collinb

....another tip is during training specifically it can really help the team a lot for you to get a heading, once you have settled from the exit, and hold it. The team can then tell if the formations are rotating and who is moving where a lot easier. If you are spinning around above them you may see all the grips but they can't tell if a portion of the formation moved or someone just flew away or if it was you turning and they were nice and still.

Not quite the same surgery but I had a quad-by-pass in March/April 2009, I can't remember the exact dates, and was jumping again in July 2009, again not sure exactly when in July! My primary cardiologist said stick to tidily-winks but checked with 3-4 skydivers I know who are doctors and they all said "I" was OK and probably stronger in that area than before my surgery. But that was ME and the risks I was prepared to take and the operation/situation is different to yours so, as you have been recommended in other posts, find doctors who understand your specific situation. here's the video of my return to the sky :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xu3_e12sVg take care, it is possible to get back but "do it right" as an old friend of mine used to say "Blues Skies and Soft Landings" Collin p.s. PM me if you want to talk about what I went through and did to return p.p.s. I'm flying base on the jumps :-)

One cranky SOB but you had to love him, BSBD my friend

...or just order a set from Square 1, that's where I got mine from when I was in Perris at a bigway camp.

There is no comparison in jumps vs tunnel but there is in free-fall time vs tunnel, as stated several times. There is a great advantage in tunnel from that perspective though in terms of who fast you can learn. Take a 15 minute session of coached tunnel you a) get 2 skydives worth of time for each 2 minute rotation then b) you get immediate feed back from your coach and often 2-4 minutes later you are back in the tunnel doing the exercise again and c) 1 hour of tunnel in a day is often equivalent to 6 months or a year of jumping for a lot of people!putting all that learning into 1 hour with everything fresh in terms of muscle memory and timing has to have an advantage. Now that doesn't mean a minute of tunnel is equal to a jump as there are so many other components to a good AND safe skydive. The tunnel is a tool that used properly can definitely give more bang for the buck in ONE area of the skydive. As stated in this thread, they both are needed and have differnet value dependent on how they are used. my 2 cents.

The PAC750 will hold 15 and once you get used to the door, remember to use the lower step, launch anything up to an 8way chunk. You can pretty much launch any 4way piece, some a little different to the Otter but great team training plane! remember to hang close to the plane if you are outside and lean out only at the count and tell your pilot if you have lots of meat outside, we regularly put 6 outside, and make sure pilot keeps a little extra speed up or the nose down as it can she be a bitch if he gets behind the curve! have fun

hi Cary, interested in seeing if you made it back to jumping? I had 3 heart attacks and a quad-bypass and started again after 4-5 months and still jumping 15months on. I KNOW it's not the same but interested in your progress. blue skies and soft landings Collin

I just got my new Gas and love it, had great customer service during ordering, delivery and after sales service, top-notch! My helmet fits perfect, everything works/functions as advertized. easy to put on and take off. Quiet and light. Quality construction, I hope never to need it or use it in anger but feel it does offers great protection. It isn't a motor bike style helmet but looks and feels better than other helmets I looked at. I maybe would like a more rounded shape like my old Z1 but the shape is nice and distinctive! only potential negative is I really wish it had a flip visor then it would be perfect, it's 95% right now.

trying to remember but when they first came to the UK one of my team mates had filed it off but then had a premature cutaway one time. We think it was because the capewell slide sideways and with the wrap a loose it came out. proper closing of the velcor wrap would have prevented this but we couldn't decide if the wrap got "knocked" on exit or if it was left loose as everyone was still playing with them to see what they worked and looking for problems. sorry I can't remember all the details but we think this may not have happened if the tail was there.

it also helps the canopy fall straight. the "holes" help with inflation as stated but there are also slits between the bottom skin and the stabilizers. With no vents or slit between bottom skin of the canopy and the stabilizers then you have, in effect, an upside down bowl, and when pressure builds up underneath it as you drop down rather than forward, you rock uncontrollably and do not have a predictable flight. back in the late 70's early 80's it was not unusually to do RW, then CReW and shot accuracy! (many competitions combined 4way RW added to team accuracy to get the winner) When canopies started to have joined stabilizers and bottom skins we used to cut slots into them to allow air to spill out equally on both sides and therefore be stable rather than rock from side to side. The I did this to my strato star, then my Unit for sure in the early 80's and I think to my Pegasus (can't remember on this one). I attached a picture of 2way CReW to show the design of the StratoStar with the vents underneath the canopy and an alternate design of stabilizers on a para foil. The second picture is a cloud/cloud lite in deep brakes. It shows the vents in the bottom skin and the gap between the bottom skin and the stabilizers. You will notice that the stabilizers are tucked/blown inwards under the canopy as air is pushed out the sides keeping the canopy from rocking and therefore giving it a predictable flight. not sure if this is actually how it all worked from an aeronautical perspective but it was I thought/felt like happened when I was flying the canopies and the reactions to the design or changes I made to my canopies to be able to shoot accuracy consistently in competition.

...that's just my way, doesn't mean it's the only way or right....I am sure other people have other methods that work for them also.

I jump (fun, team and video) and organize, a lot, at SkyDance and usually organize and run the Bigways but this year wasn't there for the jumps as I was at my son's wedding. We have used the PAC week in week out for 8way and bigger, I have 1500+ jumps in the PAC organizing and team jumps. People at the outside rear need to get low NOT out and video get high NOT out to see. Everyone but the person with the count hug the plane or get low and there is plenty of room for an 8way launch (with video) and line up the rest inside and back moving on the count. Using the inside bar also helps, I noticed on the video people using the outside bars and make sure you are using the lower step. Additionally, in my opinion taking out the right hand seat (facing forward) also helps a lot for the people on the inside but it is a pain in the ass taking it in and out so we leave it in usually. Yes an Otter is better but the PAC is a great plane for its size/cost/etc. My 2 cents.

Jason, Ryan and Amy are confirmed as organizing FF. see you all soon

...we've also added a helicopterto the fleet, details to follow see you soon

not sure about the ballons, I'll check and let you know.... we still have a few slots open for the bigway on Thursday, send me or joe Kaufman an email to let us know you are interested! see you soon blue skies soft landings Collin