dgermano

Lets be honest: Most of today's skydiver's couldn't land their preferred canopy 2m from target. And I mean declaring the target, not happening to land at the peas (or wherever), logging the jump as accuracy, and having it signed off. Nothing at all to do with swoopers, just poor canopy piloting all around.

At least Vigil understands good customer service, sending a free Vigil2 replacement in the meantime. It will be interesting to hear their reasoning for the firing.

Start adding foreign objects to the equation and you have no basis to expect anything to happen like it should under circumstances. It could have just deflected the cutter and wasted energy the system would normally use to cut the loop. Who knows, but the real question is why was the steel shot in there?

Just got this email from argus-aad.com: Link to the investigation report: http://tools.emailgarage.com/Pub/Asset.ashx?Id=23c77610-0dde-4a9f-98bc-64da7820cdf0&MessageId=509493486 Anyone have more insight on this?

Maybe just make it clear that nobody should even pass through that HP area on the way to the main landing area. If that means landing out because you don't have the altitude to go around, so be it. If we really want to put safety first and we create a HP zone for that reason, it is nonsensical to then allow non-HP traffic through that zone below a thousand feet. Much like we teach students not to cross the runway below XX feet due to TRAFFIC. Imagine that. Might not work for all DZ setups, but I imagine it could with a little effort.

Sounds fun, eloy is always a great place to jump. Hope I can get out there.

Welcome. I noticed your profile says EOD... what branch, Navy? The weather should be a lot nicer in San Diego, blue skies.

I've been lurking around the forums for awhile now, so I figured I'd introduce myself. I started jumping a few years back but lately have only gotten around 20 jumps a year, due mainly to Iraq deployments (I'm active USMC infantry). But I've been prepping to get back into jumping big when I get stateside early 2009, and start meeting new jumpers, improving my skills, and hopefully get good enough to instruct. I look forward to meeting everybody at the So. Cal. dropzones. I'm stationed in Twentynine Palms, so Elsinore, Taft, San Diego, and Perris are my likely weekend jump spots.

Everybody at the dz is very helpful no matter what your skill level. You really feel right at home all the time. The dzo is approachable and will help with anything you need to advance your skydiving skills.

Marine Corps snipers wear a "hogs tooth", a 7.62 bullet on a 550 cord necklace. I know they aren't exactly in a "sport", but it signifies an exclusive group who are all great shooters.

Wooohooo, water here too. Iraq, guns, and alcohol do not mix apparently.

Being an infantry assaultman (aka demo guy), this stuff is a hell of a toy...

Like most others have been saying, I think it would put an undue burden on smaller DZ operations. The upside of having safer pilots isn't even a guarantee either, since a person could just stop getting more licenses if it required canopy coaching and he/she doesn't care about canopy flight.