MajorDad

Think we are watching Clinton jump the shark on this one. Major Dad CSPA D-579

Seems his policies are producing terrorists at a higher rate than the troops can kill them. This will hardly end anytime soon. We will all be living through the backlash from the Bush Era long after he is finally gone. Sad. Major Dad CSPA D-579

It'll probably be a "No Way They're Sober Load" Major Dad CSPA D-579

Counting the days till he is gone from the whitehouse. He and his crew have done so moch damage to the American Nation and reputation on thier watch. So many lost opportunities focusing on their own agenda. Major Dad CSPA D-579

The SOS club just got one more member. Have a great day and hope the Lang goes down real well this weekend. Blue ones, Major Dad CSPA D-579

1814? Didn't think you were around for that. Sorry about burning down Washington. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Plus it was payback for the burning down of Toronto (York then) the year before. Major Dad CSPA D-579

I love it when skydivers do well. General Petraeus must be the highest ranked USPA member out there! (assuming he is keeping up his membership ) Good Luck! Major Dad CSPA D-579

The British Parachute Association put together a couple of manuals on Canopy Handling and Canopy Piloting that are available online: http://www.bpa.org.uk/safetydocs/chmanual.pdf http://www.bpa.org.uk/safetydocs/cpmanual.pdf When I have the wind at my back and am far, far away, I have found 3/4 brakes to be the best tool in the kit. It has the minimum sink rate and allows me to ride the winds back to the dz. Major Dad CSPA D-579

If you are going to take on the mantle of crusader to protect the great unwashed, why are you so evasive as to who you are and what your experience is vis-a-vis skydiving? Major Dad CSPA D-579

Sounds like 737 is trying to propose the system that has been in place in Canada for the last dozen years. Ask CSPA and any Canadian Drop Zone Owner how thats working out. The additional costs are passed to the Drop Zone (then the skydiver) as Transport Canada operates under a user pay system. My dropzone is leasing a Caravan for the season from an American Operation. Jump prices will be $36 to 14,500. The American Operation is charging $22 to 13,000 at their home base. With the exchange rate esentially being a wash nowadays and our fuel cost being somewhat higher due to taxes, it is still a fair comparison as to the costs associated with what 737 is campaining for. Major Dad CSPA D-579

0:0:0 Late season Snowstorm shut things down in the province. However one of the local skydivers hosts an annual "Demolition Derby" which was on Saturday. Good times had by all and the snow added to the fun. No skydivers were injured (Hey - there was even a Pre-Demo Derby safety meeting!) Major Dad CSPA D-579

Skydiving related as it was a bunch of skydivers from last weekend's fun and frolic. What to do when it is snowing like crazy and there is no jumping happening? Get a bunch of beaters and have a demolition derby. No skydivers were hurt in the process Major Dad CSPA D-579

A great many people who take up Skydiving as a Hobby do it for 2 to 5 years before moving on. I have seen a number of people go hard for 3 years, get 1000 jumps and they fade away totally. Certainly have had a number of conversations over the years on why people stay in the sport past the 3-5 mark and there are a couple of common themes. The main reason I have been skydiving as long as I have are the people. Skydiving is one of the most sociable activities you can do and I have met wonderful people from around the world. Also there are always new challenges and goals to set. A lot of people fade away cause they have climbed all their hills or have acheived all their goals. There are always new ones. And always keep it fun. Whether you are a recreational jumper, competitive jumper, weekend instructor, keep it fun. Cause if you aint having fun in Skydiving, then ya definately need to ask yourself why and what changes you can make. Blue ones Major Dad CSPA D-579

You can go through as many scenarios as you want. The reality is each situation is different and the answer is "it depends". I know what I would probably do, but I have been jumpmastering for over 13 years and taught a lot of First Jump Courses in that time. What people will do will depend on the situation, their training, their experience and their skills and their awareness. Since most of the aircraft emergencies over the last few years involve takeoff or landing, these are the ones people should be especially aware of how to handle themselves. Major Dad CSPA D-579

The rational for short-lining them if they are doing emergency exit under there main is that there is an even greater possibility of them leaving unstable and possibly grabbing, trapping the pilot chute. If the instructor hangs onto the PC until the D-bag is coming off the back, then the student can then kick out of his line twist and carry on with his day. (PS - I fully intend to beat the pilot out of the plane ) Major Dad CSPA D-579

Yep. Recognize that picture. Bridle half hitched the PC. After deploying the reserve (PC in Tow) and getting rid of the main as it was starting to deploy after, I landed wondering WTF? Then I inspected the main and saw what was up with the PC and the light bulb went on. I was dispatching a load of IAD students at the time and my thought before I deployed was "if I have a reserve ride I'll fall right in front of that student." During the PC in Tow, I was watching the student canopy get closer, and closer. Would of missed by a lot but I was shaking my head at the situation Major Dad CSPA D-579

Hmm, if the j/m has time to prep each pilot chute then I am not sure it is an emergency exit. Actually it is. In addition to the standard BOC pouch for the student's pilot chute we also have one on the left side where it is placed for IAD's. This makes it easy for the JM to get it for dispatching rather than making the student bend over. For an emergency exit the student is taught to move to the door and place a foot on the step facing towards the tail. The JM can easily get the pilot chute out of the side pouch as the student is moving towards the door and guiding him out. The time to get all the students out on their mains is about an extra 5 to 10 seconds per student and the JM can easily switch to reserves only for the later students if the plane is decending faster than anticipated. I can show you next time you are out to Eden North. Blue ones Major Dad CSPA D-579

Cheers Andrew. If this is a load of IAD First Jump Students it will depend on the altitude and the commands of the pilot. If the pilot says we are landing, we land (and pray). If the pilot wants the jumpers out and it is below the safe level to put them out on their main, the JM will communicate that they are going out on the reserve and place their hand in their reserve handle before telling them to "GO" taking care to manage the student off the aircraft. The action of them arching after they leave the aircraft deploys the reserve. If there is enough altitude to put them out under their main the JM will communicate that to the student and grab their pilot chute out of the pouch. On the command "GO" the JM will short line the student and they can kick out of their line twists. This is covered on their First Jump Course for the student of course. Blue ones Major Dad CSPA D-579

Ya know, I am ROTFL thinking that my cat would've clawed the pilots ear off if he was there instead of the dog. Major Dad CSPA D-579

You know...... I would pull up a lawn chair with beer and popcorn and watch the show if people tried to pie Amazon.... Love you, Amazon!!!!! PS - Has Skymama been pied yet (back to the original thread....) Major Dad CSPA D-579

I would ask General Petraeus if he wanted to get in on a load. He probably hasn't had too much time to make a skydive lately. Then I would ask him to sign my logbook Major Dad CSPA D-579

If you toss your pilot chute at 1000' you will in all likelyhood see both your main and your reserve. Have fun with that. The vast majority of two-outs I have seen over the years have been due to loss of altitude awareness and pulling out the pilot chute too late. What altitude are you pulling at now? With your jump numbers it should be well above any area where you should be concerned about your Cypress firing. Blue Ones Major Dad CSPA D-579

So what if the doctor "Technically cleared you". Your words "I was still limping, but I couldn’t stay away for more than 14 weeks. .......... I didn’t want to take any chances with my bad ankle." 14 weeks after having a plate and 7 pins put in an ankle is pushing it and you certainly cant run out a landing. And so what if the landing area at Z-Hills is large. Every night jump I have done I have landed in the lights. Landing in the dark is obviously going to mess with depth perception and proper flaring. The reality is that you are the one driving the canopy and it is your body. You are coming across as someone who isnt taking responsibility for your own actions and blaming it on Bad Luck. Case in point that when you broke yourself on the jump with 25 MPH winds, you rationallized that it was ok for you to jump despite your history because "experienced people were jumping", rather than realizing the you had no business to be in the air and the safest course of action would be to stay on the ground. You should have noticed that a lot of experienced jumpers dont jump in 25 MPH Winds! This may be a bit harsh on my part, but unless you start accepting responsibility for your own actions and learning from your mistakes, you will have a short and painful skydiving career. Good Luck Blue ones, Major Dad CSPA D-579

Too true. In fact 125 mph is what I like for a nice FS Base Fall rate. Makes it easy for the late divers to get in without slamming on the brakes. It's annoying when the base is falling slow and people are below it for that reason. Major Dad CSPA D-579

Who was pitching? Damn.... Now I have to clean the coffee off the monitor and keyboard! Thanks Remi!!! Major Dad CSPA D-579