dzromeo

Mine is taking six. Plan the dive, dive the plan.

On this forum, I have found much information. A good portion of it has been wonderful and when cross-checked with local experts and riggers I've found the majority of it to be fairly accurate. Without doubt, many of those exceptional minds have had some experience with Aerodyne's new canopy fabric... A material which they refer to as "ZPX". I'm looking for a bit of intellectual discourse about the merit of said fabric. Obviously, the possibility of making stronger fabric with lower density and decreased pack volume is attractive. I imagine that were there no tradeoffs in integrity and durability of the material we'd all rather have those perks. I'm sure that the Zero Porosity coating used by Aerodyne hasn't changed. I'd venture that whatever company makes the fabric spools of the "hex weave" cloth would sell that same cloth to PD or Icarus and then PD could coat it with silicone to make it zero porosity and make a Velo out of it. Unless of course there are proprietary agreements between Aerodyne and the patent holder on the fabric weave. Has anyone jumped and compared two canopies of the same design, but with the different material? Can anyone verify the claims made by Aerodyne as to the benefits? Or is it simply too early for impartial experts to have had the time to make fair and accurate assessments? I hope that the discussion here proves to be informative and educational to an up and coming canopy pilot like myself, and useful for anyone in the market for a new canopy. Plan the dive, dive the plan.

In and around the city of Las Vegas, one would think that all the dropzones would be hopping places to be. In truth, there is only ONE dropzone that takes care of fun jumpers, and that's Skydive Mesquite. Whether you're there for VRW, or sport accuracy, Wingsuiting or CRW, the DZ staff has a member that is experienced in your chosen discipline. As for Tandem students looking for a good time, you won't find a more experienced, knowledgable staff anywhere in Nevada. One of Skydive Mesquite's tandem masters was recently the featured instructor of the month in Parachutist magazine. The drop zone makes sure that everyone who comes for their first jump has the time of their lives. The DZ gets quite warm in the summer, and can be uncomfortable at times when you're not at altitude. During most of the year, they fly a Grand Caravan bringing loads to 13,500 AGL, but for several weeks in the summer they only fly a 182. Perhaps the most valuable attribute of the DZ though, is the owner. Brad Jesse is a veteran skydiver with a heart of gold and a brain rivalled by the library of congress. He cares much, much more about how much fun everyone is having, than how much money he's making. Last weekend, he sent the Caravan up with only 7 fun jumpers in it, just so we could get a sunset ride in. He is a veteran of competition, having competed in USPA nationals in 4way FS events. He gives of himself and jumps often, and his love for the sport really shows through in the management of the DZ. If in Vegas, I can honestly say don't waste time going to another DZ... You'll be happy you picked this one.

Can't believe in this entire thread, noone has mentioned density altitude. The truth is that when flying anything, whether it be a rigid wing airframe, or a low performance parachute, the *actual* altitude MSL of the landing area doesn't matter in the least. What matters is the density altitude, or, how thick the landing area air is. If you're visiting a dropzone with a 10 ft. MSL elevation, but its extremely hot that day and a low pressure system is just arriving, the density altitude could change dramatically over the course of the day and require you to begin landing sequence initiation significantly higher AGL than you did on the first load. This is an adaptation that comes with a great deal of knowledge and experience. The OP referred to skilled pilots that make a 270 degree front riser dive on final during their first landing at an unfamiliar DZ. One thing to take into account is that these pilots make constant, minor trim adjustments during their approach and landing. They notice the increase or decrease in dive rate and modify the approach as they're making it in order to compensate. Someday, when we're all grown up, we'll be able to do it too. :) Blue skies, stay safe. -Alex Plan the dive, dive the plan.

Hey all, I have most of my hard-core RW training out of a C182c. I'm going to be taking a low numbers buddy to another DZ in a couple of weeks, to get some stuff done out of their Otter. I have about 60 jumps out of a Caravan, but I need some help. What are the various ways to launch a two way belly formation with grips, out of a larger aircraft? I'm sure you can do anything you want, I'm just wondering what some tried and tested methods are to reach stability quickly, and hopefully get a point or two on the hill. Thanks in advance for the detailed replies. :) Plan the dive, dive the plan.