faulknerwn

I've got 10,000 jumps in 22 years. I am fully aware I am FAR more likely to die in skydiving from other causes than a no pull (low turn, canopy collision, CRW wrap, low cutaway, screwed up emergency procedures.) I don't have some fantasy that an AAD will keep me from dying in skydiving. I think of the 100ish people I have known who died skydiving over the past years, 1 - maybe 2 - could have been helped by an AAD? I increase my odds of living greatly by not swooping, jumping larger canopies, only jumping on small loads/dzs... Far more so than by having an AAD>

I decided to make this poll because I regularly see people who want to mandate AADS but who aren't against banning an activity which kills far more people every year for at least the past 20 years. So I want to hear it - if you are for mandatory AADs but against banning swooping - how can you rationalize that?

Oh - I have so many comments on this :-) People who relied on the AAD - go to the Cypres website and read their save stories. You will be TERRIFIED at just how many people sat there and waited for it to fire.. And those are just the ones who told the story in public!!! Cost - I have numerous rigs. I would love an AAD in each of them (except my CRW rig). But for people who say it only costs $5 a month - I will give you $30 a month happily if you send me 6 Cypreses. Yes, if you itemize it out over the lifespan its cheap, but for many young jumpers around here, they don't have that kind of cash. We have one jumper who got a main for $300, a reserve for $80, and a free (older) rig, with a free reserve repack, all because everyone really liked him and wanted him to skydive, yet he couldn't afford multiple thousands of dollars for gear. He has an older, fully functional, well-flying gear for cheap. Its not freefly-friendly but it works fine for belly. I know a lot of jumpers who don't have credit cards or a lot of cash but they love the sport. I don't think we should limit the sport to well-off people. These poorer people are some of my favorites. I'd love to see these guys get AADs. I know multiple people for whom the cost of an AAD is more than they spent on the entire rig. A lot of these people are the ones who pack all weekend, or clean the bathrooms just to afford a skydive or two. They want it more than most people, and I would hate to see them shut down because of an AAD requirement. Most of these guys WANT AADs and will save pennies or suck up to their parents to get them when they can. But its not as easy as just swiping a credit card for a lot of people. (I swear I feel like I am trying to tell a millionaire Republican congressman that the poor people on Welfare aren't spending money on cruises). That said I have 12ish rigs - probably spent less on the last 8 of them combined than many people do on a new rig. They're not the fanciest things, but they are fully functional and I use them all regularly (well more so if it would ever stop raining in Texas.) If someone gave me AADs for them all, I'd thank them and put them in it in a heartbeat. But I have 10,000 jumps and 20ish cutaways over the years - so I'm comfortable without them. For the person that says they have never met anyone who relied on their AAD - I am one of those people. I only knew it after I sold it. Many moons ago, I was a young jumper who wanted an AAD so bought a Cypres for my first rig. Used it for several years, then quit freefall almost completely and started just doing CRW. Won't use it for CRW - too much risk in an accidental fire - so sold it. Started back to freefall again a year or two later (really cold winter - no one would do CRW with me) and realized that I was suddenly saying no to skydives that I would have happily gone on before. And I realized that in the back of my head I was thinking, well I have an AAD. And I was amazed at how much more selective what skydives I would do with versus without an AAD.. If I was to go do a 100 way RW (or freefly if I could!) I would certainly get an AAD. No questions. The risks there are out of my control. But at my local dz, I generally know who's who and I just re-organize or don't go on sketchy loads. Because its fully in my mind that I don't have an AAD. And the really scary part - is there are a lot of new fancy dancy all the bells and whistles rigs out there, that are packed so frigging tight that reserve is not coming out quickly. I've refused to pack some of them. Watched a 200 lb guy who had a PD 113 in a Wings which said a max of a 106 reserve, put it on and launch it at reserve repack time (I did not pack it!) The pilot chute launched but didn't even reach his waist. He didn't think it was a problem ;-( It was scary. But he had an AAD! I've seen other rigs with numerous flaps, secondary risers, and really secure main flaps where I could pick up and carry the entire rig by the freebag bridle and nothing was coming out until I got the riser covers open. Its scary. And those were all "proper fit" rigs. Its the design of the container to keep the bag in. If you're unconscious and upside down, I wouldn't place any bets on it. And my last question - for at least the last 20 years - banning swooping/small canopies would save a LOT more lives than mandating AADS. But I have never met a mandatory AAD person who also wanted to ban swooping. Why? It would save a hell of a lot of lives..

That's interesting. I've never been able to use one. In freefall, my eyes don't even see it. They are focused at whatever I'm filming and unless I deliberately re-focus my eyes for up close I don't see it at all. The only time I would notice it was if I was standing on the ground deliberately trying to focus on it.. But I have never had a problem keeping my head centered on the subject. For some reason my head seems to follow my eyes.. It also seemed to make me dizzy - the double focusing was hard on me. I'm not sure whether its because I am near-sighted or what but it was bothersome..

This is Texas! It is supposed to be hot and dry in May. Instead we have only had 4 days all month without rain? Which of you people pissed off the weather gods? Who owes beer debts? Whoever you are please appease the gods! I wanna skydive!

A cross-connector is a strap that goes in between the front and back risers and keeps your feet from taking the slider back up the lines if the stack gets heavy below you. Gary - cross-connectors are still useful in big stacks, its just that no one does big stacks anymore. Its all diamonds..

Yep! I can just say I had to deploy a belly-mount round reserve at terminal on my second (and last) round jump. Can we say ow!

8 inches of slack is quite a lot. I doubt I could fully flare that canopy! Have you tried taking wraps on the line before flaring - reach above the toggle and grab up there? That might help you tell if shortening the brake lines will help.

And clearly people where you are must be having more money than a lot of people over here. I can think of 3-4 people over here who put together a complete rig (without AAD) for $500-$1000. Older rigs, F111 mains, not freefly friendly, but perfectly safe and it keeps people in the air who otherwise would not have been able to skydive. I wouldn't want to not have those people in the sport. I was just like them years ago when I started jumping. An AAD would have been the sport unaffordable. And multiple swoopers have been killed by them - before Adrian Nichols was killed by his, Airtec swore that a Cypres could never fire in any kind of swooping condition. With modern swooping canopies, that task is now even easier which is why there is now a swoop mode. If you look back in the forums there have been numerous cases of severe injuries caused by AADs firing causing two out situations. Do I think AADs are a good idea for most people? Yep. Do I think their software and design have a lot of room for improvement? Yes..

We just order ours from the factory. Just get a few yards worth to make a bunch at once.

If that's true that will screw up the Sebastian Boogie!

Is it possible you double stow your lines and he single-stows them? And then maybe he buries the nose more?

As a 5' tall girl jumping tiny harnesses her whole skydiving career - most of the ones I have had (on various brands of rigs) were that long. I will also say that at I believe 23ish reserve rides now - I have never had even the slightest issue pulling the ripcord. Unless the harness was way too big AND the handle way too long - then it might be a problem. But all of my longer ripcord cables were on XS rigs and it was fine..

I'd say make sure they know you are a student skydiver. Many of the tunnels teach a very odd body position for actual skydiving, and I know the few times I have been to the tunnel I have had to struggle to float and fly big until I could get them to turn the wind up. But generally if they know you are a student skydiver, they will teach you to fly like a skydiver not a tunnel guy...

I like the fourth one best. I really didn't like the Blue Skies Font on the others..

He is correct. Small stuff generally no problem. Stacks no problem. With diamonds you have to adjust for the longer Triathlon lines.. But they do work. And it almost certainly is a 135!

As someone who only has a handful of wingsuit jumps - what kind of events do you want added? I can't really picture a FS/VFS sort of turning points in wingsuits. Just freestyle? I'm not saying its a bad idea I just can't picture what the events would be..

Attached is the specs for the bridle.. What exactly do you need to know?

Definitely put your rig in something. What if someone spills a drink?

I think doing more RW and less freefly would help too. Freefly is harder and more dangerous when you are inexperienced, especially if you are uncurrent. It would be easier to find people with low jump numbers to jump with on your belly as well.

A year ago the cat would go out every night and bring me home 1-2 nice dead rats every morning by the doorstep. Now that they have moved in she ignores them! Plays with a little jingly ball instead.. The dog tries to chase them but no such luck! I think the mice bribed the cat somehow!

Wish that worked. I have mice and a cat!

I would love to hear what was the crazy stuff!

Good grief! You people need to drink more milk! I've done all sorts of stupid stuff but only broke an arm once skydiving.. But I have strong bones :-)

A few weeks ago we had a jumper who had a Vigil 2 set in student mode (he didn't realize you could change it! doh!) fire his under a 170 loaded at 1.1ish (Pilot or Sabre 2 I forget which). There were 4 of us on the plane, him me and a tandem, and he was under a good canopy above 3, but it was freezing so started spiraling down. I swear he was above a grand when his aad fired - I was at 2 grand feet just above him and watched it happen, yet still even holding in brakes videoing and watching landed 30 seconds before him. It was definitely a Vigil fire. Since then I handed him the manual and made him read it :-)