Deisel

This was exactly my point about tying a canopy course to something else that people do care about. How about requiring a B (w/canopy course) for anything more than 4-way belly? No big ways, free flying, cameras, wingsuits, or anything else cool until you have had enough time to process everything that happens during a skydive beyond what the A liscense requires? But I also think that its very important that folks have the opportunity to have some fun immediately after completing AFF/A lisc. Then when some of the rush begins to settle down, begin work on a new skills progression. Louis The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Tying additional training to the liscenses makes sense. But until you give people a reason to need a liscense then it just becomes another reason to not get one. I know guys with well over 500 jumps that still have their A cards. If you don't venture too far from your home DZ, then there isn't much that you will ever need an actual liscense for. Perhaps require a B before learning to freefly or do anything larger than 4 way? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Good call! On showing restraint and the naked pics. Not all of us respond in a controlled manner. FTB! D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Not familiar with either DZ but it's more about what you want from the experience. If the small DZ is a Cessna DZ then anticipate not being able to fly on the plane with anyone besides the tandem master and video guy. A larger airplane will allow for more folks to jump on the same lift. For AFF consider that a small DZ will be able to give you more personal attention. Where as at the larger operation you may never see the same instructor twice. There are several pros and cons for both. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Be sure and check out the Black and Gold thread or the GKs website. There are specific requirements that you must meet in order to jump. Things like having TDY orders and a few other things. See you there! D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

jello shots? jello shots? aw, damnnn The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Deisel The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

You should be able to get a few coach jumps in. Just talk to Tony when you get there. He'll hook you up. Tell him I sent you The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

And a' throwin down we will be! It looks like there will be quite a crowd of out of towners. Welcome one and all. All aboard! Next stop - Funky Town... The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Well, before anyone's feelings get hurt let me rephrase the question. Apparently it does not exist but what would be a recommended wing load progression? Just like there is a recommended beginning wing load for student skydivers, shouldn't there be one for swooping? Maybe part of the reason so many people get hurt trying to swoop is because of the apparent lack of information on the subject. Billvon's downsizing checklist is great for standard canopy flight but does it apply to high performance as well? What are some of the considerations for downsizing that apply to high performance canopy flight that do/don't apply to standard flight? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Bonehead Echo? Its cheaper but new. I'd like to know if there have been any problems out there. D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

So I've done a search on beginning swooping and have not seen much that addresses this. Most of the discussion in the forum appears to center on downsizing progression and appropriate types of canopies based on skill and experience. Is there a 'recommended' wing load progression for swooping? In other words, is it even possible to swoop a canopy at say a 1:0.8 wing load? What's a good ball park area to start? Is there such a thing as a canopy thats just too big to swoop? I ask because it seems that starting on a canopy that is very docile (comparatively) would not allow for enough of a response to inputs to be truly usefull. Am I way off the mark here? D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

The only thing worse than having duty, is having duty on saturday... The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

WHAT!!??!!??!!??!! The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Out of those three Raeford is the only one with a turbine. The others have cesnas. Come on down and hang out! The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Wow, that's a lot of DZs represented. But um, have any of you people ever been to Raeford? Come on out and see us some time! We East coasters don't bite. Usually. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Getting my orders typed up tomorrow and they will be signed by the end of the week! See yall in the sky!!! So how many jumps can I expect to make during this thing? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

That's exactly I'm of the opinion that a good coach should also be a decent belly flier first. At 100 jumps I was just figuring out how to not 'go low' on every jump. And there is also the matter of having the ability to match the inconsistent fall rate of someone that has not learned how to control their body. Im concerned that I could end up 'cheating' someone out of their jump if I'm not able to stay with them throughout the dive. It takes a lot of jumps to be able to accurately adjust fall rate and be there on every jump. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

This thread seems to have taken on a life of it's own. One of the points I was trying to raise in the OP was that many newly liscensed jumpers often find themselves doing nothing but solos, not really learning anything. Could coaches possibly be used as a bridge between AFF 'normal' jumping (with groups of people)? The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/goldenknights/Webpage2005_content.html Here is the link to their site. Yes you do need orders, an A lisc, and there are minimum jump requirements as well. Hope this helps. D Edited by slotperfect to make the link clicky! The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

The reason for the smart assed response was because the answer was because it was about as useless as a free gas card last weekend. But all bullshit aside, if you're not going to give an explanation to answer the question, why bother to reply? "Silly question?" Is that how you respond to newer jumper's questions on your DZ? I was under the impression that the entire purpose of these forums was to engage each other in a 'discussion' of the topic at hand. If the subject matter is too low brow for you, no response is needed. But some of us hundred jump wonders do give a shit about continuing the learning process. And darn it, some questions do come up while I'm not on the DZ where there are people around that can provide an answer. And the last time I checked, you Sky Gods did not have a monopoly on intelligence or conversations. Crap like that is exactly plenty of people have left the sport. But hell, how could I possibly know that? I've only got 100 jumps. And to answer the last question, no I have not taken a course. There have not been any available. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Thanks for all the enlighntment. Next time, I'll ask the coffee cup next to me. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Not interested in swooping (yet). I think that popsjumper got pretty close to what I'm looking for. But I also see a lot of canopy manipulation done by swoopers, tandem instructors, etc, that raise plenty of questions. Why do swoopers keep toggles stowed until just before flaring? They are obviously not doing control checks in the air, as taught in AFF. What's the correct way to learn to land on rear risers, without breaking something? Shouldn't this be taught during AFF (not just in theory)? TIs frequently stall and dive their canopies to make spot on landings. I've only seen 1 person do it on a sport canopy. Why? And before anyone else says it, I'm getting Germain's book this week. I was also pointed to billvon's downsizing checklist. I'm not downsizing, I love my 190, but there are some no shit, quantifiable skills outlined there. The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

Anyone out there have any advice for different techniques for learning to fly your canopy? Aside from the obvious (ask questions, take a course, etc). It's extremly difficult to determine canopy responses to inputs without anything relative in the sky. CRW is not common on my drop zone and I don't think that I have the balls to try it. So what are the options? Are there any drills or exercises? How do you judge what the canopy is doing without being close to the ground? D The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

You're a skydiver from the first time you jump out of a plane! I've just never considered myself an 'experienced' jumper. But now that we have a lot of new guys on the DZ asking me questions it's kind of wierd. They almost fooled me into thinking that I know what I'm talking about The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.