ShayneH

Thanks for the info. I now have a deep tissue massage scheduled for a few hours from now from a sports medicine place. @heatmiser: thanks for clearing up the "human/adult" part...

Hey folks, My neck/back muscles are killing me from working all the time and never giving them a chance to properly heal. So today I'm going to go try some treatment for it. Between a chiropractor, a masseuse, and an acupuncturist, which is better for a single session, and why? Have you ever tried any of these for skydiving related injuries (ie strained muscles from hard openings) and how well did it work?

Sooo... what is a tissue issue then? Is it one of those feminine things that lands you folks in front of the lifetime movie network w/ a pint of ice cream?

And, well.... Part 2 of my previous story: About a week later, with the help of some pain meds, I thought that I could push it and jump a bit. So I started to hook up my old canopy, a samurai, to my rig when two buddies came up and without asking, started helping me (it was greatly appreciated and they are qualified imo to hook up a rig). Anywho, between the three of us, we were just grabbing and rigging and I guess some stuff got over looked. So the day goes on and I get a few jumps on my newly hooked up canopy. I go on another uneventful video jump, and when I deploy, I get a pretty hard opening (not a blow-your-cells-out opening, but a hard one nonetheless). I figured that with the previous injury I was done for the day. So I unstowed my breaks and began aggressively flying the canopy to the ground, finishing with a hook turn landing. As soon as I landed, I saw free suspension lines raining down all over. Turns out, the french link hadn't been tightened properly and had been wrenched open on opening. I didn't notice it, but here is a frame grab from my camera... Morale of the story: If it's your gear, make sure to double and triple check everything when having others help. http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/2558/35343144857650834416511.jpg http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/7717/35343144857646834316511.jpg

Sort of.... I joined a few years ago to allow me to contact sellers on the classifieds. Not until a day or two ago have I just started to get involved with the forums. There was a student thread that started to get heated, and gave me half of my posts, lol... Anyways, if you want a REAL tissue issue, here's one: Two weeks ago, I started the day out with 6am wheels up for a small demo. When I deployed my canopy (Crossfire2 w/ under 60 jumps), it opened so hard it blew a hole in the center cell near the tail (NOT along the seam) on the top and bottom skin. It gave me 2 bruised ribs and strained muscles in my back. Before anyone asks, I didn't pack it. The packer did the previous day when I was on a back-to-back. http://a.imageshack.us/img820/5556/62744626.jpg

I was almost sure that I was leaving the bar with this cute blonde last night, but I guess she was just playing me for drinks. Turned into a tissue issue.

Skindog, it sounds like you're at a small cessna DZ down the road from a turbine one. You have the best of both worlds here. Take advantage of the personal atmosphere of the small DZ by getting coaching and advice becuase that doesn't always come easy at a large turbine tandem factory. Then, take what you learn to the turbine DZ for a day or two out of the weeks to crank out the numbers and reinforce the knowledge. And keep in mind, I still agree with all the folks that say you shouldn't be on that canopy. There are plenty of great setups for students to learn on floating around this website, ebay, gear stores, etc. I would highly recommend jumping a 170, and working your way down to that 150 sabre2. With a 1.2 wingloading, by the time you get 2 or 300 jumps, you'll be swooping the piss out of it. Also, saffire2 is a great beginner/intermediate canopy.

Roy, I agree with you that it must be extremely frustrating to have that happen repetitively. However, you can't let one group ruin it for the others. If you repeat yourself 1,000 times and your advice is only taken seriously by 1 person, that's still 1 person's well being that is saved by your advice. As for the other 999... Here is my personal opinion. Some schools argue that giving out condoms promotes teen sex, and some folks protest against clinics that offer sterile needles to junkies becuase it advocates drug use. But the truth is, people are stubborn dumbfucks. Plain and simple. If an individual is determined to do something, he or she is going to do it. Simply telling them 'no' doesn't usually work. The best option that you have left is to educate them on the dangers of the activity and provide them with the tools (coaching/advice) they need to stay safe. Obviously if this was happening at your dropzone, you could put your foot down and not allow them to jump. But since this is a student from another DZ out of your control, take the time to offer the best advice you can because maybe the staff at their DZ isn't doing a good job. Just my 2 cents. Cheers

No its not. Yes it is. Agreed. I did a hybrid on my 100th. You can build or launch a round with some stingers diving out after you.

Seriously...? It may sound trollish and repetitive to you because you have 4000+ jumps and have probably seen a ton of threads exactly like it. Think about it: he's new to the sport, super excited to get into it, and obviously doesn't have a ton of knowledge. And if the people at his home DZ don't know much about said canopy, this seems like the next best thing. Instead of cracking jokes about students' 'mad skillz,' how about offering them a bit of constructive advice?

Here's the thing... I bet that if someone gave you a crossbraced sub 100sq ft canopy, you could probably land it standing up just fine coming straight in. But the landing isn't the main problem. It's the performance of the canopy and how it plays into hairy situations, ie being in a bad spot

I was in the position to take a picture of this under canopy on a video jump once.... Unfortunately, sport mode on a sub-par still camera can't quite focus with all that white :(

Hello, I am an instructor at Colorado SkySports in Boulder. We have taken one 16yo girl through the IAD course, with the consent of her parent (who also learned to jump at the same time as her). We would love to have you come out. If you are in the Boulder area, please feel free to stop in and visit us at the Boulder Municipal Airport. Blue Skies, Shayne

It's already been said, so feel free to pick your mix. 1. MC-4 military rig Rigs: Vector (v382ish) Javelin Infinity Can't find the TSO for Wings, Racer or Icon... Mains: PD Sabre2 260 PD 300 Falcon 300 ZP Manta 320 F111 Manta 290 Man-O-War 320 Rage 230 Icarus 229 PD Navigator 300 Reserves: PD 281 Smart 250 Optimum 253 Falcon 300

No DZ in Cali will accommodate a 255lb jumper? Wow. I've personally taken students in that range successfully through an IAD course to A license in Colorado, where we are at around 5,300ft MSL. And with 100% success rate and no injuries. I think that it's sad that a DZ, especially at sea level, would deny someone the opportunity of a lifetime -- to learn to skydive. Especially becuase there are student setups that are TSO'd for that weight range. Not to mention, some folks are just big boned and have a BMI that would not allow for health weight loss.

GoPro or go home...

The biggest mistake here was your friend downsizing TO a fully elliptical canopy. Anywho, like someone mentioned before, each person is different, with many different variables playing into the equation. The biggest variable, in my opinion, is how frequently he jumps. Some folks acquire 100 jumps in as little as a few months, others in 2+ years. If he's the type that got the 100 jumps in a short time span, then obviously he's got a thirst for the sport and is being very consistent in his canopy (and overall skydiving) skill progression. This would lead me to believe that he is a heads up jumper that, with the correct guidance, would be able to safely learn to fly the canopy he was sold. However, if he's a sporadic jumper, then he isn't going to be on his game and the elliptical might not be right for him. Secondly, who the hell says that the samurai has a long recovery arc? You must not have a whole lot of experience on said canopy... I've personally owned one, put around 400 jumps on it, and can say that the recovery arc is medium at best. I also have a friend who owned a 105 at a 1.7:1 wing loading and he'll tell you the same thing. Now consider the fact that your little 170lbs friend loading his 150 sam at 1.1 is going to have a shorter recovery arc than a sabre. So to answer your question: if your friend is a heads-up fellow consistently jumping and has an experienced instructor to give him proper advice, then I would say that he will be fine. If he is not in the position that I just described, then I would say he is on the wrong canopy and would perhaps be better suited on a semi-elliptical like a sabre or safire.