pastramionrye7

I'll add to the discussion on Safire openings since I have a little bit of experience with them. I have about 350 jumps on a Safire 195 (custom size, and don't ask me why the original owner chose this size), about 20 on a Safire 2 169, and a few on Spectres, Sabre 2s, and Navigators of comparable size. I find the Safire opens more briskly than most of the other canopies I've jumped, but I wouldn't lump it into the came category as the Sabre 1, which has a reputation for slamming people. I find the openings on my Safire pretty comfortable, and I appreciate the fact that it doesn't spend much time sniveling. I do a standard pro pack and leave the nose alone. The Safire 2 definitely has soft, snively openings as far as my experience goes. I will definitely consider it when my Safire is too dogged-out to continue jumping.

Your instructors will be the best judge of your own abilities, but--in my opinion--a lightly loaded Safire isn't a bad choice for someone coming off student status who can land a similarly loaded student canopy in a variety of situations without any drama. I got a Safire when I had about 30 jumps and was loading it at about 0.9:1. Four hundred jumps later I still like it. One day I'll downsize...maybe. It's a good canopy. Treat it nicely, and it will do the same for you.

I'd say it's up to you whether or not you want to hire a packer. I like packing my own main and I'm not in a position where I can't spend the time to pack my own main, so I do. I don't think doing my own pack job has ever created an issue, and I like the opportunity to check out my gear after each jump, get to know it, and make sure all the important bits are where they need to be. Incidentally, my current home DZ is a small club that has no paid packers. The students learn to pack when they learn to jump. I kinda like the "you jump it, you pack it" mindset.

In the military with 0 military jumps and 400-plus skydives. One day maybe...

And you beat me to it. Thanks. Looks like the price went up a bit since I had the work done.

I was able to get a Skyhook retrofit on my Vector 3, DOM 2001. I had the work done in 2006. At the time I think UPT (then RWS) would perform the retrofit on any Vector 3. Mine did not have any RSL installed prior to the retrofit.

I personally prefer a round handle like a hackey or monkey-fist. I think it's easiest to wrap my hand around a sphere to throw the PC. Most of my jumps are on a UPT pilot chute with a hackey. The hackey is pretty light and it's very firmly attached, so it doesn't flop at all. It hasn't caused me any stress. It's been mentioned before, but I would definitely stopper a PVC handle if I had one to prevent the possibility, however unlikely, of getting my finger stuck. I don't have any experience with the pud-style handle.

I agree with Wendy. Every 100 seems a little excessive, even to a low-timer. I think one every order of magnitude seems more reasonable. For the record, I bought a case for numbers 100, 200, and 300. I let 400 pass quietly, but I'll probably bring a case out soon, anyway, since I like beer. -Dennis

Most of the original posters have probably moved on by now, but I have the same question: anyone jumping in the Grafenwoehr community?

Nice. My old college physics book is sitting on my desk now (I'm a nuke engineering geek). I like your cover photo much better than the one on my book, though. I think there would be a lot more physics majors of they offered an elective in wingsuit flying. Edited because I can't type today.

Yeah, I was a little disappointed with the mounting system, too, but it has worked out well so far. I have about 100 jumps on the back of hand mount with zip ties, and it seems pretty secure. I'm confident it will stay put now.

I'm on a 195 and I weigh less than 180 out the door. I get teased sometimes for my conservative wingload, too. I just shrug it off and tell people it works for me. Interestingly enough, it's usually jumpers who don't know a whole lot about canopy control that tell me I should downsize. I like having a canopy that I know I can land downwind in someone's backyard while making a 45-degree flat turn to avoid the unfriendly dog that thinks I'm a plaything. I'm comfortable under my wing and it gets me down safe. I can't ask for much more than that.

I second all of that. I did my first three flights in an Aerobat at Z-Hills under the guidance of the awesome instructors over there then bought my own. I managed a few two-way docks on a Prodigy the first time I took my Aerobat for a spin. That suit just likes to fly stable. I love it and look forward to doing a ton of flights on it this summer.

No that ad said "at 2000' the last thing you need is pretty gear." I'm sure if i dig around I still have that ad, it was and is one of my favorite ads of all time. in fact I still use that saying today when people trip out on jumping retro rigs like my vintage SST like that used was in the ad. Here's the ad for anyone who's interested. Edited to add attachment. Oops.

Yeah, the Vector is a great rig too - just a pity about those battery cable terminating lugs on the ends of the cutaway housings. t Anyone have a picture of those handy? This is a pretty timely question, actually. Check page 47 of the May issue of Parachutist. The top right picture shows the cast stainless steel part that Mirage cutaway housings have at the end. The other pictures show the electrical connectors that show up on many other rigs. The two pictures in the middle show the electrical connectors pretty well. I also attached pictures. The Mirage picture is from their website. The Vector picture is from the Vector 3 manual. I'm no expert, so don't ask me if one works better than the other. Oh, and to answer the thread: I jump a Vector 3. I love it.

I'm all for the "observing those around us" piece. I haven't been around the sport all that long, but so far I've caught a twisted leg strap on a ROL throw out system, a throw out handle stuffed all the way into the elastic pouch, an un-cocked PC, and an improperly assembled 3-ring on jumpers who didn't ask for gear checks. These problems occured at various DZs. I also know at least one jumper who could have been saved a reserve ride if he had gotten a pin check at any point prior to his skydive. I'm a big believer in taking care of each other.

PFL - Poor Friggin Landing PLF - Please Land on Face HMFIC - Head MotherFucker In Charge

Nice. The colors on the canopy in the simulator look familiar, though.

No category for sub-1:1 loading? The last thing a new bird needs to worry about is an overly aggressive canopy.

I can't afford both a girlfriend and skydiving. One of them had to go..

I retract my previous statement and vote for "how to avoid messing your shorts in 10 easy steps."

My vote is for Relax, Focus and Flow. I think it reflects “Transcending Fear’s” ideas more accurately. According to Princeton University's WorldNet dictionary, battling implies hostility, and I think a lot of people associate a battle with something aggressive that requires less complex thought and more primal instincts, exactly the opposite of what I gather you are trying to teach your readers about reacting to situations that invoke fear. Saying that you are battling the enemy within doesn't help the implication that it is a hostile struggle either. Also, some others have mentioned that transcending and battling are two very different mindsets adopted by anyone trying to overcome an obstacle. Transcending and relaxing (focusing and flowing) seem to complement each other well. Transcending and battling, however, not so much. I think the combination of transcending and battling creates more dissonance than anything. Without a doubt, I think Relax, Focus and Flow does a better job communicating what the reader will find inside the cover, and it will attract the type of reader the book is intended for. Oh, and thank you very much for your work on "The Parachute and its Pilot." I learned a lot, and I bought a copy for my friend. -Dennis

A very wise and experienced skydiver once told me that he would quit the sport if there was ever a jump that he wasn't at all nervous about. His argument was that when you stop being scared you’re more likely to become complacent, and complacency invites bad things to happen. That said, it took me about 25 jumps before I stopped being absolutely terrified, about 100 before I was at least somewhat comfortable in the door, and at 200 (still not a whole lot of experience) I’m mostly feeling performance anxiety, hoping I don’t screw up the skydive for other people. Of course, I still have a healthy fear of, and respect for Mother Earth, and I know I have a long way to go. Every jump can have one or more “surprises” in store for you. Additionally, continuing to try more challenging skydives to improve my skills means that I’ll probably never be totally comfortable. Also, try asking some instructors you know whether or not they were nervous as hell on their first few jumps with students. They probably have some interesting insight. You will find that your level of anxiety goes down as you learn more about your gear, gain experience, and gain confidence in your own skills. Good luck, stay safe, and don’t stop learning.

Here's an exit shot from a Cessna. Sorry, it's from a 208 instead of a 182. I feel compelled to post it since it's my favorite exit shot ever. It was my friend's first jump at SDLI. I guess there's a reason I hear some TMs complain about how small people can be very difficult passengers.

I'm hardly an expert, but I have some experience with a larger-sized Safire 1 that I can share. I've put about 200 jumps on a Safire 1 195 (DOM Aug 2001) loaded a little under 1:1, and I'm very happy with the canopy. It opens smoothly without burning up too much altitude (normally about 600 feet for me, although it can be hard to estimate). It flies nice, it has good glide, it's predictable, and it puts me down softly, even on days with light wind or no wind. The flare is adequate, but depending on brake settings, riser length, your arm length, and some other variables you may have to go to full arm extension to get all the flare out of the canopy. Experienced jumpers have noted that the Safire 1 has a deep flare, and this has been the case in my experience. By now I've landed my Safire crosswind, downwind, and off field without any trouble. At my wing loading it also flies straight with 720 degrees of linetwists (I can't comment on what it does with any more linetwists because *knock on wood* I haven't experienced more than two complete rotations). It even behaved nicely during my first few packjobs, not all of which were neat. I will happily keep my Safire 1 for many more jumps. Of course, as others have recommended, talk to someone who knows what your canopy control skills are like before deciding on a main and reserve, and make sure you follow a sensible progression if you're downsizing to your new gear. You can also do a search, as many aspects of the Safire 1--including its flare, possible modifications, and the characteristics of the vectran lineset (if this particular Safire has a vectran lineset)--have been discussed a lot in the past. I recently put 6 jumps on a Safire 2 169, and--among other changes--the flare is definitely improved, but that's also been discussed in other places quite a bit.