pkasdorf

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Posts posted by pkasdorf

  1. Quote

    Skydiving is a dangerous activity. There are alot of risks. The majority of the risks though can be mitigated by: 1) Proper Education, 2) Proper Preparation, 3) Proper Execution, 4) Using Common Sense & 5) Being honest with one's self about one's abilities.

    Most fatalities can be traced back to a breakdown of one of those steps.

    If you follow steps 1 through 5, chances are you can reasonably expect to have a long prosperous career in this sport.

    People will say "You can do everything right and still die." Yes, correct. However, chances are, if you do everything right, your gonna survive.

    Lacking 4 & 5, Common Sense and Honestly assessing ones abilities, are two of the biggest causes of canopy fatalities/injuries these days.

    So I would say, yes, the perceived risk is worth the reward, and I intend to keep jumping as long as I can.



    100% agreement. By the way, I didn't vote because the only YES option does not include people like LawnDart21 and me who like to jump in spite of the risks but not because of them and we do our best to minimize them.



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  6. Quote

    ...the z1 is not the full face to go with if you have any desire to do 4 way, the lens isn't installed very securely and a knee to the face can easily send it into your nose.



    Sorry, I totally disagree, it is not true. I love my Z1 but don't know how it works with glasses.



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  7. Quote

    Quote

    I was told this weekend by an instructor. every time you jump you are commiting suicide until you do something to change it
    think about it makes since
    ken



    I think what the instructor meant to say is, When you step out of an airplane at 12,500 feet you are effectively dead until you do something to change the situation.
    When you do step out of the airplane there are only 2 things that you must do to survive. One is to deploy a land-able canopy and two is to land that canopy safely. Anything else you may do on a jump is just fluff.

    Sparky



    THAT'S IT! PERFECT!



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  10. In fact, very fortunately the pressure changes in freefall are not the range of those in scuba diving (30 foot waterdive is more than even usual HALO jumping). If they were, earplugs would be very harmful to hearing as they are when you dive because it interferes with the pressure equalization needed to prevent damage to the tympanus. Anyway, just in case, if I wore earplugs I would take them off just prior to jumping out of the plane.



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  12. Quote

    You know why the raindrops hurt so bad in freefall?

    Because you're hitting the pointy ends.

    :)



    Sorry, but as far as I checked, in the cloud the drops are spherical as they also are or nearly are in freefall. They have pointy ends only when just leaving from something solid like a branch, roof, etc. It's just the 120 mph impact that makes them hurt.



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  13. It is a very thoughtful idea and it comes from your heart. But I kindly disagree. Let me explain why...

    Those fellow skydivers who died in action deserve to be remembered, no doubt about that. But is a special Memorial Day the best way to do it?

    NO because a special Memorial Day would only add arguments to the whuffo community about how "crazy" we are and how "insane" it is to let us practice skydiving and we do not want to give any arguments that could give way to more regulations and outside controls that could make our sport more difficult and more expensive to practice.

    Let's incorporate a Memorial Chapter in Safety Day. It renders homage and also makes lots of sense since the vast majority of deadly incidents involved human error and Safety Day is all about learning how not to make mistakes. In the wake of a day dedicated to safety it cannot be used as argument against our sport.



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  14. Yesterday was my first jump through a rainy cloud. Besides the drops impacting on my Z1's visor I didn't feel any other inconveniences throughout the 1500 cloudy feet. That was not the case for my partners who didn't have full face masks! Once back on the ground I had to listen to many "sh..s" and "fu..s" describing the torture of the water drops at 120 mph...

    Although unfrequent, another advantage of a full face mask.

    Love my Z1!



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  15. Quote

    Here in Poland most skydivers say "Ready, Set, Go!", but I heard some say "In, Out!". What other countdowns are there, mainly country-specific? Is it always in English language?

    USA: "Ready, Set, Go!"
    Poland: "Ready, Set, Go!", "In, Out!"

    Please continue the list :)



    USA: "Ready, Set, Go!"
    Poland: "Ready, Set, Go!"; "In, Out!"
    Uruguay: "Ready, Set, Go!"; "Listos, Adentro, ¡Afuera!"; "Adentro, ¡Afuera!"



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  18. Quote

    Your chest strap is probably too tight. Try jumping with a loosened chest strap.



    You may be right about the chest strap but it had never happened before and it wasn't tighter than usual. I may be dumb but I do not see the connection between the chest strap and the slider, could you explain it to me?



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  19. Last saturday in my last jump of the day the slider only came down 3/4 of the way or may be a little more. I tried to lower it with my toggles and I couldn't. I checked if I could drive my canopy without problems and it was OK. I insisted in trying to lower the slider by working with my risers and after powerful shakings it finally came down. Uneventful landing.

    As I was in a hurry because I had to leave and travel far I just put the gear in the gear bag without inspecting nor packing it and left it in the DZ. I'll check it next time (this or the other week-end). Nor had I time to talk about it with experienced people yet.

    This had never happened to me, it did in my 395th jump. I was jumping my own gear, a Tri 160 bought new and with about 200 jumps on it. Can you tell me why this happens or may happen?



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  21. In my country (Uruguay) logging and signing is mandatory for every level. For those who already have a D licence it is the way to know if one is current or not (I agree there can be forged entries and signatures). We need to renew our license yearly and if one has not jumped for a long time (I don't remember how long) one has to do a jump with Instructor certification to be able to renew the license.

    It's far from perfect but I think it helps safety.



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  22. Since nobody has said it yet, I'll tell you to follow Billvon's guidelines for downsizing:

    "No fixed time/#of jumps; it depends on your skill. On your current canopy can you:

    -flat turn (at least 90 deg at 50 feet)
    -flare turn (at least 45 deg)
    -land in rear risers
    -land consistently in a 10 meter circle
    -land crosswind and no wind
    -land on slight uphills/downhills
    -do a double front riser approach

    If you can do all that, you're probably ready to downsize. Coaching will make that day come a lot sooner. Don't make the mistake of downsizing quickly, and ending up under a canopy that scares you too much to try the above; if you're afraid to push your canopy you'll never learn to fly it. "


    Good luck!



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757

  24. Quote

    Honestly, it falls into two categories for me.

    1. People that died in a routine skydive while exercising all due care and were jumping gear that was appropriate for their skill level. This type of incident bothers me; I feel sorry for the friends and family members of the person who lost their life.

    2. People that died doing something that was foolish, e.g, jumping while drunk or high, swooping a tiny canopy they don’t have the experience or training for (usually against the advice of others), engaging in stupid behavior (Dog fighting canopies, cutting away intentionally when not necessary), etc. These people I have zero sympathy for. I’ve watched people die doing this type of stuff and it didn’t bother me one bit. Sorry if that makes me a bad person but stupidity is not something I have sympathy for.



    I completely agree on the first category. On the second one, the behaviour of the deceased makes one feel more angry than sorry. There is a third category though, when the deceased is a friend, no matter what was the cause of the incident it will move me deeply.

    We choose the rewards and the risks. It is a choice and knowing it is a choice allows me to decently cope with the incidents.



    HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757