betzilla

yeah, what Skybytch said.

Actually, the results of Airtec's investigation of Johnny Velocity's Cypres show that it was operational, and fired normally at about 700 ft, just like it's supposed to. When there's a fatality the units often get sent to Airtec, because they can get all kinds of data from the Cypres computer, if it's not too badly damaged. In Johnny's case, Airtec went through several (I'm thinking ten, but I don't remember exactly) cutters in their efforts to produce a situation similar to what we initially believed happened: A Cypres malfunction OR what we secondly believed happened: A Cypres fire that was hampered by the container (yes, we sent Airtec the rig, too). They were not able to produce either set of results. Airtec's conclusion was that after the Cypres fire, the pilot chute entangled with, or was trapped by some part of Johnny's body, probably an arm. I've been told (but have never seen it, thank God) that a person falling unconscious looks as though he is waving his arms, so it's easy to imagine how that could entrap a pilot chute, if sprung while a guy is on his back. So the Cypres still has a good record, as far as I've heard.

A large percentage of what's in Parachutist bores me, even though I AM in USPA. It's mostly self-aggrandizing propagand once you get past the letters and "this just in" sections, IMHO.

Hey mixologist, Whatcha doing buying all that beer if you could be shaking beer-light martinis? I just mean, people already think we're nuts (which we are, sort of), so we don't need the bad publicity of also being jerks. Of course some people have plenty of cash to burn and will come back even if they more than it's worth to do that first jump. Me -- I was a budget student I wouldn't have been able to stay in the sport if someone had taken advantage of my niavete, and taken my money!

Thanks for the blatant plug. As sick as it is, that actually sounds interesting to me...

Great! Thanks for the update!

Diverdriver is totally right. My little former home DZ had a rule one year that you couldn't do a freefly jump without a cypres. I didn't have one, and really felt that my rights were being impinged upon. At our home DZ (diverdriver and I are form the same DZ), it was posted as a recommendation when I first came here to visit, that all freeflyers jump with Cypreses, audibles and hard helmets. I think every freeflyer who calls this DZ home jumps with all three, and it's mostly people who've been in the sport for a long, long time (along with new jumpers buying their gear one piece at a a time) who jump without them. We all know that skydivers want what the other skydivers have. So if your role models jump with AAD's, you probably do too. Now that I have a cypres, I would feel kinda funny jumping without one. but I don't think it should be mandated.

Is the bald eagle still protected? I thought it was off the endangered species act's watch list... OF course, I could be comPLETEly wrong.

even if it's not written anywhere, that's what people do. A wise skydiver once told me that if people are yelling at you to go, but the spot sucks, you should offer them a chance to jump before you. That usually shuts 'em up....

I have a friend with tons of demos who swears by this old ratty Manta for demos. Like you, I can see wanting something that will sink in a little more for demos, but now that you mention it, I don't know why F-111 is better either.

you mean therea re still people out there that "spot?" That's crazy! I thought when the door opened you were just supposed to go...

Skydiving is definitely better than Parachutist. If you're just starting out you'll like Parachutist better, becasue of all the pix. They're a little limited as to subject matter, though. Skydiving has better information (not biased), and more of it.

You also have to land ten declared jumps IN A ROW within ten meters of target center, standing up. I know lots of people who made it to jump 8 or 9 before blowing one of their landings, then having to start all over with jump 1. Each jump eneds to be signed off by an S&TA or BOD member. Of course, those are the honest people who actually meet the requirements...

Second, does anyone know if you can test drive the Raven Dash M series as a main? I remember the original Raven's could be jumped as either a main or reserve, but the DASH M is a ZP top skin and I presume would fly differently. I also recall that it was only offered as a reserve?*** You can put anything you want in your main container. Resevres are built so that you can attach a d-bag and pilot shute to them, and use them as mains. But I'm not sure whether precision has a demo program for their reserves.

RWS has a sweet new RSL device, the Skyhook, which gets a reserve over your head before you have time to entangle with it. Check out their website -- it's pretty hot. I do it on every jumprun too. We expericened jumpers need to set the standard for what "cool" is, so that new jumpers will practice it on every jumprun too. Glad it all went the way it should for you!

But make sure you have good risers. A hard opening can send you slider flying down past those slinks, and could dislodge a toggle if you have sketchy risers/toggle keepers. That's an instant spinner. STill, I never could collapse my slider till I got slinks either. Now I have short risers, but am so used to hearing the damn thing flap that I sometimes forget to collapse it.

I think that's my favorite too. It's the leap of faith. And I love flying my canopy.

That sucks. We don't need poeple having a bad taste in their mouths about skydiving, when they could be treated well. How likely are they to come back and make a second jump if they get screwed out of all their cash on jump 1?

planes at my DZ have sound systems, and loud ones, so there's no use have ing any song in your head other than the one that's playing.

I think he should be fine -- just warn him that he'll lose a bit more altitude in turns, so to plan long finals on his first few jumps with it, til he gets to know the canopy. If he not downsizing, only switching models, there's not much to worry about. I work ina geat store at my DZ, and we have several rental rigs, with Sabre2's and Stilettos in them. Everyone, EVERYONE who rents from us prefers the Stilettos. One guy will chioose a Stiletto 2 sixes larger than what he usually jumps, just so he can have Stiletto, even if there's a Sabre2 of his regular size hanging on the rack.

I had the most pleasant ride to altitude EVER at Quincy in a skyvan one year. The extra alititude was especially appreciated...

I would SO get off that load and avoid that pilot, maybe even that DZ. As though that kind of thing doesn't actually happen..? One of the things I love about my DZ is that the planes are maintained religiously. I hate the thought of making a forced skydive because of shoddy maintenance.

no it's much more fun to get the winds aloft report and try to plan the perfect spot... Where's the challenge in just getting out straight up and letting the winds take you where they may?

That's SO Gobles. Now that I'm at this great big DZ, there's no such thing as an intentional cross country. But depending on who's flying, you might get a surprise one anytime here That's why I take my phone along when it's windy

My fiance often teaches tandem classes at our DZ. Last year a student asked him, "When was the last fatality here?" She thought he was joking when he said "Yesterday."