jwynne

I'm just going to give pillates a strong plug. I had a pretty serious back fracture 10 years ago and ended up with an lumbar 1-3 fusion. The doctor and PT called me done when I could walk and get around OK. I started pillates and gradually regained flexibility and core strength. Work with a good 1 on 1 instructor and they should taylor it for your body. My instructor was an exdancer and the first visit we talked about my concerns and limitations. It's helped me keep skydiving with pretty much no restrictions.

An air locked canopy is more stable in turbulence. The disadvantage, esp if you jump a big canopy is the canopy can be harder to collapse and avoid getting drug. My experience with hawaii jumping is the winds are usually strong and steady. Most of the turbulence occurs downwind of the treeline and other obstacles. I think a very important lesion for beginers there is the stronger the wind, the farther out the zone of turbulence extends. That's just a place you don't want to be. Learn to fly your pattern well, don't get downwind of the spot and know the safe zones. I think all of these factors are more important than what canopy you fly. A smaller canopy will give you more penetration into the wind, but if you hit a little turbulance low it can be much less forgiving.

Just a comment. I think your effort on this is commendable and I'm sure the organizers will appreciate it. I've been on many big ways at Perris where we have multiple groups that don't speak English and the organizer doesn't speak their language. Sometimes there is one person interpreting for the group. Sometimes it's one of the jumpers. Sometimes it's a nonjumper. Sometimes there's no interpreter and the organizer is trying hard to explain with motions. Admittedly most of the time this is someone who shows up with prior big way experience, but I've still seen it cause problems and communication issues. Good for you for being so organized and self reliant. I might be able to come interpret for a day. I'll have to see what my schedule looks like. Janna

Just a caution on newbies practicing tracking for a significant portion of a jump. Be aware of jump run direction and where other groups of jumpers are expected to be up and down the line of flight. Do not track up or down the line of flight (into other groups). Tracking jumps need to occur perpendicular to the line of flight. I actually think this is a lot of information for a new jumper to process, but good to start thinking about. Take it slow - Janna

You might get more response if you post this in the swooping and canopy control forum. I'm sure one of those guys will eventually take a look here, but the post might not get noticed. The types of canopies your asking about are used pretty exclusively by swoopers and some of the flying styles have evolved quite a bit in the past 10 years. I won't respond further because it's not the type of flying I do. Welcome back - Janna

My student jump were long ago, but I still remember experiencing sensory overload. I exited looking toward the prop 5 or 6 times before I ever saw the plane. It's a very different enviornment your body is getting used to. Every jump will get better. When I haven't jumped for months (usually due to injury) I still experience tunnel vision when I first go up, and as I get more current my vision widens out. I still work on seeing more on every skydive and I think I can always improve. Not exactly what you asked, but I think it's normal and will just get better every jump. That's why you're jumping with instructors now. Janna

I have a freefly suit from vertical suits. I can vouch for their customer service, communication and a well constructed suit. No idea on their RW suit design, but they're good people. Janna

I would agree with the strong recomendation for vertical suits.I just purchased a suit from them. I had lots of questions and Vlady was very helpful. Promised to deliver in 6 weeks and I got it in 4. Excellent quality. My comment on the tie dye fabric - if you want ZP or high drag for a slower tunnel, you have fewer fabric choices. Let them know what you want and they will work with you. Janna

Lots of good comments from Fast. My comments would be Get your head up and look at the horizon. See the ground with your periferal vision. That will help a lot. You go where you look. Try and pick a wide open spot for landing so that you don't need to make corrections close to the ground. Start your flair from full fight. Bring both toggles smoothly and evenly down and keep them there until your feet are on the ground. Keep looking at the horizon and be prepared to PLF. You were looking at the ground a lot. Your flair did not start from full flight and was uneven and not held. The flair was started a bit early. I think looking at the horizon will help a lot. I would practice these skill under canopy above 2000 feet. Setting up as if on final, looking at the horizon, then go from full flight and smoothly flare and hold it. You are jumping a big forgiving canopy. You're on that canopy because it gives you room to make small mistake while you're learning this stuff. It probably won't stall when you have the toggles all the way donw, but you don't need it to stall for a good landing. Good luck, and it looked like you walked away from that landing just fine, but there's room for improvement. Janna

[replyTo be honest, if the jump leader would have bothered to step outside and meassure the wind speed to tell us the correct information BEFORE we took off I would have stayed on the ground. I would just comment, don't depend on the jump leader to step outside and measure the wind speed. We are all responsible for our own safety & decisions. If winds are an issue, go evaluate them for yourself and tell the jump leader you need to stand down if that's the case.]

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I keep my flarline set at 1500 feet. For me, it's the signal that if I haven't pitched already I should be reaching for my reserve. I don't want my flatline to alarm at a normal pull altitude. I don't want to hear it on routine jumps. If I hear it it means I'm way too low and even if I'm there due to a tracking conflict or problem on breakoff, it's time to take my chances on a colision and pull. I've had my flat line alarm occassionally, but so far I've had a main already opening.

I have an L1-3 fusion. It was a traumatic fracture and it took me a year to get back in good enough shape to be jumping. Not getting hurt again is pretty high priority for me. I would ask can you run, do a parachure landing fall and other fairly vigorous activities without your back giving you trouble? If not, do you need to work on getting in better shape? Dec 07 was only 4 months ago. I know a fair number of jumpers with back fusions. I think this has been discussed in a few previous threads.

I learned the 8way dive pool after I'd been doing 4way for a while and i came much easier. I don't even know all the names of the formations. On some of them I just skipped straight to the letters and numbers, but here's a few: A cat B diamond as in 4way Cee the hourglass D hopeless diamond Eek rubrick F ? Garrowhead H ? J ? Krank Less hopeless diamond M ? Nipperflake Oooohh the compressed Penis-venus

Someone showed me a pretty funny and well edited video of swooping into a hanger, the canopy catching on something and a realy nasty crash. It was done to "Another one bites the dust" I think. I just tried numerous searches on youtube without success. I'm sure someone here knows how to find it. Thanks - Janna

I would recommend Nik Danielson. Very helpful & and good instructor. You can contact him at [email protected]. I would not ask any of the current crop of tunnel rats for freefly instruction. Most of them are just learning themselves.

Well, speaking of night jumps. Here's one from years ago. Pre cypress and dyter days, guess why. Night 2 way with another jumper I didn't know well. I had a chem light taped to my wrist altimeter, but it was flapping and I never could read it. Turned a few points glancing a few times at my altimeter, but I couldn't see shit. Stopped the dive & just tried to read my alitimeter unsuccessfully. Glanced down & pulled because I got ground rush at night. Just enough time to grab my brakes, flare & put my feet on the ground. The other jumper floated up when I stopped the dive flow and pulled when she saw me pull. I later learned she generally counted on others for altitude awareness and stopped jumping shortly after. Pretty scarey and the closest I've come to dead skydiving.

If you're heading to North Carolina, another excellent freefly instructor would be Mick Nuttle. Have fun.

I want to replace my risers for a number of reasons. The current risers have over 500 jumps on them. They are 18" risers and the slider stops at the top of the risers. I want to replace them with 21" risers and configure the risers for the slider to come down past the toggles. The 18" risers make it easier to reach the slider, but I think I would benefit from 3 more inches on the toggle stroke and I'll still be able to reach the slider. I have a talon. I was not happy with the factory risers. I had multiple toggle fires until I finaly replaced the risers with a product made by a local loft. Looking at rig manufacturers web sites, there's not a lot of information given to use in selecting what kind of risers to get. I'm looking for a secure toggle stow with somewhere to stow the excess brake line, toggles and risers loops that are easy to grab without looking. What brand do you have? Why do you like it, or not? Thanks - Janna

I've been through a few shoulder problems while skydiving. Traumatic dislocation on the left. Lots of rehab, thought it was fine. 8 months later it dislocated in freefall with minimmal force. Just took a grip above me. Drs classified me as a repeat dislocater. Sx done to stabilize my left shoulder. Down for 6 months. Lots of PT. Back in the air fine. Cumulative right shoulder injuries cause a rotator cuff tear. Sx and down for 2-3 months. Skydiving, but careful of floating on the bar or any launch stress to my right shoulder. Now I'm fine, just try to be a little careful & protective of my shoulders. Also continue strengthening work all the time. I know some jumpers who have modified their gear. Left hand pull or leg strap deployment. I'm fine with the normal BOC. Good luck and work hard at any rehab/PT.

It's not good the amount I have to write. 3 months on a dislocated shoulder repair-hard opening with a container that didn't fit me well many years ago. 1 year with a healing post sx back fracture-hit a fence landing, PLFed for all I was worth, but it wasn't enough 2months on right shoulder rotator cuff repair-not skydiving related 6 weeks for a ACL replacement-running out a downwind landing, foot in gopher hole. Spent 2 years jumping with aan unstable knee, got really proficient at butt slides, so I didn't wait long to come back, just kept babying my knee. Know everythings working well and I'm back to stand up landings. Try my best to swear off orthopedic surgeries.

My thoughts, for what they're worth. I would not go directly from a negative tandem experience to AFF. How about figuring out how to manage your meals to prevent the nausea. A small meal 1-2 hours before jumping might work better. Then repeat the tandem as a positive learning experience. Then move on to AFF. I know it's expensive, but it seems like the best plan.

My personal experience with my spectre 150 was as it got out of trim, it still opened fine when I packed it, but it was much less forgiving of fast pack jobs by other packers when I was training. It had 500-600 jumps on it and had gotten about 5 inches out of trim. Relined by PD and now it back to opening soft and reliably regardless of who packs it.

Another ex smoker here. Don't go back. The first few days are the worst. If you stick it out, it gradually gets better. I quit many years ago. I was so afraid I refused to touch cigarets for years. If someone asked me to hand them a pack I'd decline. For at least 2-3 years the smoke still smelled good to me. Now, years later, it stinks, is disgusting and I can't imagine picking up a cigarete. Hang in there, you'll get there. It feels really good to not wake up with a cough and breath well .

Definitely. Just got back from a 4 day tunnel trip to Eloy. Partly for airspeed coaching, but being able to do most of the blocks is part of the deal. Perris is home for me. The 2 foot difference matters even in 1on1 freefly coaching. The walls look much closer when I get back from Eloy. I'll be travelling to the 16 footer for sure.