brianfry713

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Everything posted by brianfry713

  1. At 35 jumps you probably shouldn't be switching to a different deployment location without a through briefing from a coach or instructor. There are other issues going to ROL that I won't comment on since I've never jumped one. A few (around 3) practice touches on the ground was obviously not enough, and you shouldn't have felt comfortable with that. Read up about Jan Davis' El Capitan protest jump for the seriousness of switching from BOC to ROL. I've heard a song "People bounce on borrowed gear, do da, do da" or something like that. Other people say something like "Borrowed gear is best!" as a joke. You need to understand the gear you are jumping and especially the handles and their locations. I'm a little paranoid but I inspect and touch all my straps, flaps, handles, and everything else lots of times before every jump. On a new system a few practice touches in the air would also be a wise choice. I still do practice touches on each handle every tandem I do. Also give youself extra altitude for deployment when jumping unfamiliar gear, or during any other unfamiliar skydive. Your life depends on you being able to find your handles, practice 1,000s of times if you need to or can. Good job of at least trying to stick to the rule of try to find the main handle twice and then pull your reserve. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  2. Congrats buddy. What size xfire was it? Was it mine? My xfire 2 almost never gets line twists but they quickly get very exiting the few times I've had them. I normally correct my heading using harness turns and rear risers right after I open so I tend to not figure out when I have a brake unstowed until I notice that I'm holding down one riser to my shoulder and flying straight. Then I realize it and release the other brake. You can burn through a lot of altitude quickly. I think I once set one brake outside/above the riser ring so it just ripped out the toggle keeper when I opened. Oops, but it was a cheap and easy fix. Good job. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  3. I like to combine as many dangerous things into one fun outing. So pulling from this list a night could include such dangers as climbing a 1700 foot ladder with some stairs and steps at the bottom to B.A.S.E. jump and parachute from near the top. Also throw in a chance of getting shot or arrested, a few beers before the 2 hour drive home, a chance of landing in water, a slim chance of getting struck by an aircraft, winds, bad weather, lightning, animals, earthquakes, struck by or against another person, accidental injury, falling down, electrocution, exposure to dangerous TV or radio waves, venomous stings, slipping/stumbling, or the goal of falling from the structure. Sounds like a good time. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  4. Major league sports have even more exclusions in the contracts. It is a very extensive list, that basically states that athletes can't participate in any sports or activities that could likely get them hurt. Baseball players can't play basketball, football, go skiing, ride motorcycles, etc. This thread also reminds me of the movie "Along Came Polly". What it comes down to is what you like more. The hobby or the paycheck. Unless we can get a law passed that lets us do whatever we want in our free time, we have to live with what the contract states. Or just risk it and hope they don't find out. I wouldn't take a job that wouldn't let me do what I want to do in my free time, but I'm not a CEO or pro athlete. They do ask me to work late nights and weekends sometimes though. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  5. I hope you're doing alright. I'm going to have to go easy on my broken ankle, especially while the hardware is still in. For me if feels weird landing, swooping, or flying a normal sport canopy without the slider pulled down and chest strap loosened. It's still doable of course either way. Your primary concerns should still be other traffic and your location right after opening and you determine you have a good canopy. The season doesn't really end in Nor Cal, it just slows down and you have to pause for bad weather more often. Just give the DZ a call before you drive out and wear gloves.
  6. I just bought another Cazer P/C, there were two different ZP ones in the gear shop, one for canopies bigger than 150 and one for sizes below 150 or something like that. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  7. I prefer my chest strap loosened all the way and my slider pulled down behind my head. It does change the way the canopy feels and flies, but you should adjust your flare so that you don't pop up too much or pound in. Deal with your chest strap and slider and then do lots of practice flares up high. If you don't like the results with the chest strap loosened, then leave it the way you had it until you get a better feel for the canopy. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  8. Here's mine, it was a B.A.S.E. jump, but it ended up with a 15 mph downwinder. http://www.basejumper.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2877261 BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  9. http://www.performancedesigns.com/pdzone/videosspireteaser.asp http://www.performancedesigns.com/ Looks like a ground launch canopy. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  10. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fCaaFTIq8tk I made it a clicky for you Charley. I'm flying the black/white/blue 170 sabre 2 towards the end of the video. Kevin was a great host, instructor, and flying buddy when I went up there last winter. He is very impressive flying his GLX. I'd already done lots of skiing and some GL before I went, and I had lots of fun speed riding with Kevin's help. There are some sweet runs to be had in Tahoe, and it's great to be able to ride the chair lift up and not have to hike. I'd highly recommend getting in touch with Kevin if you're interested and qualified.
  11. I had fun watching tv and reading with my girlfriend. We also had a few visitors stop by. We both have broken legs from bad parachute landings. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  12. Leah was very sad that they had to cut her jumpsuit off. I had Leah help get my $300 paragliding boots off my broken ankle before I went in the hospital because I know how they like to cut clothing. We've been watching LOTS of chick flicks. I'm limited to trying to find only comedies and romantic comedies. Nothing that says drama or horror. TiVo helps. I tried some of Leah's pain pills last night (Norco?) and they are much better than my Vicodin. Very nice x-rays Drew. BASE 1224, Senior Parachute Rigger, CPL ASEL IA, AGI, IGI USPA Coach & UPT Tandem Instructor, PRO, Altimaster Field Support Representative
  13. Thanks everyone. Yeah, Leah outdid me. Another friend of mine that recently broke his femur B.A.S.E. jumping called me from the hospital and told me he outdid me. I'm glad mine wasn't worse. I only broke my fibula, but I did dislocate the tibia from the ankle and tear that ligament. I think I'll be jumping again before she does, I'm pretty sure I could now with the cast on, but I haven't been under a parachute since the crash. I have been driving with my left foot as long as I'm not on too many drugs. Leah's parents have been taking care of both of us. I had to figure out how to take care of the cats, guinea pigs, and fish. I'm sure Leah will want to stop by and visit the DZ once we're up for it.
  14. Leah broke her right tib/fib skydiving in Byron last Sunday on the sunset load. I wasn't there, but what I gathered is that she landed in a ditch or birm that she didn't see until it was too late and was landing off to the side of the LZ. She was also going slightly downwind with light and variable winds, and didn't have a great flare. She had a slightly compound open fracture of the tibia near her ankle that was bleeding. No bone was externally visible and the hole in the skin is small. She was in the hospital for a few days and had surgery to install a titanium rod inside her tibia and a few screws. She's now at her parents house in the bay area recovering. I've been visiting her as much as I can. She's in pain and feeling a little weak. Her leg should take around 4 months to recover. She'll be on the computer. I attached some pics, the first one was taken by Harry. Ironically she was taking care of me, her boyfriend, after I had a similar injury 3 weeks before she did. http://www.basejumper.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2877261 Our other housemate is also hurting. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2977598 We'll have to have a gimp get together or vicodin party soon once were all up for it with all the Nor Cal people who have broken themselves recently.
  15. First off, flying a wingsuit is not the same as canopy downsizing, jumping a camera, freeflying, RW big-ways, B.A.S.E. jumping, or anything else you should have x number of jumps to do. I have around 75 wingsuit jumps with a few different suits and 2 wingsuit B.A.S.E. jumps. I was eager to try a wingsuit, but I waited until the weekend after I hit 200 skydives, all within 18 months. I traveled to see the recommended Bird Man Instructor, got the training and did a couple of jumps with him, did a few more jumps on a Classic-2 suit, and then bought a GTi and used it for most of my next 70 wingsuit jumps and my 2 WS B.A.S.E. jumps. I tried out a few other wingsuits along the way and then recently bought a Vampire. I also did the recommended 50 B.A.S.E. jumps and 50 wingsuit skydives including a balloon wingsuit jump and a helicopter wingsuit jump before I did a wingsuit B.A.S.E. jump from a terminal cliff on a suit I was very familiar with. My point is, that it was my decision to wait until I satisfied the recommendations before I first jumped a wingsuit. I know BMIs that will train people with slightly less than 200 skydives, but I wanted to first meet the minimum recommendations (even if I just barely meet them). In the meantime I practiced by doing lots of tracking and freeflying. A lot of time I see people not meeting the minimum recommendations because of cost. People that just want to fly a wingsuit but don't skydive much because they can't afford it aren't likely to wait. They are also not likely to pay for formal training, or buy an entry level wingsuit. They make their choice to accept a higher risk level to save money. I try to at least get close to the minimum recommended experience levels before I add complication to my jumps. I did add a camera helmet before the recommended C license. I'll try to wait until I have 1,000 jumps to land a cross braced canopy. Fear is the main enforcement of recommendations. If someone isn't afraid, then they're going to keep pushing it until they are, or they get hurt or killed. Some skydivers scare easier than others. People who do other "extreme" activities may not be as afraid while skydiving as the person who is still has some fear while doing a "normal" skydive. People are normally afraid of the unknown, unless they see others doing it and receive encouragement and are confident or over-confident in their own abilities to handle it.
  16. FAR Sec. 91.211 Supplemental oxygen (a) General. No person may operate a civil aircraft of U.S. registry-- (1) At cabin pressure altitudes above 12,500 feet (MSL) up to and including 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen for that part of the flight at those altitudes that is of more than 30 minutes duration; (2) At cabin pressure altitudes above 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen during the entire flight time at those altitudes; and (3) At cabin pressure altitudes above 15,000 feet (MSL) unless each occupant of the aircraft is provided with supplemental oxygen. FAR Sec. 91.107 Use of safety belts, shoulder harnesses, and child restraint systems (a) Unless otherwise authorized by the Administrator-- (1) No pilot may take off a U.S.-registered civil aircraft (except a free balloon that incorporates a basket or gondola, or an airship type certificated before November 2, 1987) unless the pilot in command of that aircraft ensures that each person on board is briefed on how to fasten and unfasten that person's safety belt and, if installed, shoulder harness. (2) No pilot may cause to be moved on the surface, take off, or land a U.S.-registered civil aircraft (except a free balloon that incorporates a basket or gondola, or an airship type certificated before November 2, 1987) unless the pilot in command of that aircraft ensures that each person on board has been notified to fasten his or her safety belt and, if installed, his or her shoulder harness. (3) Except as provided in this paragraph, each person on board a U.S.-registered civil aircraft (except a free balloon that incorporates a basket or gondola or an airship type certificated before November 2, 1987) must occupy an approved seat or berth with a safety belt and, if installed, shoulder harness, properly secured about him or her during movement on the surface, takeoff, and landing. For seaplane and float equipped rotorcraft operations during movement on the surface, the person pushing off the seaplane or rotorcraft from the dock and the person mooring the seaplane or rotorcraft at the dock are excepted from the preceding seating and safety belt requirements. Notwithstanding the preceding requirements of this paragraph, a person may: (i) Be held by an adult who is occupying an approved seat or berth, provided that the person being held has not reached his or her second birthday and does not occupy or use any restraining device; (ii) Use the floor of the aircraft as a seat, provided that the person is on board for the purpose of engaging in sport parachuting; I read in one of these threads that they had normal seats on board. I'm sure the FAA and NTSB will investigate and let us know. I'm wondering if anyone who says here that they would've been wearing their rig in this case always wears their rig when traveling by air. Do you wear it when flying around for fun in a normal GA airplane? On a mid-size plane? On an airliner? Do you always?
  17. I haven't looked at the skydiving plane crash stats, but driverdiver's and the NTSB websites would be a good place to start. As far as icing, I'm a low time non-instrument rated private pilot, but here's how I understand it. I have no idea what caused the recent Caravan crash, but the NTSB usually does a pretty good job of figuring it out, it just takes a while. An aircraft is either certified for flight into known icing conditions or it is not. Most small GA and skydiving planes aren't, a lot of big planes and airliners are. If an aircraft is not approved for known icing, it is prohibited from intentionally entering it. If flying into clouds or visible moisture, you must make sure that the temperature is above freezing or risk icing. The deicing and anti-icing equipment on approved aircraft includes heated elements, fluid surface deicers, and pressurized boots. Even all that may not be enough to prevent severe icing from occurring on any aircraft during certain conditions. Weather forcasts and observations sometimes can tell you where icing conditions are likely to occur. You can sometimes see and feel the ice and reduction in lift if you pick some up during flight.
  18. You shoud've just stopped everything else and kept drinking. Invite people over, play drinking games until it's gone. Or you could just leave it at the DZ.
  19. Buildings/antennas can replace aircraft if that's your thing. I enjoy freefall from just about anything. For one thing if you're B.A.S.E. jumping in Dubai make sure you don't get caught. From what I've read here they strictly enforce the rules there, and the legal system isn't quite like the one in the states. Besides that, it's still a B.A.S.E. jump. You really think 200 feet is enough separation to "safely" B.A.S.E. jump with a canopy that likes to open off heading and spin into line twists? Yes that may be a "safe" B.A.S.E. jump to jump with B.A.S.E. gear, but I don't think there are any B.A.S.E. jumps where skydiving gear is better than B.A.S.E. gear. Use the right tools for the job. Lots of skydivers seem think they can just show up at Bridge Day or in Lyseboten Norway with their normal sport rig and be fine. Just remember, not many people would normally deploy their sport mains below 2,000 or 3,000 feet. Most objects have an optimum opening point that puts you the furthest away from the ground and the object. The lower you pull, the farther you get away from the object the better off you'll be as long as you're far enough away from the ground. On most B.A.S.E. jumps, the ground is not your primary concern at first, getting away and staying away from the object is. Add to that the fact that B.A.S.E. gear is just so much better for B.A.S.E. jumping. Some people get away with jumping older skydiving gear at events like Bridge Day, but that's with a large F111 7 cell canopy, a 9' B.A.S.E. bridle and pilot chute, and possibly other modifications like a freepacked main and tailpocket. These systems end up more like B.A.S.E. gear but are much worse because of the smaller main pack tray leading to more off headings and line twists. Assuming you don't get caught and live close to the object, the only price you pay for B.A.S.E. jumping is gas and toll to get to the object and back. That and the cost to buy and maintain your gear, the cost of injuries, and beer and food. At some sites you can jump all day and you can get exercise too, you don't need an elevator, just energy to hike or climb. On your second point, yes ground launching is fun. Yes at some sites that I've seen you can get enough altitude for a 90 degree front riser swoop, I've seen places you could get 1,000 feet or more AGL. I've heard of people attempting 270's after a ground launch. It is normally more fun to turn and just stay close to the ground the entire way down, then get a little swoop at the end, sometimes through the beach or the waves.
  20. I'm a B.A.S.E. jumper that uses an AAD on the skydiving rigs I normally jump, but I would jump without one and I would turn mine off if I was planning a jump that would be safer without an AAD. Such as a planned low pull or I'm sure there are other situations, such as if I ever think I'm going to do a big enough swoop where I might activate it (I don't think I'm anywhere near that now). Perhaps someone wants to start a poll of the percentage of B.A.S.E. jumpers who use AADs while skydiving, if it hasn't been done already and enough B.A.S.E. jumpers respond. Of course, the ones who do respond are the ones who spend more time online. As a wingsuit skydiver, I normally use an expert Cypres or Cypres 2 because I am confident that it will not fire if I deploy my main at around 2,000 feet or higher, as I normally do. I do think I could fly all the way to the ground without pulling or my AAD firing, but I don't plan on it. Part of strapping on a wingsuit requires taking that added risk. I think it's even mentioned in the wingsuit owners manuals that your AAD may not fire. I also plan on pulling on all the other skydives and B.A.S.E. jumps that I do. I think my chances are better with a Cypres than without one on a wingsuit jump if I forget to pull or I'm unable to, but I don't count on it saving me, that's what the handles are for. Yes it is possible that it won't save me with or without a wingsuit, but I feel it's worth jumping with one on almost all of the skydives that I do. Some CReW jumpers tend to avoid using AADs, especially if they plan on doing downplanes close to the ground. Maybe someone wants to try to invent one that they want to use, in case they hit the airplane or something. Don't forget about the Astra, which is normally mounted on the mud flap so you can turn it off manually after opening. There's more info about fallrates AADs (which he wasn't using) and Chris Martin's death here http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1333486#1333486 If you want to find out how fast an unconscious wingsuiter would fall, just go out and go limp and measure it. I guess you might always be unconsciously flying though.
  21. Jumps 1-20 rental/student gear 265-230 size mains I bought a used Vector 2/Falcon 215/Raven 2/Cypres and used it for most of my next 250 jumps, then sold it. I bought a new Infinity/Sabre 2 170/PD Reserve 160/Cypres 2 and still use the rig. I bought a used Crossfire 2 149 at jump #500 and still have it, but around jump #750, I got a new Katana 135 and use it as my main canopy now. My girlfriend got a new Vector 3, and I bought another PD Reserve 160, and I'm letting her borrow my Cypres 2, and I bought a used Cypres for my rig. She's also jumping my Sabre 2 170. I also use it as a backup and wingsuit rig when she's not jumping it.
  22. My VCR is set. Tonight's new episode: Cartman get's Tourette's Syndrome.
  23. They are both great canopies and I'm now jumping a Katana 135 after downsizing from a Xfire2 149. I enjoy the additional dive and lighter front riser pressure of the Katana. The Xfire2 has very slow and nice openings, but the Katana's are pretty good to me too.
  24. That's cool then as long as you told the rigger that you didn't need it for this weekend. I'll be at the boogie, but I don't think I'll be skydiving as I recently busted my fibula B.A.S.E. jumping. http://www.basejumper.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2877261
  25. I had my wisdom teeth taken out plus an extra tooth that was lodged in there from a skiing accident in 1993. It was somewhat difficult for me, they had to knock me unconsciousand it took a while to recover. My face was very big for about a week and I had trouble breathing normally for months afterwards.