awagnon

I don't suppose any of these discounts extend to retired military?

I started writing an article for Parachutist concerning medical contraindications and health considerations for skydiving. It was intended mainly for DZO's when a tandem or new AFF asks the question after reading the health attestation on their liability release. Then I read somewhere that USPA probably wouldn't publish such an article since they don't give any medical advice in their publications. Anyway, there is very little published concerning the medical effects of skydiving (based on studies of skydivers) compared with other sports. Nearly all data comes from the Aviation Medicine and Sports Medicine literature and is extrapolated from other activities, or worse yet, it's anecdotal.

I see statements such as "check with your doctor before taking up skydiving" all the time. I would bet most doctors would not know the literature in this area and their own bias for or against extreme sports would color their recommendation. Hence, that's why I started writing the article. Maybe Blue Skies Magazine would consider it.

Just curious. Does this cause any heartburn about leaving your rig at the DZ just hanging on a rack? Does it pose any liability to the DZ if there was tampering of a rig left unattended at the DZ? Even something innocent like someone "borrowing it" when you aren't there and re-packing it incorrectly without you knowing.

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I am a sailor, diver etc.

You shouldn't skydive for at least 24 hours after diving.

Before I started, I tried to find the risks involved from statistics posted for various sports, etc. Statistically, looks like skydiving is about as risky as riding a motorcycle. I ride 10,000 - 15,000 miles a year, so I figured skydiving was a comparable risk. Others may disagree.

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Impose on USPA thats what they are there for. I don't think anyone at USPA will consider it an imposition to assist you in your search.

Got my information from Laura in Communications at USPA. August, 2006, issue. Thanks everyone.

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There have been threads on these forums about that very issue. Some have been quite contentious. Simply do a search. The box is up in the upper right corner.

I did a search and read multiple threads on the topic which is how I found out about the article, but no one posted which issue of Parachutist it was in. Parachutist tables of contents are online, but about 1/2 are missing. I'll just contact USPA. I didn't want to impose on them. I was hoping someone might know it off hand.

I posted this question on the Women Only forum but haven't found out the issue I'm looking for. I'll try this forum.

I need some help. I've read on the Women's Forum that there was an article on skydiving and pregnancy in the Parachutist a few years ago. I don't have access to back issues and I can't find the reference in these threads. Does anyone know the exact issue the article was in? Better yet, anyone have a way to scan it and send me a copy for a paper I'm writing.

Thank you and blue skies,
Alton Wagnon, MD

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I learned: Eyes - Shoulder - Hips. It worked pretty well.

I also believe the flare in one smooth pull is not the right way to teach students... The flare should be sequential, by flaring just a little (eyes) you will already see a noticlable change in the canopys sinkrate. This makes you slower and its a lot less scary than full canopy flight. Then you pull down to your shoulders increasing the effect. Pulling down to your hips in the last moment just before you hit the ground.

I agree. I found that if I said outloud, as I was flaring, "eyes, shoulder, hips" that it slowed me down, didn't flare as high, and started standing them up. May not work for everyone, but it helped me. No radio after about 4th jump.

Someone from PD saw this email and I received a very nice call from support at PD. ( I regret I didn't get the name. ) All questions were answered.

Apparently they did answer my emails, though I never received them on this end and I don't have a spam filter. ( Believe me I get plenty of spam, so I don't know what happened to PD's replies. ) Anyway I sincerely appreciate their response and help.

Edit: I did find PD's emails in my trash folder. Either they were filtered or I accidentally trashed them before looking at them. Anyway, they were there and it was my screw-up for not seeing them. I apologize to PD and thank them for their excellent support.

I've tried to email PD support twice with a reline question, but they never respond. I thought emailing would be less disruptive for them than calling since they could respond at their convenience. Anyway, the email address I've been using is "[email protected]". Is this the correct email address? Do they prefer phone calls?

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Alton, is the Sil you're jumping a purple one from SDU? If so, that's my old canopy.

DSE, yes it's the solid purple Sil-210. I didn't know it used to be yours. I have no idea how many jumps it has, nor who owned it since you. The person I bought it from didn't know it's history either. JG assembled it for me and felt it was still a good canopy. I'm pretty happy with it. No hurry to buy new, so hopefully I can demo a Pulse and a Pilot. Please PM me if you have any additional information on the canopy.

I liked it. As a father of a daughter, I'm sure it was spectacular for both of you. Congratulations.

I have looked for this in the forum and can't find it. The USPA Safety Day will be the second Saturday of March, or the 13th. This is the same weekend as the Expo. Bummer.... I had planned to go to the Expo, but don't want to miss our local Safety Day. I'm sure there will be plenty of safety advice at the Expo, but maybe not as important as local safety training particular to our DZ. I guess there isn't much chance USPA will be changing the Safety Day date?

Thanks for all the input. I had read about the Pulse, but hadn't really considered it until now. It certainly is a consideration.

Thanks, Les, for the demo advice. I recall when you were at SD Utah this summer. I was still in AFF at the time and demo'ing a canopy wasn't even on my radar yet. I hope to go to the Expo in March. If I do, maybe I'll get to demo a Pilot 188 and a Pulse.

Thanks again, everyone,
Blue Skies,
Alton

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Why do you want to downsize and what are your goals with canopy flight?.

Have you had an opportunity to contact both companies about getting a demo canopy (in the size that you jump now for comparison, before you downsize)?

My goal is a little higher performance, but I have no interest in swooping or even a lot higher performance. Plus, the Sil-210 I'm jumping is very, very used and I'd like to replace it.

I've thought about demo-ing, but that will have to wait until spring.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I'm 62 years old, have about 60 jumps and my A license. I'm comfortable jumping my Silhouette 210 (loaded at .95) at the 5,000 altitude of our DZ. I'd like to downsize at around 100 jumps. Due to my age, it will most likely be the rig I use the rest of my jumping career. I've read all the posts I can about Silhouette and Pilot mains. Seems like PD recommends a size larger Silhouette for unknown reasons. My question: I'm thinking of buying a Sil-190 or a Pilot 188 (loaded at 1.06). How do these mains compare and is my current Sil-210 comparable to a Pilot 188 if PD recommends a size larger Silhouette per skill level? I don't recall seeing any Pilot mains on our DZ, so there is no one to ask, but everyone seems to like the Silhouettes. Any advice would be appreciated.

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Has anyone ever seen, touched or jumped an Advance Seven

Reviewed in the last Blue Skies magazine by a rigger.

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anyone that thinks that bungee strap is for holding you in your rig needs to fall out of it because they are morons! That is not what it is there for! NOt directly.

Don’t know why you even bother to respond to threads, based on your reputation you have no credibility anyway. You are simply a nuisance with some kind of kindergarten mentality making you seek out constant attention. So go away and do everyone a favor.

I couldn't agree more. One look at his info. makes me disregard him completely. As a new jumper, I appreciate all of the helpful, serious, thoughful advice I read on this forum, but I realize some is just a crock. My main source of information is from the instructors and experienced jumpers at my DZ. Still, these discussions are thought provoking. A bit off topic. Sorry.

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If I get knocked out, the CYPRES will save my life.

That right there tells me you do not understand the purpose of a cypress. Your statement is FALSE. It may save your life but there is NO guarantee it will fire or even fire in time. And it can still kill you as well.

Re-read what he said. It looks to me like he's saying "I have never, ever thought to myself,.... If I get knocked out, the CYPRES will save my life."

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Why can't Jumper B be someone who understands the risk but have chosen to not take the risk of jumping without an AAD?

I agree. It's like riding a motorcycle with or without a helmet. I ride 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year, but won't even move the bike around a parking lot without a helmet on. That is a decision I've made and it probably saved my life in a motorcycle accident. Same with an AAD. I understand the risks of skydiving and riding a motorcycle, which are about the same. However, I will always do what is necessary to reduce the risk by what ever amount is possible. Does it make me take more risks? ( aka "risk homeostasis" ) I don't know. But it's a choice I've made. Deal with it.

I made three jumps at SD Houston during a travel lay-over the Monday after Thanksgiving. There was no hint of any of this. The staff and jumpers couldn't have been more friendly and professional. I certainly wish them well in their legal battle with these eight jerks.

Thanks, Manuel, for the reply. That's what I thought, but I really couldn't find the answer on a search or in the owner's manuals I downloaded and read. Now to talk with Mrs. Santa.

I have a simple newbe question that I could ask someone at the DZ next spring, but I can't wait. Also, I've tried searching for the answer. I'm thinking about asking Mrs. Santa for an audible altimeter for Christmas to backup my wrist mount. My question: Do the audibles still sound their alarms if you open above the various alarm altitudes? Or do they sense the fall rate and silence the alarms? Thanks in advance for answering.

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I'm curious about this,too. Could have been other damage,....

I also wondered about a right spin with a right brake line breaking on opening. Was the chute carefully inpected for other damage or just the brake line repaired?

During the ride up, the pressure outside of the ear drum gets less than the air pressure in the middle ear. This is fairly easy to clear by manipulating the jaw, chew gum, etc. However, during free fall, the pressure in the outer ear (outside the ear drum) increases relative to the middle ear cavity. So you need to blow to get air through the eustacian tube into the middle ear to equalize the pressure. For some reason that's more difficult for some people than letting the air out on the ride up. Probably has something to do with the anatomy of the eustacian tube's opening inside the nose, and for them it acts like a one way valve making it easier to let the air out than in.

I wear foam ear plugs all night as I'm a light sleeper and all day if I'm on my motorcycle. No problems. However, I'm an inexperienced jumper and I'm afraid I'll miss something if I have in ear plugs. I guess I'd better start wearing them.