chuckakers

That story didn't mention that the teenager also had an GPS ankle bracelet, so I'm guessing he may need some occasional voltage therapy! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Or you could just pack yourself. Seriously, I used to absolutely despise packing. It made me want to punch myself in the face. Yet here I am now and I pack every jump and I do it on a brand new canopy which sucks ass to pack. You just have to fight the suckness and after you do it two dozen times you'll be doing it all the time. If you make 300 jumps in a year, that's $2800 a year saved assuming $7 a packjob plus tip. You could literally buy a new main every 225 jumps from the money saved. So look at it that way. Pay someone to pack your stuff or do it yourself and buy a brand new main every 225 jumps with the money saved. Which sounds like the better deal now? There was a time when no experienced jumper used a packer. When I started jumping in 1985, the instructors often packed their own tandem rigs and packed student rigs while teaching their student how to pack. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

RIP, Larry. The following is from Ed Scott, Executive Director the U.S. Parachute Association "Larry K. Bagley, D-4522, passed away on Tuesday March 27, 2018 after a brief illness. Larry served on USPA’s board of directors from 1975-1995, and as USPA President from 1981-1989. He also served a number of positions on the USPA staff from 1995 until his retirement in 2011. In 2003 Larry was honored with the FAI Paul Tissandier Diploma. In 2013 he was honored by USPA with the Lifetime Achievement Award. And in 2016 he was inducted into the International Skydiving Museum’s Hall of Fame. A recap of his many contributions to skydiving and USPA will appear in the next issue of Parachutist." Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Don't get discouraged. If skydiving was easy the boring people would do it and we'd go do something else. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

What was incorrect or incomplete on the gear check? Also, did the TI attempt to deploy the reserve after realizing a cutaway was not possible? Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

230 I believe. I had a 210. It changed everything about canopies forever. I think that was a bit different than this topic because the best we had before that were 9-cell, F-111 canopies, so it was a move forward regardless of pack volume or weight. It allowed people to jump smaller canopies because of the performance increase relative to what was available at the time. No zero-P, no elliptical canopies. PD was trying to push the limits and the Exalibur was the testing ground. It worked. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Correct and correct. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

You know there was a time when the instructor was the person with a jump. BTW, in the U.S. a jumper can become a rated coach with 100 jumps, and they routinely dispense advice. I think it makes more sense to just say don't give advice on any subject you're not extremely knowledgeable about - regardless of jump numbers. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

The last shipment of canopies that I received from PD had, in the largest letters on the shipping document, 'Signature Required.'* FedEx just left it on my front porch. * This may not be the absolutely correct, perfect wording on the shipping document, but I think you and others get the idea. Jerry Baumchen If that happened to me I would be on the phone pitching a king-sized bitch to management. Also, if you demand signature shipments and the parcel gets stolen from the porch without someone signing for, the delivery service is liable for the loss. That's the whole point behind requiring a signature - to PROVE you got it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

So my question stands. Why not just have a policy that shipments will only be made requiring signature? Requiring a signature is only a couple bucks extra and eliminates the loss of thousands of dollars in product loss. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Do you know that for a fact? Is it possible that the resident is the thief who used a fake name? BTW, a pretty solid way of avoiding this is to simply require a signature upon delivery. I NEVER order skydiving gear without demanding signature delivery. It's simply too expensive to risk it. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Well played, lady. Can't wait to see the finished product! Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Actually, that particular twist could be deadly. Look closely and you will see that the direction of the twist is such that there could be torque pulling the cutaway handle toward the jumper. This can and has caused handles to get folded under the main lift web. That in turn can make finding and gripping the handle difficult or impossible. Let's hear it for gear checks. Years ago a friend who was having a problem with his cutaway handle laying "too flat" against his body came up with the idea of putting an intentional twist in the cables that would create torque away from his body and it worked quite well. While not something I would teach or recommend, his technique did work. His cutaway handle always turned slightly outboard and efforts to fold it under the main lift web proved difficult. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Think less, fly more. Have fun becoming part of the family. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I knew John "W" Rose for many years. He was a kind gentleman with a heart of gold. RIP, sir. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Don't "get over" your fear, use it. Fear is nature's way of reminding us that we play a dangerous game. Fear keeps us honest and careful. Properly harnessed, fear can steer us from "stupid" to "calculated risk". Up to but not exceeding the point of dysfunction, fear is good. Fearlessness is only useful to warriors. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Sure, but they have a drogue which is huge and can generate a massive amount of resistance. A drogue should be able to break several of those tandem bands easily. By design, drogues collapse when released. I doubt they provide much more drag than an inflated pilot chute on a sport rig. Probably just enough more to counter for the weight of the bagged canopy. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Yes, I recall them saying that although several people have disagreed claiming they have had bag locks on double stowed rigs. Some of them post on here. There are photos online showing a bag lock on a double stow. While I am not in a position to really argue (never had a bag lock so I would not know), I do know it's most certainly possible to wrap the stow tight enough that it wont release. Whether that is possible with two wraps is obviously debatable, but I know some people who even go as far as triple stowing their lines and that sounds like approaching bag-lock territory. Someone once argued that a double stow cannot cause a bag lock because even if the band did not release the PC easily produces enough force to break any rubber band. On it's surface, I'd agree, that sounds logical as a PC should generate way more force than any rubber band can withstand. However in practice, there are several photos and videos showing bag locks where the bands did not release (for whatever reason) and the PC did not break the rubber band. I am wondering why that is? [.image]http://www.skydivewestpoint.com/skydiving-information/images/1Packing_009.jpg[/image] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmmxBP2zp9o I don't believe a tandem bag lock is a fair argument in this case. The rubber bands are considerably larger and stronger than those of standard sport rigs. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Stowless bag. Problem solved. I went stowless after 30 years of jumping tradition stow bags. Openings are noticeably better and more consistent. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I'll gladly address your comments. I am not "supposed to be a representative of USPA", I AM a representative of USPA - and more importantly a representative for our members. I am also a skydiver who is entitled to my own views. I am allowed to wear more than one hat. I wasn't trolling by any stretch of the imagination. Notice that after offering some sarcasm to demonstrate the nature of your mindset, I also offered what most would consider sound advice. Of course you are entitled to your opinions as well. If you are only going to make a few jumps IF you find yourself in north Texas why is the price of an individual jump ticket so important anyway? This is a dangerous game we play, sir. If a few bucks over a few jumps is that important I submit that you may be evaluating the game wearing blinders. “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten (especially when plummeting toward a large planet at high speed)” – Benjamin Franklin Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

"and always watch the horizon" Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

You are well intentioned, but maybe a bit narrow-minded with your suggestion. Videos depicting screw-ups, injuries, etc. can absolutely make a DZ look bad to those who don't understand the sport. Take large, busy DZ's for example. They may have multiple fatalities and injuries per year, and even when none of them are the fault of the DZ, whuffos still "wonder what the problem is". We don't need videos like the one being discussed here to teach us lessons. Anyone can be taught not to do what this person did without seeing it online. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

While you're at it, ask for the cheapest doctor, dentist, lawyer, and accountant too!! Seriously, when looking for a place to do AFF I think it would be better to ask for the BEST place rather than the cheapest. My recommendation is Skydive Spaceland Dallas. I have been associated with dozens of schools over the years and can say without a doubt that Spaceland's program is the very finest anywhere. We get what we pay for. "Cheap" is not what I would be looking for. Same goes for jump tickets. Personally, I want the best aircraft with the best maintenance and best pilots. Spaceland has that. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

Why do you say that? I would think the survival rate would have more to do with the circumstances. If the jumper is wearing a hard helmet and lands into the wind in an open field I would think the chances of survival are pretty good. No helmet, downwind, or into an obstacle and I'd say the chances drop dramatically. 2 cents Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX

I think it's different for every kid. My two children spent a lot of time on the drop zone, but we always made sure they could pursue whatever they wanted to. They did the sports thing, scouts, etc., but they also lived a great deal of their childhood hanging out with other kids at the DZ. And one of them did realize he could be a world-class athlete. He spent 4 years on Arizona Airspeed and now flies for the PD Factory Team and the US Parachute Team of Canopy Piloting. Apparently he didn't miss much hanging out at the DZ while Dad (and Mom) jumped. His older sister is equally talented, enjoying her passion for teaching and distance running. As far as I'm concerned, growing up on the DZ was very good for my kids, and all the other kids they hung out with are now in their 30's and all very successful and happy. When I ask them about growing up as a DZ kid, they all say they are glad they did. The skydiving culture was instrumental in shaping them and a big part of what they eventually came to be. Might not work for everyone, but it worked for my kids. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX