kkeenan

I recently had an experience which, while it went well, caused a few questions. We got into a wrap at about 3k. One corner of my canopy was around the foot of the jumper above. We were dropped from the formation, and both canopies were fairly stable in a stairstep formation. Since we had time, we tried to get the canopy loose. As much as we tried, we couldn't get it off of his foot. In this situation, I see it as a trade-off. You want to try as long as possible to correct the problem, but need a "hard deck" altitude to knock it off and get on with the cutaway. I picked 1,500 ft. as the altitude to leave. Any thoughts as to whether that was too low ? Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Thanks for the memories. Last year at this time, we were getting pretty amped up. I'm sure that the DVD will be along shortly... Kevin K. Super Sector 6 _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Here's the latest on the upcoming Lk. Wales CRW camp. It looks like a good group of folks will be there.

I had an old cheapo (28' 7-TU) that seemed to always get a lot of burns. I patched them with duct tape and it worked just fine. Eventually, however, the canopy came to have quite a bit of tape on it. When flaking it to pack, I had to have help creasing the duct tape at the folds, because it was so stiff it wouldn't bend. Of course, I was subjected to merciless verbal abuse, but jumping that canopy, I was pretty much used to that. Besides, I was on a tight budget. I think the amount of tape on the thing actually caused more holes, which led to more duct tape, etc, etc. That canopy met its end in a tree landing in North Louisiana. I crashed through the trees and ended up on the ground, happy to be alive, as usual, and cursing that parachute for landing me in the woods. As I looked up at the canopy, all I could see was fabric, a lot of duct tape, and a hole that you could drive a van through. I figured that all the duct tape in the world was not going to make that thing fly again, so I popped the Capewells and hiked out of the woods without it. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Five years ago, on New Years weekend, we were doing CRW at Sebastian and got a bad spot. 16 of us drifted away from the DZ and landed in the Indian River, which is about a mile wide at that point. I was in the group of 8 that headed for a small island. Three of us landed on a tiny bit of useable landing area and the rest went into the drink, except for one who actually made it to land, found a guy working on his boat, and came to rescue us. The other 8 landed way out in the middle of the river, and were eventually rescued by various boats and jet skis. To this day, on takeoff, the CRWDogs still chant, "Sebastian - Swim, Baby, Swim". Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I think you're in luck. That Japanese guy who did the work on the WT radio system will be in your area. He has some special videos that will add greatly to your presentation. Kevin K. Super Sector 6 _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

It's very refreshing to read of someone who put in the time and effort to get good deals and find some decent, workable gear to learn with, rather than grabbing a credit card and blowing 5k on new stuff. I hope you don't get muddy or scraped-up in your first 100 jumps, but if you do, it won't be so painful from a gear perspective. It sounds like you've used your time wisely and can now use your money on building your experience. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

A well-written piece. Thank you, Ozzies for posting it. Keep it coming. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

A couple that were brought over from the military, and are sometimes helpful in describing one's jumps: SNAFU - Situation Normal, All Fucked Up FUBAR - Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

If this is a problem, come back when you consider yourself a grown-up. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Note to Self: Do not open Billy Vance's Dead Animal photos during lunch. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Some nice photos of CRWDogs celebrating the coming of the New Year in Florida. Harry Parker did a fine job of photographing the action.

Interesting to note that the supply of used CYPRES units for sale in the Classified section has almost dried up completely. I think this is almost certainly the result of the 12-year life. Last year was when the first units started going to the graveyard. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

It is apparent that the incidence of swooper vs. non-swooper interferrence in landing patterns is on the rise. It seems that the main problem is at boogies. Many DZs have systems that all are familiar with, and that work fine. But, when people come from a lot of DZs and jump together at a boogie without well-known and understood rules, then there are conflicting ideas. Most non-swoopers have no problem with swoopers busting their asses in private. It's just the idea of being involved in a swoop-related accident when you're not doing a swoop that bothers them. It would be great if some of the respected members of the Swooping Comunity could help devise solutions before any regulatory folks get involved. Kevin Keenan _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Well said. We know (or should) how this sort of thing plays out - either we figure it out ourselves, or some sort of Big Brother USPA or FAA) will step in, usually with some heavy-handed solution that pisses everyone off. Hopefully, the solution will come from some of the Major Dudes of the swooping world and thus, be ideas that the junior swoopers will respect. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

This is true. Each DZ has physical constraints that govern the pattern. However, the landing pattern for that DZ should be known by all jumping there and needs to be enforced to locals and visitors alike. Also true that this has become the No. 1 problem in skydiving and is not likely to change. Skydiving has always been about freedom to do your own thing. But now that HP landings have become a form of self-expression, it is affecting everyone. I hope that some of the leaders of the HP swooping community can get together and offer some ideas to work this out. Canopies are not going to get slower and people are not going to become less ballsy. Swoopers have been burning in pretty regularly for a few years, now. This is sad, but most swoopers know the score. As with BASE, they accept the risks and make their decisions. However, now that the incidence of swoopers endangering other jumpers is on the rise, changes have to be made. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Happy New Year to all the CRWDogs around the world. And Thank you, Wendy and Sangiro, for electronically linking us together, for better or worse. I’m looking forward to another year of camaraderie, CRWDog love, and brilliant downloads of knowledge and wisdom that will help us all be the flyers we hope to be. I know everyone is sharpening up those hook knives and greasing their toggles for this year’s training season that will lead to that 100-way. That will be a great Christmas present. Let’s all be safe this year. We all are used to crawling all over each others canopies at altitude, but in the pattern, watch out. That’s getting to be the most dangerous place on any DZ. Finally, I’d like to thank some undisclosed organizers and some un-named CRWDogs who may or may not have participated in some really nice CRW jumps that are alleged to have occurred in or around the state of Florida on or about New Years Weekend. I can not recall if I was there, but if I (hypothetically) attended, then it could reasonably be expected that I had a great time. Kevin 3 _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

It's been interesting, over the years to watch the progress of the sport and its participants. After so many years and so many people, it's hard to get too involved in people's safety. I make sure that I'm doing what I consider safe and let others do the same. This is, after all, a sport of self-reliance. In the long run, it's kind of like watching a wildlife show. Each spring, the young bucks jump around like they're some newly-created super species. They venture closer and closer to the lions at the edge of the clearing, knowing for sure that they are invulnerable. A lot of times they do just fine. Sometimes, they get ripped to shreds with their last thought being, "I'm so cool, how can this be happening?" They come, they go. That's life in this sport. It's been a long time since someone has died in a unique way in skydiving. Most fatalities come from people repeating a mistake that has killed someone else. How dumb is that ? _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

The damage from the salt comes when it dries, and the crystals attack the fabric. After salt water immersion, it is important to keep the fabric wet, so that the salt crystals don't form. Then rinse the gear in fresh water, cycling the water many times to remove the disolved salt. This is the treatment that the Space Shuttle Booster parachutes get after landing in the ocean. Kevin Kennedy Space Ctr. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Why don't you buy some good used equipment from a reliable source, so that you can do most of your bad landings on something that will not depreciate so much when you get dragged across a runway. Not trying to wish you bad luck, just going by statistics. Then you can spend the money that's burning your pocket on jumps to actually become good rather than just looking good. Obviously this is not an answer to your question, just an unsolicited, well-meaning comment. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

There are many things in a reserve that you cannot see when it is packed. This is just one of them. As has been said, your reserve connector links could be missing or unscrewed - you can't see them, can you? That's only one example. If you do not trust your rigger to assemble and pack your equipmemt properly, then you have a problem. Kevin _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

There's a pretty good bunkhouse at Skydive Space Center, in Titusville FL. Also the fastest King Air in the state. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

I think the only one in the area would be Xtreme Divers, in Puerto Rico. http://www.xtremedivers.com/ _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Thanks for the photos, Bill. It's a real blast from the past to see a lot of those folks again. We all learned a lot from Dave Boatman, the Bottrell Bros., and young Don Stewart and even Jesse Hall, who was my first jump instructor. I always thought that it was impossible to capture his image on a camera, but I guess I was wrong. I always loved jumping at Spaceland, but I was never a "regular". I went off to the USAF about the time everyone went over there from Doc's place. Every time I visited, I had a blast jumping with you guys. I did get my NSCR there, however, before moving to Florida and a life of crime, skydiving, and spaceflight. Kevin K. SCR 3022 _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Well, it looks like the main effect at Skydive DeLand is that there will be less Embry-Riddle planes in the pattern. Kevin ERAU '79 _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?