MB38

Thanks for catching me on that - and other - points. I would edit but it's too late. There's an interesting point here. For minor impacts, crush-type foam built for high-speed impacts may do more harm than good. If the impact isn't great enough to break the foam apart [to dissipate the energy], it may find its way directly into your head. One perspective is that "even if it sends it to your head, it won't be worse than no helmet at all", but still. For a 40mph impact with the planet, however, I would want some good 'ol breakable/crushable styrofoam up there. That said, I probably wouldn't wear a DOT motocross helmet on a RW jump. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

What about your other 1,500 jumps? Did you switch to a soft handle? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Here's a perspective to think about. I'm between 6'3" and 6'4" with a 36" inseam. By the generic reasoning, I should be on a 19.5" harness. A 17.5" harness is a perfect fit for me. I've jumped many a 17" harness without a problem [the tightest was the V3, the loosest was the M4]. Obviously the MLW isn't the only measurement coming into play here, but it's food for thought. But if he's a significantly muscular guy? Well, you already have the answer. I'm a skinny little twerp. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Spawned by the incident thread, it's time to think about using protective helmets for skydiving. Obviously this has been covered in great detail before, but it's a topic that wouldn't suffer from a little redundancy. If all of the "helmet" posts from the incident thread get broken off into their own thread, merge or delete this one. Anyways... We all know that skydiving helmets just don't offer real protection. They'll save you from bumping your head on the door or getting a foot in your face but nothing more. They are designed for comfort, style, audible altimeters and cameras. Here are a few links to consider. I'm sure that others will have more input. The classic ProTec is the good 'ol standby. It's cheap and designed for protection. It's not the biggest, best helmet... and you won't win too many style points... but it works. Yee haw. Oregon Aero makes upgraded padding to be used with various kinds of helmets... including the ProTec. Relevant to Skydiving is the upgrade for the Z1 or "any skydiving helmet". I'm sure that it won't make a huge difference, but it won't hurt. Paragliding helmets are another good place to look. They are designed to be snag-free and fairly aerodynamic. They have pockets for in-air communication systems [audible would probably fit] and they actually have solid protection. They aren't DOT approved, but they'll still help. The Charly Insider is one of the more significantly padded helmets. The Charly No Limit is a solid full-face helmet with a visor and the Charly Air Control will blend right in with normal skydiving helmets. A company called Icaro makes several helmets as well, though the padding is apparently not as significant. The Icaro Blue Velvet is one viable option. Beware of purpose-built hang-gliding helmets, as they are probably extremely dangerous for skydiving. On the ground, the motorsports industry has more helmets than anybody else. They're also DOT approved, so they'll really keep your noggin' about as safe as can be. The bummer is that they can weigh a ton and have peripheral vision restrictions. Motocross helmets [with their visors] can have numerous significant snag points. The visors can be removed, but the helmets are still generally quite "angular" to look more "extreme". A handful of these companies make DOT approved mountain biking helmets. When helmets are designed with foot-propulsion in mind, they're generally lighter. A DOT approved helmet weighing under 1.5-2lbs can be had for less money than a normal skydiving helmet. Hopefully more people will post more links and helmets that they recommend. I'm not trying to pretend like I know something here, I'm just linking away. Hell, it's just something to think about. I'm sure next to nobody will pick up a protective helmet, but if most of your jumping consists of hop & pops for high-performance approaches, well... I really don't know what I'm talking about.

One in each leg-strap and at least one under one mudflap [that's the bit of codura over your main lift web... the shoulder strap] I really don't know what I'm talking about.

It would work, but it would be a danger. It's not an issue in freefall, but consider the potential warnings you might hear in the plane and under canopy. What if somebody's yelling "EXIT! EXIT! EXIT!" inside the plane and you only hear your music? What if somebody's screaming to get your attention under canopy to avoid a collision and you can't hear them? Better safe than sorry, in my opinion. But that's just one. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Be sure to watch the classifieds on this site. There are some great deals that pop up on there. You'll probably have a better time finding gear on here than eBay. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Google "Charly" helmets. The "Insider" and its visored counterpart are very protective and aerodynamic helmets designed for paragliding. They look a little funny and egg-like, but you'd sure be the only person at your DZ wearing one. I forget their pricing, so it may be a moot point. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Consider how different untying one's shoes is when the laces are wet. The extra friction makes it trickier, but the fact that laces absorb water changes the act as well. When laces are untied, the water is effectively squeezed out of them as though they were peculiar-shaped sponges. Obviously lines aren't shoelaces. But to me, it seems logical that wet lines [particularly fatter dacron lines] would want to stick together more through deployment. Unfortunately, I don't have any dacron lying around to test my out-of-left-field theory with, so this post is effectively worthless. My packing tool has some microline that I could fiddle with, but that's not really relevant. This is just pure speculation/food for thought with regards to the "wet reserves" question and not the incident. The incident is terrible news and I want to pass on my best to all involved. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Bill, any idea what those restrictions are? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

With regards to turbulence, there's a chance that the high-performance approach actually helped here. It would take some serious turbulence to have the lines slip off of the open link, but the increased g-loads induced by the spin probably kept everything nice and seated. Considering the amount of force required to bend a rapide link... eh, whatever. Either way, luck was on the right side today. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Do a search for "smoking pants" or "smoke pants". Also, fill out your profile so we know who we're talking to.

The point is that he didn't see it until he had already landed. I'm willing to bet he would've chopped if he saw it up high. At least I would've. Sure, line tension should keep everything happy... but all it takes is some turbulent air. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

At 130 knots, yeah, you'd go above the plane with a stable exit. It would probably look quite similar to a C-130 exit, but getting into position would be harder. If the exit on this particular DC-9 looks like what I've seen in the past, it's a narrow hallway to a narrow exit. It would be tricky to weasel multiple suits out of the door quickly. Either way, I wanna see it. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[checks Skydiving Movies over and over and over...] I really don't know what I'm talking about.

It's Perris's DC-9. Anybody have video? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Bummer, if I'd read this thread earlier you would've had a ride. Next time I really don't know what I'm talking about.

The reason your Application Support folder is so big is Final Cut Studio. Final Cut Studio's install is 42GB in its entirety. You don't have to install it all, but if you've installed even a handful of the themes, loops, templates and tutorials... it fills up quickly. I'll give you one guess where those files live. Beyond that, tutorials, templates and presets for the other apps you mentioned can take up a lot of room as well. Then consider the amount of data that's on the machine from the factory. Take iDVD, for example. Every single iDVD theme? Not small. Every iMovie template - including the high definition ones? The HD isn't exactly "empty" from the factory. This sort of work takes up space. To put it in perspective, my editing/compositing/working G5 has 1.4TB of storage across 6 drives. I could fill up twice that. With regards to "returning the machine to get a bigger hard drive," you won't have any luck. Just consider how much the 10% restocking fee would be. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

The chocolate river and the Oompa-Loompas. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

And here I was expecting seatbelts on the floor... So now that it's apparently cleared for jumping... will the FAA allow jumps at Perris? Or is that still choked up in bureaucratic "we're not happy until you're not happy" FAA nonsense? I really don't know what I'm talking about.

[edit:]I'm an idiot, I misread the initial post. That'll teach me for posting at work... As for rearranging your partitions, you're pretty much looking at a full restore of the hard drive. In layman's terms: erase it and start over. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Exactly, that's the flap I'm talking about. The Skyhook - on the bridle - lives inside of it. If all it takes is sewing the new flap/pouch into place and routing everything accordingly [in addition to replacing/modifying the cutaway housings, RSL, etc.] then it shouldn't be bad. My concern stems from clearance and routing issues. Not every container closes like the Vector. In those cases, I imagine that a more complicated reserve container design is in order... making retrofits potentially impossible for those brands. Anyway, I think I've diverted the thread enough. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

You have to have a Collin's Lanyard to make the skyhook safe... Also, the RSL is hooked directly to the reserve pin, with the reserve handle cable looped thru the reserve pin - because the timing has to be more accurate than the rsl ring system that strips the reserve cable. A lot of hardware has to be adjusted to make the system work. I don't suspect this is an easy retrofit... Possible, yes. Easy, no. Of course, I'm aware of the Collin's lanyard and modified pin hardware. To me, those modifications seem "easy" when compared to installing the Skyhook itself. If it's as simple as sewing it onto a preexisting flap, terrific. My fear is that a far more in-depth redesign of a few container's reserve trays/flaps may be necessary. That was my point. I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, I wonder if she is getting invited due to hotness as well. That...was...the...joke... I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Bill, have the manufacturers been given access to the parts and specifications as of now and aren't allowed to sell until 02/07, or will they be given access then and have to design their system after that date? I expect that there is a lot of R&D for each individual company to work on in order to make the Skyhook mate with their particular container safely and properly. With regards to retrofits... I imagine that the level to which a particular manufacturer has to modify their current design to work well with the Skyhook will determine whether or not retrofits are available. Also - from the other company's perspectives - they probably want you to buy a new rig. But I hope that won't weigh too heavily into their decision. If a retrofit is as simple as modifying a single flap to accept the Skyhook... maybe retrofits are possible. If it's as complex as I expect it to be [with some reserve container designs, not all], I wouldn't see retrofits being possible/viable. But I really don't know shit. I really don't know what I'm talking about.