Jimbo

Wind sucks while on student status, but when you start jumping your own smaller, faster rig you'll learn to appreciate the winds. There's nothing like a nice breeze to make for a picture perfect landing.

Whenever I get that one I just ask them to think about why we need a parachute. They think about it for a minute and then realize that that 'everything falls at the same rate' crap only works in a vacuum.

The Cobalt has managed to get quite a bit of attention around here, certainly enough to make me curious. That said, I've got a few questions... We've often heard that the Cobalt is suitable as a beginner canopy when loaded between 1.2 and 1.4. Since the conventional wisdom (maybe outdated, maybe not) is that an elliptical canopy at this loading is not suitable for a beginner, I have to ask what makes the Cobalt different. How does the Cobalt differ in design and handling from a Stilleto, Crossfire, or other 'high performance' canopies? What is it about the Cobalt that makes it a suitable canopy for beginners that isn't present in the Stilleto or Crossfire? How is the forward speed on Cobalt? Is it fast, slow, in between? I'm thinking of demoing a 170 which I'll load at just a hair over 1.4 and just trying to get all the facts before I make my decision. Edited by Jimbo on 7/31/01 10:21 PM.

I think you've got it backwards. We should be charging more for you wirey bastards. After all, you're the ones getting a longer freefall. Right?

There are quite a few articles on canopy flight available right here on Dropzone.com http://www.dropzone.com/safety/articles/ Not as pretty as a video, but it's free.

The Spectre, Sabre, Safire, and Triathlon seem to be popular choices in the 'first canopy' market. Of course, as always, you should talk with the experienced jumpers at your dropzone, they'll have a much better idea of your abilities and therefore be able to help you make the right choice.

When I spoke with the Icarus reps about this they wouldn't give me a firm date, but did say it would be towards the end of the year. You could probably call them and get a more definite answer.

Heh. Someone hosed the Golden Knights 8 way. At least that's what I hear. :)

Those of you who have had reserve rides, how long (distance) does it typically take a reserve canopy to fully inflate under both terminal and subterminal conditions?

I don't want to suggest that student canopies are 100% fool proof, but there are a few things to remember. * At AFF Level 2 you're most likely still on the radio. You're jumpmasters won't let you get into any trouble with regards to canopy control near the ground. * Most dropzones don't put students on anything except extremely large, extremely docile canopies. You're going to have a difficult time 'hooking' one of those or making a turn so low to the ground that you could be seriously injured. You should talk with your instructors about this, they can probably help to ease your fears. Good luck, Jim

It's simple, you sling it over your back and carry it on the plane. Chances are that XRay folks have seen one before, if not there's always the Cypres card. That said, I've taken my rig as carry on and I won't do it again. Too much time worrying about protecting handles, the pilot chute, etc... The last time I traveled with my rig I put it in a suitcase and insured that suitcase for $5000.00. It's a lot easier that way. Either way, you should be fine. - Jim

Most likely it's going to take more than 2 months to get good enough to work as a packer at your DZ. It's already been mentioned that you're likely to run across more than 10 different canopies with 10 different containers in the space of a day. My guess is that it might take closer to 6 months, maybe even a year before they would let you pack unsupervised or for pay. I know it's not what you were hoping to hear, but you should probably look for another way to fund your training. Have you considered working in Manifest or performing odd jobs around the DZ? The few DZO's I've met always need another hand around the drop zone. I'm sure they can find something for you to do.

My guess is that it needs a reline. Any rigger or even an experienced canopy pilot should be able to check that in less than 5 minutes. ZP lasts a long time these days, unless this canopy was severely neglected by it's previous owner it's unlikely that the fabric has degraded to the point where it's unusable. - Jim

I think I've seen that clip, it's on one of the Lemmings videos - even has a title "Canopy Combat" or something similar. - Jim

That's probably why you didn't pass. A pretty big part of this sport involves being mentally prepared. Now that you've gotten over your fear of crashing try to visualize the entire dive in your head, beginning with the moment you board the plane. Keep going over the dive until you're comfortable with it, and then go over it again. You'd be surprised at how confident and relaxed you'll be when you try level 4 again.

Wouldn't your friends property/business/something insurance cover accidents like this? It's certainly worth looking into.

That's what I had thought. Having the top guy fall through the lower guys canopy just sounds dangerous. I would think that there is a good possibility of him snagging on the lower guys canopy and taking him down with him. This just sounds like bad advice. I'd really love for an experienced CReW guy to comment on this.

My feeling exactly. Suggesting that the high person cut away is even worse when you realize that you cannot disconnect the RSL on the student rigs. Any experienced CReW guys out there who can provide any insight as to why the high person would be encouraged to cutaway first?

Sex Skydiving Rock and Roll/Beer (They go well together) Was there really any question? Edited by Jimbo on 4/7/01 01:23 AM.

And Ben and Janice too, and BDW, and Redline, and... This is gonna be a fun one.

I was reading a local dropzone's online "student manual" when I came across this. It's filed under 'odd situations', and is in reference to two jumpers entangled in each others lines. Is this correct? This is a little disturbing as I thought that the LOW person cut away first. It seems dangerous having the high person cutaway and fall through the low persons lines, am I wrong? What are the situations in which the high person would cutaway first? - Jim

I've been in 3 planes now, 4 if you assume that the FrankenOtter isn't just a regular Otter. The FrankenOtter is by far the best. Regular Otters are OK, but they're a little too slow. The door on the KingAir is just too small, and the Caravan is nice with only a few people in it, but a full load seems to take forever to get to altitude. There ya go, another vote for the FrankenOtter.

I'll be there, as well as several other regulars from CK. Personally, I can't wait - the weather here is yucky.

At least this is confirmation that they are actually going to change the flare on the safire. I, for one, am happy to see this. This thing has been a pain in the ass to land. - Jim

Any milestone in your skydiving career requires beer. Graduation: No longer a student, beer! License: Beer! Anything that's a first requires beer. Is this a great sport or what? :)