larsrulz

Gary got me with this on saturday. To answer your question: "is the buckle designed to hold better routed the normal way?" The answer is no, but check out leg straps on a rig. They are not symmetric, they even have non-symmetric binding roughness, so you wouldn't want to do legstraps like this, but this chest strap will hold just as well as the correct way. My only complaint to Gary was that it's hard for other jumpers to check to make sure it's threaded correctly. If you don't mind a couple questions from people as they get used to it, then no harm. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Not mine! Dave I'd agree, and I'm young. My legs be hurtin' from my (~20 mph) standup crosswind landing saturday, and you don't want to see some of my archer landings yet that bird doesn't seem to notice! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

That totally depends on the type of landing you want. You seemed to believe that the canopy was turned by the wind (or one side tipped up), this clearly cannot be the case, unless you experienced a dirt devil or other non-symmetric turbulence. If you want a landing which is perfectly straight down a line, then you'll have to increase your toggle input as your canopy slows down, this will be required in perfectly constant crosswind landing. Now, with a sabre 190 (I used to fly one at 1:1), you'll be pushed crosswind if you flare evenly, but it will hardly be anything you can't easily walk out. This may be best to stick with a constant flare until you are more comfortable with your canopy. Or get some canopy coaching to work on your crosswind landings. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Now, we're talking about changing speeds, so you're correct. As the canopy slows down, the push from the crosswind doesn't change, so either you'll drift some with the wind or you'll have to give more toggel input to turn yourself more into the wind. But in no way is the wind turning your canopy. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

You're correct. The wind will not turn a wing, neither aircraft nor canopy. The problem is that if you wish to fly straight during a crosswind landing, then you'll have to turn into the wind some, so that you're canopy is pushed sideways the same amount it flies in the opposite direction. This is what an aircraft does when it lands on a runway during crosswinds. An airplane only has one strip to land on, so it must set up differently than a canopy. Now if a canopy pilot wishes to land in the peas, then he'll have to add a crosswind correction. There are some different phenomenon occurring with an aircraft pilot. The primary of which is that both wings don't experience the same overall relative wind during a crosswind. This is due to the fact that the fuselage blocks the wind to the inside of one of the wings. This is why aileron deflection happens during crosswind take-offs and landings. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Champaign, and boy you don't know the half of it! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Something like a sabre2 has a planform which will give a more agressive response, and if you keep it at 190, then you'll not increase your speed very dramatically. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I would agree, but it can be done. With proper instructing, the static line exits may be less than desirable, but by the time the student reaches freefall, they should be exiting stable. I wasn't the only one at my dropzone to do static line training out of the caravan, so I'm not a freak of nature or anything. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I think a poised exit shouldn't be a problem. I did my static line jumps from a caravan when our 182 was down for maintenance, so I learned on poised. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Only got my coach's rating with an SL-I coming soon, but I'm more than willing to go out with a student just for the slot. Now if they are doing a training jump, then they should expect to pay for it. However, if it is either them going out and doing a solo or me helping them work on their fall rate, then I won't give a second thought to jumping with them; I have even paid my own slot to jump with students. The question I have for those who simply say "no," what is the difference between jumping with a student with 24 jumps and a licensed jumper with 26? Why should one have to pay you while you're willing (in some cases) to pay your own slot for the other? My Coach's Course Director told me you should never give away training for free, or people will take advantage of it. That is certainly one way to look at it, but I know I have received my fair share of "free training." A packing class, some water training, pointers on getting my canopy in the bag, replacing a brake line, hell even load organizing from people I never met before at the WFFC, so I need to give all of this back to the skydiving community that gave it to me. I certainly don't believe the community should be about charging people $5 here and $10 there. This is some people's sole income source, so it's understandable that they cannot do a payless jump when there is a paid one in waiting, but I will question those for which skydive instruction is a mere hobby yet they would rather sit on the ground then help out a student. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

What size container is it for that 176? PDRs have a greater pack volume than something like a smart. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Yes, and if something goes bad, that AFFI/coach/whatever will be held responsible. Putting someone with 20 jumps on a 4-way can be like asking someone with 2 jumps to do a couple back flips on exit. No need to rush, there is plenty that a coach and a student can do during those last few coach jumps. Five more jumps isn't too much to wait. I've done a number of pre-licensed jumps for people who are done with the student progression, but still short of license requirements. Tried a four way with one who was taking a little while to get his accuracy requirements, and I regret it...no one got hurt by any means, it was just more than he could handle...too much, too quick. Just like a new A license holder shouldn't be put on a 12 way. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Second time this misconception has come up recently on here. When rig manufacturers mention a loose/regular/tight fit for their rig, they are talking about how the harness will conform to your body, *not* how the canopies will fit into the container. Most manufacturers use a standard sizing chart for all rigs they make, and a certain size will tell you, for example, that a 190 will pack like a brick (very tight), a 170 will be tight, and a 150 will be loose. This means you know that if you start with a 190 then it will fit fine and you should be fine downsizing as low as a 150, but will be less than desirable. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I was definitely leaning towards a tight fit with my G3, but was recommended to go with a medium fit by the person who measured me and had lots of experience with measuring for mirages. Took her advice and glad that I did, the medium fit definitely came back tight. Not too tight, but definitely what I was hoping for. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Just go around to all the local dropzones and ask at manifest who runs the packing. Whether it's the dropzone manager, rigger, or private concessionaire, then just go to them and explain your situation. Many packers are in your exact position of really wanting to jump and not having the money; I'm sure one or all of them would be willing to help you out! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Packing is definitely a way to go about doing it. In my case, I worked full time during college (undergrad) so I could persue my interests, which at the time were flying and building an airplane, which were both more expensive than skydiving unfortunately. As a graduate student who picked up skydiving, I'm fortunate to get paid enough to go to school that I can feed my skydiving addiction without working quite a much. Sometimes it requires saving that $20 of drinking money for one more jump saturday; work on campus for those two hours tuesday and thursday morning when you would much rather being sleeping in. There is definitely no easy way to have positive cash flow as a college student, but it can be done and some people (not many) do it without parents pumping them money. We have a skydiving club here, but it's a far cry from supporting any of the up jumpers. Definitely just there to get as many people into the sport as possible. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Researchers at the St. Louis University School of Medicine say large doses of marijuana may be related to stroke deaths among teenagers. Not to mention that there are many instance of marijuana use without alcohol use in connection with traffic accidents which cause death, yet your data only includes alcohol induced accidents as alcohol deaths, yet not drug induced accidents as such. I could care less what people choose to do in their free time, but your data is a bit skewed. Listen bud, just step away from the bong. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

While they aren't a vortex generator, they are a "vortex generator of sorts." They work by producing a vortex, which in turn takes the spanwise flow of the wing and turn it parallel to the line of flight. The biggest difference is that vortex generators directly influence the boundary layer of a wing, pumping energy into it so it will stay attached at high lift, while fences and vortilons indirectly effect the boundary layer by influencing the potential flow (flow in which vorticity is zero). But, you know....details. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I'll be sure to throw one of mine on, so we'll be sure to meet up. Quite certain you didn't, didn't start my jumping until April last year. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Looks like Birdman isn't going to have any BMIs out there, so any wingsuiters going out who wouldn't mind a birdling under their wing? Looks like I'll get a brief instruction with the demo suit, but I would much prefer something a bit more in depth with only 250 jumps. But damnit, I'm gonna fly one way or the other! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Anyone know if there'll be any BMIs there? I could definitely stand the trip if there were a FFC involved! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Of course his hand waviness is an issue, but quite simply he could potentially overload his reserve! I would be more concerned about someone with 100 jumps overloading (as per manufacturer max weight) a reserve at 1.2 than someone with 100 jumps loading their reserve at 1.4. Of course, both are stupid, but one seems to be more prone to killing the jumper, while the other may only break both the jumpers femurs! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

If you mean so when you open it up you'll be flying backwards, then no. You can hook up your canopy backwards, but not pack it that way. If you place your canopy into the container so that it will open backwards, then you will have what's called an off heading opening. This means that you are facing one way and the canopy is facing the other way. You will quickly spin out of this half a line twist and will most likely not even notice it. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

What he said, police have a certain jurisdiction. If it is a certain county, then they can enforce all applicable laws within the county, whether they be local, state, or federal laws, no matter if it is local, state, federal, or personal property (to certain restrictions). I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Am I the only one alarmed by this? If you end up with a cypres fire, which you indicate you currently have, then you'll be opening an overloaded reserve at terminal. This is beyond logic to me; especially if the reserve is not brand new. 700' is not some place you want to have a blown center cell or a couple broken A lines on your reserve. Not worth saving any amount of money, imo. It seems to me that your current loading is the least of your worries. I know a jumper at my DZ had to sign a separate waiver to overload his reserve, and I twice saw him land his reserve, and they were quite ugly...the reserve had no flaring power being overloaded as it was. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF