topdocker

Seems to me, G exempts it. So, the county is not following its own rules? Or did they find some other reason to not allow people to land canopies on private property? top Jump more, post less!

I would introduce myself to the neighbors with the pool next door and find out if they have teenagers. Then say they have won a huge "outdoor use" stereo to rock the pool parties all Summer long. Maybe throw in a bunch of songs on the MP3 player! Wonder what songs we could come up with to preload the system? top Jump more, post less!

I posted this thought in the other similar thread. Someone should inform the FAA that a city feels they have the right to regulate skydiving. According to the FAA, they are the sole authority in the location of skydiving activities. As long as landowner permission has been granted and the airspace is cleared with them, then the activity can take place. The city can deny a business license, but cannot regulate the area in which skydiving can take place. If the area is zoned for commercial/agricultural (and there surely there are plenty of businesses being run on parcels near by), then landing by skydivers on the property falls within the existing use permit. I think a call from the local FSDO or ATC might be made to the city manager to let him know they are running afoul of Federal law, something the city attorney would be very unhappy to hear. Also, what would be the penalty for the jumpers landing on the property without the city permission? Or for the business? Lastly, at the next meeting, have the Regional Director come in and inform the city of the laws and that USPA has a fund and a history of helping out local DZ's in these cases. Having a National Organization show up also tends to let people know that they are in for more of a fight (and not some made up group like CFQS). Good luck! top Jump more, post less!

We have six hens at the house. We have eggs coming out our ears during the summer! And they are so yummy! top Jump more, post less!

Sounds like the county has de facto taken up regulating when and where skydiving activities may occur. The FAA has been adamant that only they can do that and I am sure they would be willing to talk to someone at the county about it. Sometimes the feds are on our side..... top PS. There is no guarantee that every horse or cow will stay on their property either! Jump more, post less!

Are you kidding me!?!? Ask most members of any competition team how much they have spent and sacrificed, you will find most have pretty good jobs, are carrying debt because of team travel, and probably have a manager that wonders why the company keeps them on because of all the requested time off. I can tell you from personal experience about the debts, divorce, death, and daily grind of being on a comp team. And after over 25 years of competing, I am still at it. At least my kids know where their college tuition went.... top Jump more, post less!

Overcoming the fear IS the deciding factor! It is supposed to be scary. People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid. The rest of us practically soiled ourselves at some point during the early training/jumping. Skydiving is not a natural act and is difficult to prepare oneself mentally for. It's easier than you think, so stop thinking about it..... top Jump more, post less!

Your numbers here explain a lot about your logbook! top Jump more, post less!

And Lodi, CA. top Jump more, post less!

You realize that is one chop every 125 jumps?!?! You should be nicer to your packers..... top Jump more, post less!

This, this, this, 1000x this! I did my first course at 110 jumps and I wish I'd done one sooner. It's what made me want to focus on canopy piloting and you will learn a heap! I teach canopy courses and I want jumpers earlier in their careers, before the assemble too many bad habits! We take people with as few as 40 jumps! Why wait to learn what can save your life on every jump? top Jump more, post less!

In early to mid-May in NorCal the weather can be extremely variable, as if Winter and Summer are arguing. It can be pouring rain and cold, or sunny and 105. So understand, the weather gods may have more to do with training than with the particular DZ. Since you only have two weeks, and of that only two weekends, you need to know which DZ's are going to be able to accommodate such a tight window, given that weather will most likely interfere a bit. Some are only open on Wednesday to Sunday, some are open every day, some don't offer AFF on weekends, others that is the only time. Also, find out how far they are away from motels, restaurants, if they allow camping, if they have showers, etc. Because if you are travelling, you don't want to drive an hour each way every day to and from a DZ or have to use a hose to brush your teeth. Then it comes down to who you get the best feel from and sounds like what you want. That is highly variable and depends on who answers the phone and really what you want. Also, most will want some non-refundable deposit, so if it rains for two weeks, you haven't got squat but the chance to come back. Find out the raincheck/refund policy. Every one will say they are the best deal, have the best gear, have the best planes, yada, yada, yada. Remember, these business compete against each other for a limited number of students, so be aware that they are going to say what they need to so you choose their DZ. And people posting here will have their own agenda, like being an instructor at one of the DZ's, was recently fired at another DZ, or has never been to another DZ so they are posting second hand info. So, weed through the posts here, check the "Dropzones" section on DZ.com, call around a bit, think about the logistics of travel, then make an informed decision. And if you get there and something doesn't add up, try another place. And don't forget to have fun and learn something! top Jump more, post less!

Aside from repetition, how does one prevent that de-arch on exit. I'm notorious with it. That "hollow stomach" feeling overcomes me and I stay balled up a little like that... the overload and such. Is it just experience and comfort? I teach jumpers to do hop-n-pops all the time, and what you are doing is very common, even for people who have way more experience than you. So first, let yourself off the hook a bit! Second, look at the video carefully as you exit, you NEVER looked at the plane, you looked down instead, so you are de-arching from your head. When you step out of the door, look at the wing, and keep looking at it! That is where the relative wind is coming from, but many jumpers want to rush onto their bellies because that feels normal to them. But when you do that, the relative wind is not across the control surfaces (arms, legs, belly) and you can get out of control easily. I walk jumpers through the mock up and practice over and over that they will essentially be standing next to the plane with the relative wind blowing them backwards while they fall away and slowly transition to belly-to-earth. Keep your belly button to the relative wind! And really, don't feel bad. A few years ago on a commercial photo shoot, I watched dozens of the best relative workers T-bone out the door of a DC-3 doing hop-n-pops! Literally thousands of jumps and did not have the skill. Keep at it and good luck! top Jump more, post less!

One thing that has not been mentioned: if there is a serious incident at the DZ and the news cameras show up, make sure to call/text/email those that know you are jumping that it wasn't you. Don't leave your loved ones hanging until you come home that you are good, give them peace of mind. top Jump more, post less!

What I didn't ask well is why don't we place more emphasis on fit? I see it here over and over again when someone asks about buying used gear. Almost everyone recommends using an escrow to check over the gear and make sure it's in the advertised condition... I rarely (if ever) see anyone talking seriously about making sure it actually fits properly in the process. I'm not saying that I think that recommending new gear to beginners is the best option, but I did hope to see some conversation. Maybe the best answer for beginners is buy local used gear under the supervision of a rigger. Or start making sure that proper fit gets more attention when beginners ask here about buying stuff online. Fit can be modified after purchase for not that much money. Most sellers state the type of rig, model, size, and their body size and weight which can give the ballpark estimate for the purchaser. Most container manufacturers have size ranges for their containers, not completely custom, so you need to be in the range of the fit, not a perfect fit. And honestly, after student gear, almost any rig fits better! top Jump more, post less!

I will add one: If they are conscious, ask them their name, any allergies, if the have any medical issues, and if they are taking any medications. Speak calmly and slowly and in a friendly tone. The person may not be conscious when EMS arrives and that info can be critical. I will tell you as a recent "patient," knowing help is coming is a HUGE mental help. Laying in the field, I knew my friends were coming, they would get the EMS activated, and that was powerful. top Jump more, post less!

Harm? Not sure, the canopy was not designed to fly at that wingloading. If it flies okay at the wingloading you have, then its okay. BUT, do you have the experience in as many situations you can think of and a few your more imaginative friends can think of to handle that canopy? The limiting factor is not the wingloading, its your ability to fly that canopy safely for yourself and those around you. Unless you can fulfill all the performance requirements to downsize on the Katana, the Velo is not a good idea. You can compromise your safety all you want, but please think about how your canopy choice may injure or kill completely innocent jumpers. This being DZ.com, someone will come along and tell you its okay and we are just holding you back. Be the guy that is smart enough to save his own life with better gear selection. top Jump more, post less!

I understand, and we do some canopy touching as part of our course. Be mindful of the fact that in a wrap a HP canopy will be loaded over 4:1 and most likely be spiraling hard. Decisions need to be made before the G-forces make anything impossible. We use modified JFX's and have had pretty good successes with them. Very stable and predictable, without the nose and corner softness that come with other canopies. If you ever venture out to Norcal, let me know, we will show you what we have done. top Jump more, post less!

Wait! What?!?! CRW police just showed up.... Do you peruse the incidents forum much?? Please tell me you are getting very good instructions about HP CF and know full well the gear you are jumping is increasing your risks dramatically. top Jump more, post less!

One is the biggest manufacturer, the other is the best! Others include: Flight Concepts, Parachutes de France, PISA, and many others. top Jump more, post less!

At a lot of DZ's, there is a protocol for the staff to follow in the case of an accident. If you aren't trained to help, then stand a respectful distance away and see what you can do to help. Sometimes the best help is to go back to the hanger, sometimes its just carry one of the responder's gear back to the hanger, sometimes you can hold a canopy up to shade the injured from the sun. Do not go over there to gawk and certainly do not go over there to help if the sight of a femur through a jumpsuit will cause you to loose your breakfast, that doesn't help the victim, the responders, or you.... The bottom line is follow the instructions of the site leader. (And the guy yelling for people to stay away is not the site leader, just someone who is way overreacting to the situation.) And be thankful it wasn't you.... top Jump more, post less!

IIRC, the AADs went back to the families, who declined to provide them to Airtec for examination. Mark Wow...really? Something I never thought about, but may be a good idea to let my loved ones know it's my wish to allow for any & all investigation be made, in the hope of furthering the safety of the sport..."if' something ever happens that is. Yeah I may need to advise my family not to be selfish idiots. It might considered be too harsh to deem people who would do that as such, but I'm standing by it because they're actively impeding efforts to prevent other people from suffering the fate of their loved ones. And I assume skydivers have informed the families how important the data in these AADs are, and they still don't want to send them in. If this would have happened in 'normal life', let's say a car crash with a videocamera in the car the families don't have the option to keep the camera, do they? A camera is no different than any other property. Unless it is suspected of containing evidence of criminal activity, is somehow connected to a suspected crime, or is stolen, police would not be justified in seizing it. Likewise the footage on the camera is the property of the person who shot it (or the copyright holder in the case of someone shooting for hire) and is not subject to seizure without cause. I couldn't tell you what the laws are about cops demanding to see video footage in the event of an accident, but seizing a camera or master footage without probable cause would be a pretty clear 4th Amendment violation. In many jurisdictions, everything involved in a skydiving incident may be seized as evidence. When I had my incident, they seized every camera on the jump, all my gear, including my helmet, and sent them to evidence. The sheriff then turned that stuff over to the FAA for inspection. The FAA is requesting local law enforcement keep more and more stuff on incidents and to treat the area (and person) as a crime scene. So, I think in the future, we will see the FAA or local law enforcement contacting the AAD manufacturers for data download. top Jump more, post less!

hillsonedit: in general, IMO, I tend to think the comparison / question is better when you're talking about folks in the 500-1500 range of jumps...when this guy has 9000, that guy has 4500, this dude has 12000 (be they tandem, demos, RW etc) the comparions begin to lose some meaning, I think. In general, I would assume that if someone is doing 1000 a year they're either being paid to teach, compete, are commerical or some combination. Dunno...sort of an odd thing to think about when there are digits bigger than 1 or 2 in front of the comma... ****** Those numbers are mostly meaningless unless you have the percentage of jumps done by D-license jumpers compared to all others. Maybe D-license holders are doing 90% of the jumps.... Anyway, back to the original thesis. The first year guy is "the most current." But current only on the knowledge garnered in one year. Maybe he/she hasn't jumped in marginal conditions, or had to come back after the winter layoff, seen a major injury/fatality at the DZ, competed in a meet, etc etc. So, the guy who has been around three years probably isn't as good at certain aspects of the sport, but has been exposed to more conditions/situations and is probably more seasoned. Currency is not the same as proficiency. Right now I am very proficient at CRW, but more current on RW. That doesn't mean Airspeed is gonna open up a slot for me to compete on the team. More likely, they would laugh when they see my pathetic RW skills in the air and run away from me under canopy.... top Jump more, post less!

I think they are using the long weekend to revamp the servers and the database. Not surprised its down.... top Jump more, post less!

I teach canopy courses that require a number of hop n pops over several days. I am continually amazed at how many skydivers who think they are proficient in this sport cannot leave an aircraft stable enough to pull within three to five seconds. Many are very good at gripped exits from the aircraft with teammates hanging on all sorts of grippers in various configurations and poses and they can be stable. BUT exit that aircraft facing the relative wind, and extract your pilotchute, and all hell breaks loose! Slow down, grab the leading edge of the door, swing out using your grip as a hinge point, face the aircraft chin up, smile, arch, pause.... deploy. So simple. The biggest mistake is people tend to try and get horizontal out the door, which makes flying more difficult because the relative wind is coming from the direction of flight and slowly angling to coming from below. They just want to hurry into belly to earth position.... top Jump more, post less!