Tomcat933

What is density altitude?

What's a canopy transfer?

Dragon, those guys look like they're doing military style static lines. Any reason why?

Can anyone give me the email address of the DZO or of someone high up at Skydive Carolina in Chester, SC? I'm interested in going down there for a jump this weekend, and I have some questions about available gear to rent that will be more easily answered through email.

What exactly went wrong on your landing? Just curious.

How many jumps do you guys think is an acceptable number to start jumping with a camera? I'm not thinking about doing it any time soon, its not like i have the money to buy one anyway, I'm just wondering.

You shouldn't think about buying a rig until you get your license. You have done one tandem, you've probably spent maybe three hours around a dropzone, there is no way you know enough to make an informed decision about what to buy. The question you're asking is like asking which airplane you should buy having ridden in one once. Even if you somehow did have infinite knowledge before you started jumping, which is impossible, you will need a very large student rig until you're certified, and then you may want to downsize to something slightly smaller. Unless you're planning on buying two rigs in a relatively short period of time, don't even think about it till you're close to getting your license. Another point, you may start jumping solo and find out this sport isn't really for you. If you've bought a rig, you're probably going to feel obligated to stay.

I'm 20, unfortunately still pretty dependent on my parents to get through college, so i pretty much have to tell them everything i do that costs money. I told my dad I was going to do a skydive before I did my first, I didn't tell my mom until it was over. Both of them have actually jumped now. Unless you know your parents will freak out about it, there's no reason not to tell them.

Yesterday i had some equalization problems while jumping, when i landed i noticed that my left ear was ringing very loudly, and i couldn't hear much until i stretched my jaw out and it equalized. It hurt for a while after the jump. What could have caused this?

Where do you jump in NC?

My first freefall was jump 10, I had some problems, but probably would have reached freefall earlier if the wind hadn't picked up multiple times between my last PRCP and first freefall. My main problem with stability during static lines was that i would experience sensory overload, and either completely forget what I was supposed to do, or lose track of what my limbs, especially my legs, were doing. All it took to fix these problems was simply getting used to being outside the airplane. Once i was comfortable, I could recognize what my body was doing, correct it, and do it right. Obviously i completely respect these people for sticking with it and trying to figure the thing out, I'm just wondering how problems before PRCP could last for as long as some of these people are saying they have. Can the people just not get comfortable outside the airplane? Because as long as you are semi aware of what is going on when you're outside the airplane, all you have to do is let go and arch.

I haven't jumped since November, and I'm planning on going out for a jump or two tomorrow. I feel like i've remembered everything I've learned, but of course want to be on the safe side before i jump. Obviously I'm going to do whatever my instructor tells me I need to do, but I'm just wondering what is usually considered too long to go in between jumps before someone needs to go through some kind of recurrency course before they can jump again.

Just jumped, forty degrees on the ground, wasn't too bad. The gloves i was wearing were absolutely not sufficient though I had trouble getting my hands through the toggles because i couldn't control my fingers.

What about after your first cutaway? I hold a skydiving license, but i've never had a major malfunction. I don't think i'll go from feeling like someone who skydives to a skydiver until I KNOW that i can remain calm and do everything humanly possible to save myself in an emergency. And i won't find that out until it happens.

I can understand why you wouldn't want to wear a suit, but I know that i am going to bust my ass occasionally on landing, and when i'm sliding across the ground on my face, i want some material protecting my skin, and I sure as hell want a helmet protecting my head. So personally, I'll never jump without a helmet, and unless i'm planning on landing in water, i'll never jump without something protecting my skin.

I also did my first jump just to check skydiving off my bucket list. Now i'm licensed, and i'll be jumping as long as i have the time and money to. I can't go five minutes without thinking about jumping.

I'm 6'5'' 175 and i can maintain stability. It shouldn't really matter at all.

I've only done one, it was awesome though, the thing started spinning and when i let go i got thrown.

I just do what i'm told. The DZO and tandem instructor told me to exit after, so thats what I did. I'm way too inexperienced to question what the DZO and instructors tell me to do. I was nowhere near them in the air though, I waited at least ten seconds, and the plane did a sort of right angle turn before i exited because the spot was long.

Well, we're missing something pretty important here: her version of the events. Any idea what that might be? I know for sure that she claimed to not be able to find the drogue, and i know for sure that the cyprus fired. I didn't press for any more information, since I'm a far less experienced skydiver than her. As for following her out, I've already done it twice on her practice tandems with a certified skydiver as a passenger, and i gave her plenty of room both times, waiting at least ten seconds after she left. Both she and the DZO felt confident that i would stay out of her way, and therefore i don't feel like it was bad judgement on her part to let me exit after.

I just can't figure out why it took so long for her to find the reserve handle when she couldn't get the drogue out.

One of my friends from college wanted to come out and do a Tandem at my C-182 dropzone today, so i took her to do it. We were on the first load of the day, the tandem was going to exit first and i was going to exit and do a solo ten seconds after they left. I was in the door as they exited, they rolled over on exit, and in the ten seconds i watched them before i dove out myself, the drogue wasn't deployed. I dove out, did my solo and pulled at 3500. I looked around for the tandem, expecting them to be somewhere behind me and at least a thousand feet above me. Finally i looked down, and they were about a hundred feet off the ground under a reserve. I landed, a little panicky that they might be hurt. Both of them were fine, but i found out that the instructor couldn't get the drogue out, and didn't find the reserve handle until about two seconds before the cyprus fired, which it did. How do you guys feel about this instructor? It was only her third tandem with a paying customer, although she has over fifteen hundred jumps. I saw the pack after the incident, and the drogue handle was visible and the DZO grabbed it and it popped right out. Scary experience overall, so glad neither of them got hurt.

Usually when i start spinning unintentionally, one of my legs is cocked out at an odd angle. You'll be able to look at your legs when you're on your back, so check and see if they're even. Also, backflying, to me at least, seems to be a more relaxed position than belly flying. Just flip over, get stable and try and just let your legs and arms do what they want instead of trying to fight your way into a stable position. I'd bet if you do you'll find yourself stable. And if you start flipping or something, that will be fine too.

It takes a lot longer than a few days for your body to reproduce the volume of blood lost when you donate blood. Thats why you can only give blood once every six weeks or so. Obviously much of your strength is returned way before the blood volume lost, so i would say you would be fine to jump within two days or so after giving blood.

Dave, those pics are SICK! I might have to come up there.