craddock

I have never jumped nor have much desire to jump a round but here is a funny thing relating to them. I bought a ram air Sharpchuter 244 that I was going to use for Base when I only had a few jumps. ( Couple local people who are both gone now where doing A's with Furys and what not). Only jumped it twice but the Placard said something like "This is a high performance Ram Air canopy. You must have a minimum of 500 jumps......" Then I was at a Boogie where they were offering round jumps for those nostalgic souls. Requirement was that you had to have a minimum of 500 jumps!! LOL. How times have changed. And this was 14 years ago That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I am familiar with reading about that model. Spent lots of time on their website as well. If I could find one for a good used price I would grab it but I would love to find one of these $400-500 non portable treasures I hear people running into to see if it is really for me. I really hardly know what I am talking about though. I just thought the Sailrite was more of a portable machine aimed at dyi cruisers. Read mixed reports on the feed system. But probably from people used to real industrial machines. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

edit. That Brother looks nice. Google does not show me if I will be able to get parts when needed. Not much info on it. The 7-34? Sent an email but being a newbie I would have never even thought that could be a decent machine had you not mentioned it. Sure does not look like much. But then I read it will sew through 1" of leather? I may sew a some chaps or something but not planning on making saddles. Thanks for the help and suggestions That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Yes I have been looking. Looking for something to do boat covers and vinyl. I am a real rookie and truth be told the guy's videos that I am learning from on youtube scare me with the power of a real machine but make me excited to get my hands on one at the same time. I tried doing stuff with a cheap box store singer and it is so frustrating. Clearly only made for light fabric. I hear stories of people getting there hands on a Consew 206 for cheap but best I have found is a old 206rb-1 for $800. I just know at my skill level I am going to want to get a servo motor for control so I start getting into the price of looking at new. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

cross country until the pilot says no further and they force you out. h&p and have fun. Then because no one will be looking you can make it best swoop ever, in the tightest place ever. You should be talking about it years later. You asked for ideas. Sarcasm and not for your first one obviously. Sorry the word night jump gets me going and that is what I think about . That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

no classified section. suggestions? That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Oops. I just went into gear bin to give my kid those stows for whatever project he could use them for. I was wrong. They were some super duper colored bands I bought at THE Convention. Forgot what they were but they were a bad idea. Only had them on d bag for a month so I forgot. Sorry for the slander to tube stows. My bad. Now that I looked at them it brings back nightmares of trying to get a grip through the locking stows grommets. I had to use a damn pull of cord to close the d bag! Sorry for confusion That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Huh? I thought bag locks were caused by things like bad pilot chutes, sloppy packing, long and messy line bights etc. Nice picture by the way. I had a bag lock with very tight tube stows, nice packing with no excess bite.....but I also had a 24" f111 pilot chute that a manufacturer recommended to tame opens on a canopy. Later I had that pilot chute on a super silly small Wings that at times I would get a delay before line stretch, sometimes rotating the bag on the way. Looking back it was silly to not have discarded that thing sooner even though it didn't have that many jumps when the problem started. Usually when I got that delay I had line twists and I got a bad case of gear fear on opening and raised my deck. No way to say for sure what was happening. The bag lock was recovered with everything nice and orderly with almost all the stows in place. I can not remember if any unstowed but my memory is they did not. One if any. I think it was a combination of the two myself. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Have jumped an FX. Wasn't as nice as that vid of the Leia openings, but they were good enough to not have a cutaway. Twists once or twice, a couple of quick turns on opening, but nothing drastic. Not having to cut it away does not mean it opened well. I did several things to stop getting slammed by an FX85. Psycho packed it, bought an 24" f111 pilot chute on manufactures recommendation(which I attribute to mals on other canopies). That canopy did not open soft by any means. It hurt at times. The vx74 I jumped had this disconcerting forward/diving surge at the last minute upon full inflation. Neither I came close to chopping but neither opened as well as my previous two canopies. My small reserve didn't malfunction when it opened at pretty much terminal during a bag lock but that does not mean I would want that opening every jump. Point is people are not talking about having malfunctions when discussing how well their canopy opens That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I am not saying that. Although a tandem my have twice as much time to perform an extra step in emergency procedures unique to this one malfunction. I just question how the weekend fun jumpers of varying abilities to deal with stress would handle disconnecting an rsl in the few precious seconds they may have to do so. And if sitting up truly solves the problem if that might not be a better standard plan. I do not dispute that it would be safer to disconnect and not even saying that given the time I would not do so. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

If you were specifically talking about tandems than my post should be disregarded both in the head low position and the questioning the added rsl disconnection. I was thinking of adding this step to a standard sport jump with say a much lower ~2500 container opening. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Ya never-mind. I screwed up. I really only said it because I hold BV to a higher standard because he likes to be technical himself and correct others. I guess I am being hypocritical because I use the term zero g and negative g in regards to the forces we feel in planes and roller coasters and such but would use the word "feeling" behind it in regard to a leo or the jump in question strictly because of the misconception among some that zero g means a lack of gravity up there. I wasn't trying to be a smart ass I just didn't realize the term was that well accepted in that situation and I was totally wrong for my comment. He did seem pretty sarcastic with his post however. I still prefer the word "feeling" or "environment" when using it with my 8 year old in that usage That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Two things that come to mind reading this. I do not have any knowledge of the prior incidents you speak of but it would seem odd to cutaway in a head low position from a bag lock in the first place? I had a bag lock where the bag never got out if the first or second stow(tight tube stows) as I remember it and while it didn't cause the drag I have seen on videos I tried to sit up and get it to release for a second before getting rid of it. I guess I don't know why one would go head low before cutaway when if anything it would seem inclined to try the opposite. But forget that for a second because it apparently has happened per the incidents you mentioned. Just seems odd on a sport jump to me The adding a step in emergency procedures to release rsl during one particular malfunction seems questionable to me. While some jumpers may be able to adapt to the complexity of that I do not see the entire population as a whole handling that well at all. My bag lock didn't even sit me up but regardless it is always an extremely high speed malfunction. I believe it took me an extra second to realize it was not a pilot chute hesitation(again I had very low drag) before I reached up and shook risers quick before a bang bang on the pillows. If anything perhaps just sitting up before cutaway if that will solve the problem you mentioned of the Velcro not releasing in a head low position? Does anyone else recommend teaching this extra rsl release step to sky-hook sport jumpers for emergency procedures? That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Zero G? Are we missing a sarcastic icon? That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Skycoi- That is an interesting perspective. My heart is already sore from the event but reading that makes me aware of it more. Probably like finding a tick and then feeling them all over you. Doing lunges this spring was met with very high HR although I have had a very high heart rate during anaerobic exercises for some time. Crapflinger- I do not know what skills you learned in Basic for technique but I was going to my back repeatedly to try and lower heart rate and focus on breathing. I was very confused why I was so winded though, so with questioning if water temp had anything to do with it I did not conclude in the heat of moment that I should just purely float and give up time so my moments on my back had some leg input as well and I just let my upper rest. Not enough to lower hr substantially. As I said earlier I was even becoming concerned with the rotation from back to front. I used to pride myself at the distance I could cover under the water after a dive so this was a highly unusual feeling. Thank everyone for the comments. I really needed someone to tell and the feedback was just what I needed. One of my best friends who does little exercise was the second to see me as I staggered in shortly after was in disbelief at my situation. He wrote it off as a fluke and clearly didn't learn anything from it. He was bragging how he could swim across the lake easily as I am explaining to him I almost couldn't get back 20 minutes ago. It probably/hopefully was just old age with a young mans ego. I set too hard a pace in the early stages and was just not able to recover and rest in the water like I have all my life. That lake has tried to take my life(or I tried to let it) a couple times but never from swimming. It would have been a fitting end for sure and there would have been a few told ya so(s) going on for how hard I played on that body of water year round. That was another thought that crossed my mind. The other time I had those thoughts was coming into 500 ft with main cut and reserve pillow not where it was supposed to be.( a chain of events that would be hypothesized in incidents but no one would have known the entire chain) The feeling of knowing people will take solace they were right about your demise is not a great feeling to have while your fighting for your life. That much I can say for absolute certainty!! That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I want to apologize for not proof reading. I was not 100% mentally when I had wrote that although that is no excuse. Spelling errors changing the tense of a verb or changing an "as to an "at", poor punctuation at times leaving confusing sentence structure, poorly placed adverb leaving it confusing which phrase it should be applied to are some of the examples that made the post hard for me to read today. If it is hard for the one that composed it to read I can't imagine what it was like for others. Sorry That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Not callous at all. And quite appropriate most likely. Just fell off way harder than I could have imagined. My last injury last summer was a severe shoulder dislocation that finally started to come around in March and the injury came at an era in my life that apparently I could not afford to sit idle. So today I learned that I am no longer an athlete! That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

idk? I don't know where it would come from at least. I have not been prone to it in adrenaline situations in the past at all. Lack of panic has allowed me to push my limits through the years and put myself into situations like this. (I don't mean that to sound conceited just answering) Perhaps once I got into trouble though it did come into play on the way back. I was in pain for some time later though. Felt like blood sugar and lack of fitness. Really stressed my heart. Guessing hr was 180+ based on what I used to see on the treadmill all the time at 165. But again that was 4 years ago That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I am still stunned over what happened today. Over confident in the water. Grew up in it. Never has stamina or desire to compete at speed, especially in longer swims, but yet have always felt I could swim all day(or night) with the appropriate pace. Swam across many rivers and out to islands through the years. So today I come across a bridge on a lake I know as well as anyone around and see a boat floating out in front of the boat launch. I turn around and find an older gentlemen waiting for help that had it float out after he launched and parked his truck. He was waiting for someone else to use the launch to help him. I had access to boats in the vicinity but thought I would just swim out rather than borrow a boat and uncover and recover just to save some exercise. There was still ice on the lake around the beginning of May but the dark stained water even though a rather deep lake warms up quickly. I had heard surface temp was already 70 several days ago. Well anyway with a little time wasted contemplating and throwing a pair of swim trunks on that I happened to have with I let the boat get out a bit further with a strong wind blowing out. I set a decent pace but at the boat got out far enough to get into the wind I was not making up as much ground. Starting to really struggle unexpectedly I made it to a buoy and grabbed a hold to rest and re-access the situation. The boat was so very much closer than shore at this point but was running away. The buoy was hard to cling to and I was still expending energy and had to make a decision and with the thought of a race into the large part of the lake and undetermined if I could set a strong enough pace to catch it I decided to turn around an go the long way back to the shore(into the wind). Well I am writing this so obviously I made it but even 5 feet from the dock I could have used a life ring or throwable. I could not stand up. I was dizzy. I had a massive head ache(I do not get headaches), my HR was screaming. Rolling over to my back to do a back stroke and rest on the way in became a concern in itself just with the timing of the switch and my heavy breathing. I was so on the edge I could not afford to intake any water with a simple mistake. WTF? I have always been a strong swimmer. This was a haul but should never have been an issue. I factor in my lack of nutrition the past 48 hours and my blood sugar being far off possibly, the fact that I have to admit that at 40 and not racing mx anymore nor doing the training that went with that I am not who I once was, the temp of the water possibly although it didn't feel bad. All in all it wouldn't have been the worse place to go being all the time I spent on that lake but I am shocked that I got myself into trouble. I really have always thought when I hear drowning stories that it just couldn't happen to me. Drowning can happen to anyone!! Be careful and don't let your inner ego bite off more than you can chew. Something went wrong today and I don't fully understand it but it just shows how complacent and cocky I was after not sitting around getting out of shape over the long winter That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

Well I also broke my tibial plateau 6 inches down and displaced it by 1.5 centimeters. Because this was a vertical fracture right through the center of the lower knee joint affecting the cartilage surface it was a longer recovery both in weight bearing and strength returning to activities. I remember getting ready for the slalom course and simple barefooting 9 months later and being in pain pulling thru the wakes and sticking my deep barefoot starts. I think skiing was my PT that got it to full strength. I remember the surgeon trying to talk me into not fixing it that week as I had my wedding in a couple days and he wanted to bolt it back after the wedding. He said it was the most major and painful knee surgery I could have except total knee replacement. I didn't listen and got it fixed before. Got out on Thursday and went to rehearsal dinner next day. All because I didn't tell him I was going on Honeymoon. Real smart. Now if you are talking a fracture laterally just below the plateau(sounds like you are) that doesn't effect the joint and the soft tissue that commonly entails than depending on your body and how it heals it could be a short 6-8 week healing time for the bone. If it is minimally displaced or internally fixated it should not take a significant time imo. It can seem like a major place to break it but it can be a very simple break as far as they go. Mine always broke at or in the joint affecting the cartilage surface as well as the soft tissue itself. I Shattered the lower tib once also But everyone is different. Age, Gender, Smokers, ect. Also I should have noted as I mentioned my downsize after coming back from surgery that the injury in earlier post was not a skydiving injury. Non of them were in fact. Just mention because reading my post not knowing that can sound pretty stupid to have downsized right after the injury. It still was an extremely aggressive move but their was not in fact a landing mishap related to the fracture. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

While I have felt this way about several students and have long said that skydiving is just not for everyone, that comment was just out of line here imo. Very poor taste. His instructors are more fit to make a suggestion like that. To the op. That question is too hard to answer here. You will see how it is healing in the post op next week. I would be aiming for 8 weeks if it were me but depending on how your first 4 landings went it could alter that. That said you may come back immediately better at landing as you have knowledge and have practiced it over in your head so much since. Depends if it was a nervous panic high flair or just a simple mistake. A lot harder to overcome the former than the latter. I came back from a Tib internal fixation at the ankle joint in 8 weeks that happened six months into my first year. And I bought a 107 during the break but did a dozen jumps first weekend on other gear working to it. Big difference was that I had a lot of jumps those first 6 months and was very confident in my landings. At 5 jumps and lack of skill(not that you won't get it) you may be more apprehensive. You really want to be mentally ready that your body is ready in your case. Only you can decide when that is. I would not want to be in your position thinking about my wrist at 15 feet. That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

so years later how did this machine turn out for you. I am looking for a good find like that up here. See nothing except real high price stuff. Need a few jobs lined up if I am gong to spend that coin That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

I could right a chapter in Stupid things I have done. Assuming this in meant to pertain only to Skydiving I would say the most stupid thing I have done was to do nothing. To look the other way. Followed closely by the examples I have set in my need to get that extra dose of adrenaline that becomes harder in time to get like happens with many addictive drugs. I literately told a friend who was at the dropzone for a USPA meeting that he was on the board to go out to the pond(not a swoop pond) as there was "about to be some carnage" there. He and two other board members went out to watch the fatality that ensued. I tried a little to help avoid that situation but ultimately didn't put my foot down or even seek the DZO out about what I knew was a bad idea. He had more jumps and time in sport than me and I let than get in the way Further more my reckless behavior doing a hop and pop at Night from altitude and hanging deep only to later come screaming in on extremely congested unlit retention pond with one entry point and one exit area is what inspired his effort in the first place. I set a poor example, minimizing how difficult of a jump it was(in addition to zero outs your could not come in short at all or go long) all to feed my selfish needs and in front of a large crowd no less and then didn't take the appropriate steps to tell him NO about his plans. And he actually(they) prepared for a week with some accuracy markers in the main landing area. I don't know if this makes it worse I can use it to help justify someway to myself But to sum it up one of the most Stupid things I have done Skydiving was.." nothing" That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

imho is that it is tough. For one your buyer pool is very small as dictated by the gear. Some pay more attention to DOM than Actual numbers. I am of no help but I hear what your saying. I am actually trying to by a canopy back right now I sold for too cheap last year. But is was almost new and sold too cheap. Or so I think. I had a deal when I got it so I came out good but now with no support I can't imaging paying retail and realize just how low I let it go That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.

why not just order another non vented base canopy for skydiving? I have an old sharpshuter somewhere I would give you if I can find it but that is not what your looking for. If your goal is practice for base than stick with what you have. Only issue I see is resale value vs a skydiving accuracy canopy That spot isn't bad at all, the winds were strong and that was the issue! It was just on the downwind side.