toronto_bill

Hmmm....I do tandems on a Sigma. The chute always comes out the same. How many people use tube stows on all or some of the stows. Our DZ uses large elastics. They break a lot but we like that !

Hey SkyM 1 , you are your own school. Hmm. Thats a great concept. Thanks Rob.

to be clear..... You put on the gear, then a waitress jumped you? Or she jumped you then you put on the gear? This is important info for a person thinking of buying ! New Sigma...It melts womens underwear! Sorry, the story + the pic is great.

The new Sigma micron is a fruit I have yet to taste...I'm sure Bill hasn't let us down....3 ring...skyhook...sigma...my money's on Bill. Bill

Just got curious. I expect most will not own their own gear but it nice to see some numbers. I don't see many forking out 14000 for a sigma thats for sure. The other side is why would a DZO pay to rent some else rig if his were fine. Sorry if this is a waste ... Bill

hehe The canopy ride looks like fun....too much fun for me....I would be a statistic, I think.

thx dude. Did you use a magic wand or did you just conjure it while chanting? Bet your reserve opens before you have mals on your main ! Hehe. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=27893e6f55 aha !....I seee ! Thanks for making me learn...check out the bored skydivers in the link. Whoah Bill

Just ran across this.....laughed my butt off. Words can't do this justice. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6f2_1172251787 What's the lesson we can learn here from this? Bill

I think it depends on everything...as usual. If the passenger was really heads up...reserve and wingloading, who packed it, who is the pilot, speed of airplane etcetc. But to take a blind stab... Definitely higher. 2K is 95% , 1.5K is 50%. I'm sure with all the best conditions you could survive 1K or lower but your odds are low. So its a matter of whether the landing in plane has lower odds in your mind at that moment. Concrete below or hayfield? I figure tandems exiting the plane last, so we're usually farthest from the door. Its not likely you'll ever get to decide. Not in a cessna. Not in a plane with one wing. Moot point? Maybe. But its still good to have thought about though. I love scenario generators.` Bill

I'd like to hear about what people do to rig a handmount for a PC9... I know some have found a way for tandems... Anyone have info? Bill

OK, I am wondering if I should ever condone to a student , 'rolling the nose' on a pack job' to slow or soften opening. For this situation lets assume a brand new canopy, in spec, as designed. I tend to think a slider has more effect. I need some thoughts on the subject. This all started last weekend talking to a fellow instructor about it.

I have had 2 passengers sick. I have 200+ tandems. I am still figuring out how much I play a part. At a relatively low number of jumps, I haven't got a good idea of how much of these situations is bad luck....or bad 'instructing'. I feel I am still very cautious where safety and passenger comfort and enjoyment are concerned. I have heard the popular reason " leg straps too tight", but I find this problematic, as a loose strap is a bigger risk than having some extra laundry to do. I have begun to assess my passengers more closely, looking for the tell tale signs. Hungover or had some beers ? My next step is to find the perfect spot for a Glad Kitchen catcher pocket. Right beside the hookknife on the harness? So far nothing definite. Lastly, I do feel Murphy's law applies. Sometimes you will just draw the short straw. Bill P.S. The last passenger who was sick was female and about 55. The mess looked like 2 pieces of cherry pie all down her chest. It almost looked like she had been shot in the chest. A visual I will never forget.

I visited CSC July 2005, to do my tandem rating. The staff was friendly and professional. The Dropzone was well laid out with most anything a jumper would require. The snack bar had decent food. The staff were out going and friendly, and above all professional. My sport rig needed a repack and was done quickly. The landing area is quite large, but surrounded by corn...so if your always landing out take a flare gun to get home. I would highly recommend this dropzone to anyone on vacation. Without the cliques to be found at larger dropzones, CSC made this Canadian feel warm and fuzzy on July 4th weekend...probably the fireworks that did it. I still cherish that moment.

What are some of the risks of a smoke jump. (Purpose is a demo say) i.e. jumping with an approved canister and system. If one were to go off prematurely it might be a big issue for the pilot. Thats one. Is the stuff filthy? How expensive is this stuff?

Hey Rob, That was great information. This email is to assure you that someone learned something. Rare for Shayna threads anyway. I 'assumed' that PISA was the standard. What advantage exactly do the marketers gain by their re-sizing? Sell more canopies I guess but why or how? 00Billy PST-Baldwin IA,SSI,TI,C2

Vitamin deficiency Is my call. I was on the dive and I cant believe anything but that you must have been on some heavy horse steroids and your muscles when at 100% (Like they should on a good 4way) literally ripped your bones apart. you need more food. and nutrients. Most can be found in beer. The others are really not important. Its lucky it was your finger and not the plane? hehe. What a way to end a coach 2 course. L8r, 00Billy

OKay, so my idea is to have rocket hacky sacks so that when you let go like a grenade the timer starts and wham ! in cuts the solid boosters..... would this prevent back lock? Probably increases the risks of broken lines. An early pull would be different. As well as the no-let-go of the hacky. ouch. So we give 'em oven mitts. okay so I guess if it goes off in the plane and hits the pilot thats bad. Hmm..give the pilots BELL helmets. tick that off the list. This could work.

Start up 3 competitive companies and flood the market. Buy them out. Ask the passengers to refund on the spot. (This one has some fun implications...lol) Thank God Larry Hill is Larry Hill. He disagrees I bet on the principle. This point is conjecture. Skyride may disappear, but if we're not careful it will rise again. If 6 big DZ's would carry the 1800 DO 1 JUMP. Then it could work. My short list : AZ Zhills Paul Fayard Bill Richards. Cough cough a few celebrities.... it'd be done deal overnight. Calling Mr Tom Cruise and All Baldwin Boys. Keannu you can pack. Jking I'll pack..lol We need a giant commune-boogie where all skydiver live. We p[eriodically leave to do tandems and video and FJC in parts of the world and then return. If all skydiving was non profit all student profits are turned back into sport...we could do it. OKay Ive gone on way too long. You get the idea and then some I know...lol\ Bill

The way I see it .... I feel he shouldn't be charged ,...but I understand why he was.....and I agree I guess. What we can do about it....? Fix the courts? Make pilots under canopy as responsible as the planes and other aircraft. Was Gus 50% responsible? Division of blame is not possible. To add some type of added responsibility to jumpers does seem fair. Students are exempt...but future infractions by licensed jumpers should have standard ized penalties. If we dont do it then the cops will... A swooper with a 2.0 wingloading, can probably beat a plane to the ground. So with that relative control...should come relative responsibility. Make patterns mandatory. Land accordingly i.e. Vx vs A license. We spend 30 secs tweaking load order so that landing is considered. Generally we have the faster smaller high loaded canopies landing first. Avoiding the problem in the first place. Anyway. First trip to Deland I had 150 jmps. Jumped and at around 6000 I look and there is a plane rolling down the runway below me. So I tracked a bit and pulled. But no one ever told me the line was that grey. Another time I have a cessna coming at me wheels up on take off, Im under canopy and he is coming right for me......then finally banks and turns. The visual is the worst aspect... I am now quite calm with it. Busy airport means BUSY airport. Deland is not the worst place either. Others can be even more fun. There is more than just flying a pattern. So, we're doing stuff, in some cases quite radical. Like aerobatics on landing. Most airports dont allow this. We should be grateful for the leniency we enjoy i guess. I think I'm a nazi no fun Safety advisor in training...lol Jump safe, Hook angry ? 00Billy

We are a small dropzone. Until I got my camera there was no video. Coaching is sometimes slot, sometimes not. Instructing is the same. Free jump. If someone wants to do more RW then I say 10+slot and you get video. If there isnt video for that 70.00 then the learning potential goes way down i think and it aint worth it. I was a gung ho student so I sucked info constantly. To repay the exp guys...id give 3 hopnpops. It was appreciated. we want to be appreciated and not be giving it away...just extra help when its needed? But I'm sure some dog walkers makes more than me....hmmm. Damn this sport is addictive.

Yeah, it is stupid. We all know we should jump with a little collapsible lightening rod. But dont forget to cock it up.

In the morning when I have a coffee around, my cameraman will ask: Have you taken your medication? I say "no, but I am drinking lots of coffee." Then I come clean with the passenger and say I have narcolepsy. I tell them the coffee should work, and I got lots of sleep. But if they hear snoring..... Jump safe, Bill

Thanks to all of you who responded !! Yeah, the answers you all gave was pretty much much what I thought....but decided to get advice...hey its free ..unlike anything else in this sport...hehe. Thanks guys... Bill C-3085

I am giving advice to new camera flyers and need some advice myself. Does a PAL camera matter anymore with regards to NTSC and PAL? If burned to DVD is the format problem still a problem? (with VHS you cant watch a PAL video on a NTSC VCR) These guys want to buy cameras and I dont know if buying a PAL camera has any problems these days. Thx Bill C-3085 CSPA

We saw an article this morning (monday) about a tandem jump where the passenger died. Flew into a building (under a good canopy?) and the article said Utah. The building was on the 'other end of the airport' We heard something about a 30-34 yr old woman who had died on her first jump here in Sutton, Ontario.