GLIDEANGLE

I am going to guess that the 143 is a PD Reserve. If so, the manufacturer says that the max weight recommended under that canopy for a novice is 122 lbs. Details here: http://www.performancedesigns.com/pdreserve.asp The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I think that the URL that you gave: "Skydivestate.com" may be incorrect. What you may have meant was: Skydivekstate.com The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Jump! You are far more likely to regret NOT doing it, than doing it. Be frugal.... Just cuz you have a bunch of $ does not mean that you must spend it! That will give you the potential to jump lots or take on other interests too. It will also diminish the "I don't like it" risk. Have fun! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

What I like about canopy: High pulls... sense of freedomn High pulls .... the view Cross country jumps (pull high many miles from DZ on a windy day and ride the wind back to the DZ). CANOPY RELATIVE WORK!!!

Good decision. It appeared to me that you had made NO progress by the time you decided to cutaway. It wasn't likely that things were going to get any better if you stayed. It looks like you were a long way from the DZ. Did you recover main and free bag? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Note that the Mirage has no main assisted reserve deployment (MARD) option. The Vector, Icon, and Javelin have the Skyhook, and the Wings has the BOOST. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

So.... Did you see the hot chick on that last load you were on? Now you have the perfect legitmate excuse to approach her! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

All 22 pages of the linked document are GOLD about canopies and canopy control. http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

If you are in the USA, I suggest that being a "Group Member" of the United States Parachute Association (USPA) is a good basic criterion for a DZ. Group members have pledged to adhere to the USPA Basic Safety Requirements (BSR). In most of the USA, unless a DZ is following those requirements, there are very, very few rules to help you have a good/safe experience. For example, there would be no requirement that your instructors have been trained and evaluated. (Yes, some folks will say that the AFF instructor rating program is weak.... but it is WAY better than nothing.) There would be no rules regulating the kind of equipment you will jump, beyond the very basic FAA rule regarding a reserve parachute. There would be no rule about helmet, altimeter, reserve static line, or automatic activation device. The BSRs are NO guarantee... but they are a start. The USPA Group Member DZs are listed here: http://www.uspa.org/FindaDZ/GroupMemberListbyStateandTerritories/tabid/321/Default.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Since those riser covers likely ALSO cover the reserve risers, if they fail to release properly they could affect reserve deployment and performance. Therefore, this sounds like a reserve container ALTERATION to me. That brings those pesky FAR sections into play: 14 CFR 65.125 and 14 CFR 65.129(d). Good Luck! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I suppose that an aircraft incident could be considered a "company" incident. Otherwise, I agree 100%! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

7.071^2 years The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Absolutely! Depending on what kind of jump, and the phase of that jump, I can be delightfully relaxed while jumping. In general, the more relaxed, the better a jump will go. Personally, I find hop & pops to be more relaxing than freefall. Perhaps my most relaxed is a hop & pop from full altitude at sunset... 13 minutes of peace and quiet.

The manufacturer says that the maximum STUDENT exit weight (jumper and gear) for a Navigator 240 is 180 lbs. http://www.performancedesigns.com/navigator.asp The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is the USPA online jump school: http://skydiveschool.org/ My only caveat is that your DZ may use a different emergency procedure than the one shown on this site. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

1. Welcome to skydiving! 2. It is VERY common for students to have dificulty somewhere in AFF! Level 4 is a common place for students to be challenged. I know a VERY accomplished big-way jumper who did level 4 SEVEN times as a student (there was no nearby tunnel). 3. You have a total of what, four minutes of freefall? FOUR minutes! In any other sport four minutes would not be enough time to figure out how the game was played, let alone become proficient at it. Imagine the first four minutes of learning to snow ski! 4. Struggling as a student has NO bearing on your potential as a skydiver! I didn't get my license until my 40th jump. Beginning with my 13th jump I became a VERY BAD student until I fugured out how to break off, track, and pull properly. After I got my license, I continued to struggle with canopy flight with FEW stand-up landings and TERRIBLE landing accuracy. The videos of my player-coach rookie 4-way RW team (when I had about 100 jumps) are so bad that they are difficult to watch. I am most definitely NOT a sky god, but I do now have >1400 jumps, and I don't embarrass myself too often. 5. This link is intended for all students who struggle. It is the logbbok of a VERY accomplished skydiver who struggled mightly as a student. She has published her logbook to provide struggling students a positive perspective on their situation. This skydiver participated in at least one world record that I know of. She is a full time professional skydiver. http://crwdog.servebeer.com/CRWdog/HowCRW.html 6. I have a friend who was a coaching client of mine when he was between AFF and his A-license. He has subsequently told me that he almost gave up several times due to TERROR. He is now on a open class team that just came back from an international competition. Not too bad for a guy who thought that skydiving might not be for him. Smile, Breathe, Relax The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

You are correct. my mistake. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Both are reasonable entry level devices, provided that your DZ will allow students at your level to use their own equipment. My only suggestion is that yoiu get the altimeter WITH the glow in the dark face. It changes nothing about the use of the altimeter in the daytime, but is WONDERFUL for night jumps. Since this option is no more costly...get it. http://www.chutingstar.com/skydive/ft50-ft60-black-glow-altimeter The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

In the USA, an A-license is sufficient to let you do most common types of jumps independently. However, it appears to me that some countries consider the A-license to be somewhat "probationary" or "transisitonal" and place significant limits on what and how the jumper can do. Thus, it is entirely possible that you could get an A-license in country X and be free to jump independently, then find that in country Y you have unexpected limits and supervision requirements. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Note that some tunnels now forbid exposed metal on helmets (like the OPTIONAL colored side plates on the G3). I believe that the intent is to protect the plastic walls of the tunnel. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

1. If you can get folks to inspect their own rig on the floor from PC handle to leg straps, that would be a grand start. Most jumpers that I have met don't know how to lay their main canopy on the deck and inspect it in an organized way. [B]Show how 2. Check AAD while weather is bad, so that if it needs service it can be ready for good weather. 3. Replace ALL the rubber bands (if any). have materials on hand and help folks learn to do this for themselves (such as how to get the old rubber bands off easily). 4. Replace main closing loop. Have materials on hand and teach folks how to do this for themselves 5. Plan when to get reserve re-packed to avoid the "spring rush" and to ensure that the rig is ready on that first day of glorious weather! 6. Do 3-ring maintenance (it may be the only time it gets done!) Have materials on hand and teach folks to do this for themselves 7. You know that faded kill-line that you have trouble reading in the plane when doing pin checks? Now is the time to get that fixed! have materials on hand Yes, I know that someone will object "But they should already know how to do that!" True, but every Safety Day I am reminded that the sad reality is that many jumpers don't know / do this stuff. You are probably going to need extra hands to help you with all of the above! Good Luck! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Don't discount RW & CReW yet! They both have lots to offer even if you are a loner. CReW is hard to describe...give it a shot. You didn't mention wing suiting or camera flying. Flying outside RW camera is not exceptionally social (but not totally solitary). Yes Style and accuracy is alive. Accuracy without style is alive too! Learn the basics, then try various things. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am an AFF instructor. I have made over 500 AFF jumps with students & taught over 50 FJC. DO A TANDEM!!! 1. It lets you ENJOY the experience without the distraction of the many tasks you will have in AFF. 2. Lets you experience the tremendous sensory input (often sensory overload), without needing to do any tasks. 3. It lets you SEE and feel the landing before you have to do it by yourself. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This is an effort to address some of the issues related to this. http://www.fai.org/ipc-our-sport/certificates-of-proficiency The back side of my USPA license card states that it is an "International Parachutist Certificate of Proficiency" and bears the FAI logo. My guess is that this is an effort by USPA to ease international jumping by its members. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am confused, what is "incident reporting"???? What is "investigation".... that would be a lawsuit? The reasons for lax incident reporting in the USA have as much (if not more) to do with fear of lawsuits and fear of negative effect on marketing, as it does with the "wild west" / "freedom" issues. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!