3mpire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI0pN9-ETBk&feature=fvw this one is pretty good too :) edited: clicky

Generally speaking its used when coordinating groups within a jump. We have two landing areas, one for students and A-B licensed jumpers (east field) and one for tandems and C-D license holders (airport). On the caravan we need to tell the pilot how many are getting out at each LZ. knowing how many groups or "sticks" makes it easier to know how to split the spot. If there are three groups for the east field, then we'll get the green light earlier, for example (although I always check the spot visually before going out the door!). In this case, however, I was actually on a 182 load that made 3 passes. The first two were static line students, the last pass myself and my instructor. Behind the 182 was the Caravan, so the jumper that I talked to about with the foggy visor was one of the "sticks" from that load. We all landed within five to ten minutes of each other. There are a lot of military bases around our area so lots of military come out. "Sticks" is something I've heard jumpers use and it made sense so that's the term I use. Everyone knows what it means even if denotatively we might kind of abuse it a bit. What is another general term that is used? Group? i.e. "there will be three groups getting out at the east field"?

Thanks--my new skydiving family at Snohomish have been great! I appreciate the wise words, as well. edit: spelling

Sounds like your number one priority is to try to stay within visible range of the other jumpers. I'd hate to think what a funneled exit would be like with limited visibility. In our case it was pretty cold so I would think even a few breaths with the visor closed would cause condensation. at altitude the board read -23C. those are not temps that we're jumping very frequently. It definitely makes me feel more confident with my pro-tec and goggles, as I don't have to worry about my breath causing fog. In his case though, fog prevention aside, an audible doesn't seem like a bad idea as a backup. in my case, my biggest issue with the cold was losing dexterity in my fingers. the rig I jump had a low profile d-ring SOS handle, so I only need to be able to get a thumb in to pull. if it was pillow handles I would be concerned about extremely numb fingers getting a good enough grip. What measures does everyone take when jumping in cold weather? Can extreme cold cause altimeters or AADs to read incorrectly?

I was jumping in cold weather last saturday (got my A!) and one of the things that came up with other jumpers was visibility. I wear simple clear plastic goggles which do not have much issues with fogging once the door is open. I've never had trouble seeing in freefall or under canopy. Another new jumper who was in a different stick was wearing a full face helmet, and on the ground he said that it was very foggy and he had a lot of trouble seeing. He also said this was the second jump where this has happened. What is the general rule you follow if you are unable to clearly see your altimeter? In this case the jumper did not have an audible, only an analog wrist-mounted alti. If you cannot see your altitude, do you attempt to do a prolonged wave off and pull in place? Try to turn and track away from other jumpers? I am going to talk with the instructors at my DZ about this, but I'm curious what others do/would do in that situation.

Go on...

Thanks!

Thanks for think link to the 3 ring maintenance PDF and the you tube video. I just got trained on 3 ring maintenance and replacing the closing loop, but it's good to have that PDF book marked for future reference. My instructor said it's kind of personal preference when it comes to lubricating the actual cut away cable--some do, some dont. Out of curiosity, after cleaning the cables, how many of you put some kind of lube on them before putting them back in? It seems unnecessary--my instructor, who is also a master rigger--doesn't. I'm going to follow his advice with my own rig. I'm more curious about the rationale for doing so.

Flying a rigid wing with jet engines, performing 2 loops, after jumping from a hot air balloon: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/05/5415101-jetman-flies-over-switzerland

cool, thank you!

Interesting--I never knew you could skip over a step. I just assumed that you had to progress sequentially A-D. I knew you got different numbers for each level, I just was confused as to why they would list both C and D but not others. Do you only "actively" use one at a time--like when you're a current member you use your most recent? Or can you just use them interchangeably (not sure why you would want to)? Just trying to get my head around the rules--Thanks!

I just got this month's parachutist, and I noticed in the profile of james hayhurst, they list two license numbers C-xxxx and D-xxxx. Why would they list both? Can you have more than one license number at a time?

This is off topic but I am not able to PM Olly directly. I'm a .NET web dev (C#) and was curious about learning more. If you send me a PM with your email I can contact you directly?

The old stick your ass in their air and spread 'em trick eh? Not falling for that one!

When my mom was in her twenties back in the day she did a static line jump. Growing up I knew she had done that and always wanted to try it. This summer, I had gotten out of a long term relationship (7 years) and had no idea how I was going to use all this free time I had on my hands. So I decided to make a static line jump. Turned out I found a way to use up all my free time! To bring it full circle, last weekend my mom who lives on the other side of the country flew out. I took her to the DZ and bought a tandem jump for her. Good times.

http://www.aeromods.com/u206f/20604.jpg

RFID chips in cards that you carry in a pocket. Have an RFID reader(s) near where you board the aircraft and at the LZ. That would do an automated check-in check-out for a much lower cost than GPS. All you need is a good choke point to put the RFID reader and the jumper doesn't have to do anything but pass by.

It would be a cool feature on dz.com to have a page that shows some of these stats for self reported jump numbers--just write a query against the db that sums the jump totals for all dz.com users (maybe broken down by license), excluding outliers who report tens of thousands. it wouldn't be at all scientific or even remotely meaningful, but it would be a cool number none-the-less. couple that with the lat/long coordinates of self-reported home DZs and you could even break it down by location.

I appreciate your feedback. I'll try to make it more clear that I am speaking of my own experience and not theirs in the future. I agree that this is a time to learn--my intention is not to teach. However one of the ways that people learn is by having a dialog and sharing their experiences. That should be encouraged

I'm just curious what the etiquette is for this. In this case I recounted my own experience, and suggested that they ask an instructor about it. I didn't speak from a position of authority or in any way suggest that my personal experience was even the same as theirs. But is the rule that if you don't have X jumps you just don't speak at all?

HA! I am working on this same thing and I had a major breakthrough the other day: look at your arms. Are they below your shoulders? I had the same thing happening and it wasn't until I realized that when I was bringing my arms back to move forward that I was also bringing them down. This caused me to increase my fall rate but didn't do much to give me forward movement. When I started to sweep my arms back and OUT instead of down, I found that I was able to dock more easily. My instructor told me that i shouldn't have to be in a track to move forward--that I shouldn't have to even use much leg. So if you're having the same experience as me, it's 100% about your upper body. Ask your instructor or a more experienced jumper to look at your arms when you're trying to move forward and see if they say the same thing.

What is this "tape" and "VHS" you old timers speak of? ...i know, i know. i have low numbers, i'll just ask my instructor :p

that always amuses me. everybody is destined to die. it's just a question of how much you live in between.

Check out this thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3917568

thanks!