Praetorian

I check my AAD before I gear up for the first jump of the day (I've missed turning it on ONCE, and caught it before I got on the plane) I try to check my AAD as I finish every pack job (another reason I pack for myself) I check both pins before gearing up EVERY time, I check the pilot chute, not just the mark on the kill line but the actual pilot, before I fold and pack it. I will often (but not every time) get a pin check on the plane I use my judgement based on how much I've been moving around/bumping the rig against things/people and then the people around me as to whom I would like to check my pin. ALSO I give my rig a good looknig over before the first jump of the day, look at the straps for signs of wear, breakaway and Reserve handles (and their associated cords to make sure I'm not gonna get a hard pull on either.. well not due to the lines/channels being dirty or frozen up anyway) Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

I just keep in mind that the life I save might just be mine! Easy is check of 3, 3 rings (both sides) 3 handles (main, cutaway,reserve) touch and check in the order you would use them 3 straps (legs and chest) ... that and I've made the open comment that another jumper catching me on the plane with a misrouted chest strap gets $100.00 from me Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

] EXACTLY!! I do the same thing, have EVERY TIME Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Look at the B-52, don't get me wrong I'm not saying that most DZs can afford the kind of up keep a super old plan needs, nor nocking how hard the airforce guys(and gals) work to keep those old buzzards dropping bombs... just saying with proper care a well built plane can fly A LONG LONG time Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

I'm not gonna argue cuz I've never seen this type of landing, but from what has been written about square pilots landing with suspended cargo beneth them, when it hits the sudden unload leaves them a decent landing, and they are still connected, with a suspended jumper you may or may not stay conneted. did I read those articles wrong? Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

not that I'm looking to cut corners but I'm curious, under the law, what constitutes repacking? fully opened then repacked, pin pulled and then put back? something inbetween? I've left my main packed during the last 2 winter seasons, (warm and dry in the house) but at the beginning of the season I have it opened completely and inspected along with my first reserve repack of the season. it is one heck of a brick that really wants to hold its packed shape out of the d-bag. I'm curious how it would open... but not curious enough to run the experiment! Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

how do you "hold" the lower jumper and keep flying your main? ... given the choice as the high jumper I would lock my legs together hoping to hold him till he impacted, and then get my legs set for a PLF if I could get them clear of his main. the instant the lower jumper hits your main should no longer be holding him and will dramatically unload, that whatever PLF you can manage and a flair "should" mitigate your impact. Reguardless of fault these are my cources of action, assuming I realise what has happened quick enough to react. Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Some recent posts got me thinking (sorry if this is a bit morbid) but I believe the often quoted "do everything right and you can still die" my question is ... when is the last time this happened? I'm gonna cheat and ask that aircraft accidents be excluded, I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but it seems to me MOST of the fatal incidents have major points where the diver did the WRONG thing, or at the least did not do the right thing. Mid air rigging attempts, no aparent attempt to pull the reserve these type of things. I'd also like to exclude the experimental jumps, (like the tiny tiny main that spun its jumper into the ground so fast (spin rate) he could not cut away.. I realise that without experimentation our sport would not progress, but I'm talking here about jumps the average jumper makes, not test pilots. ... I'm not sure where the choice to or not to have a cypres/aad falls, the short answer I guess is, if you impact without any open chute, and no attempt to pull a reserve then I don't believe the choice to jump without an AAD can be called "correct" but that is pure hindsight, and failing to pull the reserve can be called the wrong move anyway. SORRY for the long post, just trying to narrow the field enough to maybe get some usefull discussion out of this ramble Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

WOW I'm glad I'v never had a jump pilot that was a dick like that to me... I'd have been kicked off the DZ for telling the pilot that I don't tell him how to fly he shouldn't tell me when to jump... but the truth is I tell pilots what to do all the time "10 Left please" ... what I might have said to this pilot "could" have sounded like this "eat a dick, no eat 2 I'll leave when I like the spot, don't like me holding in the plane with the green on don't Fing turn on the green so far from a decent spot, dick head.... and then collected my gear and been kicked off the DZ ... like I said I'm really glad I'v always had good, nice pilots. Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Ok I will concede this point... but who cares more about a packjob a packer who is packing for cash, or me a person who is packing to save my own life? Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

single failure in formulation, or dilution and medicine is toxic, single failure in sterilization and canned food is toxic, single failure of a breakline in a car and you (MAY) be hurt or die, SINGLE metal fatigue failure in an airliner and you (MAY) find yourself in an unplanned no parachute free fall... I could go on. but you get the point, that things can go wrong is not an arguement why skydiving is dangerous. gravity makes that arguement all by itself Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Name any activity that this quote isn't an apt descritpion of... some quick examples of things this quote would fit 1 all airline travel 2 cars .. well with 1 all forms of mechanized travel 3 any and ALL medical procedures down to taking a pill 4 all adventure sports ... even down to riding a roller coaster 5 oh heres a big one eating processed/caned food! I'm not saying skydiving is safe, just that this a worthless arguement Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Not an answer just a thought, because your reserve is your LAST chance to live, why use your last chance when there is a good chance the main will function normally, pull a little high and LOOK at you white loops/3rings. if there is NO chance the main will stay put or your sure 1 set of 3rings will release then yea go silver. but to me going to your LAST chance without TRYING your main is foolish, reserves do fail Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Unless the pilot slipped out of his hand... either in the plane or just as he left Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

If your in an otter burnig av gas I'd be shocked, are their piston powerd otters at any DZ?? should be JET fuel the TURBINE is burning (nit pick complete ... sorry ) Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Ever been to SDC or the other TURBINE DZs near Chicago, how about East Troy in Wisconsin? Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Fair question but wrong analogy, I would rather do the hybrid tandem (even with my pathetic skills) blindfolded than attempt a deep sea wreck dive, but scuba outfits take people who have never scuba dived before (all should agree an activity simmilarly dangerous to skydiving) diving with a coach, diving into as deep as 90ft of water, with sharks... if a tandem is to scuba then this hybrid is to scuba with sharks, more things that can go bad, more chances for a bad reaction to those bad things to make things worse but all in all an UNDERSTANDABLE increase in risk. Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

I'm Calling B.S. how ego centric are we all as skydivers, I'm a cold calculating SOB, there are many many things I have not done that I understand the risks involved in, because I can READ, have Talked with people who DO and examined the gear as well as the biology involved. I've never deep sea Wreck Dived ... But I've got a pretty good Idea of the dangers. maybe not first hand maybe not perfect, but I doubt you'll find that all skydivers even understand all the risks on a "simple solo" Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

I'm glad you said it, Hybrids are fun, and it would suck to have a hanger premature... but to pretend that when something (a parachute or pilot chute) stops or drops 90mph or more relative to your velocity 3ft in front of your face... your gonna hit it. drogue or no drouge reflexes of a cat or not the only way the base will not get hit by the premature of a hanger is if IT misses THEM. Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

I was waiting for somone with MUCH higer jump numbers than me to say it, I know the TM, Hanger, and I think the sit flyers (bad monotor at work or I'd be sure), I know which beach in mexico they probably did this over and which plane they jumped from :) because I know these people I feel that though the jump looks a bit much, and may indeed be far more dangerous than a normal tandem, or a normal hybrid, or a tandem RW formation I really doubt this was something put together on the plane. This was something they planed ahead. I cannot be sure about the passenger, but everyone else in this jump knows the risks, and has the experience to properly evaluate them. Remember for the student/passenger to die odds are the TM has to go too, and I know he would avoid that. Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

No where near as cheap but I have a Panasonic SV-AV100 works on SD small and light, works great... but the cost is higher, and as I use it mostly as a flight data recorder I cannot tell you how well it shoots compared to "real" cameras... I think the image quality is comparable.. but the video I shoot sucks, as I'm not a Camera flyer, just a guy who jumps with a camera on his head that he remembers to turn on most of the time Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

[ I second that!!!! Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

WOW I'm really really outta the loop, my first jumps were at Kapowsin... I knew about some "issues" with the a neighbor at the DZ, but nothing that would lead to a move. Is this move a result of the nasty neighbor, or just a wish to expand? Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

seems someone in a wing suit put some mini turbines on his feet a while back... how about on a skybord?... at what point will we need pilots lisences to play with our "freefall" toys? Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.

I have 7... your list of 5 and 2 tactile 1 is the cypres but if I ever feel it I've really screwed up, and 2 is the ground but when that altimeter gives its reading while your in free fall... well if you feel it its the last thing you're likely to feel Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment.