How many of you DON'T wear altimeters?

[dkf1979 0]

I was reading a post and a guy was saying he hasn't wore an altimeter for the last 700 jumps!! That just seems crazy to me. Just curious if there are many jumpers that rely on audible or eyeballing for altitude.

http://bodypilot.bounceme.net

[Kris 0]

I've forgotten mine one and given it to other jumpers who have forgotten theirs twice.

I'm comfortable eye-balling if I'm current and familiar with the DZ.

It'll be a little harder to forget my alti now though, I just attached my Neptune to my left glove for the winter.

Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

[exwhuffo 0]

in 4way altimeter BAD! , dytter GOOD!
if your team catches you lookin .

[dkf1979 0]

4way altimeter bad? I don't understand. Forgive me i'm a rookie.

[Blahr 0]

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in 4way altimeter BAD! , dytter GOOD!
if your team catches you lookin .

Man. If someone gave me a hard time for checking my altimeter I'd have to tell them that they can kiss my ass

[base698 20]

I think I did a good 200 jumps without one this summer. Mine did a solo from 2000 ft after I opened.

[migliore 0]

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4way altimeter bad? I don't understand. Forgive me i'm a rookie.

if you're looking at your alti, you're not paying attention to the task at hand (you're not seeing the next grip you have to take or the cue you need to move to the next formation). Of course, this is typically only done by those who are very comfortable with jump timing, etc., so as a rookie, you should be thinking...altimeter good , audible good

Shane

[OzoneJunkie 0]

If you have an audible or 2, and your eyes opened, you're pretty much covered - if you can eyeball it. Main reason I jump with a visual alti is for line-twists/chops/etc. I like to know exactly where I'm at in those cases.

[testpilot 0]

I have a mate that has never jumped with an alti. He started jumping before they where used and has never seen the point of not trusting his eye sight.

Dave
D830
http://www.skydiving.co.za

[OzoneJunkie 0]

I wish I trusted my eyesite enough, when spinning on my back from severe line twists, to not use an alti. I don't.

[Ron 10]

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in 4way altimeter BAD! , dytter GOOD!
if your team catches you lookin .

What BS!!!!

I have jumped without an Alti...for about 600 jumps, but I prefer to have one.

And as a matter of fact I have one on my rig....And almost all I do is 4way.

I guess thats bad?

Altimeter #1. My eyeballs. They are not supper accurate, but if they break I have a bigger issue.

Altimeter#2. My Alti III. More accurate than my eyes, very reliable..But it can break. But when it breaks it easy to tell its broken.

Alimeter #3. My Pro Dytter. More of a break off warning. If it breaks you will not know until you are lower than you wanted to be...A very bad device to become dependant on..But I also use my internal clock, eyes, my altimeter, and my 4 way team members eyes, internal clocks, altimeters and audibles to signal break off.

Anything else is stupid.

And if my group had issues with me looking at my altimeter....Well I would find a new group...Its hard to win a meet if you are dead.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[skydiverek 63]

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if you're looking at your alti, you're not paying attention to the task at hand (you're not seeing the next grip you have to take or the cue you need to move to the next formation).

You may not need altimeter between 13,000ft and 2,000ft (freefall and "tasks"), but what about malufunctions after deployment and a need to know your hard deck, etc...?

[riggerrob 643]

I always wear an ALTIMASTER 3 on my wrist usually wear a Dytter and Cypres as well, HOWEVER my primary altimeter is still the Mark 1 eyeball.
And my secondary altimeter is still my sense of timing.

[KolinskyDC 0]

On my very last AFF jump, went out with altimeter, but it fell off after a backloop, was scared shit, thank god my JM saw it and got on the ground to tell them to radio me in, had previously left instructions to not give me canopy advice unless i was really screwing up. I am sure some day, I will be ok if something like that happens again, but at that point in time, was definitely rattled by it. So yeah, have jumped without one, but not by choice.

Melissa

"May the best of your past be the worst of your future"

[migliore 0]

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You may not need altimeter between 13,000ft and 2,000ft (freefall and "tasks"), but what about malufunctions after deployment and a need to know your hard deck, etc...?

Don't misunderstand me. I am well aware of the importance of altimeters (I wear an Alti III and an audible) as well as mental timing and using my eyes. I would never recommend jumping w/o one (though I know some who don't). My statement was regarding those who complete in 4way and DO wear visual alti's but do not monitor them under normal conditions during freefall because of the task at hand.

Shane

[ChileRelleno 0]

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: in 4way altimeter BAD! , dytter GOOD!
if your team catches you lookin .

I've seen alot of teams who not only have one on their wrist but on their hip harness also. They can see a altimeter where ever they are, at any time.


Safety is free use all you want!

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

[happythoughts 0]

I wear a wrist mount and have an audible.

I see trees becoming distinct and know I am at 4K. If you watch your videos, you'll start to see it.

However, when jumping around farmland, corn and soybeans will throw you off.

[jverley 1]

2000+ jumps without an altimeter. I always jump in groups and someone always has a Altimeter. I just break off when the first person does. My internal clock is usually good enough that I am aware of breakoff time when it comes.

On the occasional birdman, I will borrow a wrist mount for the jump.

It works for me. Your mileage may vary.

John
Arizona Hiking Trails

[Mad47 0]

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in 4way altimeter BAD! , dytter GOOD!
if your team catches you lookin .

In case you are not aware of famous dytter-involved incident happened several years ago to famous 4-way team, look at Documented Cypress saves http://www.pia.com/SSK/saves02b.htm

[jaybo 0]

Base698, laughed out loud at that one, I had a sandal launch a solo from 3k once, thought it gone for good till some one starts asking "who left their sandal in the pea gravel?". Would have been cheaper to replace though than an alti.
I sympathize with you... as I had my helmet and ditter knocked off me once when some one flew a hard mid warp on me. Tracked off and flipped over immediantly, but never saw it...

[sdgregory 0]

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in 4way altimeter BAD! , dytter GOOD!
if your team catches you lookin .

Man. If someone gave me a hard time for checking my altimeter I'd have to tell them that they can kiss my ass

Would a fly by ass kissing be a first and a cause for beer?

[DickMcMahon 0]

My altimeter was torn from my wrist one time after
throwing out the pilot chute. I was in a spin, and
the lines caught hold of it somehow.

I just guessed what the altitudes were for the final
landing approach.

The worst part of it all was paying for another one!

[aero04 0]

Never jumped without an alti, but I think I would. If I was at the dz with only a rig and a load was going up, I'd probably go sans alti. I would be aprehensive and more nervous than normal, but as others said, my first alti is my eyes. I can't say my eyes are as accurate as I'd like, but I can tell the difference between say 5 or 6k and 3k.

[kyros1 0]

I just forgot ones mine. I was wearing an audible so opening altitude was easy to be calculated.
I didnt like the feeling so I said that I will never forget it again.

[Tonto 1]

I have 1000 dives without any alti, mainly 4 way.

We got sucked down once, and my eyeballs saved me - but I started wearing one after that.

I now wear a wrist mount and a Pro Dytter. I sometimes wear another one on the legstrap (Thanks Chuck!) but that's used mainly for confirming visuals cues for swoops (or a replacement for one forgotten on the load, or sometimes in a sit)

Funny how at 1000 dives I never needed one, and now I sometimes wear 2 visual + Audio.

t

It's the year of the Pig.