skydude2000

The OP never said he was jumping a camera, that was another poster. Just for clarification. I won't comment on the experience recommended for balloon jump, as I've never done one.

I hope I can be there, Bill!! It will be a hell of an achievement. Congrats!!

Dave, are you talking primarily about a line-twist situation? I was always taught this was the THE emergency procedure for canopy collision avoidance on opening, particularly on larger RW dives. I assume that's what you mean by the controversy behind the idea. I'd just hate to think what I've been taught all these years is wrong. Flying a 170, I don't think harness input alone will help me avoid someone flying straight at me on opening. Is there a better method? PULL!! or DIE!!

Does anyone else see the irony in this post? lol. A plug for earplugs. Now I've seen EVERYTHING PULL!! or DIE!!

That's kind of what I was thinking. Incidents happen, that's life, but I'm of the mind that sweeping them under the rug to protect the DZ, or the parties involved, does nothing to help make the sport safer. I have a lot more respect for people who can admit their mistakes, think about them objectively, ask for constructive feedback about how to prevent future incidents, and move forward. But that's just me. I have no problem admitting to my mistakes, here, or in person at my DZ. Particularly if it keeps someone else from repeating the same stupid mistake. But to deliberately hide incidents to protect the dropzone, or the people involved in incidents, seems dangerous, and stupid to me. PULL!! or DIE!!

Anybody remember the old 'Hercules' cartoon, probably from about the '60's? That was my 'before school' ritual for years as a kid. GREAT ZEUS!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAMm7XwdD_M PULL!! or DIE!!

Thanks Bill, I appreciate the reply. That makes sense. It just seems like if that forum is used to learn, and all we get from many of the media reports is 'The victim's parachute failed to open, became entangled, etc.' that doesn't give the rest of us much insight into what CAUSED the incident. Whereas a finding from a DZO/Rigger/S & TA who was on scene to examine the gear and/or witnessed the incident, would be more helpful in describing accurate details & preventing similar incidents. But like you said, no one is obligated to do that. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi gang, I've been keeping an eye on the 'incidents' thread recently, and it got me wondering. A good number of them seem to linked from news media stories/outlets and not first-hand accounts. Considering that we know many, if not most media reports on skydiving incidents can be inaccurate, or incomplete at best, why do these seem to be the primary source for reporting incidents here? I understand that DZOs & S & TAs are busy people, and have enough to do, especially when there is an incident or fatality, but since the primary purpose of that forum here is to learn, and to avoid making those mistakes in the future, should we really be using the whuffo media as our primary source? Maybe there isn't a better way, I'm just wondering

Hi Amy, Freefly friendly rigs will not slow you down during a deployment, but they offer better protection for the critical components of the deployment system, ie. pilot chute, bridle, main & reserve pins. The only thing that can slow the body position is the jumper, or the planet . Student rigs are generally not freefly friendly, or at least, rental rigs may not be. It stands to reason that student rigs SHOULD be freefly friendly, given the unstable body positions of many students. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi Amy, Flying with a camera is a distraction that many newbies take too lightly, and are not prepared for the added complexity that a camera will add to a skydive. He was too focussed on the camera and not focussed enough of the safety of the jump. He was warned that the rig he was jumping was not designed to handle freefly speeds, ergo, when he flew on his back, he had a premature deployment, did not slow down prior to pulling. The first thing you should be thinking about after a malfunction is whether your LAST canopy is able to fly and land properly. The flapping of the slider is the LEAST of your concerns. That's all I can think of at the moment. Blue skies & be safe. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi Flyer, Welcome to the world of gear shopping! First thing's first, you should have some of your instructors debrief your landing and your pattern on video if possible. Also, there is a downsizing checklist and a wingload recommendation chart in the Swooping & Canopy forum here that you should have a look at. Consider that, on a 150, at your exit weight, you would be loading it at 1.24, which means you should have a minimum of 240 jumps before even THINKING of jumping a 150. I load about the same as you, and even with over 450 jumps, I've had moments where I was glad I was under my 170. Consider that downsizing isn't necessarily the only/best way to get more performance out of your flying. You can learn high performance maneuvers on your current canopy, and should, before moving onto a smaller wing. When shit hits the fan, you'll be happy you did. The canopy size is also just one of the things you can consider. Talk to your instructors about maybe flying a canopy with a different planform, in the same size, 7-cell vs. 9-cell, even different 9-cell canopies in the same size can fly very differently. You should be considering all these variables before worrying about downsizing. Good luck in your progression. Safe landings!!

And 'Sentence' is spelled 'S-E-N-T-E-N-C-E' PULL!! or DIE!!

I swear, she loves MY profile more!! She told me so!! PULL!! or DIE!!

Also consider that at 9 jumps, 'research' means NOTHING. Ask your instructors what they think of that canopy, or anyone else around your DZ that flies one. THEN demo the canopy. Put maybe 10 or 20 jumps on the canopy you're considering. You might not like the way it flies/flares/opens, and then you're stuck selling a brand new main for way less money. Once you know for sure that's the canopy for you, in a size that's appropriate, then you should be ok to move forward with the purchase. Good luck & Blue skies!! PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi there Chaw, Unfortunately at this point, your best bet for looking for gear, is to talk to your instructors first. They know you, how you fly, have seen you land, and know what type/size of canopy would be best for you. After that, keep an on the classified section here for gear that may be suitable for you. Then, before you go too crazy, consult with your instructors before any potential gear purchase. Good luck on getting your 'A'!! PULL!! or DIE!!

One of the experienced jumpers at our DZ came up with an idea like this, I don't think they ever did it though. Have the S/L students gear up, walk around the building, then have experienced jumpers complete with student rigs & radios dressed in cover-alls, climb in the plane to replace them. The DZO/GCI would go nuts, all of his students 'Left toggle'! 'No! Your OTHER left toggle!! Right! No, wait, LEFT toggle!! Jumper #1, where the hell are you going????!!!" It woulda been funny at first, but we'd have all been grounded, so saner heads prevailed, lol. PULL!! or DIE!!

Not to nitpick, but that's actually not a BASE jump. It's a skydive. A BASE jump is from a fixed object. If it was a skydive, and there was a fatality/injury, and there were witnesses, it should be posted in Incidents. I would check there. PULL!! or DIE!!

You shouldn't be terrified at 5,000 feet. I don't get really scared until about 1,500 feet PULL!! or DIE!!

Be very careful about watching videos to learn about technique. YOUtube is NOT the place to learn to skydive. Your instructors will teach you everything you need to know about position in freefall, and anything else you need to know. Instructors could get frustrated having to un-teach you things you learned on the web, and it could cost you $$ in repeated jumps because you did things differently than the way you were taught. Just relax, have fun, and listen to what your LIVE instructors teach you. Let us know how it goes! Blue ones. PULL!! or DIE!!

Have you ever flown in the tunnel before? If you're only doing an hour, I can almost guarantee that won't be enough to start working into freefly progression. If you look here, this is the curriculum that the tunnel instructors need their students to follow: http://tunnelflight.com/ Good luck!! PULL!! or DIE!!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/11/texas-judge-caught-whipping-daughter-on-video-steps-aside.html Not sure if this has been posted yet. Personally, I think it's kinda sick. This is 2011, not 1950. Thoughts? Sorry if this is a repost. PULL!! or DIE!!

Ok, first, I'd say talk to your doc, or MAYBE pm one of the skydiving docs here, and second, I would mention it when you book your tunnel time so the tunnel instructors can prepare, and prepare you for any changes, or lack of mobility or balance in either of your legs that might cause them to have to help you. If that's all a go, get back on the horse, train, and HAVE FUN!! Welcome back! PULL!! or DIE!!

I have a friend who writes absolute novels in her logbook. I ALWAYS tease her about it, even though I know it's a good idea. I don't go that far, but I always log with the names of the people on the jump, what we planned, what actually happened, and anything cool or weird that happened on the jump. That way you can also see how much you've improved since the first day you started and be proud of how much you've accomplished. I've never ever heard anyone look back and say 'Gee, I wish I didn't write so much in my logbook'. Just my two cents. PULL!! or DIE!!

Hi there! Welcome to the addiction. It might depend on the type of aircraft, and the exit they'll have you do. My first jump was from a Cessna 206, and you had to PUSH yourself out of that airplane. 182 'exits' might be easier, but the climbout can be tough. You can try and see what kind of aircraft you'll be jumping from the 'Dropzone' link here. As for what goes through your head, I think that's different for everybody. For me, it was 'HOLY SHIT!' Let us know what goes through yours

Talk to your instructors about teaching you how to use the accuracy trick. Basically while you're under canopy, look out on a 45 degree angle to the ground, and find the point that doesn't move. If you make no other inputs to your canopy, and the wind doesn't change, you should land on that exact spot. If it's not where you want it to be, give your canopy some gentle inputs. A little brakes, or rears, and see what that does to your spot. You should also consider, to a lesser extent, your body position. How the drag on your body from the relative wind will affect how far you can fly; ie. lifting your legs/making yourself small, will reduce the drag from the wind on your body and should allow your canopy to fly more efficiently. Talk to your instructors about trying some of these tips in the air, and see if they help. It'll also come with practice. Good luck!