caldwellbuilder

Tell the guy to always test his brakes before putting the toggle ends under the hoods. If he does the toggles will instantly release if the cat's eye is on the wrong side of the ring.

I jumped with Bruce, Jerry, and Danny Dea on some of the early CRW jumps in Texas. Bruce had skillls! Are there any memorial or funeral services set?

Conrad died on November 22, 2013. His interment will be on Saturday November 30 at 2 pm at the Halesboro Cemetery in Red River County, Texas. There will be a reception following the interment at the Deport American Legion Hall. The family requests that donations be made to the Halesboro Cemetery C/O Jerry Hutson 2858 FM 196 Bogata, Texas 75417. Conrad was a regular jumper at Skydive Dallas.

I suggest that the student maintain altitude awareness, do toe taps if they encounter spins and to use counter , (arm) steering to stop spin .

I have seen jumpers who first become camera flyers on tandem jumps have an easier time on air evaluations because those jumpers have developed great chase skills.

I had problems with the bungees on the ALS bag. I now use a special tool and have no pain. You can find it at www.stowlikeapro.com

If the first two are sometimes a bitch, get a stowlikeapro tool and get relief! Later, Will Caldwell D-5598Quote

I use prescription sun glasses called "RECSPECS" These have a goggle like elasic band to hold them on your head. Very comfortable, well made, and they look good too.

I teach my students to breathe in quick but out very slowly--about one-third normal speed. Keeping one's mouth like a whistle also helps with the slower exhale. Practice doing this during your dirt dives. Hope this helpsl Later, Will

Go to skydivedallas.com and click on tandems then click on videos. You will see a variety of exits out of Twin Otters and a Cessna Caravan. Later, Will

I want to thank everyone for their input on tandem recovery procedures. This weekend, I worked on fine tuning harness hookups and had another instructor make recommendations and the result was a closer fit on the shoulder connections. One of the e-mails I received from an instructor who has done cross-training pointed out that I had lazy legs. When I reviewed other videos of my jumps, I saw that my leg position was behind my passenger and that results in reduced response from my inputs. So, now I am shadowing my passenger's legs with mine and added leg flying to every tandem jump to build leg awareness. Hundreds of jumps with few problems causes complacency. I am an older jumper. but old dogs can learn new tricks.

Last Sunday, I had a tandem jump that started badly but ended well. On exit, her legs were extended but down, and when her legs went back up they were offset between mine. Her left leg was on the left side of mine and her right leg was between my legs. My right leg, being extended, immediately caused a severe left had spin. I tried to correct with my hands and upper body. Failing to stop the left turn, I felt just her right leg between mine and then tried to push her body into position with my left hand. That failed because her legs retracted preventing her body from sliding over. The speed of the spin was such that I could not come up with a good procedure to correct it. I would have pulled the drogue release early if the videographer had not stopped the spin. Once the spin stopped it was easy to reposition and the remainder of the dive was uneventful. I have 750 tandems and would appreciate help in establishing a procedure for recovery. My tandem course did not cover this kind of problem. The speed with which this went bad was phenomenal, and the g-forces can cause simple movements to become near impossible. You can watch the video by going to www.skydivedallas.com , click on tandems, click on videos in the sidebar. scroll to Sunday July 22 and click on Debra Cannon. Later, Will Caldwell D-5598

My I5 icon has a 168 pilot main and a smart 160 reserve

My I5 Icon is 13 inches wide, 21 inches long , and 7 inches thick.

Look in the back of a Para-Gear catalog. There should be a chart with current canopy volume measurements. Also ask your local riggers as they can relate real world experience about compatability issues. Blue Skies Will

This past weekend, I had a young woman who started to convulse under canopy. I immediately told her to concentrate on slowly breathing in and out. Then, kept on talking to her so that she would have something else to focus on. It worked that time and when we landed, she said she felt fine. I do think I'll start taking a bag along --- just in case!

I remember a friend , over 20 years ago, who made a demo jump into a swimming pool. He repacked the main while it was still wet and then made a fun jump. His main malfunctioned, but his reserve did not, however, everyone who witnessed what happened was convinced that wet nylon does not perform like dry nylon. Everyone also agreed that they would not jump a reserve that had been dunked. Why risk it?

I just got my FT-50 back from Bryan Moffett in Bastrop, Texas. He is certified by the FAA for altimeter repair. Mine had the screws back out and a jewel bearing fell out. He replaced the bearing, cleaned it and calibrated it. His email is bryan@gravityrats.com and he has an ad in the current Parachutist magazine. Mine came back like new. Will Caldwell D-5598

Bob Chaffin, owner of APS, had told me that the design was a continuous cross-port of the tail of the canopy. I jumped a Rascal 230 9-cell and it would occaisionally have end cell closure which would not clear themselves due to this continuous cross-port feature. A simple depression of toggles would always open them up-- just like any other canopy. So, it is an interesting design but I don't know that it is any better. It was an F-111 fabric , so perhaps ZP fabric would have better response. Later, William Caldwell

I will be doing water training at Hideaway,Texas near Tyler, Texas sometime between July 6 to July 8. I will be providing jumpsuit, rig, and canopy Cost is $25. E-mail me for any more info. William Caldwell D-5598 AFF-I, williamhcaldwell@sbcglobal.net

I have an Icon with a 168 Pilot and 160 Smart. The Icon is a 15. I also have a Racer with a 120 main and 145 reserve. Both rigs are very comfortable. I am a rigger and both rigs are easy to pack--mains and reserves. I would try both to see which harness fits you better. All things equal, I would choose the Icon because it is newer and will likely have better resale value. Later, Will Caldwell

I also have a pilot 168 in an Icon container. Mine usually takes about 600 feet to open which makes for soft openings. My pack jobs have been consistently on-heading, but when I have had packers do them, I have had an increased number of off -heading openings, but nothing over 180 degrees. I would think that the slippery fabric could be the culprit, as some packers have struggled to control it going into the bag. That should get better as the canopy gets more jumps on it. Later, Will

Brian I am going to use the Skydiver's Information Manual as my reference. AFF instructors will typically spend about 15 minutes going over freefall dive flows with their students. The canopy dive flows are often completly disregarded. Students deserve that same amount of time for the canopy dive flows. If you review the categories A thru E you will find that most of the canopy control criteria you are requesting are already there. I typically jump my 230 ft F-111 canopy when jumping with students and try to fly the pre-planned flight pattern as I open below the students and they can watch and mimic what I do. One area that could be improved on is post-AFF canopy dive flows. On category F clear and pulls , a good opprotunity exists. On both dives , a coach could wear video, a student rig, and a radio. The dive flow on the 5500 ft jump could include slow flight, follow the coach, and flying in formation while above 1000 ft and then flying the landing pattern slightly behind and off to one side of the coach to observe and mimic. On the 3500ft jump, work on any areas that need improvement , as noted on a video review, and then during the pattern have the coach behind and off to one side to video the student land. The radio would be used as little as possible on the second jump. If the student has already purchased his own gear, then the coach should jump a canopy that should match the performance of the student's gear. Let's remember that student jumps are all about the student's learning as much as possible. That's what we are getting paid for. Later, William Caldwell AFF-I, D5598

We have a loft with a set of steps going up to it and we take our students up to the height of their feet being ~10 ft off the ground. You should look ahead at about a 45 degree angle with the toggles all the way up and as you bring the toggles down, when your toggles reach your eye height let your eyes follow the toggles downward. This should allow you to look at your landing spot as you reach it under canopy. Smooth and steady toggle action should result in a soft landing.Jump as much as possible to gain experience. Will.