tempest

Hi One more thing to keep in mind is that the act of hanging on the strut is there to help with your presentation and not to prove how strong you are. If you get your hands into a good position on the strut, step off into the hanging position and then slip what is the problem? Seeing that the intention is to let go at some point the failure to hang on for an extended (or any) period of time is not a big issue. Too often students are scared to 'fall off', and this is especially relevant to smaller girls. Hanging on is not part of the success criteria for the jump - a stable exit is. If you slip just look up and arch. If you are ready for the possibility of a slip it is no big deal. As long as you arch and keep your head up you will have a good exit. My briefings to students include the question 'what if you slip?'. Most students think that that would constitute some kind of failure and result in a repeat of the jump. This is probably because we require the student to look at the instructor and say 'check in' before we give the exit command. The check is to ensure thea the instructor can ascertain the mental state of the student by looking at their eyes, keeps the student from looking down and helps the student focus on the task at hand. While a student should strive to do all of this it should not become a fixation. As you do more jumps and get more comfortable you will find the whole ordeal becoming much easier and you might even start enjoying it. My wife is of similar stature and had similar challenges. By the end of her static line progression there were no issues climbing out or hanging on, simply because she had figured out what technique worked for her and because she was more confident and assertive. After all that, just go out there and don't worry about falling off - it's just a quicker start to your skydive :-) Good luck Emile

Hi I'm not sure but you could try to email the dropzone, I'm sure they will put it inthe competitor's basket. According to the web site ithe email address is [email protected]. If I can find a fax number I'll post that as well. The good news is that the 4 way has done round 1 and are busy with round 2. The weather isn't fantastic but it is jumpable. This means that they will probably start 8 way in the morning. Blue skies (hopefully) Emile

Day one has started overcast with intermittent drizzle. All 4 way teams are still on standby and 8 way is scheduled to start at 12:00. No one is holding their breath for a start any time soon though... Emile

Hi PJ Try this link: http://www.malevskycup.ru/about_eng.shtml From the site: Emile

Thanks for this information. It is similar to what the team has been talking about recently. One question that comes up is whether this as a three stage move or not. I managed to get hold of footage from the 2005 US nationals to help me visualize the technique described here, and it has helped a lot. I couldn't identify specific stages in the compressed move but that may simply be because I haven't wathced it in slow motion yet. Emile

Thanks, I will download it and check it out as soon as I can. Emile

Thanks for the detailed replies guys. We have had some feedback that the solo fliers can help stop the rotation on the compressed pieces, but I think the compressed should do their best to stop on it's own. It looks like we will just have to experiment with the compressed piece tecnnique to find out what works for us. But we will definitely incorporate the information from your replies. Cheers Emile

Hi I know this forum is mainly used to discuss 4 way technique but I was hoping someone would be able to help with some tips for 8 way block 17. I'm looking for information on the technique on all three distinct jobs in this block. 1. The centers 2. The compressed piece 3. The outside flyers We seem to have the levels under control but the block is not as consistent or smooth as we would like. The heading for the formation changes and I think it's due to the fact that the compressed pieces over rotating or moving. Any help on individual technique and targeting would be appreciated. Thanks Emile

Hi I believe that JSC (Johannesburg Skydiving Club) located at Carletonville would be the closest club with the best facilities. Speaking under correction it should be about a 30-40 min drive. The club does both Static Line and AFF student courses, which run every weekend. You can get more information at http://www.jsc.co.za. Hope to see you there soon. Emile

Hi I should have posted this earlier, but I lost my result sheet at the closing ceremony party The draws and results for the competition were as follows: 4-Way Open E-1-J-P, 13-17-15, G-16-19, 11-A-5, Q-B-14-H, 3-C-8, F-6-K-M, 18-9-4, 2-22-21, D-10-N-7 401 Project Skyhigh 19, 13, 16, 16, 18, 15, 22, 13, 12, 16, Total 160, Avg 16 402 This is it Team 12, 11, 10, 10, 11, 10, 15, 11, 11, 12, Toral 113, Avg 11.3 407 dPhi 13, 8, 10, 9, 12, 9, 12, 10, 11, 12, Total 106, Avg 10.60 404 G4B 14, 8, 12, 6, 13, 8, 14, 9, 5, 11, Total 100, Avg 10 403 Fabulous Uniots 13, 7, 11, 6, 13, 8, 14, 10, 9, 8, Total 99, Avg 9.9 405 Superfly 10, 9, 9, 6, 8, 9, 12, 9, 7, 10 Total 89, Avg 8.9 406 Fun Odyssey 7, 5, 5, 6, 5, 5, 9, 7, 6, 0, Total 55, Avg 5.5 4-Way Ladies D-12-22, H-7-B-F, 15-2-P, M-Q-11-5, 20-6-A, 17-13-4, K-10-18, N-3-21, 9-O-E-G, J-1-C-8 411 PUG aka bnb 8, 17, 8, 9, 10, 8, 7, 9, 15, 11, Total 102, Avg 10.2 410 Quintoya 8, 17, 9, 9, 8, 9, 8, 0, 0, 0, Total 68, Avg 6.8 8-Way Open 8-G-O-7, H-20-B-9, 16-13-15, 2-19-17, C-L-4-K, Q-18-A-11, 10-N-21, J-6-12, 5-P-F-3, D-M-14-22 801 Geri 8 Trix 7, 6, 9, 6, 11, 8, 8, 8, Total 63, Avg 7.87 802 Project Assassin8 7, 7, 9, 5, 9, 7, 8, 7, Total 59, Avg 7.37 Results from the other competitions: 4-Way Intermediate (6 Rds) 302 Quintoya 11, 17, 16, 14, 12, 12, Total 82, Avg 13.66 304 Dphi 10, 13, 4, 12, 13, 11, Total 63, Avg 10.50 301 Swoop my Pottie 10, 11, 10, 9, 11, 9, Total 60, Avg 10.0 303 Kiss my Tailgate 3, 9, 10, 10, 9, 9, Total 50, Avg 8.33 305 Bloem 5, 5, 4, 1, 5, 4, Total 24, Avg 4.0 There are additional scores for 4-Way Novice, 2-Way Novice and Open. If anyone is interested let me know and I'll post them. Blue skies Emile

I agree. Jump what you are comfortable with, the last thing you need to worry about during an AFF jump is your canopy. Here's to your Safire and my Pilot. Maybe someone from a canopy manufacturer can comment on the way size influences opening characteristics, if at all. The answer should be quite interesting.

Ok, my mistake on the demo. I agree that the generic pro-pack shouldn't be an issue (and it happens to be similar to the packing method in the manual), which is why I tried to take it out of the equation. My question still stands - does the size of the canopy affect the opening characteristics? We all know that canopies don't always scale between sizes, but is it generally true that smaller canopies take longer to open than their larger counterparts (assume same design). Or is this issue just too complex to answer with a simple yes/no. Well, no mater which canopy anyome jumps, at least we had a full weekend of good weather. cheers Emile

Hi Tonto I've heard you say this a couple of times, and it's obviously from your experience with a pilot demo. What I find interesting is that it's contrary to my experience on the pilots I've jumped. I've put 200+ jumps on pilots (168 and 150) and my openings are consistently around 400-500 ft. I pack according to the manual and when (occasionally) I use a packer he does the same. I have had two long snivels when I used a different packer that rolls the nose etc. After showing them the correct packing technique the issue disappeared. Now, if we take packing out of the equation, could the size affect the opening this much (double the altitude loss)? I'm assuming that the canopy you used was somewhere between 104 and 124 sq ft, while my experience is mainly on a 150. I'm curious about the answers since it will make demoing a canopy before buying one even more essential. Blue ones Emile

Hi Aubrey What you are describing is a BOC system. What Tonto is talking about is a ripcord system that obviously works differently. Could you please explain the intended operation of this ripcord system as well? I would like to hear your and Tonto’s thoughts on this. Thanks Emile