tustinr

Yeah cancer sucks. Hope all goes well with youyr mom. As a pathologist I would just like to add that the diagnosis of cancer is not always as straight forward as everyone likes to think considering there are thousands (not an exaggeration) of different types of cancer in the human body. We like to make the correct diagnosis as we know what effect it will have on the patients life (not to mention the family). Thats why it sometimes takes a little time - nowadays we also use all kinds of high tech techniques to determine the specific cell of origin etc which all has a bearing the treatment, prognosis, etc. These also take time. So spare a thought for us at coalface. Its not a pleasant job and we feel for every patient we diagnose with the dreaded "C" ! All the best. Take care. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

BMW1200GS ! Cool ! Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

I remember reading somewhere a couple of years ago on the effects of both engine noise and the wind in freefall on hearing over a long term. It does cause damage and may lead to significant deafness. A full face helmet is really effective in freefall with regard cancelling out the wind noise and has the added advantage of making the audible sound a lot clearer. Likewise if you wear the helmet in the plane there is also a significant noise reduction however it is uncomfortable. Earplugs will do. I can't quite work out why anybody would want to freefall without a frapp or helmet - damage to the ears is irreversible. Cheers Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Voltage sounds like sour grapes to me mate ! Stephen your course sounds great and the conditions reasonable considering your circumstances. Seems like you have tried to meet this guy halfway and he doesn't want to play along. The customer from hell ! Nothing you do will make this guy happy. Unfortunately though it may have been to the detriment of your business - sometimes its better to pay these guys so that they do disappear and you can breath again. Sucks ! Cheers Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

After reading all the previous posts it appears we are looking at 2 different equations here 1.) the TI who hooks it in for the sake of hooking it and 2.) the TI who hooks it in because the wind conditions demand it on the day. Personally l wouldn't risk my life with no 1.) and don't beleive there is place for it with paying passengers - we all know how quickly things can turn to custard close to the ground. As for no 2.) yes if its the safer option then obviously it can also be argued in a court of law that it was the safer option if it turns to shit ! Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

You might find it easier to equalise your ear pressure with an open face helmet in freefall (pinching your nose and blowing) - with a full face you have a visor to contend with. From experience. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

In South Africa the tradition is 100th jump - naked ! --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

I dragged my trailing leg on the step and hit my shin bone while dive exiting a C182 on my 20th odd jump (exited with one leg on the step and the other still in the plane). Wasn't to painful initially but on opening the canopy my new white jumpsuit with booties was red ! On landing I must of had about a litre of blood filling my bootie and a small artery next to the shin bone was merrily pumping blood away in spurts of up to 50cm from my leg !! And it was rather painful !! A few stitches later and I was ready to go but still have the scar !! Needless to say I NEVER did that again ! Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Yeah I saw the footage screend on TV News this evening in NZ. Looks pretty awesome. They are still a long way from even attempting to land it though ! According to the news footage it only reached speeds of 180kmh. They did mention designing a "belly board" version one would be able to take in the plane with you and launch it out of the plane ?!! I reckon one of the biggest disadvantages would be releasing it and hoping it lands somewhere safe and not injure a person on the ground !! FYI Red Bull initially sponsored the development of the machine to the amount of NZ$300 000 but have now been shafted off the project and are a little pissed off !! Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Could be a BP thing - getting up from a seated postion suddenly/changing position quickly may result in a sudden decrease in BP. Make sure you are properly hydrated before you jump. Don't recommend the salt intake to increase your BP though - go and see your doctor and have him check your BP etc. Probably nothing to worry about. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Go with a) for all the reasons mentioned in the previous posts. I have only jumped pillows since my first rig and on jump 99 had a high speed mal. The EPs weren't a problem - the only small snag I had was my reserve pillow somehow folded behind the left lift web and it took a second to find it and pull it back ! that was on a custom made Javelin. I now have an Icon and for those who have seen an Icon both pillows have a hard base and project out from the body so it shouldn't happen again. I feel more comfortable doing freefly with a pillow for a reserve handle ! Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

I purchased my first Oxygene at 25 jumps and never looked back. Still use it. No problems with peripheral vision at all. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

No reasons whay paddles and/or an arrow won"t work. In SA thats all we used for SL jumpers as well as AFF. We didn't have money to finance radios back then (and I am sure it hasn't changed now). Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Agree with peckerhead ! I probably would have done the same as you did provided the problem was identified and I knew that toggle was NOT going to release (which apparently you did). I don't jump a small canopy with a high wing loading by the way. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Actually just to confuse you some more - May is not usually too bad a month in Cape Town (my home town) - the weather really turns for the worse in late June or July. Best months however are Feb/March/April. Windless days generally. Weather is unpredictable though !! The views from the air at Skydive Cape Town are unsurpassed worldwide ! Magic. But then I am biased having done my AFF down in that part of the world 8 years ago (sorry Tonto !! ) Having said that Tonto is right - Jhb area has the best weather in SA for predictability at that time of the year. Sadly I went to school there !! If you are confused ....... so am I. Bottom line is SA is great country and worth a visit - ewveni if it is after you have done your AFF !!

No difference, one year or two, it still happened and is still shocking ! --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

I agree Derek. I have read the whole thread - no public name calling, no DZ mentioned. I don't believe that was the intention nor the purpose. Good on sitflyer who brought this video to the attention of the skydiving community (I had already watched it on skydiving movies). It certainly raises awareness and is thought provoking. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Yeah I agree - go find a doc practicing in aviation medicine who understands the changes in air pressure and its effect on the ear. A lot of adult skydivers have had problems with their ears as kids (infections in particular) and skydive safely as adults. A thorough check up is advised - the ear is a complex organ and not worth ending up deaf in one ear as a result of negligence. On the other hand it may be simple i.e. she may have had flu recently and the rupture was due to a blocked Eustachian tube (which is necessary for decompression as you fall through tha air). In that case medication works well. Best advice is to see a doc. Cheers Doc Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

I happened to come across the movie on skydivingmovies.com last night and was horrified by what I saw. I watched it 5 times in a row and still can't get over the downright stupidity of those "instructors ". I have done a fair share of tandem videography and I would NEVER dream of attempting a stunt like that ! As for responsibility I agree the TI has to accept responsibility for what happened on that jump. He allowed them onto that jump in the first place. Videos like this are educational in the sense that it shows the skydiving world out there what sort of shit is happening. Fortunately it didn't turn into a tragedy - could so easily have done so. I really don't understand how these guys minds work - putting the safety of both a TI and student at risk for what - 10 seconds of video footage ! Its beyond me, totally. I find it hard to comprehend. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Couldn't agree more with you Rhonda. The lack of empathy shown in some of the postings is deplorable and very sad. Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

There are plenty of excercises one can do to strengthen your back muscles. Also important to work on your abdominal (stomach) muscles too as they "support" the back in the front. I suggest you go to a sports physiotherapist and ask them to draw up an excercise program to rehabilitate and strengthen your back slowly. Good luck --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Just another note. i notice you are still very early in your jumping career. A back brace may impede your arching correctly (a hard arch may cause lower back pain if you already have problems). And with that instability. Once you have a few more jumps and feel more at home in the air then you may like to consider a back brace but again it also depends on the type of brace. I wore a metal knee brace for a while after a knee injury and while it did prevent me flexing my knee properly I could, with my experience, compensate with the other leg. So nothing is impossible. For now wait it out and recover before jumping again. Cheers --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

No problem. Not my first choice though. Seen to many injuries aggrevated by manipulation partularly in the early acute stage. Chronic injuries perhaps another story. Acute injuries need time to settle. If it worked for you great. Not all injuries are the same though and I would hesitate to recommend one option for all. Cheers --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Jumping with a back brace shouldn't be a problem as long as it does't restrict or impede movement. it amy effect the way your rig fits though. Thats the practical side. If you are wearing a back brace then it appears to me your injury is not just a mere strain but more serious and I would seriously think about skydiving at all until you are 100% pain free. Back injures quickly become a chronic problem if not treated properly in the first instance and you don't want to be an invalid by the age of 50. It will take one hard opening or possible even line twists whipping you around to cause small problem to become a large problem and curtail your skydiving career for good. Back injuries are not to be abused. Take it slowly. Recover and rehabilitate the back before jumping again. Sorry its not good news. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Cheers Doc Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.

Leave sarcasm out of a forum of this nature. The guy is asking for advice not sarcastic comments. A "donut" is a good idea as it relieves pressure. You can also try sitting on a block of ice for at least 30 minutes 2 or 3 X a day. It takes away swelling and speeds up the healing process by increasing the blood supply to the area. In fact its the easiest , most efficient treatment for most injuries. It may sound a little weird for a injury of this nature but give it a try. As for a chiroprac I would stay way for an acute injury of this nature. The last thing you need is to irritate the injured area and have to start all over again. My opinion anyway. Hope it heals quickly. Cheers Doc Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught.