Telek

Spelling mistake -- I meant to say "opinions" not "options". I've generally heard that FXCs are not a preferred AAD, not to mention clunky, but they do work and are solid. Most of the opinions that I have heard are along the line of "I bought an XXX and I've never had any problems with it". I don't actually know anyone who has had it save their lives, but I imagine that they all work just the same. You're correct, it looks like the Neptune keeps track of pretty much the same information as the Vigil does, and since I have a Neptune I guess it won't really give me any added value.

I'm leaning towards Vigil because of the computer interface (even though it's expensive!) are there any cheaper computer interfaces for that?

I'm just getting my own gear and need to get an AAD, but I've seen a lot of different opinions on what is best to get. Is there any definitive guide or general guidelines on which one I should get? Also should I get new or used? Thanks!

Ok, so from the sounds of it I could get a 170 or 190 (which I could use pretty soon) and it will have good resale value. But what exact model is this? Spectre? ZP? are these the same? Thanks for the advice guys!

Hello all, I am in a bit of a predicament. I have a 30% off certificate for a brand new PD canopy, however as I am still a student this is not the best time to buy new... To lay out the details, I'm 27, about 130lbs (stop laughing!) 5'9", and am using a 220 student rig and am quite comfortable with it. I've had 18 jumps (well, 18 canopy rides, 6 AFF and 12 IAD), so my canopy handling skills are not too bad. What I figured that I would do would be to buy a 135 or 150 and stick it on the shelf for a year or two until I am ready to use it. I figure once I have my solo I will likely want to use a 170 or 190 (I don't know, any suggestions?), and from those I have spoken to, I suspect that I will quickly want to downgrade to a 135 or 150 (i.e. within 100-150 jumps), but that a 135 or 150 would last me for a while. So I proposed to PD to buy a 135/150, but they are suggesting that I should just buy what I will use at first, and are implying that they will not sell me a canopy that is to small for my current skill set. This must be used before the end of March, so there isn't much time left to decide. I figured that it would not be a big deal, so I wanted until now to have enough money to do this transaction. Thanks for your comments/suggestions!

I did some more digging and I was way off on my initial estimates. For 20 minutes with instructor it will cost $540 USD. This is equivalent time to 27 jumps (with 45 seconds freefall) or $20 USD per jump. Considering a jump with a PFF instructor costs me $150 USD this is saving money big time. And it's only about 45 minutes one way, so that's not bad either. They recomment no more than 20 minutes on training per day for an individual. Since it's hard to get to a wind tunnel I think 20 minutes is good, but do you think it may be too much for a first timer? My Paris trip is 2 weeks before the DZ opens, so that's not too bad.

I agree with everyone that a wind tunnel would probably be my best bet. However there aren't any around me. Wind tunnels don't appear to be any more expensive either. A PFF jump with 1 instructor costs me $175 CDN and gives me 45 seconds of freefall. 2 minutes in the wind tunnel is about $60 CDN. I don't mind paying that, considering it's 1/3rd the cost of getting 1/2 the time where I'm not getting any hands-on help in the air. Well, as fortune would have it, I am taking a trip to Paris soon and I found the Aerokart web site and emailed them yesterday, and they responded back today. They said that I can definitely come and practice and they have plenty of instructors who can give me a lot of help! It's about a 90 minute train ride North of Paris, which is a lot better than any solutions around here. So I think I'm going to give that a try! Unfortunately I don't know if I'll be able to make more than 1 trip there (I'm only in Paris for 5 days) but I will try. Any suggestions for how to handle being in a wind tunnel?? :) I don't have a problem with adrenaline except when actually in freefall. I'm perfectly calm on the plane ride up, we have rickity cessnas which take 20 minutes to get to 10,500ft so if anything I may just be overthinking everything before the jump itself. I always sleep well at night after jumping, probably because of a lot of fresh air :)

First of all, thank you to EVERYONE for such help and awesome replies. I didn't expect this much attention this quickly. Skydivesg: That seems like a good suggestion, definitely better than the creepers. I might suggest building something like that at the DZ and maybe making an H out of it and putting wheels on it, to act like a creeper. In any case, I don't think that will help. On the ground I have great leg control and alignment, however the problem is that on the ground you use different muscles than in the air. On the ground you're fighting the force of gravity to keep your legs up. If you apply the same amount of force when in the air (when your legs are "weightless") you will get a totally different response, at least that is what I found. It may be that if your legs are symmetrically built (muscle-wise) then you'll automatically compensate in the air symmetrically, but in my case since my left leg is less muscular it has to work harder, which would actually explain why the *right* leg is lower than the left (the muscle memory says to use less force on my right, so it'll hang lower). Interesting thought. Unfortunately I can't do much workout on my leg because my knee is buggered, orthopedic surgeon suggested staying off anything that put a lot of pressure on my knees, so most leg workouts are out. What I found to be a lot closer to the air was by going in a pool and balancing myself with a pool noodle or two directly under my pelvis. On the ground we could never see any problem with my leg position, however when I first tried this it was immediately apparent that my right leg was lower than my left. Again this isn't a perfect match to what happens in the air, but I think it's a lot closer than a creeper. Having said that, I will definitely try your suggestion. I'm a bit of a handyman so I've got a pile of 2x4s kicking around, so I'll build a platform like you suggest. You suggest knees bent to almost 90 degrees? My instructors have been telling me closer to 45-60 degrees. Thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks bob, now that you mention it that's exactly the way that I felt at first. I too needed to rehearse dozens of times on the ground, and I felt as though I couldn't reason, only react. I'm a little better now, but definitely not at the "perfect clarity" point.

I'm not worried about my mental clarity, as it gets better with every jump. Maybe a better way to describe it is this: If I'm stable, I have no problem thinking and doing the routines that they ask for. When I'm unstable, I seem to react instinctively (which is a problem, I know). For example I'll be sitting on the ground going "ok, if I start to wobble, I need to relax and make sure my arch is fine", "if I start turning, I need to try bringing up the leg opposite the turn", then once I'm in the air I end up leaning and going more spread eagle to try to counter the turn instead of lifting up my leg. It's at that point that I get the "curl legs more" and "more arch" signals from the instructor. Honestly it may be nothing, because it's not like you really have the time to go "ok, let me stop and think about this for a second" as you're spinning out of control :P. In any case it's getting better. I've discussed this with my instructors, and they say it's not uncommon to feel that way when you're just getting started. Spend 25 years with the body understanding that you put a limb out in the direction of your fall to brace yourself, or to whip a limb out in the opposite direction to keep balance... 6 PFF jumps with a total of 4.5 minutes of freefall isn't enough to trump instinct. :) In any case, thanks for the concern.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I go into a left (counterclockwise) turn. When the instructor is hanging onto me I am stable, and he can let go, but only for 2 or 3 seconds before I start turning. I don't have the video but IIRC my knees are about shoulder width apart, maybe a few inches more on either side. I have full mobility in both my legs, so yes I can do the 90 degree angle thing, it's just that my left leg has a few inches less circumference than my right, and there isn't much I can do about it because my knee is buggered. I'm a lightweight, 130lb soaking wet. I don't recall ever getting the "legs together" signal, but I've gotten both the "more curl" and "less curl" signals. I occasionally get the "more arch" signal as well. When I asked about my leg position and relative height he said that it's difficult to see when he's in front of me, but he said that they looked fine, so they can't be that far out of wack. My instructors say that my form isn't perfect but it isn't bad. In the pool my knees are normally about shoulder width apart (maybe a bit further), when I pull my knees inward I mean closer together so there is maybe 8" between the knees. Apparently my legs become symmetrical when I do that, but it's definitely further together than I see most other people jump. I am never out of breath once I deploy, just a little frustrated. Unfortunately there are no wind tunnels near me, I'm taking a trip to Paris (France) soon and I hear there is one close to there, maybe I can get some time in there. I don't get discouraged easily, I really hope that once I get the hang of it it'll become easy and I can get my license! Thanks for the advise!

Yes, my instructors don't really know how to help me either, they all agree that a wind tunnel would be ideal, but there aren't any available. I like your idea about the creeper (been on that thing a lot) and the couch. I'll have to try that out. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Yes, I know you have to be symmetrical. The problem being that when I'm in the air I can't seem to get them symmetrical no matter how hard I try. I was hoping that someone has some advice on how to acheive this. Unfortunately I don't think there are any wind tunnels near me. I'm in Toronto, Ontario, I think they're constructing one in Niagara Falls, but it's been in construction for years now and they don't seem to be getting anywhere with it.

Hello everyone, I just started skydiving last year and I can't wait until we get to start again (I'm a Canuck, so it's a little cold to jump right now). I've been going through the PFF/AFF course with a side order of a bunch of IAD jumps just for fun (when no instructor was available). I'm stuck on PFF/AFF level 4, I can't seem to keep my body stable and end up either flailing all over the place or in a massive spin. I've had video taken and it looks like my right leg hangs lower than my left when in the relaxed arch position. I should note that I was in a motorcycle accident 2 years ago and badly broke my left leg, so it's not as muscular as my right. In any case I've tried to consciously adjust them in flight to no avail. It seems that once I'm airbourne I have very limited ability to cognitively think, and I end up reverting to doing exactly what I practiced 100 times on the ground with. Basically I was hoping that someone here may have some suggestions or hints on what I can do to improve my mental clarity in the air and stop this massive spin that I have going. I've tried jumping into a pool and immediately assuming my relaxed arch position, and the same thing ends up happening. I've found in a pool that I can pull my knees inward and that seems to level them out, but I'm not sure this is such a good thing to do in the air. Comments? Thanks for your help!!