kkeenan

A Jedi 105 was recently unpacked from storage with some other gear. All of the gear is pretty old and the DOM of the Jedi is sometime in the 90s. The Jedi seems to have very little use and fabric is still crinkley and new-feeling. The problem is a smell that hasn't gone away with airing out and a few jumps. There isn't any apparent mold or dead animals involved, just a rank, puke-like smell that almost cleared out the packing area at the local DZ. It was bad enough to gag some packers, which is a pretty high bar for funky smells. With the great knowledge base connected to this forum, I imagine that every sort of smell that a parachute can possibly acquire has been encountered. I'm hoping that someone can share a good remedy for a canopy that flies great but can't be exposed in polite company. Thanks for any ideas you can share. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Bob really was a unique person, even in the all-unique world of skydiving. It's great to hear of his earlier exploits in trampoline and diving. I had heard that he came from a diving background, but it's great to hear the stories. Bob was a jumper at Clewiston when I met him. We were on a few jumps together, but I never got to know him well. I remember him mostly from many videos that made the rounds back then. He did a series of jumps from a T-tail King Air, which the dz had just started using and which would have made the FAA crazy. RIP Bob. You were a good guy to have around. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

There was a lot of discussion on this when it was introduced a few years ago, but not much since. Have there been many real-life activations? Any stories of how regular riggers like the packing? Any notable shortcomings, now that it's been in the field for a while? I'm not a fan of overly-complex emergency gear. After many years jumping, I only started using an RSL a few years ago. The UPT Sky Hook seems to be performing well in the real world, and I'm interested to hear views as to how the Mirage version of the MARD stacks up. Thanks, Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

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The Mirage website shows that for the M0, the PD-143 Optimum is a "tight fit requiring skilled rigger". I'm not a fan of a rig with a reserve that packs this tightly. However, I'm told that the newer design, the G4.1, allows an Optimum or a regular PDR-143 to fit in the M0 container just fine. Can anyone tell me about the fit of the G4.1 size M0 for this reserve? Thanks Kevin K.

Not exactly skydiving, but gravity/nylon - related. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/04/22/humvees-plummet-to-the-ground-in-parachute-drop-fiasco.html _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I'm trying to locate a Contour mount, like the one in the photo. I know that the camera is old tech, but seems good for my purposes. The mounts were popular for a while, now I can't seem to locate one to replace one of mine that was damaged. If anyone has one that they are looking to sell, or if you know a dealer who has any in stock, please let me know. Thanks, Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Bill has been a fixture of Florida skydiving for many years. I've jumped with Bill on dozens of POPS record attempts and fun jumps. He seemed to have the energy to run circles around guys half his age and always added his cheer and good vibes to any event. He will be sorely missed in Florida and plenty of other places where he was known and loved. So long, Bill. Blue Skies and thanks for the good times. Kevin Keenan

Outside video and coaching are hard to beat. Seeing your landings on video and having someone with a good eye helping to analyze can show you things that are hard to pick up on when you're doing them. After seeing it from the outside, it's easily corrected. Usually. All your friends have GoPros. For a beer, someone will go out and video your landing. Just don't make them run too far. If so, then you need to work on accuracy too. Get an instructor to watch the vid and talk you through it. That will cost another beer. Repeat this till things get better. But don't discount the advice for vision check. Kevin K.

Thanks for posting. Good article. Also a familiar theme in aircraft accident analysis. One thing not mentioned in comments is the fact that the victim discussed in the article was a Doctor. It has been a long-recognized fact in aviation that Doctors often overestimate their prowess in other activities. Certainly, this is not limited to this profession, but there have been enough instances for it to stand out. Clearly, there are plenty who excel - Topdocker is one of the most proficient and wise skydivers I know. He is also a medical professional. My point is that some folks who are fine thinkers and doers in life sometimes take on other activities and think their Mad Skilz will make it simple. Some activities have an error margin such that it may be too late by the time they realize they have overextended themselves. To tie in to current events, it may be that the recent accident at the Chicago airshow resulted in a misestimation of skills. Clearly, working as a Combat Infantryman or a SEAL demands supreme brains and skills in many areas. I don't think that big urban demos and precision RW are among those skills. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I didn't train you, but on behalf of your CRW mentors, you're welcome. CRW is a great builder of confidence, knowledge, and awareness. Even those who don't stick with it leave as better skydivers, no matter what they do. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Either it was a straight troll or the guy found some truth in the above quote. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Mike had a wonderful spirit and always lit up any gathering he attended. I made plenty of fun jumps with him at ZHills. Blue Skies, Mikey.

Liquid Sky makes exceptionally good suits. Their prices are high and lead times are long, but that seems the way of good stuff in skydiving. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Nice, I could actually pick out my plane when you were landing. My two main concerns with a bad spot were landing in the pyro area and getting blown up or landing in an acre of tightly-parked priceless vintage airplanes. However, Roger Ponce almost never misses a spot and these jumps were spotted perfectly. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

s Yes. Carol was on the load, along with many notable jumpers. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

http://youtu.be/Xm4aJttfcc4 Inside video. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Twardo's jump was spectacular on Friday with circling stunt teams following him in with a big-ass flag. There are lots of pictures. Here one of the formation on the first jump at the show. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

The smoke made the RW show good for the crowd. Thank you, Doc Kallend. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

" ................................................................................................ The rigger in question was (name deleted). He completely rebuild a Vector Tandem. His work was only spotted when the rig returned to the Relative Workshop and they noticed that it was a different colour from production tracking sheets. In the example above, was this technically legal? Even if all materials used were quality-documented and the workmanship were factory-standard, how could this be shown on the product itself? If the only label used was the original, it would look like it (the reproduced assembly) was from the manufacturer. I realize that this is regulatory hair-splitting, but could it be technically legal ? Kevin K.

Wondering about thoughts on this: How much rebuilding of a tandem harness can a Master Rigger legally do ? If a harness is "repaired", retaining nothing of the original except the hardware and the label, and the work is done to the manufacturer's spec., is that allowable ? Or is there a limit as to what can be done by an entity other than the TSO holder ? I know that the regs on this are somewhat loosely written, so it may be subject to interpretation. I pick this hypothetical extreme case just out of curiosity. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Can one of our FAA legal scholars please give a reading of this TFR and opine as to its effect on ops at Sebastian (X26) during the projected dates? http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_5_7776.html Thanx Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Wow. That's a killer exit. Looks like someone's shoe leaving last. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I will second the suggestion of, "The Parachute and its Pilot"' by Germain. He teaches many courses and has instructional videos on his website. The comment about being a "Student of Skydiving" is the best I've heard. If you seek out knowledge, either from books, online, or shooting the shit around the campfire, you will go far. People who do only the bare minimum requirements and rush to get to the "fun stuff" frequently never make it that far. You must respect the fact that the vast majority of accidents in skydiving are caused by operator error and educate yourself accordingly. When you're alone in the sky, your mind, your training and knowledge are the only resources you have. Opinions from a longtime Student of Skydiving. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?