Peterkn

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3876330;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

There are multiple threads about this "incident" on DZ.com, but the most useful one is probably this: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2062418;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Other threads include: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2063517;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2055508;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

You’ve said that this is a picture of you jumping out of a plane. The rules for the competition site state: “…By entering, you represent that: (i) your entry is your own original work; and (ii) you own or have the rights to convey any and all right and title in any material submitted as part of your entry into the Contest. By entering, you grant to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, republish at any time in the future and otherwise use your submission…” This clearly isn’t your own original work, and I doubt very much if you own the copyright on this image. You will hopefully be disqualified by the competition organizers and sued by the photographer.

Zero feet, and we impacted on a concrete runway - not recommended! Safe breakoff height depends on canopy choice, wind conditions, your orientation to the windline immediately before breakoff, other traffic in the circuit and the skill/experience of the canopy pilots. Although skydivers will appreciate the difference between a breakoff at 400’ and one at 100’, most members of the public won’t. Keep it high and safe; take it from someone who knows! Pete.

Take a look at the Hyperdrive range. These can do 2gb in 1 minute, with full error checking, so are at least 7 times faster than the Digital Foci model. http://www.hypershop.com/HyperDrive-COLORSPACE-UDMA-500GB-version-p/hdcsu-500.htm I use one of the old Hyperdrive Space devices (now discontinued) for backing-up photos in the field and am very happy with it. Pete.

See this thread http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3876330;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

This was identified as an issue in the UK many years ago, and the BPA riggers committee came up with an approved method of sealing reserves as shown in the attachment. Link to original document: http://bpa.org.uk/forms/docs/f113%20-%20record%20of%20inspection.%20front%20mount%20reserves.pdf

This website: http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/601876 shows you how to make a DIY equivalent of the DMW-RS1 - not sure if this electrically the same as the one used by the GF1, but might be worth a try.

Craig is a good friend of mine and one of the moderators here on DZ.com http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?username=cpoxon; I'm sure that if someone has a proposal for getting skydivingmovies back up and running in a way that appeals to Craig then he'd be happy to allow the domain name to be used.

2k Composites are based in the UK and make this sort of stuff. http://www.2kcomposites.com/html/accessories.html

This is the e-mail that BJ sent out: Royal Sky Celebration 2010~2011 12 October 2009 Greetings World Team Skydivers, It is with a heavy heart and great regret that I inform you World Team ’10 will not take place in January 2010. The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force has officially decided to “postpone the event for one year.” Exactly what this means for us now, and in the future, I am not sure – other than it is certain that World Team will not be jumping in Thailand in 2010. The priority of the Royal Thai Air Force is to serve the Kingdom of Thailand in its many official capacities. The RTAF supports auxiliary events, such as Royal Sky Celebrations, when this does not interfere with its official obligations. For the first time in the history of World Team, the RTAF has had to postpone a World Team event due to its official obligations. The RTAF currently has several C-130s that are being serviced and upgraded with new avionics. Although these aircraft were scheduled to be out of maintenance by the first of the year to support World Team, this will not be the case. Without these aircraft on its flight line, the RTAF cannot fulfill its regularly scheduled missions and support World Team as well. Please accept my most sincere apology for not being able to ensure that World Team ’10 became a reality. I realize that most of you put the rest of your life on hold, dug deep into your pockets, and whole heartedly committed yourself to World Team. For this, I am eternally grateful. Rescheduling? At this time, the RTAF wants to postpone this World Team event until January 2011. Bobbie and I will be in Thailand later this week, where we should learn more about the possibility of conducting World Team events in Thailand in the future. Once we have a better idea about what is possible, your sector captain or I will get back to you with the details and options. Registration Fees: Regardless of what World Team events are planned for the future, everyone who paid registration fees for WT’10 will be entitled to receive their fees back in full. All of these monies are secure. When we decide if this event will be re-scheduled for 2011, we will provide options for money handling based on those plans. We should present these options by early November 2009. Travel plans: My sincere apologies for any cancellation penalties that you incur. I know this expense is an unexpected burden, and I am truly sorry for this. If you choose to go to Thailand in January anyway, it is a wonderful place to visit even if you are not jumping. Related Events: I hope the Base Rehearsal will still take place as currently planned. This decision will be up to Tom and Tony – and the members of the Base 60. We still expect Thai Sky Festival to take place in Prachuap in March 2010, with a single C-130. We will confirm this when we are in Thailand next week. The 2009 Kaleidoscope Dives will still take place in DeLand with dual big-way teams – incorporating at least one World Team-based dive sequence. In Conclusion… For now, I encourage all of us to stay current by actively skydiving, taking part in big-way events, hitting the wind tunnels, and keeping our schedule open for January 2011. Thank you for believing in World Team. Together, we will find our way forward in the future! Royal Red, White, and Blue skies, BJ Worth

Well, as far as the BPA is concerned, this is the ONLY acceptable method. The whole idea of this method is that the cotton thread is wrapped around the ripcord pin above and below the closing loop, but doesn't pass through the closing loop it's self. When the reserve is deployed, the cotton loop should still be intact. I theory, I guess it would be possible to open the reserve, tamper with it, then re-close the reserve by passing the pin back through the unbroken loop of the cotton thread. In practice, that's not possible because of the surgeons' knot and the fact that the lead seal is tacked to the container so you don't have enough slack to work with.

The BPA does allow reserves to be sealed, but only if it's done in the way described in the attached PDF. If the OP's reserve had been sealed in this way then I can't see how the problem he descrtibed could have occured.

The BPA Ops manual says : 1.2. Balloon Pilots. A balloon pilot shall not act as PIC of a Balloon for a flight during which parachutists are to be dropped unless he/she meets the following minimum requirements: 1.2.1. Licence. He/she holds a valid Pilot’s Licence for the balloon to be flown on the intended flight. 1.2.2. Experience. He/she has at least 60 hours PIC of Balloons. 1.2.3. Training. He/she has received ground instruction on parachute dropping techniques and procedures given by at least a Category System Instructor or Team Leader who has made a minimum of one parachute jump from a balloon or by a Balloon Pilot who has already dropped two or more parachutists. This must include the procedures to be followed in the event of emergencies. He/she must also have read the BPA guidelines for Skydiving from Hot Air Balloons (BPA Form 109B). 1.2.4. Recency. For any parachute dropping flight, logbook evidence is required of flight within the 90 days preceding the date of the intended flight, as PIC of the Class of balloon to be used. For the privileges of a professional licence to be exercised on a parachute dropping flight, a Certificate of Test is also required – valid for 13 months. 1.2.5. Documentation. Having satisfied 1.2.1 - 1.2.4 above, BPA Form 109A is to be completed and sent to the BPA office who will then issue an Authorisation to Drop Parachutists Certificate. This certificate will be valid for a maximum of two years and will be renewable on the 31st March each second year (BPA Form 108A). 1.2.6. Renewal. The renewal procedure is the same as the initial application and is made on the same form. (Also on BPA Form 109A). N.B. The minimum qualification for a parachutist to jump from a balloon is FAI ‘B’ Certificate (Red). Here's a link to form 109b that's referred to above. http://bpa.org.uk/forms/docs/Form%20109B%20-%20Guideline%20for%20Balloon%20Pilots.doc This makes the important point that the parachutists must be dropped so that they land on a DZ that's recognised by the BPA and is being run by a CCI in accordance with normal rules. If the plan is for the jumpers to land anywhere else then this becomes a display jump, and normal display jump rules apply. See section 13 of the ops manual for details : http://bpa.org.uk/safetydocs/Operations%20Manual/sec%2013.doc Hope this helps. Pete.

http://www.divemaker.com/divemaker/ Pete.

The $60 one advertised in the link is the same as the one I used on the 400-ways in Thailand, but they are now les than half the price I paid. At the time I thought it was well worth the money. Here's what I wrote about it before : http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2795204;search_string=hypoxia;#2795204 Pete

The PAC 750-XL from Cark airfield was involved in a mid-air collision with another light aircraft yesretday, according to today's newspapers. The other aircraft crashed and burned, killing both people on board. The PAC had 3 people on board and landed safely at nearby East Midlands International Airport. The PAC was reported to have lost 2 or 3 wheels of it's wheels in the collision, so probably suffered significant damage on landing. The collision occurred over Warwickshire, which is at least 100 miles from Cark, so this wouldn't have been a skydiving flight - unless it was a demo. Pete.

I downloaded a copy and had the same problem on Office 2007. It turned-out to be the macro security settings (managed via the 'Trust Center' in 2007, or via Tools, Settings, Macro Security in earlier versions). Turning Macro security off solved the problem for me. Looks like a nice piece of software. Pete.

In the UK, any round reserve that is fitted with mesh (in other words, any 'modern' round reserve) has to be acid tested with a bromocreosol solution each time it's repacked. This is because it was discovered that the mesh used in some reserves can contain an acid residue that attacks the F111 material and seriously weakens it. I think it may also be necessary to perform a tensile strength test on the material, using a modified pair of mole grips and a spring balance - but I'm not 100% certain on regulations about this. Some people whose round reserves failed the acid test would wash the canopy in plain water, which apparently reduced the acidity of the mesh (at least as far as the bromocreoosol test was concerned). Personally, I'd say that unless you have a really good reason for using a round reserve then you ought to be using a square. Having said that, I had an incident about 18 years ago which I probably wouldn't have survived if I'd have had a square reserve rather than a round. Pete.

http://v3.espacenet.com/results?AB=Calthrop+parachute&sf=q&CY=gb&LG=en&DB=EPODOC&st=AB&kw=Calthrop+parachute&Submit=SEARCH&=&=&=&=&=&PGS=15&FIRST=1 This search lists the details of 38 patents registered by Calthrop that contain the word Parachute in the text. Pete.

The BPA Ops Manual says this ...... 3. REVISION TRAINING 3.1. Any Student Parachutist who does not complete his/her first descent within 48 hours of completing the Basic Training System Syllabus must be given some form of revision training, as directed by the CCI. This is to be recorded on/in the Student Parachutist’s Training Record Card/Log Book. 3.2. Until the first five descents have been completed Student Parachutists must receive revision training prior to their first descent of the day. This is to be recorded on/in the Student Parachutist’s Training Record Card/Log Book. 3.3. Should a gap of a maximum of one calendar month elapse since the last recorded Revision Training Session, a practical and theoretical assessment (including exits and malfunctions) must be undertaken and if appropriate a written examination. This is to be recorded on/in the Student Parachutist’s Training Record Card/Log Book. 3.4. Should a gap of a maximum of three calendar months elapse since the last recorded Revision Training Session, a full basic training syllabus must be revised. The duration of this training will be at the discretion of the instructor. This is to be recorded on/in the Student Parachutist’s Training Record Card/Log Book.

You were probably thinking of this statement on the USPA website : http://www.uspa.org/news/archives.htm#020105 Jump Planes Exempt from TAWS (02/01/05) USPA has deflected an FAA requirement for a Terrain Awareness and Warning System potentially costing tens of thousands of dollars per turbine jump plane. The rule requires installation of a TAWS by March 29, 2005, on all turbine aircraft with six or more passenger seats. USPA successfully argued that jump planes should be exempt since they fly only in visual flight conditions. The FAA agreed and wrote an exemption for jump aircraft into the final rule. Pete.

It's a BT-67 according to the WT06 website.

I think there are a few more issues than simply choosing the most efficient O2 delivery system. If you were just taking a ride to altitude then descending in the aircraft it would make sense to use an O2 mask, but if you’re going to exit at altitude then you’d need to transition from the mask to another oxygen delivery system at some point before exit – which can undo the benefits of using the mask in the first place. During the warm-up jumps for WT04, I was wearing a bonehead helmet with a side mounted video camera. I took my own oxygen mask along to the event, and at about 3 minutes before exit I’d take the mask off, put my goggles and helmet on, put the mask down my jumpsuit and zip my jumpsuit up. During this time I’d disconnect the hose from the mask and put it in my mouth, and I’d continue to breathe the O2 in this way until exit. On one of these jumps I had severe sinus pain in freefall, but I believe that I was probably suffered from hypoxia as well. I ended-up in the wrong sector, and was feeling quite confused and dazed when I landed. I guess this could have just been down to the sinus pain and decongestant medication I’d been taking, but it felt like more than that. After standing-down for a couple of days to give the sinus problems a chance to subside, I started wearing my full-face and putting the O2 tube up between my cheek and the padding so that the end was just below my nose. I immediately felt much happier about the way my skydives were going. Because I’d had this problem on 2004, and the WT06 jumps were likely to be from higher altitude, I decided to buy a pulse oxymeter that I could use to monitor my O2 saturation levels on the ride to altitude. The pulse oxymeter is the type that slips over a finger, so I’d normally use it until we were about 3 minutes from exit, at which point I’d put it away and put my remaining glove on. On the ground it would normally read 99% (it only has a 2 digit display, so it can never indicate 100% saturation). Before going to Thailand for WT06, I started gathering some data on what happens on a normal ride to around 13k, then what happens when you go to 16.5k with O2 being used from 12k. The results were quite interesting, and I realised that posture and breathing technique play a big part in your O2 saturation levels. If I sat up straight and breathed using my diaphragm then my saturation would be around 96% at 13k without O2. If I sat slumped on the floor, relaxed and breathed in a normal manner then saturation would be down to the low 90’s, and on one occasion I fell asleep on the way to altitude and my saturation was down 88% when I awoke at around 10k. When using O2 from 12k, my saturation would be back up to around 98% within 60 seconds of going on to the O2, regardless of how low it had fallen beforehand. By 16k it would usually have fallen slightly, but would still be in the mid to upper 90’s. I’m not sure what flow rate was being used, but these tests were done in one of the Perris Otters, so I guess would be typical of the delivery systems that you’d encounter at most regular DZ’s. On WT06, my O2 saturation never dropped below 94% once we were breathing O2, and it was usually around the 96 to 97% mark. The aircraft would usually climb to almost the full exit altitude before starting their long run-in, and on one jump we spent well over 30 minutes at or above 24k. Of course, just having the feedback from the oxymeter has an effect on your saturation levels. Seeing a high saturation level reassures and relaxes you, which has a positive effect. If you see the saturation level dropping you have the opportunity to do something about it and you get immediate feedback on the effectiveness of your actions. The downside could be that you become anxious if your saturation levels start to plummet, which would make the situation worse, but at least you’re in a position to identify the problem and either fix it or chose to stay in the aircraft. I tried doing a few other tests on jumps from normal altitudes, and was quite surprised what a negative effect simple actions like putting your helmet on, getting up off the floor and giving yourself a gear check can have on your saturation levels. This is one of the reasons why I like the idea of putting your helmet on just before going on to O2. The idea that you also have a helmet full of O2 when you exit - which will help you during the freefall phase of the jump - sounds nice, but in reality I doubt that it really works that way. To me the biggest advantage of delivering O2 direct into your full-face helmet is that your helmet is already on your head, so it’s one less thing to do before exit. As many bigway organisers are now mandating the use of full-face helmets on their dives, I don’t think it’s practical to use O2 masks because of the issues involved in changing over from the mask to the full-face helmet just before exit. If you can manage to wear a nasal canular under your full face, and are happy to keep it on during freefall, then I’d say that this is probably the best option. If not, then it’s probably best to go for putting the O2 tube into your helmet as previously described. Either way, I can strongly recommend the use of a pulse oxymeter as a way of monitoring your saturation levels if you’re going to be doing a fair bit of high altitude jumping. The one I have cost around USD 150 and is small enough to slip into a jumpsuit pocket. I’m not sue how accurate it really is as I’ve never calibrated it against a more expensive device, but I’m not sure that it really matters - just so long as it’s consistent in the results it gives. Pete.

From the BPA Operations Manual ..... N.B. (6) Parachutists who have not been awarded CP1 must not attempt unsupervised high performance/swoop landings. N.B. (2) Parachutists must be CP2 holders before being permitted to take part in a BPA Canopy Piloting competition.