tdhibberd

Yep those t-shirts looked great :-) actually just been looking at southy's pictures and they looked better than i could ever have imagined when i designed them. So proud to see you all wearing them and thanks to the BPA and Simon for giving me the opportunity. See you all at Hib soon. Tom

Yep, we're pretty much talking bored Rigger/rainy day here, still was interesting to watch if a little hypothetical!

I've had this demonstrated to me on a couple of rigs not just Javelins, pop the reserve then sit on the floor leaving the main riser covers in (smooth floors help) then take the reserve bridle over the top of your shoulder and watch as you can be dragged along the floor with by it.

Finally after seven years got around to buying new gear this year. Javelin Odessey J1KS Container PD 143R Reserve PD Sabre 170 (this is so old I can't read the warning panel!) And a new Cypress (probably one of the last v1's made Doh!)

oh and i did endless practises off my kitchen table and home to get the muscle memory built in. :-)

This is quite a common problem and one we're only just starting to reocgnise at my DZ. When people are practicing on the ground they do so with the main still in the container. This creates a stable platform for the DP handle which is always in the same place. When the student exits the aircraft the main leaves the container and the DP handle is now attached to a floppy bit of fabric which moves around! I've seen the Instructors at the DZ recently take the main out of the container and have the student practice the pull. The other major bit of advise said to me during my progression was 'Don't try and beat the Canopy'. You won't get the handle before it deploys, you'll rush and you'll mess up. As said above make sure you talk to your instructors and get their advice, it might be worth asking them to go through the main out procedure so you get a better idea of how the handle/container will feel. tom

I started off sport parachuting on rounds in the wilds of scotland (6 years ago) and of course had to do 2-3 hours of PLF training for that. I have to admit that it's saved my ass a couple of times since. In one bad accident that took me out of the sport for 18 months i PLF'd after a low turn, don't really want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't. I think its worth everyone knowing how to do a properly executed PLF just for when things don't quite go as you intended them to go.

I spent a long time struggling to change from a box-man to a mantis and I'm still only about 1/2 way there! Still, To change to knee turns i spent a long time watching tv on my bed in a mantis position and practised the arms and knee movements to build up muscle memory. This ment that when I went to jump I did the turns without really having to think about it.

Im 6'0 and weigh around 250lbs, used to have trouble with openings that bruised my thighs, however got my new Jav Odessey in april this year ans things are now so much more comfortable. Its got closed cell foam and double wide leg straps. makes such a diference to opening and in-flight comfort.

I've done a couple of jumps on a ZPexe myself, its my understanding that they are trimmed with a greater angle of attack than the equivalent sabre making them a bit faster and a bit more ground hungry as a a result. It seemed also to be a bit more stable in turbulence but i haven't done enough jumps on one to make any real comment

On jump 210 following a 30-way had a very violent spinner as a result of a lineover.

Seeing as we are shamelessly plugging UK dropzones here :-) Thought i would join in. Come and try Target Skysports (its grim up north) owners of the three fastest turbines in the UK. Two twin turbine Dornier 28 G-92's and a Single Turbine SMG G-92, all can get to 14,500ft in about 11 minutes. Though Weston seem to be enjoying one of the Dornier's at the moment. And no I'm not on the staff. They were always good to me when I was a visting jumper so it became my regular dropzone when I eventually left university and got a job. large bar, skydivers day room, canteen, covered packing hanger. Tom

My second Mal on jump 210 was a line over, it was on a Sabre 170 loaded at something like 1.5:1. Deployed at 2500ft after a 30-way. There was no way I was staying with that one. looked up and saw the ground then the tail of the canopy, my feet were above the horizon. It never even crossed my mind to try and clear it.

Gerv me old china hows you? Anyway, there are a million and one methods of folding a pilot chute. You have already mentioned one of the most important things to bear in mind. i.e. having the knot and bridle exiting at the handle end. I'll show you my method the next time you're around. Its pretty similar to the big air sports method. Tom

There has indeed been some talk about it along with max wingloadings for licenses. The actual skills needed to be shown will probably be contentious however, as is the wingloading levels for many people. The BPA IC1 qualification at the moment has a lot of its skills not directly involved with canopy flight, which can be a little confusing. From the BPA Website The individual who has demonstrated the ability to: a. Control the canopy using the risers b. Achieve five consecutive, pre-determined landings within 10m of a target c. Spot from at least 10,000ft AGL The Parachutist must also have received the following from an instructor: a. A formal brief on the duties of a jump master, including an introduction to the BPA Operations Manual b. A formal brief on parachuting equipment including packing methods, maintenance and flight line checking Perhaps the IC2 will have more actual canopy flight skills associated with it Tom PS: Hello Gerv mate coming to Hin at the Weekend? Want to Jump?