obelixtim

Low man always has right of way.....and breakoff is not the time for pissing around having an extra bit of fun.........its time to locate others, find clear air, tracking hard, waving off and opening at the correct altitude........ Dumping high is dangerous as well....... These disciplines are there for a reason......to keep people alive...... Do not jump with anyone who can't/won't follow these rules.......you'll be doing yourself a favour...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Well, I used FXC's for over 20 years and I never ever saw one fire more than 100 or so feet outside the set altitude.... I found them a really reliable, user friendly AAD....no shagging around with batteries, special loops, cutters, or slippery pull up cords when packing. If I had a student AAD fire for whatever reason, (usually a low dump from a f/f student), I could get that rig back in service within an hour..... Also chamber tests could be done on the airfield by my local avionics technician...... Very little downtime.....and very tough and rugged units could take the knocks and bumps...... Rounds versus squares........it isn't even an argument........squares 100.....rounds 10..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

This incident shows exactly why the student should have a soft helmet......did this less than bright spark T/M consider the potential problems of a smack in the chops on exit, or during the F/f, or on opening????.........no.....too busy looking cool I think..... What about a crash on takeoff....??? If it hurt, he got what he deserved......or did he blame the rider........ My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Bet he doesn't do that again........ My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

They are both designed as a back up system for an extreme situation........but an AAD will do something a RSL won't...activate the reserve in a high speed situation when its time to slow down...(as long as it works).... There is only one real AAD.....the T/M....if he screws up something he is able to control....he shouldn't be there in the first place....... I have no desire to jump with a RSL, ever, but an AAD is a good idea.....I'll take one every time....but I would never ever expect to use it if I'm in control of the skydive...... An AAD fire is basically a bounce that didn't happen, and unless something really unusual has caused the T/M to need its help.... I think it would be rating removal time for the T/M... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

When you are under canopy, yell out to the guys on the ground to let them know you are there...simple... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Thats why you have an AAD.....why do you need a RSL if you have an AAD as well...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Every experienced jumper is a former student, and are the ones who choose student gear..... so it is actually important.....I trained on round mains and reserves...did about 800 jumps before squares got reliable....I know what I prefer..... My sole aim was to reduce student injury......i.e. to not hurt anyone.... There is no such thing as an "acceptable injury rate"..... Your two "arguments" are both valid. Soft landings under squares are a big factor in choosing them...they're all gonna land, few will have a mal......the softer the landing the safer it is.......So I teach them to fly the canopy....and flare for landing.... With a lot of experience of a lot of different students I rarely found a student who freaked out in a stress situation.....I made them very aware that freaking out was the worst thing they could possibly do.........it almost guaranteed they would hurt themselves..... Reliable radios are essential......especially with a student having a mal.....turns it almost into a non event.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

As a rigger who has packed a few thousand reserves over 25 years since 1978, we were doing 120 day cycles till about 1986/87 when we changed to 180 day cycles.... I only once ever saw a reserve where the pack cycle made a difference, where a guy packed his reserve under poor supervision, and left a pin in place. We found it on a gear check when he lent his rig to a mate who got it checked on our DZ because he was a visitor.....It had done 60 jumps in 3 months........luckily no mals or chops from CRW wraps.....Scary shit.....he would have had another 90 days of jumping one canopy....certain reserve total mal.... Shows that riggers can make mistakes, but it could be a good idea to get a comprensive gear check from a different rigger every now and then.......outside the reserve cycle..... 180 days is not a problem unless climate factors are considered (hot, dusty..)extreme..... I often repacked glider rigs and found a lot with melted rubber stow bands..glueing the lines together....the dumbshits used to leave them in their cockpits with the canopy closed in the burning hot sun....no matter how many times I told them specifically not to.....always had this vision of a newspaper headline "Parahute fails....after glider bailout"...... The "supervisor" lost his rating within moments of the discovery..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Tandem Masters do everything for the sole reason of looking after themselves first..... This mean that they are looking after you as well.....most T/M's arn't too aware of social/medical niceties.......but they do want you to experience the buzz of your live...... T/M's will appreciate a beer afterwards though...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Reserve canopies Paraflite Orion 220 sq ft, AAD's FXC 12000, altimeters, radios, Telesis 2 containers, mains 290 sq ft 9 cells (PISA)....S/L training. Excellent student gear.... around 10000 first jumpers and a hell of a lot of them going to A licence.... .... Seen a few 2 outs, never had an injury. Seen a students fly with a biplane and stand up in the peas... Squares far outweigh rounds safety wise, if you have a tight DZ, high winds, bad spot.....or mal, AAD fire into a main on a low dump....its not a contest if you want to compare.....the "broken leg from poor landing" scenario becomes a non event... Trained with paracommanders and 26ft lopo's thru the mid to late 70's till 1986 when I got square mains (360's 7 cells) then put in square reserves as soon as they were approved, about 1988/89.... You can spend quite a bit of extra time training students how to fly the canopy because you save a lot of time because you don't need to emphasise PLF's, obstacle landing training etc so thoroughly.......because of the radio.....and you can teach them to "steer and avoid".... If your training is good then a mal is not gonna freak out the student because they know what to expect.....a round reserve is a worry for them...students in control are far more able to look after themselves......they arn't all stupid!!.. The reasons why experiened jumpers jump squares are the same reasons why students should as well............They are safer....end of story... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Square reserves are 100% superior.....the freebag will save you in many situations where a roundie will kill you.... I put squares in my student rigs way back in 1988/89......the grey hair factor instantly halved... Makes training a lot simpler as well...You don't have to worry about different reserve procedures.....fly and land it like your main.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I don't think you get the point...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Tandem bounce in NZ 1997.....RSL deployed reserve thru left riser after the left riser hung up... As a result most tandem masters were given the option as to whether they disconnected the RSL permanently..... Nearly everyone did.... There is a BIG difference between a student having a RSL connected, and an experienced Tandem master having one..... If gives the tandem master control over the reserve deployment....and is not a factor in any reserve procedure apart from a partial malfunction of the main.... A RSL does not guarantee safety......the TM has still got to do things correctly.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

It doesn't hurt for an instructor to get a wakeup call....reminds them that they are NOt infallible....... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Not presuming anything....just reacting to something that has generated a lot of comment.....the media are always going to get stuck into it......it comes with the territory...... You being pissed off isn't going to change that......or the fact that his actions ARE going to elicit comment from a lot of people who know nothing about skydiving.....and skydivers are the ones they look to for answers....inadequate as they may be..... You can attack the hell out of me all you like...but that ain't gonna stop people talking about it.....its just a case of trying to make sense out of what happened here......what you are seeing is an after effect of the event....... It doesn't just affect you...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Cabbage......as I can't PM you, I can't tell you what to do.....but it ain't good..... You arn't the only one who has dealt with death on a DZ, OR a suicide by someone close....because you arn't. So get off my back....I'm part of a reasoned discussion here....and we are entitled to discuss this...whether you agree or not.... Why don't you give us your perspective....instead of slagging me off..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

No we can't read his mind.....but his actions do in fact tell us a lot about his thought processes......as well as what he DIDN'T consider.... I don't think we can hurt his family and friends any more than he has already done, but we can maybe take away from them any sense of "blame" or guilt they may be feeling......and put things into a more logical perspective...perhaps.... Because feeling guilt is another very human response.....who knows what his friends and family are going thru..... I am sure there are a few asking themselves what they could have done to prevent this......and unfortunatly the answer is probably......nothing...... It probably won't make them feel any better about it though..... Talking helps understanding, and if it can help people rationalise this event, then I think it is OK to do so.....not least for the sake of his family and friends..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

It does help to have a direction of track pre planned, so if you do lose track of each other you go in the direction previously agreed e.g....towards the city, river, sea, mountain, or whatever ground feature you've agreed on, and everyone must stick to the plan..... Its the same plan you would follow when jumping with a group at night time.....when seeing someone else isa bit tricky......and you use the same plan when flying around under canopy at night....pre planned sectors or areas to fly.....right down to landing...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Swimming and motor racing, to quote two activities, are regarded by the public at large as normal things to do...skydiving has had to battle long and hard to win public acceptance, and it is still regarded by many as an activity for the "lunatic" fringe.... This has many implications for the existance of skydiving, whether its access to aircraft, airspace, airfields, funding, employment or a whole host of other things....I've spent many years fighting this "acceptance" battle, against some sometimes strong prejudice, antagonism even..... it was NEVER easy..... Having said that, I don't think the public at large would see this event as anything other than an aberration, and I certainly wouldn't expect the "sport" to suffer because of it.....its only the tabloid gutter press who make a meal of this kind of thing.....and their opinion isn't worth jack shit....skydiving is strong enough to survive this easily..... But I feel for the people left behind, especially the ones he dragged into his scheme unwittingly...like the cameraman for instance.... What a horrible thing to do to your friends..... Maybe he selected a method that he knew would work 100%......but what is for sure is that there was a 100% certainty it would damage as many people as possible. If he was that determined to take himself out there are a lot of other ways that are 100% certain as well, and certainly a lot less complicated than this way.....you can't tell me he wasn't aware of that.....why else would he allow it to be captured on video....He clearly thought about all this..... If this discussion makes one other individual in the world who is contemplating a similar action think about it again, then its worth it...... Don't flick a discussion about it off as simple "BS"....whatever he was thinking is now irrelevant at this point in time....but I think it is a valuable exercise to consider and contemplate the possibilties.....this kind of awareness could prevent it happening again in the future..... We can't hurt this guy any more...... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

By "skydiving instinct", I mean the strong survival instinct that is common to every skydiver.......thats got nothing to do with sport..... Its about living.....and treating your friends with respect....whatever this guys motivation, basically he trampled on his friends and family.....and for that he doesn't deserve to be treated like some sort of wounded hero...... And I'm sure that every skydiver will agree that nothing makes you feel more "alive" than a skydive.....Thats a big reason why we do it again and again.... He deliberatly, and with some cold calculation chose this way out, because there were other, "easier" alternatives available for him. He planned and carried out a rather complex set of actions.....and to me this shows that he knew full well the furore that it would cause.....going out in a blaze of "glory" if you like.... I feel sorry for the guy, but he's not the first or last person to make a bit of a mess of things.....most don't plan or carry out such an elaborate method of exit...... And it seems here everyone is assuming he suffered from clinical depression.....I'm sure he was sad, but did he display any of the classic symtoms of clinical depression previously?..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Well it beats eating your chest strap, or an Earthburger!!!..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I already said in a previous post that it is not a time for anger and bitterness. I am not angry at all....its a very sad situation for everyone involved......but from the posts I've read, its upset a lot of people, understandably.......and thats OK...... What happened is a betrayal of every skydiving instinct. I think its healthy to talk about events like this......jumpers will do that.....through the whole spectrum of emotions... This individual bought into the discussion right from the start......by doing what he did........I'm sure he knew clearly that his actions would provoke a lot of theorising about his rationale......... because what he did was most unkind to his family and friends.... So in fact it does have something to do with me, even though I didn't know him, because I care about both people and skydiving....and its been part of most of my life.......I'd like to better understand his thought processes...like everyone else here... I can well understand that the behaviour was irrational......I'm sure it wasn't something he would have done if he was thinking straight...... The point is, he displayed complex thinking skills, in planning what is a quite deliberate series of steps, over a period of time, and then carried it through in a cold blooded way...... I guess it shows clearly that this illness doesn't manifest itself in an obvious way to other people.....so its not easy to recognise........... I would hope that people give it some serious thought. Which is happening here.....there have been some great posts......and some not so great.......but as I said......he bought into the discussion, good and bad, right from the start....... All views are valid....... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

This really is quite simple...... Anyone who overtightens their chest/leg straps enough to hurt on opening.......will only do it once..... Its called learning at the school of hard knocks......and everyone goes there at least once.......... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I always thought skydiving was a pretty good way of getting a positive outlook on things......in other words, if you are feeling a bit down, a skydive is a pretty good way to get you feeling good about yourself..... If this guy was rational enough to plan his exit from the planet so deliberatly and carefully, it makes me wonder why his thought processes didn't include a bit of thinking about the consequences of his actions for others.....depressed or not, as an experienced jumper he would have been fully aware of the aftermath. And depressed or not, you can't tell me that he would not have been intelligent enough to know that there are agencies to provide help for people with problems..... His desire to go out in this way seems to me to be a definite case of wanting to put on a big show.....whether to give everyone a big guilt trip, or a desire to "pay them all back"..... Equates with extreme selfishness to me.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....