Safely John

Flight-1 Canopy Skills Camp @ Elsinore 29 Sep - 2 Oct. http://www.flight-1.com/school/f1camps.html Arrive Safely John

We discussed this, but as of right now there is no cap. Juan knows you are coming with your crew . . . I will tell him that it may be up to five. Those numbers are completely up to Juan - I am just helping him organize the event and serving as the event S&TA. FYI for y'all while I'm thinking about it . . . NC State Police has "Booze It and Lose It" random check points out until 5 September. There were 500 alcohol related vehicle incidents and 20 fatalities last Labor Day weekend so they are trying to drop those numbers. I hear that VA SP have a similar program, so they may be tag-teaming. It will be great to have y'all. I will PM you my cell phone number - call me if you need anything. Arrive Safely John

If you look at the existing card in the back of the SIM it will give you a very good idea. They used that one as their baseline. Major changes are WHO signs off on individual tasks and WHO approves those signatories at each DZ. Individual tasks should be signed off by Instructors who have been vetted and approved by the DZ S&TA. Arrive Safely John

I acknowledge your point that adding a Canopy Proficiency Card to the list of requirements for a B license adds a layer of difficulty in earning that particular license. There are two major points that you need to consider: -This is the first step in a proposed multi-level effort to add Canopy Piloting education for all jumpers to the USPA training progression. This multi-level effort is aimed at students, license holders, and instructors - not just those in the A>>B license range. -There is a HUGE benefit that makes the new B license step worth the extra hassle. I have been both directly and indirectly involved with entry level Canopy Piloting education for 42 jumpers over the past 13 months, and have witnessed the big leap in canopy flight knowledge and proficiency that participants in programs such as this one have displayed. Regarding the first point . . . nobody is "blaming" those in the A>>B license range for the baffling rash of collisions this year. This level in the proposed plan was the first to be implemented because it was nearly complete to begin with - existing in "optional" form in Sections 6-10 and 6-11 of the SIM. It was seen as a starting place for an effort to help prevent more of these collisions from happening. As a Coach, you know what it is like to try and re-train someone who has already built in bad habits . . . this level of the program catches jumpers at just the right time in their development. Regarding the second point . . . professional Canopy Piloting coaching is invaluable in any jumper's career. Either in the form of an organized course, or as 1-on-1 ad hoc training, the benefits are huge. This education goes beyond flying the canopy and addresses things like exit separation, how to build an aircraft load (exit order), flight planning, how to hang in brakes after opening to find a spot to fit oneself into the pattern, pattern discipline, etc. All of this information builds a safer, better informed jumper. Lastly, your best point is - WE NEED TO CHECK OURSELVES! I would add to that that we need to provide gentle correction to others who are not . . . we owe it to them and to the rest of the jumpers on the DZ (including ourselves). Arrive Safely John

You are signed up as of now, mate. Arrive Safely John

Prizes added for swoops that break NC state record(s). Check out the FB page. Arrive Safely John

Please send John Nolan an email with your question: [email protected] This may also help (copied from the Facebook page): Arrive Safely John

2nd Dubai International Parachuting Championship - January 5-17 FLCPA Meet #1 Skydive Deland - January 29 Australian CP Nationals @ Sydney Skydivers - February 16-20 FLCPA Meet #2 Skydive City Z-Hills - March 26 FLCPA Meet #3 Skydive Palatka - April 16 1st Open CP Kiev Cup DZ Borodianka, Ukraine 1-4 May - www.paraskuf.com.ua FLCPA Meet #4 Raeford Parachute Center - May 14 NCCPA Meet #1 Skydive Sacramento, - May 21 Open Danish nationals. 2-5 june 1st Ukranian CP Nationals - DZ Borodyanka, Ukraine - June 9-12 - www.paraskuf.com.ua FLCPA Meet #5 Skydive The Farm - June 11 Belgium Black Mountain Swoop Comp - June 11-13 NCCPA Meet #2 Skydive Sacramento, - June 18th Russian Canopy Piloting Nationals - June 22-25 German Swooping Open and British Nationals at RAPA - July 7-9 2nd Open CP Paraskuf Cup DZ Borodyanka, Ukraine - July 14 - July 17 - www.paraskuf.com.ua Canadian CP Nationals - Edmonton Skydive Centre - July 15-17 NCCPA Meet #3 Skydive Sacramento, - July 23 PD Big Boy Pants World record breaking event Longmont, CO July 28-31 Pink Open/Czech Nationals/Austrian Nationals - August 12-14 NCCPA Meet #4 Skydive Sacramento, - August 13 6th World Cup in Canopy Piloting and the 2nd European Canopy Piloting Championships in KLATOVY, CZECH REPUBLIC - August 22-27 Canopy Piloting Training Series @ Raeford Parachute Center, NC Sep 2-4 USPA CP Nationals SD Spaceland - August delayed to => September 14-17. Italian Swoop Fest, Open Competition, FlyGang Molinella, Italy 15-18 September French Open, "SWOOP CONTEST CASTELNAU n°2", DELAYED to 30 september - 1 October, (AIR65 dot com) 3rd Dubai International Parachuting Championships and Gulf Cup - 29 November - 10 December 2011 Arrive Safely John

Raeford Parachute Center is hosting the Canopy Piloting Training Series September 2-4 2011 (Labor Day weekend). Pre-nationals training camp with coaching by Greg Windmiller. Cost is $100 per day or $200 for the entire weekend. Includes coaching, video debrief of all jumps, refreshments, catered meal, video, and photos. Hop and pop tickets are $16 each. Course uses official FAI inflatable course markers (pics attached). Contact John Nolan for details: [email protected] Arrive Safely John

http://www.blackhawk.aero/commercial-products/aircraft/cessna-caravan/ Arrive Safely John

If anyone has a link the outside video footage I would like to see it. Arrive Safely John

There is already a thread that has been stuck to the top of the General Skydiving Forum since last Monday: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4145609;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed; Arrive Safely John

For it to be completely righted they would take it totally away from the regular Army and give it back to the Rangers they took it from in the first place. Arrive Safely John

The lowest ceiling we will intentionally board a plane to jump beneath is 8000 FT AGL. My personal minimum intentional exit with a first time student is 6000 FT. If we run into prohibitive cloud layers on a load otherwise intended to go to altitude, I will poll the TMs as to their personal minimums and we will use the highest one as the minimum or the group. That is usually about 7000 FT AGL. We basically team up with the least experienced TI to make a group decision. Arrive Safely John

A perfectly reasonable interpretation - my point is that the guidance is ambiguous enough that multiple interpretations are possible. I agree with that statement. Re-reading the OP it was actually his Tandem Instructor that tried to stop the jumpers in front of him, then making the choice to exit. Your point is valid - giving it some more thought I think all of us should interpret an extinguished green light the same as a red light . . . permission to exit the aircraft is no longer granted. I definitely think that could be made clearer at some DZs . . . there are lots of signs and other guidance telling jumpers what their actions should be when a particular light comes on, but in cases of aircraft with a green light only, I don't recall seeing any signs telling jumpers what their actions should be if that light goes out. Arrive Safely John

AWESOME! Arrive Safely John

I have video of a reserve line-over. It is rare, but also worth discussing. Arrive Safely John

Yep. I want high visbility colors (east coast) and kinda like the way dark cross-braces show through a light colored canopy. Arrive Safely John

Yes. I overpay about every third pack job. And, when a tandem student gives me a tip I share it with the packers and the camera flyer. Arrive Safely John

Does anyone own a tangerine Velo with black ribs and x-braces? I would like to see a pic if you have one, especially taken from underneath. Please PM me or post it here. Thanks! Arrive Safely John

First: my personal opinion . . . I always put a visual altimeter on my tandem students. It is an altitude reference for them (especially if I have trained them to release the drogue), and it is a backup for me (has come in handy). Next: the USPA grey area . . . USPA BSRs (SIM paragraph 2-1 K. 2.) is the reference. Notice that some of the equipment that is mandatory for the tandem student is provided indirectly through the Tandem Instructor (e.g. piggyback harness and container system, canopies, AAD). Other equipment is provided directly to the student (e.g. helmet). Two arguments can be made and both are based on interpretation. 1) If the Tandem Instructor is providing the other mandatory items to the student because the Instructor is wearing them, the same is true of the visually accessible altimeter and 2) The visually accessible altimeter is intended to be worn by the student (as in helmet). In my opinion, a DZO is still in compliance with BSRs if he does not put an altimeter on Tandem Student's wrist (interpretation #1 above). Whether or not it is the right thing to do is another discussion. Regarding exiting after the green light has gone out - there is no FAR or BSR reference for this . . . this is a DZ policy issue. I know of some DZs that require the green light to be on for you to exit (usually an airspace issue), and others that will support an Instructor's call to exit after it has gone out based on his visual assessment of his location over the ground and ability to make the primary landing area. There may not be any complacency at all . . . most of this depends on the DZ policy for each situation. Arrive Safely John

I have two Storm 190s - one is my work canopy and the other is in my spare rig. I load them at about 1.4 . They are fairly new to me, and thus far I have only been shooting straight in or demo accuracy type approaches since I plan on using one of them for doing demos. My brakes are set at the PD factory setting on both canopies. As a result, I have about 7" of slack before I see any tail deflection. For me that is perfect for air work, and will allow enough slack so the canopy doesn't hobble when I start doing front riser approaches. Just before I enter the pattern I take one wrap. That puts the sweet spot and finish where it needs to be for the type of approach I am doing at the moment. Arrive Safely John