davelepka

Bottom line on this issue - If you want to do what's best for your GF, and save money in the process, wait until she is ready to buy a rig and then buy her what she is currently able to safely jump at that time. Nobody has any way of knowing what she is going to need after 20 or 25 jumps, so anything you buy now is subject to either being a waste of money, or turning into a 'it's good enough and we already have it' situation. Take a giant step back from the situation and give her a chance jump, and learn, and see what she thinks. If she likes it and wants to buy gear, let her and her instructors make the choice as to what would be a smart choice for her at that time. Let's face it, with 150 jumps and a few years in the sport, you're no expert and no instructor with years of experience training new jumpers. The best thing you can do is realize that and let the best people for the job do what they do best. I'm not a TI. I brought a close friend to the DZ to do a tandem a few weeks back, and while I answered some questions for her and went along to shoot a video and be a part of the jump, when it came to jump-specific questions and how to conduct the jump, it was all on the TI. He's way better at that shit than I am, and I wanted my friend to have the best experience possible so I made sure there were 'experts' working on all facets of her jump. I didn't tell the pilot how to fly the plane, or the TI how to do a safe tandem.

At which point you are still in freefall lower than you wanted to be. In cases where people have hit the ground with partially deployed reserves, that could be looked at as the first link the chain of events that lead up to an incident. With all other things be equal, if the exact same event took place but had started at a higher altitude, the reserve would have had time to inflate. That's just one example, but you get the idea. Let's keep in mind that pull time is a pre-determined altitude, and not something you think of at the last second. With that in mind, you should be aware of pull time for some time before it arrives. Be it for break off from a jump, or when you switch to belly from a solo freefall, the point is that you should know pull time is coming and taking steps in that direction at least 10 to 15 seconds before it actually arrives. With that in mind, you would be just as surprised if the audible went off 500ft above pull time if it went off below your pull time on a jump where you lost altitude awareness and were not in the process of ending your freefall. The difference would be that you would still be above your desired pull altitude as opposed to below when your audible 'surprised' you. The benefit of being surprised, and learning that you were not altitude aware remains, but you also learned that lesson with altitude to spare. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Time Out work in 200ft increments? So if you have been setting it 200ft low, I would suggest you move that to 600ft above pull time (400ft is on the low side, and not sticking with the idea of being more conservative for the sake of safety). Provided you follow that advice, you would 'learn your lesson' 800ft higher if you follow my plan, and that's a significant chunk of altitude and time when you're talking about the bottom end of a skydive. Yes, and I'm pretty sure my answer above makes that clear. For the record, I have a couple thousand jumps on Time Out audibles, and thought they were great. The single programmable beep was fine when coupled with the pre-programmed 2500ft beep and the flatline that kicks in somewhere under 2k.

Regardless, the fact remains that it's a big change in sq footage and a change in canopy type. The more 'new' you add at any one time, the more chances you have for getting caught off-guard.

If you're considering Perris, go there. They can meet your requirements, they have a tunnel on the DZ and Elsinore is 20 min over the hill. Provided you can get your license, it might be fun to drive over the hill and jump at another DZ. If you have 5 jumps in the bag, you should have no problem finishing up in two weeks. I would suggest you keep jumping at home, and head out there with as many jumps logged as possible. Make sure that your logbook is filled out and all jumps are signed, and your USPA membership is current when you take your trip. Another idea is to try and get a jump in within 30 days of your trip. This will keep you current, and avoid another hassle when you show up at a new DZ. You might just get a chilly Oct hop n pop, but a jump is a jump, and it will keep you current. HOWEVER, if you end up going 29 days between your last jump at home and your first jump on your trip, while you're still current, make sure your coach/instructor knows that it's been a while since your last jump. You'll be at a new DZ, jumping different gear, from a different plane, into a different DZ, so current or not, it's not a bad idea to do a 'low pressure' jump just to get the feel of the place. While you might be able to do your next coach jump, to add a new freefall skill to all the other new stuff might not be smart. You could do a solo, or if you want a coach/instructor, maybe just do a couple practice hackey touches, and some easy docks/turns in freefall, just to ease the workload a little. If you're thinking Florida, Z-Hills is nice as is Deland. Or you could hti Spaceland in Texas.

Yep, things are coming together nicely. Now it seems the flock it going to take a shot at the Ohio wingsuit record (whatever that currently may be). There's been some talk of bringing in a Caravan to bump the lift capacity, but that hasn't been confirmed as of yet. Speaking of lift capacity, the registration includes a raffle ticket to win a slot in one of the cleanest, fully restored, radial powered Beech-18s around. This plane is waaaaay too nice to put into the regular boogie rotation, but the owner/pilot was nice enough to offer to fly a 'couple' loads. We figured that a raffle was the best way to handle the limited number of slots, so the good news is that the odds of winning are better than just a single prize as there are 'several' slots up for grabs. Exactly how many slots is still 'to be determined' as the plane currently has a full interior (seats!), and the jury is still out as far as how much of the interior (if any) will be removed for the boogie. So far there's 100+ jumpers registered, the band is booked for Sat night, and I'll be picking up several kegs next week, so there's no way this isn't going to turn into a good time.

Nobody should. Altitude awareness should be a cross-check of mechanical devices (visual and/or audible), your own eyeballing of the ground, and that clock in the back of your head that tells you the skydive is getting 'old'. You should never count on any one of them, but you should monitor them all and draw your conclusions from there. Here's why that's wrong - on your 'bad' day, you're 200 ft behind the curve to start with. On your 'really bad' day, your troubles start 500ft above your 'target' altitude when your audible doesn't go off, which is still 700ft above where your troubles would have started on your 'bad' day. If you read my whole post, you'll see the paragraph about the need to be honest with yourself about your altitude awareness, and that if the audible 'surprises' you in that you had no idea it was going to beep when it did, you need to do way better keeping track of things. The audible should simply be a confirmation of what you already know, not a source of 'new' information. An audible is simply a tool, and it's up to each jumper to use it properly.

Why? Seems like two big steps all at once. 40 sq feet and switching to an X-braced canopy. Keep in mind that downsizes tend to become more significant the higher up you go in WL. So the jump from 1.65 up to 1.85 is going to be far more significant than the jump from 1.45 up to 1.65, even though the amount of downsize is equal. Consider canopy sizing for a moment, and how the larger sizes tend to have a bigger gap between sizes. 190 to 170 is 20 sq ft, 150 to 135 is only 15 sqft, and 120 down to 107 is only 13 sq ft. The reason being that the higher up you get in WL, the bigger difference a smaller change makes. Look the sizing on something like a Velo. They go from an 84 to a 79 to a 75. That last one is only 4 sq ft. I've jumped a 90 and an 84 back-to-back, and can you feel the 6 sq ft of difference. What you're suggesting seems like a fairly big step in a couple different directions. Maybe consider an intermediate step of some sort. If you've really been jumping for 28 years, what's the rush now? Put a season (or even a half-season) on one more transitional wing, and then see how you feel. Maybe a smaller X-fire or a Katana?

This question is an odd one, because different jumps have different requirements. A better question would be about the 'strategy' that people use with their audible. Right off the top, most audibles have 3 alarms, and most skydives have 3 'key' altitudes, with those being break-off, pull, and your hard deck, so there seems to be a natural fit there. As previously stated, some people will set them for just under their key altitudes, counting on their eyes and brain (and conventional altimeter) to keep track of things, and the audible is there if you blow it and lose track of those things. I disagree with this idea because if you do make that mistake, you don't find out until it's too late and the mistake has been made. Another idea is to set them right at your key altitudes, but due to the speeds were falling, even when you do that your key altitude is well above you by the time you hear and react to your audible. My thought has always been to set them 500ft above your key altitudes, so you know what's coming up and have time to act accordingly. If you want to break off at 4500ft, set the first beep for 5000ft, and you stand a good chance of turning away and tracking right at 4500ft. Ditto for your pull altitudes, give yourself 500ft to get the hackey out. So what about 'relying' on your audible with that plan? It could happen, but it's up to you to be honest with yourself about your altitude awareness. If you set your audible 500ft above break off, and it comes as a complete surprise to you every time it goes off, you need to step up your game in terms of altitude awareness. If you have recently checked your visual altimeter, and that 'clock' in the back of your brain starting to tick-tock a little louder, and the beep 500ft above break off is no surprise to you, then you're doing OK. In my mind, if you're going to lose altitude awareness, it happens well above missing your key altitudes so I'd rather have your audible clue you in before you smoke through those altitudes, not after.

Thread title says it all, details/registration here - http://www.aerohio.com/view.php?ta-ta-s-and-tailgates-boogie-info.html https://www.facebook.com/events/507234759357714/

How would a WL BSR hurt business? If people are required to downsize one step at a time, they'll require more canopies than if they are allowed to skip sizes willy-nilly. The simple fact remains that saving any manufacturer a wrongful death lawsuit requires the elimination of that wrongful death. You cannot have one without the other in this case. If the move was made to change the laws or the waivers, making it harder to sue, you would have a point. In that case, the wrongful death could occur and the lawsuit would not follow. Win for the manufacturer, no gain for the gen. pop. of jumpers. However, by making a move designed to prevent the wrongful death in the first place, the first benefit is the jumper who does not die, with the secondary benefit being to the manufacturers who don't get sued. I still cannot see where there is a line of demarcation between the manufacturers and the jumpers such that the USPA could serve only one. Even if some of their actions only benefitted the manufactures, as long as there was no harm to the jumpers, the worst part is that they wasted some time on that business to only benefit the manufacturers. Even then, there's a symbiotic relationship between the jumpers and manufactures, and typically if one is better off, the benefits will 'trickle down' to the other. If you can show where the USPA has served the manufacturers to the detriment of jumpers, you might have a point. Short of that, I just don't see the problem.

Ohio State University not only has a club, they offer skydiving as a course in the Phys Ed dept and students earn credits for taking it (they don't have to jump). I would second what others have said, keep at it. The precedent has been set at schools all across the country for decades that a skydiving club is not such an insurmountable liability-monster that that university cannot support it. http://osuskydivingclass.com/

Damn straight, but this thread is about using that equipment on paid video. As far as stills go, I really feel like my 'job' has become to take the stills and just let the video go along for the ride. Years ago I shot mostly video with no stills, and the job was flying the video, looking for angles and 'moves' I could do that would add to the final product. Then I started shooting stills on every jump, but this was in the film days, and our SOP was to hand the used roll of film to the customer, so you never saw your stills. But once we switched over to digital still, everything changed. Now I can review my stills within 10 min of actually shooting them, and that instant feedback can't be beat when it comes to connecting your performance to the final product. So now the 'job' is to get the stills, and the video shoots itself. The point? Without control over the shutter and a 'quick' rate on the shutter (multiple fps), you're not doing the 'job'. Your just flying around with the cameras (both of them) on auto-pilot.

It's not a slight on the people or their attitudes, but if a DZ does not have the instructional staff, aircraft capacity or student gear to support the students jumping as much as they want, then that's just not a good DZ for student training. We have a local DZ that is primarily a 182 DZ that has very few AFF instructors (all are also tandem I) and maybe one student rig. Many times tandems have taken up AFF there, only to get discouraged when they get one (maybe no) jumps in on a given day because of the tandems taking up the space in the plane the instructors time. Many of those students have transitioned to our DZ to complete their training. We have a dozen+ instructors/coaches, 20 student/rental rigs, and fly 15-20 Caravan loads every Sat and Sun. As a student, you can make as many jumps as time and money allows. Once licensed, many of these jumpers will return to the other DZ to fun jump from time to time, but in terms of student training, that's just not what they do best over there. I'm willing to bet the people you jump with now will just be glad to see you get your training completed and get your license. If they really are 'great' people, they see you sitting there all day waiting to jump and probably feel bad that they can't do more for you.

Just a thought - people jump 'hard' for different reasons, but I would guess that time and money are the big ones. People who have the money to jump hard rarely have unlimited time, so they make the most of the time they do have at the DZ. People who jump for money also jump hard, but that's because they get paid per-jump, and more jumps = more money. If you had unlimited time and money, what's the rush?

Nope, the angle is right on. The way the helmet sits on the ground makes it look like its pointing up, but when when you wear the helmet it tilts forward in your head and point straight ahead. Like I said, 150 jumps on it with no problems shooting a variety of different jumps.

Close, but there's too much 'stuff' up there. See attached. I've got about 150 jumps on this between AFF, freeflying and some outside RW camera jumps, and it's been great.

As mentioned, you will be given a very large and forgiving student canopy on your first dozen (or so) jumps. You will also be limited to jumping in favorable (or better) weather conditions, and your instructors will carefully control where you are allowed to jump out of the plane in relation to the DZ (they'll put you in an 'ideal' spot). Canopy flight and obstacle identification and avoidance will be taught during your first jump course. You will be shown how to 'flight plan' your canopy ride for the given winds on jump day, and your instructors will go over that plan with you before you board the plane. Finally, as a back up, most DZs will provide you with a one-way radio so an instructor on the ground can give your assistance/direction while you are under canopy. Given the above, you can see that your odds of making a safe landing are better than average. Keep in mind that landing on the DZ is far less important than landing in a clear, open area.

Weight and WL do matter, but really only in the beginning when it comes to a downsizing progression. When you select your first canopy, you should choose a WL that is 'sensible' for your weight and experience. Once that is done, downsizing is strictly a function of skill, experience, and currency. Regardless of what your weight is now, you only need to look at how well you handle your current canopy when making the decision to downsize. That's the only relevant factor. You do not 'need' any particular WL, what you 'need' is to jump a canopy that you can safely handle in the worst case scenario. If higher winds pick up when the plane is on jumprun, and turn into high, gusty winds, and you get blown away from the DZ and have to land off, you need to be on a canopy that you can reliably set down in a potentially smaller LZ with the possibility of turbulence. At that point, it's your skill, experience, and currency that will get you safely down, not attaching yourself to a particular WL. Think about it, your own example illustrates how different DZs and different jumpers will start off on different WL, so to a degree, it's an arbitrary number. To then turn around and take that arbitrary number and make it a 'rule' such that you downsize your canopy because you lost some weight is making a mistake. The number is what it is, but it's not related to your skill, experience. and currency on that canopy/WL. While there are differing opinions about what sort of canopy or WL is appropriate for a newbie, I would suggest that it's a universal opinion that downsizing should be done one size at a time, and only when you've demonstrated competency on your current wing. While the first step might be different for everyone, each step after that should only be one step at a time.

How do you know the camera rule should not apply to you? What experience do you have SKYDIVING with a camera to show that? How do you know the rate that you personally keep or lose SKYDIVING skill? How do you know what your SKYDIVING limits are? The answer to all of the above is that you don't. You assume that you know, but it's unreasonable for you to expect others to count on your assumptions when it comes to their own personal safety or the health/existence of their business. Other jumpers have to share the sky with you, and the DZ is put at risk anytime there is an incident involving injury or death. Again, think about any of your other hobbies, and imagine how you would feel if the newest of new guys started complaining about established rules and methods that have worked well for years, claiming that he was 'above' them and should not be subjected to them. You are the newest of new guys in skydiving. You have 15 jumps total, and I made 18 jumps last weekend, 21 the weekend before, and plan to do about the same this weekend. Of your 15 jumps, at least 7 were made under the direct supervision of an instructor, and based on your complaints, the majority of the other 8 have been made under the supervision of a coach. When it comes to solo, unsupervised jumps, what do you have? Four? Maybe five? You are in no position to be calling the shots.

Perfect. Now compare your skill on a dirtbike to that in skydiving. With 15 jumps total over 5 years, you have very little experience in the sport. So if you were to 'dial back' your jumping the same way you do with your riding when returning from a long layoff, what would you end up doing? With your experience (more or less the least possible) the only way for you to take a step back with your jumping is to have a coach or instructor go with you. There's nothing you can do to make your 16th jump easier or safer on your own (like not hitting the big jumps on a bike), so if you take your riding mindset to the DZ, having a coach or instructor with your is 'taking it easy'. Besides, no amount of taking it easy will help you have a safe ride through the woods when some squid hits a double and plants his back tire on the back of your helmet. That's the same thing I'm afraid of at the DZ, it's not me making a mistake, it's another guy taking me out because he's in over his head. No shit, be ready for bullshit rules out the wazoo. If you think skydivers have a hard on for being current, show up for a flying lesson with no ink your logbook for a couple months. They'll knock you back 10 steps in your training, and if your protest, your CFI will make an example out of you and do his best to get you to damn near shit your pants. Flying a plane is like skydiving x10 when it comes to knowledge, skill and proficiency. There's a lot going on in the cockpit, and being able to juggle it all is a skill that takes regular practice and currency.

Both great choices. Midwest is smaller than Tecumseh, but not by much. It's run by the current vice president of the USPA (United States Parachute Association), and in the skydiving world, that's a pretty big deal. The point is that you're going to get top notch quality instruction at either place, and if Midwest is closer to your home, go visit there and see what you think. If you like the look of the place, like the answers they have to any questions you can think of, and generally feel welcome, by all means do your training there. Chances are, being so close to you, it will be your 'home' DZ, that being the place to do the majority of your jumps. When you're trying to fit skydiving into a busy life schedule, hours of driving becomes a real barrier. So if you're going to be jumping there, doing your AFF there will get you on a first name basis with the instructional staff from day one. If you train elsewhere and then show up to Midwest with an A license, you'll be brand new and not know anyone on the staff. Being a new jumper, it's a big help when all of your instructors are there to watch over your shoulder or answer any questions you might have. That said, once you have a license, by all means you should go spend a day at Tecumseh, and a day at Skydive Chicago, and anywhere else you can think, just to meet new people and jump new places. Call Tecumseh and see if your gift card can be used next year to pay for fun jumps.

Just go ahead and name names. Tell us which DZs you are choosing between, and people who have been to one or both will be able to give you good feedback. There's no 'rule' against naming DZs, and especially in your case you haven't said anything bad about either one.

OK, so I'm guessing that you ride MX based on your screen name. How would you feel if just anyone was allowed to race alongside you in an expert class with little to no riding or racing experience? As a racer, don't you count on the skill of your fellow racers to allow you to safely ride at 10/10ths handlebar to handlebar? Isn't that why you have amateur classes and 125cc classes, to allow guys to build their skill and experience before going all out on a 450 just inches away from you? This is the same thing. You're not as good as you think you are, and yes you do lose skill and ability the longer you stay away from the sport. Given your minimal knowledge, it might seem to you that you lose 'nothing' over the course of a 6 or 12 month layoff, but at the same time if you were to forget one or two things, that would represent a large chunk of your overall knowledge. Tell me that in your first MX practice of the season you're as fast or smooth as you are before your last race of the season. You know you get better the more you practice and the more frequently you ride. No difference in skydiving. I know that when I don't jump for 4 or 5 months over the winter break, I come back rusty and need a handful of jumps to get back into the swing of things. I've been jumping for half of my life, and yes, my jumps are going to be a bit more complicated than what you're doing. but the fact remains that currency is a real factor when it comes to your performance in the air. I can understand your frustration to a degree, but the fact is that skydiving is not an 'occasional' sport the way you want it to be. You can jump 'occasionally', but you will have to jump through the hoops that have been presented to you.

So should DZs cater to you, the occasional jumper, or should they cater towards the jumpers who spend considerably more time and money at the DZ. I, for one, would prefer it if people could not just walk in off the street, in-experienced and un-current. and just jump any way they please. I have to share an airplane, landing pattern and landing area with everyone who jumps at my DZ, and I like to know that they have met a minimum level of training, experience, and currency before being cut loose to skydive alongside me.

I'm guessing your friend speaks Chinese? Maybe she could go along and interpret for the instructors? I'm assuming she would want to do a tandem, and if your friend could help out with the training, and teach her mom a handful of key phrases, I'm willing to bet one of the TIs would be game.