A learning experience (all should read)

[conoro 0]

Just my 2 cents here about my own experiences. I've 65 jumps under mostly Mantas. I started to do what I think most jumpers at my level start to do - pull lower. And lower.
Where people were in the saddle at 2200 ft, I was still in freefall. After reading stuff like this and thinking about the situation myself, I now pull by 3000 ft. Two things are important here - one is the decision altitude; the question of "what if?" had never really entered my mind that much. I had (only!) two quite low deployments, at the lowest I was in the saddle at 1300 ft. That's damn scary - if I'd had a high speed mal I would at the very least had a Cypress fire.
The second thing I learnt is that if you choose to throw at 3000 ft, your pilot chute won't always be out at that altitude. I now reckon 300 ft for the reach-pull. A little over one second. I was puzzled once when someone said I deployed at 2200 and I was _sure_ I deployed at 2500.
Oh yeah - and hooknswoop is right, the protrack rounds to 100 ft on the display. And also the "deployment altitude" isn't the altitude the PC left at. I add 500 ft or so.

[GrumpySmurf 0]

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I've 65 jumps under mostly Mantas
...
Where people were in the saddle at 2200 ft, I was still in freefall.

Am I alone in thinking this is just a bit frightening, or has the CSPA set the min pull altitude for 'B's to 2000 feet?

[GrumpySmurf 0]

Aye, one should keep an eye out for it happening and expect it on any canopy - mostly due to popped toggles (as was the case with Missy on a 1.6 loaded Velocity, I think) - in this jumpers case, the toggle wasn't popped, nor was there a visible turn in his body during deployment, but the brake line looked twisted up - which appears was enough to cause the Stiletto to spin right out of the bag - even PD has all but admitted the planform the Stiletto is more prone to spin up (read thier comparision of the Stiletto and the Vengenace on thier website) when compared to thier newer planforms. It may be a great canopy, but it appears it does not readily forgive the mistakes of the non-current nor the in-experienced, regardless how light the wingloading.

[conoro 0]

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has the CSPA set the min pull altitude for 'B's to 2000 feet?

Whoa! I hope not! I haven't seen the latest Basic Safety Rules, not that I think they would have changed - but my handbook says, 2800 for solo certificate, 2500 for A, 2200 for others.
They recently made the A a lot harder than it used to be (you now need 5 2-way RWs with 3 pins acheived on the 5th RW for example) but I wouldn't think they'd lower the min pull altitudes just cause the certificates are tougher!

[PhillyKev 0]

From the SIM:
G. MINIMUM OPENING ALTITUDES [E]
Minimum container opening altitudes above the ground for
skydivers are:
1. Tandem jumps–4,000 feet AGL
2. All students and A-license holders–3,000 feet AGL
3. B-license holders–2,500 feet AGL
4. C- and D-license holders–2,000 feet AGL
Personally I add at least a grand to this. Try to pull at 4 whenever possible. If with others who want to go lower, I'll go down to 3500 (I have a B license). As I get more confidence and skills, I may consider bringing that down to 3000, but no lower....ever! Besides, I like the canopy ride.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[AggieDave 6]

Generally speaking I want to toss my PC at a miniumum of 3k. Usually around 3.2k or so. This past weekend on a couple zoo dives with people I've never jumped with before I tracked my ass off to 2.5k just because I didn't know these people and what they do, etc. I did NOT like doing that, too low for my tastes, but I didn't feel real comfortable deploying above that after the dives didn't quite go as planned.
I guess, as with everything else in life, things are a compromise.
Aerials
So up high
When you free your lives (the) eternal prize

[skydiventom 0]

Isn't that why we call it a "spinetto"?
One of the things Bill Dause told me is that if a stiletto is spinning at all.. cut it away.
The only cut away I've had was when my lines were twisted and my canopy spinning.
Honest, it wasn't me.....

[PhillyKev 0]

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Minimum container opening altitudes

Note...that says container opening. Not wave off altitude. I view container opening as being the point after you've tracked, waved off, thrown out your pilot, your pin has been pulled, and the bad has begun leaving your back. The alti's I listed are where I wave off and pull, which should still give me at 500' above the minimum container opening altitude.
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

[PhreeZone 20]

>I may consider bringing that down to 3000, but no lower....ever!
Quincy had a MAX of 2500-3000 contanier opening unless you are doing CReW in the seperate landing area a few miles off the Airport.. Most people seem to use 2500 as an average at boogies with drops less then 2 minutes apart.
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[AndyMan 7]

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It may be a great canopy, but it appears it does not readily forgive the mistakes of the non-current nor the in-experienced, regardless how light the wingloading.

That is true. However, Pisa's Heatwave is even worse. So is Big Air Sportz Samurai. Any canopy can and will spin up. Take your sabre2, during opening lean strongly in one direction. See what happens. The Stiletto may be worse then the Sabre2, but same risk exists everywhere.
All high performance canopies need to be flown throughout the opening. This characteristic is by no means limited to the Stiletto.
I've had toggles come off my stiletto during deployment. It didn't spin up because I flew it throughout the opening, flying it with harness movements and rear riser control. Your friend at SDC should've been able to do the same.
_Am
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[diverdriver 6]

Excuse me Andy but have seen the video? You don't know if he could fly through the opening. Maybe no one could. Ok...it was a very fast snap and then he was on his back. I believe the twisted steering line had a lot to do with it.
I believe the lesson here is not how to fly your body through deployment (yes, it's important sometimes) but rather starting emergency procedures at a proper altitude.
As for what he should have been able to do......well...it didn't happen that way.
Chris