geekstatus 0 #1 October 8, 2002 You can pun the name for now, plan is to change it periodically.. So here it is... off student status... jumping sabre 2 190.... incredible !!! lovin the characteristics... do four jumps on sabre 2 190 and move into sabre 2 170 next weekend, after jump # 35-46.... this canopy started kicking my ass, foolishly determined to dial it in though, paralleling my experience w/ motorcycles... losing altitude + speed is harder to assimilate. put your self over tall grass, bushes and rocky terrain when you don't make it back to the drop zone, makes it even more difficlut... I flared to soon, ate up my glide, plf'd whacked my left elbow in the dirt and tore my ulnal lateral maniscus, as well as the inner osceuous membrane in the left arm.... I'm left handed, it full on sux.... my recomendation to those coming off student status is to stick w/ one canopy for a while, land in all conditions frequantly, before choosing to downsize, it'll save you time and money.. and pain... patience grasshopper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chief 0 #2 October 8, 2002 Sometimes we are forced to learn the hard way. Your injuries are suvivable though. You were lucky. I fly a Sabre 2 - 170 and at times it is tricky. I am glad you are fundamentally okay. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dterrick 0 #3 October 8, 2002 ...my gig was sports car racing (terminal in 2-D, 1.25G's)... right next door to my dropzone... I hear ya on the 3-D thing bro, it's been THE challenging element for me too. Flying a ragged out F-111 7 cell has made consistent landings "work" rather than fun at times but I've not yet missed so much as a weekend due to injury. the "pain" of risering a reserve canopy (think Volvo bus... boxy and safe but it'll still get you there at decent speed) to get performance will be a great grounding for the faster canopies I'll be into ...eventually... I think I was lucky that I started finding the Edge with a GT-2 Datsun 240Z on racing slicks and not a canopy becuse I had several "off's" at terminal velocity that "learned me" to practice practice practice and to downsize with a view to landing under POOR conditions - not the conditions I "expect". Sounds like you found out the harder way...I don't speak M.D. but wishes for a speedy recovery The Dave PS: is the 190 FS? Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChileRelleno 0 #4 October 8, 2002 I'm glad to hear its not worse and you realize your mistake, as I like to say "CRASH & BURN, LIVE & LEARN"...I remember at about 50 jumps I borrowed a friends Sabre190 and made one jump,I barely stayed in front(thinking,planing,flying) of the canopy, I went right back to my tired old f111 210 until I had total mastery of it. Then did I downsize? No, I went to a ZP semi elliptical Hornet210 and 200 jumps later I'm still learning. Have fun and play safely!!! ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414 Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyhy 0 #5 October 13, 2002 Is anybody really learning?? It's happening again and again and still there so many unexperienced jumpers who think they have to downsize as fast as they can. That is what's going on around me, we all have 50-100 jumps, watch the 'big guys' swooping in under their 108 crossfires and think they are so cool! And it is these cool guys who tell us NOT to buy too small canopies. But still people get the impression that they have to learn swooping and buy some 150ft² rag right away to be "cool". Pissing me off, I mean finally you can have fun under almost every sort of canopy, can't ya? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RichM 0 #6 October 13, 2002 Maybe some are, plenty are still learning the hard way. As skydivers, by nature, we are thrill-seekers and adrenaline addicts. Telling someone not to do something because it is dangerous is not likely to have a great impact in our community. I think there needs to be more advanced canopy control and swooping courses to give these people the opportunity to understand the skills and maybe, hopefully, more fully appreciate the risks. But we'll never stop us Rich M Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJohnson 0 #7 October 14, 2002 Ignorance can be defined as lack of knowledge. It is a curable ailment. Stupidity can be defined as proceeding full steam ahead, despite obvious lack of knowledge. Stupidity is supposed to be painful and even fatal. It ensures we learn our lessons and keeps the species from polluting itself. In everyday life people do stupid things, and most of the time get off pretty lightly. Skydiving however is an activity that is quite unforgiving of stupidity. The greatest names in our sport have had their lives claimed by stupidity. None of us are immune. Early skydivers paid a heavy price in paving the way for the common knowledge we take for granted today. The only thing we can do is learn from their mistakes......and lets face facts, most of us only learn from our own mistakes. I do not know of one single skydiver that has not done something above their knowledge or ability. It is how we get better at what we do. Occasionally we are going to bite off more than we can chew. Hopefully we will only have to pay for our mistake with minor cuts, bruises, sprains and such. Sometimes we die. Thats a bitter fact of life for we skydivers. Even more bitter is that we may still die, even if we do everything right. We choose to be adrenaline junkies, to have our fun 14,000 feet over Mother Earth. We accept those risks and each one of us sets our own limitations. I have made my share of dumb mistakes in this sport. Hopefully I have learned from them. I hope I can learn from everyone elses mistakes as well. But let's try to not judge others too harshly. Chances are good, they thought what they were doing was within acceptable risks. Very few skydivers are so vulgarly stupid as to do something against all advise from others. If so, they have relinquished any bitching rights on the adverse outcome of their actions later. I am pretty sure that if I die skydiving, I was having a pretty damn good time up until the dead part. Thats a lot more than the average joe can say when getting hit by a bus in traffic. No real point to this, just kinda philosophically rambling. JJJJ "Call me Darth Balls" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
