MagicGuy

Someone who does the necessary things to make the sport evolve instead of digress. Someone who provides confidence yet also promotes safety to the new guys on the DZ. Someone who is willing to sacrifice a fun jump with his buddies in order to take a newly A licensed skydiver on his first two way. Coaches that will help out the struggling student's pocket by doing a coach jump or two for slots, or completely for free. Someone who asks questions to the more experienced skydivers.. or I guess more importantly, someone who listens to the answers. Someone who can seperate the good advice from the bad. People that are looking out for their buddies as opposed to turning their heads when they see something questionable.

That must compute to a remarkable number of near accidents to see for someone with only 1 year in the sport. Going on two years in a few months. 2 years of living and working on a dropzone for 4-7 days out of the week. Sorry if my 100 times comment was exaggerating. I was trying to make a point. Really, what is your point in all of this? All of your posts are just about looking for the evidence, the data, the "numbers". Do you not agree that a faster canopy = less room for error which = bad for someone that is new to this sport? What is there not to comprehend? I'm really curious to see why you are the only one that is going against the grain here.

Actually, I have seen that happen more times than I would like to, at various dropzones. Stabbing it out at the last minute, wrong patterns, downwinders and close call collisions with other jumpers.. I've seen 100 times more than with experienced jumpers.

Sweeeeet. 190ft, huh? That must be a blast. I haven't had a canopy over my head since November. Hopefully next weekend after Safety Day we'll have jumping weather.

Hmm.. interesting. I wear skate shoes every day and of course, to jump with. I have some issues with my lower back. I'll have to try some running shoes!

Yeah, especially when said person has 80 jumps over the course of 2 years. Shows that their skillset must really be on point with the tremendous amount of currency they have maintained.

Big family party.. I think it was a family reunion or something similar. I was unpacked, and wanted to jump on a load as soon as I got to the DZ. Only place in the house long enough was the family room. So.. "Alright, I gotta pack so if you all don't mind I need to stretch this out right here".

Whatever you say, man. You're looking at it all wrong. I was glad that they didn't let me jump the 135. I'm glad that I was brought up with the attitude and morals of wanting the sport to grow, and keeping my fellow jumpers and friends off of the fatality list. I'm glad that at my DZ, you can't be jumping a 1.6 wingloading when you don't even have 100 friggin jumps. I'm glad that I don't have to worry about some asshole with an elliptical canopy at 50 jumps cutting me off and putting me at risk. I'm just glad that you're over there and I'm over here.

I don't agree and I find that pretty insulting (even though it wasn't toward me). WE need to prevent preventable injuries as much as possible. We have lots of restrictions based on jump numbers and licenses already. Saying that everybody should be allowed to do anything they want is the wrong answer. I don't know that a hard rule is needed (though I'm not particularly opposed), but education is definitely needed. "I bought a stilleto when I had 40 jumps" and "everybody should be able to take as much risk as they want" (not direct quotes) don't help. Would you have an issue if a bunch of guys with 100 jumps or less decided to attempt a 100-way? They all know it's risky and don't mind. Should they be allowed? Dave I always knew I liked you, Dave. You pretty much hit the nail on the head with that one.

"1.The same reason you went to you dz with a 135, and got grounded." Read it again. I was never grounded. The canopy was. I had another rig, with another main, that was in the air, with me in it, that weekend. "2.Fly a manta and let me know why i made the choice to fly a safire 190 instead." 'I wanted a better flare'. Common, just say it. "The other reason is cost, i, like many others don't have the money to buy a new rig every other year, so i have to make a choice which allows me to progress with my canopy, and will allow me to downsize from my 190 to a 170 then to a 150, if i so chose." I've had the same rig for 2 years and I'm doing just fine with the downsizing game. "Out of the two of us magic guy. only You have ever been grounded, at that was at you home DZ." Again, I was never grounded. "You made a choice to take a small rig that was obviously to small for your skill level, and your DZO grounded you with the rig." Actually, it was the master rigger that said "I think you should wait a while to jump that canopy and keep jumping the 150." Have fun flying your 190 over there in England. 190s aren't as cool as 170s, though. You should downsize.

Thanks for the clarification, Hausse. I still don't completely agree with everything you are saying. The whole self regulation, 'can't tell someone how much risk to take' is only good to a point. In the early stages of skydiving, where the jumper is just starting to get over the initial sensory overload of actually jumping out of a plane, that needs to be more regulated. There is no reason for someone with low experience to have a high wingloading. Which brings me to another question that could be asked to these new guys with the high WLs. What is your reason for wanting to jump [whatever canopy it may be]? What can you do on that canopy that you can't do on a bigger one?

I would love to see this option. Even just for individual components like main canopies or containers. $2k for a new canopy is enough to want some help with!

I doubt it. The sky is a big place, but everyone is trying to land in the same spot. Add in the complexities of someone who is new to their canopy.. a canopy that is over their head in skill level, and you're back to square one again. And collisions aren't the only problem. A speeding canopy that speeds into the ground is just as fatal as a collision with another jumper.

Hausse.. you're opinions are totally.. I don't even know what to call them. To say that "I said is that it is nobody elses business to decide how much risk they should be taking. I know that their decision will influence you and your safety but that does not change that they have the right to choose how safe they want to be. ".. is pretty much ludicrous and ridiculous. How can it not be my business, as someone who is in the air with someone else, to voice my concerns over my personal safety.. safety which is now being compromised because of some renegade newbie that wants to jump a small canopy. I don't understand your logic. "I'm not an experienced pilot and I have no clue who should be loading which canopy how high." Exactly.

Geez, dude.. I can't imagine people seeing you coming and say "Awesome! Crashtested is here". The whole rebellious thing gets old with people after a while.

OK, so basically that's like saying this: Driving is dangerous. People die all the time driving. I know that, so I'm going to speed, not use my signals and not wear a seatbelt. I'm willing to risk more because driving is dangerous anyways. Is that wrong in any way? Just because skydiving is a dangerous activity doesn't mean that we should see how far we can push it without dying. It's been said at other points in this post. Yes, a lot of canopy accidents are happening with higher experience jumpers. But like another poster said, put someone with less experience in that situation and it could be even worse. Bottom line is, when a person with less experience is flying a higher loaded canopy, they aren't just putting themselves in more risk, but they are putting the other people in the air at risk, as well. And the ignorant attitudes regarding this is what irritates me.

Well billvon, I praise you for doing that. I guess it all comes back to the fact that common sense is lacking in so many of these people. Noone thinks bad things can happen to them. "I'm an adult, we are all adults, we should be able to make our own decisions". Unfortunately, skydiving seems to be an exception to that rule that some people just aren't willing to accept.

Coming from someone who is basically lighter than everyone at my DZ, I can tell you that some tunnel time working on fall rates will help you out a lot (if this is the problem, as opposed to diving). I wear 10lbs of weight on just about every jump. I bring my arms in to my chest, and try to bring my feet in to the point where they are almost touching my ass. That and just arching like a mofo. Just watch your body position - you may be going forward/backward while in one of these positions before you get the hang of it. Talk to your instructors about strapping some weight on. I have come to the conclusion that I will basically always have to wear weight. It's not such a bad thing. As far as the diving out stuff goes, it's all just practice, man. Keep doing what you're doing and diving out as opposed to linking the exit. Only way to get better at something is to keep doing it. Good luck!

My point exactly. Is it bad that I am a friend that cares? It's sad that some of the advice that people are giving on these forums is throwing that common sense right out of the window.

Crash.. first of all I was never grounded. Secondly it was a 135 that I was just told I couldn't jump because it was, technically, a high performance canopy. I'm ranting about it because I care about the sport, the progression of it, and preventing people from dying. Look at the fatality list. People are DYING in this sport, and the main reason they are dying is because of canopy related accidents. Sure, not all of them are because some newbie who wants to go fast and isn't happy with his 190, so he buys a Stiletto. But if I can rant about it and some new guy who is contemplating buying a small canopy sees it and says "hey, maybe this guy is onto something" - that makes me happy. Oh by the way.. what you said about being proactive.. that's pretty much me in a nutshell. I am that guy. I'm trying to get people to learn not by seeing their friends die, but by opening up their ears (and minds) and listening to the people who have been in this sport for years and are still alive. Most of them have gotten here by taking things slow and not trying to be the next prodigy.

You're all friggin lightweights, I'm gonna try and land a pilot chute in tow! LOL!!!! Don't laugh - if I held a pilot chute and jumped off of a roof it might just slow me down enough to not hurt myself too bad.

hackish, I have to give you the benefit of the doubt, only because you have taken a canopy course (more than most people can say). I've take both of Scott's courses and I know that he doesn't mess around. If he thinks you are an accident waiting to happen, he'll tell you. Just realize one thing, though, and I'll be happy if it's all that you get out of this thread. 1.25WL for most people with your experience is not a smart thing. It seems that canopy skills are what most people have the biggest problem with, and at 69 jumps, 1.25 is a high wingloading. I don't care what anyone says. In realizing that, also know that any jumper that has less experience than you have will, of course, look up to you. You are more experienced and therefore, your opinion and advice are a big deal to them. If you go telling them about your 1.25WL, it will only give them the excuse to go and do the same thing. And in a lot of cases, that could potentially be bad news. Take your Sabre2 on a nice downwinder one of these days.. it's good practice, if anything.

Yeah, probably right, but the VX37 is SOO much cooler..

Cool!! The phone is dialing for me right now.. calling up Luigi C, I'm gonna see if he'll let me borrow his VX37. I'm a small guy so it's not that big of a deal for me to jump a small canopy. And besides, kallend was jumping a Stiletto with 40 jumps and he is still alive. That must mean that I'll be OK, too.

I take back my original post. Any newbies out there, do yourselves a favor and buy the smallest canopy you can. Pull on your front risers.. hell, do 270s. Swooping is the coolest, anyways, and everyone knows that looking cool is what this sport is all about. Plus having a really small rig is pretty cool.. people will think that you have lots of experience. That's cool, too. Have fun. I give up - sorry for expressing my concerns.