tsalnukt

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Everything posted by tsalnukt

  1. Whether you are tracking on a tracking jump or getting separation from a rw jump, it is still tracking. I can't see any reason to track any differently from one jump to the other. Tracking (i guess technically speaking) should be giving you the most forward speed with the least downward speed. This is what gives horizontal separation. Should we be telling noobs to pitch in a track? Probably not because they are not really tracking. They are mostly going down with some a bit of forward movement. BODY POSITION is one of the biggest contributors to how your parachute opens. Not whether you are pitching in a track or not. Physics tells you that a swing of nearly 180 degrees and back will lessen the affects of a hard opening.
  2. Increased malfunctions???? Hard openings?? Please elaborate. I have been pitching in a track for the better part of 8000 jumps. No increase in mals or harder openings for me. maybe I'm doing it wrong.
  3. thank you. Does accepting an amateur's work really drive down the value of yours?? If someone wants professional quality then they should/would be willing to pay for a professional. If the request is far below your level of professionalism then don't bother responding. Yes I am sure he is doing it for his gain. He did say he was a freelance journalist so he may not have a huge photo budget to pay for professional freefall photography. Maybe he is trying to make a name for humself so that he may one day get paid the big bucks. The guy just asked for some photos to accompany his article. I don't recall him asking for professional, high quality, super glossy, matted framed and signed photos (but i'll double check). He just asked for some good photos. I'm sure there are people out there that don't make their living as photographers that have some decent photos of skydivers that would like to have their picture published in a magazine for the sheer glory of having their photo in a magazine.
  4. I have been paid for services and I have paid for services and I have been given things/services as well as given my services/skills. I feel that paying it forward doesn't have to mean that you are helping someone that can't help themselves. It means returning the favor. It means doing some things for free instead of getting paid because it may come back around to you later on. Has the value of the almighty dollar so consumed the world that no one will do anything for free!? Does anyone remember back in the "old days" when experienced jumpers would jump with noobies just for the fun of it! Good luck getting someone with some skill to jump with a noob for fun these days. Everyone is a coach and everyone wants something for it. It's a shame that people have such a hard time doing anything just for the fuck of it. Yeah, the guy is looking for a handout...who cares. If all you professional photogs out there don't want to give up your precious images that you have so much money and time invested in, then just ignore the request. Move on. There are plenty of "non-professionals" out there that are willing to give out some kick-ass photos in exchange for credits. Instead of telling the guy he won't get anything but crap unless he pays for it, Encourage some amateurs to step up an submit some pics.
  5. That's cool. Wings doesn't have one of those charts available fro whatwever reason. Manufacturer says it will fit but they have never actually done it. I packed it up and it's big but not overstuffed. Doesn't look half bad for a Wings.
  6. I'll try and find something. I don't want any money. I don't mind helping someone out. Pay it forward kind of thing. Any particular format or quality preferred? Any discipline or particular skydiving shots preferred? You can message me as well if you want. talk to you later
  7. Anyone ever put a raven III in a Wings size W-22 container?? I did contact the manufacturer and I'm waiting to hear back from them. Does anyone know from experience if this container/parachute combination works? Thanks.
  8. Yes it does. I just wanted to double double check before I packed it. thanks
  9. I just got a rig to repack and the reserve is a Falcon 215. I have never heard of a falcon as a reserve and I was just wondering if anyone has ever packed a falcon as a reserve and if it is ok or not. Thanks. PS - i would have called precision but today is saturday and they aren't open.
  10. If you go to www.youtube.com/skydivenewenglandvid you can find a plethora of videos made with swoopware. That is our DZ's youtube channel and most all the stuff there are swoopware vids. Not sure if this was mentioned before......not only does the swoopware upload the video to youtube, it automaticlly sends an email with a link to their video on youtube. Really cool stuff
  11. I started another post in gear and rigging but wanted to ask the instructors what they think? Do you regularly let tandem students go without a shirt under the harness? why or why not??
  12. How does sweat affect gear?? We have always had a policy that tandem students should wear shirts under their harnesses. Most importantly to keep every Tom, Dick and Harry from sweating in the gear. AFAIK sweat is bad for the gear. Just look at tandem canopies that have been packed by sweaty, no shirt wearing packers. When I approached a Tandem Master to kindly ask him to please put shirts on his customers he told me that it is the students choice whether or not to put a shirt on and that them sweating without a shirt on is just the same as them putting on a shirt and sweating through it. My stance as a rigger and former TI is that we should try to take care of our gear and part of doing that is to minimize the sweat that gets soaked into it. One sweaty tandem student isn't going to ruin a harness but allowing it to happen more often than not might could shave more than a few jumps off the life of the gear. I have always been taught that sun and sweat are 2 of the biggest deteriorators of gear. So what does everyone else think? Is sweat as bad for the gear as I have been taught? Do you regularly let your passengers go without shirts? p.s. - I understand that there are exceptions such as taking a very gorgeous girl on a naked tandem.
  13. Just out of curiosity.......How come there are 8 replies listed and only 2 are present? Did I miss anything good?
  14. +1 The software is awesome. This is the second season that we have been using it and we (8 full-time video girls and guys) have been singing it's praises since. Like the OP said, it's fast. 2-3 minutes at the computer pack really fast and the video is ready to be handed to the customer within a 15 minute call. We have gotten a huge response with the youtube uploads as well. In my opinion it is awesome awesome awesome. And you can make the videos as "customized" as you want so that you as a videographer can give it those little touches that make it your video and not just a cookie cutter video. You can see some of the videos on youtube.com/skydivenewenglandvid
  15. Farmer McNasty is threatening us with law suits for landing in his yard. We don't land there very often and contrary to what he believes, we aren't doing it on purpose. He has horses that get spooked when parachutes land there although no one landing there has every seen the horses out in the field so no one has witnessed the spooking of the horses. On the rare occassion when someone does land there he becomes confrontational and yells at said skydiver and has also been know to video tape the skydiver walking off his property. He is now rounding up lawyers from all over the country (moslty lawyers that own horses or are horse lovers.). Has anyone ever encountered such a situation in which the individual skydiver or the DZ has been sued because of off landings and what if any was the outcome? Does he have any legal leg to stand on? Obviously no one tries to land there on purpose but because of our location and lack of outs we don't have much of choice sometimes. Technically it is an "emergency landing". If anyone has had to deal with something like this before what actions did you take to protect from legal action if there was any? Any and all serious inputs/comments are more than welcomed. Thanks
  16. So what is "the man in black" gonna do for attention now? Congrats again......No hype, no adverts, no big tv interviews leading up to it to let everyone know how cool he is. Just some good old fashioned skydiving. Wish our sport had more people like that.
  17. And he didn't have to use a multi-million dollar ramp or go to vegas to do it. It's nice to see someone do it instead of talk about it for 5 years. Congrats dude. You win the grande cajones award!!
  18. Yes there was a couple of issues with the main closing loop and poor grommet setting with completely exposed grommets, but not just on javelins. This issue has been resolved for sometime now and I would like to see how the updated closing loop retainer could snag on anything these days. your second point.........Poor rigging, poor rigging, poor rigging. and as has been proven poor rigging on any rig can fuck up even the best of reserve systems. This video is of a vector with the cutter on the first flap on top of the actual reserve. NOT with the cutter on the floor plate The recommended closing loop length on a javelin is 2 1/4 inches. If the recommendations of the manufacturer are followed with regard to reserve packing then this should not even be an issue.
  19. All of the Javs I have jumped are far more comfortable than the vectors I have jumped. Vector feel like a brick on your back. The placement of the main closing loop inside the container puts a natural curve in the back pad that fits my back better and the yoke seems to have a more natural curve to it so it rides my shoulders better. The backpad on the vectors seems really flat to me and the yoke comes off the backpad at almost a 90 degree angle and doesn't ride on the shoulders as nice as the javelin. What does it for me for the javelin is the placement of the main closing loop as I mentioned before and more importantly the placement of the AAD cutter, underneath the pack job on top of the floor plate. If you had an AAD that on partially cut the loop you would still be able to deploy the reserve. Just me 2 cents. Take it as you like.
  20. I only know of one "failure" and that was part of a whole bunch of things that could have been prevented which started with losing altitude awareness. The way I see it a "failure" would mean that the Skyhook prevented the reserve system from operating correctly under "more or less" normal circumstances. AFAIK It is a means to a faster reserve inflation. If for some reason the hook doesn't hook your reserve will still deploy as if it were a normal RSL. A band-aid for an inadequate reserve system?? I don't want to get into that discussion but I don't see it covering up any inadequasies. I see it as improving an existing piece of equipment.
  21. Awesome!!! Not only did you pack your reserve from your chair, you packed a Racer!! That's awkward enough with full mobility!!! You rock! If you can find a pcking table that is the right height it might be a little easier.
  22. Skyhook or not, if they were being drug on the ground and need to cutaway they should be disconnecting their RSL anyway so I don't think that it changes anything. I don't generally teach them this until they've had a couple of jumps and their minds are a little less scrambled. Anyone have an argument against the Skyhook for students??
  23. Thanks everyone. I agree there should be no need to change anything. Keep it simple, especially in the FJC. I guess I'm also looking for arguments against putting them in student rigs. I had one DZO tell me that "I don't see areason to spend an extra 300 bucks when Cypress and RSL have worked great for all these years." I don't agree. IMHO it's just an RSL that has evolved. Why not give the students "a little extra" in the way of safety.
  24. The thread about skyhooks and RSL's in the other are sparked a debate at my home DZ. We were discussing whether or not to equip our new student javelin's with skyhooks. I am for it and one of our instructor said that if we were to get skyhooks then he is going to have to change the way he teaches malfunctions/emergency situatiuons. I couldn't really think of any reason to change any part of the FJC because the student rigs have skyhooks. So my question is: Do you alter any part of the FJC because the rigs you are using have skyhooks or not??? ALL input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
  25. You are. You make the choice to have someone else pack for you so you must assume the risk of having a cutaway. You can always pack for yourself and then you wouldn't have anyone else to blame for a malfunction.