lowie

IMHO wouldnt it be better to use your hook knife to cut the offending brake line and land on rears than to cutaway and risk losing a thumb or worse - entangle the reserve on a trailing main

Yeah but it probably balances out when you guys probably earn more, get cheaper jumps and your kit cost less (I said sarcastically)

Hey pal you've got it so right here. I get so sick of hearing people saying I cant be on this 10 way head down because I only have 100+ jumps, I only just come back into the sport after a 1yr layoff and I never done a head down jump before. I guess this is not the forum for me to ask whether its ok at my experience to do a 270 degree swoop while wearing a wingsuit (would be a first for both so save on the beers with a double first - with a bit of luck I'd get a malfunction) Seriuosly though, I'd have been feeling the flaming coming before I'd even finished writing your email. Cant wait to read your next one.

Your story sounds nearly identical to mine. At about the same jump numbers I bought a 170sabre 2 and had to fit it in a TSE d-bag that was for a 150 to 170 canopy. Good news is once you get this mastered packing will never be any harder. Unlike others who learn on used canopies and then buy a brand one and then struggle to bag it. Your packing time should be under an hour within the next few pack jobs

There's a lot you can do to prepare yourself for skydiving. First get every last bit of cash you have and put it in a bucket. Then, borrow as much money from everyone you know and also put it in the bucket along with two cups of petrol. Light the petrol. Now you are really broke. This is what it feels like to be a skydiver, only the money will most likely burn for longer than a skydive lasts. This is not a student friendly sport - financially. May pay to wait until your earning first. The sport will still be here. And it will never get cheaper.

This is a great thread and Tontos post really covers it. I do have one point I'd like to make though. If someone I knew went in I would do everything I could to discourage their family (skydivers excepted) from reading the DZ thread and I hope other divers would as well. I doubt you would get this level of analysis/discussion about a death in any other situation that a family would be exposed to and to them it would not provide any closure- only more pain. It is one thing to be informed about what happened by someone in a compassionate way to an appropriate level and another to read the totaly frank discussion that takes place here, often at a technical level that wuffos could not begin to understand and often with little regard to the feelings of others that read it. While I think it's a good result from a bad thing if someone could learn from someone elses death I'd hate my own family to read it about it in here. But if there were lessons to be learned then post it by all means. Stay safe. Mike

The only time I had to turn low I needed to avoid someone and I pulled off a flat turn 90 degrees at approx 50ft got to level straight flight by about 10ft off the ground with half brakes on then did a PLF landing rather than risk the dive. Bit of mud on the kit was the only result. I practise this turn nearly evey jump up high but add the surprise element into it and I grabbed too much initial toggle, then corrected suddenly with the other one before it could dive much. Not sure I'd be able to change it much for next time so I keep practicing. I now also keep a more watchful eye for people wanting to land cross wind in front/to the side of me.

From your profile it appears you have no jumps, no dropzone, no rig or even a name. I suggest getting some training - possibly AFF

I have a sabre 2 170 and I've only had one hard opening (which I packed so no one else to blame). I know the original sabres could spank people but everyone I know has only had soft snivley openings on the sabre 2's but expect to get end cell closures and off heading openings being a regular event. Hopefully you'll be fine next time.

Try not to do this once you swap to throwaways

I've got similar jump numbers to you and I jumped for the first time in a year last weekend (long and boring story) and it went fine. Felt like I'd never stopped jumping. I was kind of hoping to get that "wired first jump" sensation but didnt happen. My guess is you will be fine

Anti gravity belt/harness - thats the answer. I have been working on this and have come up with the harness - just need the anti-gravity device.

Either this lass has far bigger cajones than I have or she froze. How the hell could you burn on down to 700-800ft and do nothing? I've never come even close to that but I'm sure those that have will testify that the ground rush must be massive. I think some honesty on her part is required here.

Just my .02 worth but at 100+ jumps if I did this I would expect a lenghty grounding. In fact if it was me I think I'd be trying to come up with some sort of BS to try and mitigate it. IMHO this jumper either didnt even know that they had done wrong or suffered from stage fright at the key time. I certainly dont know all there is to know - far from it but this is the basics. If you have gotten to 100 jumps with out knowing the standard ep's then what else is missing in you info set.

Surely the best way is to get taught once properly by the DZ nominated training person and then get eveyone else at the DZ to help after that.

Surely if your aware of the run in direction and your facing across the flight direction there is little risk of flying/backsliding under others. IMHO the risks is only there if you lose directional awareness.

If your going to come back to the UK without an A license try and get as many of the consolidation jumps done as possible and get converted from a rip cord to a throwaway pilotchute. As otheres have said here (Riggerrob for one) some people have had a bit of a tough time with UK DZ's if they have returned wothout the A. Thing is though it probably is better to be thought of as a student and looked after a bit than to have little over 20 jumps and be fending for yourself. Y our call at the end of the day. Vicki's spain idea is probably good as well as you can keep going back there until you are sorted.

I can promise you it wont hurt on the jump - it'll be the last thing on your mind as you face the door

I think if the impact is not shown then there is no problem. I dont think showing the impact would serve any purpose except I guess to prove it was a fatility. I vote for personal choice though but it needs to be done in a way that doesnt impact on the jumpers surviving family.

On my FJC the instructor told us to "learn from other peoples mistakes as we probably wouldnt survive to learn from our own".

Hey Andy are you a member of the Londonskydiversgroup? If not and you want to be then send an email [email protected] . We are meeting up at a pub on Charing X road tonite if you or any other London based skydivers are interested. Can give you an opportunity to talk to others about what's on offer at the local DZs cheers Mike

is it a hanging offense in Atlanta?

Once you have gotten used to using the gloves in summer try cutting off the circulation in the plane ride up so that you have no feeling in your hands then get someone to belt the tips of your fingers with mallet and you will have a very realistic scenario of what it will be like jumping in winter.

Try jumping with your chosen gloves now - in summer to see how much feel you will lose. When winter comes your hackey could be white hot and covered in venomous spikes and you wouldnt feel it for an hour afterwards. I pretty much the same gloves as Vicky and my hands freeze in winter. Not much you can do about it except hibernate.

I don't think so. People without a lot of faith in their own ability to handle things don't tend to jump out of airplanes. I think alot of it has to do with the rapid loss of fear from the intial couple of jumps to say 30jumps + . I was bricking it for the first few jumps but by jump 20 I was pretty comfy on the way up and no worries going out the door. Which is the right reaction - bricking it or casually going out the door. If something doesnt open up and slow you down your screwed and yet I still dont feel apprehensive. I find I have to check/question myself to make sure I'm being realistic and not egotistical. If I was still fearing the door like the first few jumps I sure as hell wouldnt need talking to twice on matters of safety or my ability to do certain dives.