riggingstuff

and who said you had to wait? if we have water training going on all students are welcome. CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

On my 1st FF I to dearched while reaching for the ripcord and watch the PC come up between my legs. Scared the holy crap out of me. I knew right away what I did or should I say what I didn't do. It flipped me over real hard. After my canopy opened and I realized I was ok, I thought to myself, I guess they weren't kidding about that arch thing. Unfortunatly I was broke and couldn't go back up right away and had to wait another week which really got to me but it also gave me time to practice that arch thing which I did religously. I was very scared the next week but I was also very determined. and you know what? I never dearched at pull time again. That is the most important time to have a good body position and not to rush, but its also the most stessful. As for the fear...oh yea somewhere around 15 jumps I almost turned around before I got to the driveway of the DZ. Remember though, alot of what I was feeling was an overdose of adrenalin. As an instuctor Iv'e had students crying after the jump was done and they had gone home. So you see we have all been there. 1st you did the important thing .... YOU pulled. Now all you nead to do is arch. Simple. and relax. My advice is you do whats right for you. I, myself, would get back on the horse and try again but I'm stuborn and I don't like my emotions controling me CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

I have 4 suits. big,baggy cotton. It puts me at about 98-100 to about 110mph, medium, 110 to 125mph, fast,125 to 135mph, and weights. I've had to use them all. CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

why worry? what did you do on your last level? I bet you were in all sorts of different positions . And what did you do to recover? We're not looking for perfection...more for awareness. Just have faith in the arch and relaaaaax. oh and dont forget to have fun. CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

I make custome weight belts. The most that I've put in one is: with belt weighed 20 lbs it has 9 pockets. My sugestion would be getting 2 of them which I have sold toa few swoopers and I've seen them wear both. My price isn,t quit that high. If your interested email me or give me a call and we can discuss some options. CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

I agree with squeak. the rsl ring would be on the outside if you change the side of risers if its old style. newer riser have the rsl ring in he middle. javelin put it that that way so that there isn/t anything hanging to the outside that could snag on something and have premature reserve opening. Also the velcro on the rsl needs to mate completely or will cause undo wear on your reserve riser . So if it's in the middle, ok or if you want to jump w/o the rsl then no problem but side oriented.. .. talk to your rigger there are so options. (inexpensive) CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

I also do rigging. Iwork out of my house in Lake Elsinore. $45 repacks and if I start commuting to SD it could be picked up and delivered CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

Been there, done that....... I think I'm up to 24 reserve rides in about 4400 jumps. It took 15 years and just under 2000 jps for the first 11. Then my 1st year in CA I had 11, 9 were tandems. That was 5 yrs ago, 2 this year both tandems CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

I'm sorry, I'm trying to figure out how to work this stuff on the computer. OK, the part about L-1&2 after 5-10 second after exit doing fine. I don't know that other instructors will agree or not, yes the exit can be tricky, but my experience has been that you can have a perfect L-1 or 2 but at pull time they lose it, curling up in a ball. It seems I remember a story of a study done on the heart rates of skydivers and it always went really high at pull time. If ours is like that you can imagine a students, and what is a S/L doing on their 1st H&P as soon as they let go of the plane? Ididn,t read the other thread about the student exit until after what I wrote last night and I,m not in total disagreement about students in FF alone. Thats why we put the JMs w/students and moved the alt. up after 15sec. but the S/L program is different. You can ask most AFF instructors,(and where I was working last the students didn't do their H&P until at least the 10th jump sometimes their 20th and at 5k), about students still thinking they were really low and nervous on their H&Ps, and most some how unstable. Would you leave w/ a student on a H&P? Its to dangerous. My point is that S/L and AFF are 2 different courses and serve their purposes. I believe in the the distinction and the rules separating them. I've seen successful programs in both. I've seen accidents in both. Its in the teaching techniques, you can,t brow beat. A line I use when teaching a FJC full of skeptical students and believe completely, " Before we jump today you are going to feel confident and I need to feel confident that you will be able to handle any situation up there" and I wont jump with anyone unless this true. As for tandems and body position, you can't really tell if their knees are a little low, what their legs are doing all the time. CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

OK, being both SL and AFF rated there is a big diff. Static line students are not suppose to get rid of that line until they show stability and control, and yes the 1st h-p is the scariest for the jm. I also remember my 1st hp, bending at the waist to find the handle( the old arch, LOOK, reach, pull) and watching the parachute come up in between my legs. I never de-arched again. The instructors job is to observe and make sure that the student stays semi stable. Grips from exit is strictly forbidden and after exit is a real gray area. Believe me I had this conversation with USPA's S&T director of the time who told me I was splitting fine hairs. At that time we had a real problem with cross over training. Somebody showing up that had past AFF L3 or 4 and us only running S/L. What do you do? The integrated program has at least given us some guidelines. Until these changes came around all you needed to throw students out of the plane was a C lic.....100 jumps. Were are JMs competent. You bet they were, for the job they do, observing and teaching basic FF skills. Hmmmm, thats what is taught in the coaches course.What's taught in either 1st jump course S/L or AFF is of importance. Priorities in both and should be hammered in, alt. awareness, arch, arch, arch, and the 3 pull priorities. I've never had a student fail AFF L-1 or their 1st S/L. L-2s or never get off the rope... yes. I've had 15 secs return to S/L, L-7s back to L-4. It's a judgment call of the instructors and it's the drop zones will probably know their instructors, how they were trained, their commitment and how they teach, also their willingness to learn. Just because we are instructors new or old doesn't mean we know it all, I've been teaching for over 10 years and I'm still learning. Bad instructors tend to help them selves and weed out and usually pretty fast. The S/L drop zone where I worked had a hybrid program, 5 S/ls or 1 tandem and 4 S/Ls, 1 h&p, 2- 10 sec., 2- 15s and up to the top we'd go. JMs were required to leave with the student after the 15s all the way through the progression to teach and help in case of instability, but remember, its the students sole and final responsibility. When I received my 1st rating the examiners last words in the course was be careful you have just been given a license to kill.... and you will if your not. Just like with rigging its a license to learn. Both disciplines have there place and their instructors are or will be good for the job at hand. CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.

I have both' a 120 heatwave and a 135 hurricane, my 135, in my opinion, is a very nice canopy, opennings have been sweet, on heading and soft, response is great with toggle and front riser preasure nice. What really surprised me was one day in a crunch, doing back to back Affs I borrowed a buddies rig with a 120 stilleto. My 135 was easier to fly, also a little faster and did have a much better flare. My Heatwave is faster, more sensitive. Openings are more critical, body position is a must or it will take off in a diving turn and stay until corrected. Landing are ok but not as much bottom end. I can carve my hurricane a lot on landing but not the heatwave. I like them both, the 120 for speed and zippyness and the 135 for what I can do on landings. I load the heatwave about 1.6 CB Don't look for why it might work....look for why it might not.