TitaniumLegs

6 hours ago, sundevil777 said:

Watching Larry Chernis making the original Infinity container in the upstairs loft of the packing hanger...it causes one to appreciate what it takes to make our gear.  Larry's endorsement is enough.

I watched Scott make me a Trimsetter pilot chute + bridle last summer in Abbotsford.  I'm quite pleased with the product.

It's up now.  Hopefully you either found it yourself, or this will nudge you.

PS:  https://trimsetter.ca/ not .com

LOL this thread popped up in a search.  In case anybody ever still reads this stuff:
Aquabuoy are garbage and should never have been the device we depended on or allowed as the gadget that got you on loads near/over water.

in 1997 I was on a demo jump where 7 people landed in Monterey Bay.  I think 4-5 of my wet friends had these things and tried to use them.  IIRC, 2 didn't inflate at all.  The ones that did, you basically got a yellow inflated potato chip bag tied on by what looked like a piece of dental floss.  I'm not sure it would even be effective to help find the body, in spite of the joke/common description of these things.

On 5/28/2021 at 6:48 AM, gkc1436 said:

Him, Him........F*@k Him 

( The Ranch)

 

 

There's more to it than the one line skydivers sing, and I'm fairly certain it comes from military lore.  Before I was ever a skydiver, when I was a Canadian Army Cadet, then reservist, I heard the Hymn/Him, and there was more to it.  Anybody know the rest?

Part of it was
"Penisitus erectus protect us from syphilis
Hymn, Hymn, fuck him!"

This was 40 ish years ago when I heard it.

On 7/27/2021 at 11:22 AM, pchapman said:

While I was there someone else renting failed to catch an FXC set to 2000' and came down under the main but trailing the round reserve, the diaper having held it shut.

LOL, that was me.  As the main was deploying, I heard this weird buzz sound followed by some fluttering behind me.  Looked back to see the reserve sneaking out, still inside the diaper.  I pulled it in and initially held it under my arm, but then couldn't fly the main.  So I held the reserve between my knees.  I think I dropped it as I landed.
Edit:  This is why when people ask how many reserve rides I have, I say "three and a half".

I saw the German student on his second jump have the reserve go through the risers.  I was one of the first two guys to get to him.  We had just unloaded jerry cans from my car (we used fuel from the base gas station, so not military fuel, but not German/economy prices either).  I got in my car with this guy Merlin and we blasted out to the landing area between the runway and the parallel taxiway, almost hitting one of the taxiway lights.  I was amazed this guy was alive and seemed likely to survive.  We radioed for an ambulance did some basic first aid.  We stood on the canopies while the ADAC helicopter came in and life flighted him.  There was a guy with a camera helmet on the strut when the student jumped.  We almost never had video.  Pete and some other guys (probably law enforcement, base flight safety officer) reviewed the video and determined that he spun as he exited and that somehow trapped the right rear riser.

Weird that I thought that happened after my incident with the FXC.

They took the wings off C-GBBL the Crazy Banana (was also the name of some German bar or band or something), put it in a sea container and shipped it to Petawawa.  Last I heard it was flying out of Arnprior (https://www.airhistory.net/photo/310025/C-GBBL).  Flightaware shows it flying from Victoria to South Cariboo on 20 Feb.

On 11/24/2020 at 3:46 PM, wolfriverjoe said:

Yup. Saw that on FB.

As was asked - 

Who the hell is current on a DC-9 these days?

Is it not the same type rating as MD-88/90/B717?  (Or at least close?)  This seems to suggest that it is, but I don't have any type ratings and am not an expert.

https://registry.faa.gov/TypeRatings/

Greg, if you're still out there I would love to hear more.

I jumped the jet 2x in 93, 1x in 94, 96, 97, and 2x again in 98 (once with a skysurf board).  I recall the ramp/airstairs were removed on the ground, the top 3 or so steps were covered in plywood, and the hydraulic cylinders were covered with padding for safety.  I remember the seatbelts attached to the L-track on the floor.

Would love to hear more, including stories about FAA "negotiations".

Thanks and Blue Skies

Peter

All of the above.  There is a ton of great advice in there.

But for me, the main thing is, set a goal or goals, and stick with it at a reasonable pace and achieve those goals.  A-license, world champion, or anything in between.

Like Lisa (skybytch) said, the best is when one of your former students achieves things way beyond what you did.

Another favourite feeling is seeing one of your former AFF students on the other side of an AFF jump.

The tunnel people want your hands further forward so you can prevent yourself from smacking into the wall, both by having your hands get there first, and by the backwards pressure it exerts.

In AFF, we want your arms further back, thumbs roughly aligned with your earhole, because for most people it's more stable, and you get better leverage for turns.

Every time I get an AFF student with prior tunnel time, the first thing I ask is "What does this mean?" holding up my index finger.  If they say "Chin up / Look up", I slap them silly* until they forget and learn that it means pull.  I don't know who the dumbass is that came up with tunnel signals, but that is the number one most important signal in AFF, and it's a huge disservice to teach it as anything else in such a closely related "sport".

* No I don't actually slap them, and it would be a proxy slap because the tunnel signal inventor isn't known (to me) and available to slap.

There is no standard for this, at least not that I can find in the SIM or IRM.  You can get together with a group of other instructors, share ideas, watch and critique each other's videos, look at other videos online.  Quiz each other from the AFF ISP oral quizzes, the exams in the back of the IRM, the license tests, and other sources.  You could even do this in a Zoom/Webex.  If you have a new aircraft, figuring out exit techniques, loading, seating, etc. counts as this kind of activity.

The important part is that you log it and get a signature from another instructor or higher.

IMHO, what you should NOT do is pay anybody or any organization for this.  Way too much of that going on.

I love hearing from students, especially when they get hooked and licensed.  Awesome to see them compete and turn into record holders and champions.  The absolute best is a couple years later seeing them on the other side of an AFF student.

He's got us confused with rec.skydiving. Wait... Snuffy? Peanut?

Jaysus

If your country / licence is not on the list, you can obtain a temporary licence for jumping in Austria. If you go to a dropzone, that does train new skydivers, the so called "Ausbildungsleiter" / training manager at this dropzone can grant you such a temporary licence.

So what is typically involved in this grant of temp license? Does it matter what level of license, rating, experience the foreign jumper can demonstrate?

mbohu

Quote

2. Licence: Visiting jumper must show a valid licence recognised in their home country

Unfortunately this is not 100% true.

I am an Austrian citizen and live in the US where I have my license.
Austria (and probably most of Europe?) does not accept the USPA license as valid, because the USPA is not a governmental organization, but a private club.

I don't doubt your experience with that particular dropzone, and it may even be a thing across Austria, but I lived in Germany and jumped several DZs in Germany and France on a CSPA membership and license, and had many American friends jumping on their USPA docs. Never had a problem.

The only thing I ran into that I didn't like was the "rigger" inspecting my gear at check-in in Lachen-Speyerdorf with a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth with 3cm of ash and ember.

SeanNolin

How did he die?

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4900777

wolfriverjoe

Not exactly.

I know a 16 year old who got his A this year.

DZO's son, waiver was granted.

The RD conducts coach, AFF-I & TI classes at the DZ, so he knows the culture there (and it's a "safe" culture).

I don't know how much hassle the waiver was, but it was granted.

Thanks, that's awesome! I must have missed that one in my sampling of the BoD minutes which is the only place I can find any reference to these. It establishes a precedent.

kimemerson

I recall that after Sept. 11 all flights (except military) everywhere were grounded. The skies were eerily quiet. While most had to wait two and three weeks before resuming flights, we USPA skydivers were back up in 9 days.

As commercial flights started back up after 9/11 and jumpers were traveling with gear, TSA started tampering with gear, to the extent of using wire or bolt cutters on reserve cables and so on. USPA went to the FAA and TSA and explained that the TSA was going to get jumpers killed, effectively doing the terrorists' job for them. TSA invited USPA, PIA and manufacturers including AirTec (CYPRES guys) to teach them about sport parachutes, AADs, etc. and help come up with guidelines for both jumpers and TSA agents.

Without this kind of advocacy, there would likely have been fatalities before FAA took notice and slapped the TSA around.

Another one is that formation flights with paying passengers are illegal in the US. USPA got FAA to reinterpret that rule such that for the purposes of that rule, jumpers are not passengers.

Does USPA do things we don't like? Sure. Does USPA support the manufacturers more than the jumpers? I can wee why some people see it that way, but I don't think it means USPA cares more about the manufacturers. One example is raising the non-tandem minimum age to 18. They did it strictly for legal risk management. Pressure was applied by the manufacturers, but USPA did it to protect the association from child endangerment lawsuits as well. I really disagree with this BSR. You can get your driver's license and solo an airplane at 16, and die for your country and get your private pilot cert at 17. Yes, there's a waiver procedure, but it's full board and even if both parents are instructors, a waiver is not likely to be granted except in special circumstances (terminally ill last wish kind of thing).

The instant we start collecting this information, we run afoul of HIPPA, at least in the US. Technically, we may already be across that line asking about disabilities and other medical issues on the waiver, but asking about things like HIV are a whole new can of worms.

GAjumper84

Either way I can't think of a DZO that would allow someone to jump without a reserve. Everywhere I go they want to see your repack card. Never looked up if they were mandatory by the FAA or USPA, but even if they aren't good luck finding a place that will take you up without one.

At the risk of your post being a troll, how did you ever get A-license and 108 jumps without ever being told about FAR 105.43?

DZs ask to see your reserve packing data card for some combination of the following reasons:
- FAR 105.43
- Liability if they don't set and follow some reasonable minimum safety standards
- Don't want to scrape your icky remains back off the runway
- Don't want to deal with the paperwork
- Oh, and not wanting to lose any more friends if they can possibly help it

Did you make that chart up? If not, where did you find it?
I'm printing it on a T-shirt.

Back when I got my rating and was doing tandems, the guidance was "If it's not in the manual, it's not part of the program." That included freeflying, hook turns, 3rd-party drogue punching, 3rd-party standing on the back of the rig. They aren't necessary. TIs and their friends only do it because they're bored and have forgotten who the customer is and for whose benefit the jump is intended.

Didn't like the feedback and lack of sympathy, so he pulled the video. nice.

Not niplboy. Not even "not niplboy".

1963 - I wasn't born yet. My father was at Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, which is ...
1986 ... where I was. I remember coming into the 1 squadron bldg (Stone Frigate) after lunch and before afternoon classes, and being invited downstairs to the lounge - highly unusual for First Years - and seeing the replay over and over. Didn't have much time to dwell - had to get to class.
9/11/2001 - I was still in bed since I had been up late working the night before. Steph worked at SFO at the time, which like every other airport in the US was in the process of implementing SCATANA. She called and said to turn on the TV. When I drove into work, the South Bay freeways were practically empty.

6 years, and still she touches many.

I still have Shannon stickers and a few patches if anybody wants some.