strop45

Hi Mark You do know thats its New Zealand and that is an international call, don't you? +64 7 376 7136. Replace the + with your international access. Just tried the number and it works. Deepseed are also available on skype if you want to reduce your call costs. Blue Skies The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Out of interest, an aircraft mechanic here was recently convicted of manslaughter after he signed off some maintenance on a helicopter. He didn't actually supervise the work, didn't check it and signed it off. The helicopter crashed, the pilot died and the mechanic was convicted. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

My experience of flying a canopy in turbulence is very limited, one very uncomfortable flight through a high (1000-2500') layer of wind shear. Not directly comparable, but I fly model sailplanes on the slope where turbulence and being close to the ground are normal. The turbulence is mainly associated with high wind speeds, but is also generated by terrain and thermal activity. Flying models suggests to me that stalls and lack of control are the things most likely to cause you to hit the ground at high speed and that generally speed is your friend through turbulence. Therefore full flight seems like a better option than quarter brakes in turbulence, since it reduces the risk of a stall caused by adverse wind speed/direction across all or part of the canopy. It also gives you more toggle range to deal with the turbulence, i.e. if the gust creates more lift, you don't need to do anything but hang on (and wait for the corresponding sink), if it reduces your lift, you may need to use the toggles to keep the canopy flying. As usual, comments from more experienced canopy pilots appreciated. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Did you miss the part about this being an AFF level one jump, i.e. it was the student's first skydive. How do you make someone competent before they skydive??? Also of note was that they landed on a hilltop and were above hills with the student AAD set to DZ level. Note alot of use in this situation. While the fact that the AFF instructors jumped is a concern, the bigger concern is that they took a student with them... The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Robin Jacob was apparently making his first AFF jump, so good work on landing out on a bush covered hill with no damage. They were 3km from the DZ so its hard to understand why the AFF instructors jumped with cloud cover and a first jump student. http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/NationalNews/Story/tabid/423/articleID/48354/cat/64/Default.aspx --------------------------------------------------- Two skydivers have been rescued by helicopter after jumping out of their plane in the wrong place and landing in dense bush in the Coromandel Ranges, instead of the Thames airstrip. It is far from the ideal landing spot in every sense - dense bush and uneven terrain as well a good 3km from where they were supposed to come down. "Once we came through the cloud we just realised we were in the wrong place," sky diver Robin Jacob said. "I'm not sure why so we did the best we could and landed in the bush and these guys helped us out." First time skydiver Robin Jacob, and a second jumper, were winched to safety after their skydiving instructor managed to walk out to raise the alarm. The two men walked away virtually unscathed, but when the alarm was first raised police had no idea how bad things might be. "When one came out you don't know whether the other two are lying seriously injured or not," Senior Sergeant Jim Corbett said. "So hence it was a mad rush to try and locate them." Another sky diver who did not want to appear on camera told 3 News that they normally rely on visually identifying their target but that was not possible today because of cloud cover. Instead he said they called air traffic control who told them they were above Thames air strip. But air traffic control tells it differently. They say it is not their job to tell skydivers where they are, and ultimately the responsibility is the pilot's. Either way it has not deterred Jacob from skydiving. He is already planning his next jump. --------------------------------------------------- The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I disagree with you on two counts. Firstly there is a balance between safety and money, and everything around you, cars, bridges, building, washing machines etc us designed taking both into account. You can argue that in this case the improvement in safety is good value for the extra money, but not that money isn't a consideration. Secondly there's no such thing as safe. Any canopy can hurt or kill you. Higher wing loadings/higher performance are simply less safe. Part of the reason for this debate is that there seems no real data or rationale (other than high wing loading = higher risk) behind suggested wing loadings/jump numbers. Personally I'd be happier with some type of training skills list which you had to pass before being allowed to fly a various classes of canopies. stay safe... The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

yip, this is the internet. The same could be said of most threads. Part of the point is seeing what everyone's thoughts and opinions are. While some people may already know all of the answers and always be right, some of us are actually looking to learn and this type of discussion is, at least, somewhere to start.. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Agreed, my altitrack is over 18 months old and has about 200 jumps. Its still going strong. Of course the altitrack battery has roughly 2.2x the capacity (and cost) of the battery in a Neptune. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Good idea. Over here you need to pass a packing test to get an A license. As part of the test, the rigger puts one of the above into the gear, and then asks you to pack it.....When you correct the problem, you are asked to stand aside and another is applied..Seems to work. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Actually just under 1 year, how time flies when you are having fun...... http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do%3Dsearch_results%3Bsearch_forum%3Dall%3Bsearch_user_username%3DScrumpot%3Bmh%3D25=Show+user%27s+posts The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Yes and no.. My point was concerning vineyards and orchards. The orchards have low trees with wires strung along rows. Vineyards are full of wires and poles and not much else. The wind rows around the orchards/vineyards are taller trees with the branches removed from the sides. If you fly in a uncontrolled manner (i.e. unable to steer in any way) into them you probably end up on the ground, maybe after your canopy has been collapsed or turned by the wind row, or maybe after hitting a wire or pole holding the wires up. If forced to land in such a place, the pros at the DZ recommend a full mush and a prayer... The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I take your point, but.....if you are unable to steer, then regardless of what size reserve you have you will NOT be "safe". I estimate that around my DZ only about 5% of the land is suitable for an uncontrolled landing. The rest is covered in orchards or vineyards and is often surrounded by tall hedges. Without steering you be hurt, its only a question of how much. Having said that of course a larger reserve will reduce your speed and damage on impact. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

45 The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Perhaps because of the title of the thread. Saying "buy new" to someone who who can't see how they can afford a rig is at best not helpful. My first rig was new, my first canopy was secondhand. I agree that a rig built for you is much more comfortable, but it also much more expensive. I bought new only because I couldn't find a suitable secondhand rig. (New Zealand has a much smaller secondhand market than the US). The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Whoops, my bad The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Listen to your instructors, read what the manufacturers say about the various canopies and suggested loadings, have a look here for general advice then make your own mind up. Not all instructors are created equal, and some will give better advice than others. In my limited experience, those with more years and more jumps tend to give better advice. If you feel that your instructors are making suggestions that are too aggressive/too conservative, ask them about it, discuss your concerns. Just ignoring the advice of the most experienced people around who know you, and have seen you land is frankly nonsensical. Stay safe. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Cold didn't seem to a problem. I guess it depends on what the air temp is. Here's some footage using my skydiving helmet/camera on the snow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH9Xloyr4fA The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Here's mine. I was travelling along a dual carriageway when I caught up with a very slow moving car. The car was wandering across the road on blind corners and the driver was drunk and/or high. On the first strait I timed him wandering one way and shot past. He then matched my speed. I sped up until I was well past the speed limit and quickly left him behind. I came around the corner and there was a policeman with the radar on. He turned his siren and lights on, so I stopped and ran back to his car. When the following car came past, I pointed him out and said yes, I was speeding, but that driver will kill someone soon. The policeman set of in pursuit after telling him to stop when he caught the car. I followed and pulled up behind them. He came back and said, thanks very much, I won't be needing you. Drive carefully! The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I've used my skydiving helmet/camera setup (Cookie with hc-40) on the snow - works well. As pointed out, its not crash tested, but then neither's my head and I often ski with no helmet. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Heres our lovely Coco as a pup. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Its reasonably easy to remove the chlorine from tap water. Just add sodium bisulphite. You can get this from a pet shop. Referred to as water conditioner, it is sold to remove the chlorine from tap water to make it safe for tropical fish. IMHO the concentration of chlorine in tap water is so low that any dirt, grass, or other organic material on the canopy is likely to neutralize it. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

My vote goes for body position. I had a hard opening coupled with major line twists about a month ago. This bought an old motorbike neck injury back into focus. Since then I have been very conscious of my body position and my neck on opening. This had exactly the wrong result, I had more line twists/bad openings in the next 10 jumps than the previous 200. Once I realized that I was tensing up and doing funny things with my neck and forced myself to relax, then the openings came back to nice, controlled and on heading. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I've put 200 jumps on my safire II 169, and have packed both ways. I don't notice any difference in openings, but find that the psycho pack goes into the D-bag easier. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I'm in agreement with Kallend. We all accept different levels of risk. Some jump with AAD, RSL, low wingloading mains and reserves. Some jump with no AAD and/or no RSL and/or small HP canopies and/or no reserves. I also in agreement with you, at 13 skydives why would you be considering downsizing? OTOH, I wouldn't be too quick to cry 'NEVER'. I thought I would never be interested in 'swooping', but now find that I'm doing and enjoying 90 degree front riser approaches. I don't plan to downsize and maybe I never will, but I wouldn't say 'NEVER'. Its interesting to try and balance learning and risk in skydiving. Progression requires that you try new things and attempt to do things you aren't 100% familiar and comfortable with. At the end of the day, I try and take baby steps and learn from the experienced skydivers around me. DZ.com is also a useful way to read about others experiences and see what generally works and what leads to problems. Stay safe. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Agreed if the student/new licensed skydiver is using the setting the audible at breakoff or pull height. Here, all students are required to have an audible. Generally it is set at 3000', and students are pulling at 5000', i.e. the student should only hear it when things go wrong. Similarly as a newly licensed skydiver (yesterday) I set the audible to 2500' and was generally pulling at 4000'. This avoids the student/new licensed skydiver becoming reliant on the audible, but provides another warning if they should loose altitude awareness (e.g. trying to handle a high speed mal). Once you get past 100 jumps, it seems to me that the need for an audible reduces, as your visual altimeter (view of the ground coming to meet you) gets better calibrated. To the OP, my 2c worth is to get an optima and whichever visual altimeter you like. The optima allows you to set beeps for use in your landing pattern, and IMO this is more useful than an electronic logbook. Blue skies The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein