strop45

I also repeated a few levels. Think of it as another opportunity to learn. Have a look at http://www.iansmith.co.uk/skydive/logbook.htm to see someone else who had to work hard to finish AFF. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Bump. Given the recent fatalites at Eloy, what colors provide best visibility against the ground and improve chances that a higher jumper will see you?. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Agreed 100%, from the Oxford English dictionary Condone :verb accept or forgive derivatives condonation - noun jraf arguments on english are as persuasive as his arguments on business, DZ operation, low pull etc etc... The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Thermals(rotors) are caused by differential heating and ditches provide an ideal place for thermals to form. A ditch is sheltered from the wind, thereby allowing hot air to accumulate, then be sucked out forming a thermal. This can also occur in the lee of buildings, especially if the area is asphalt. Thermals and wind are not mutually exclusive, i.e. even on quite windy days there may still be thermals about. Stand on any hill top with a town upwind on a windy day and note the temperature and the wind speed. The 'hot' spots when the wind dies are not just due to an absence of cooling, they are caused by thermals passing over. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

A number of comments and Lou Diamonds signature line (thread title) got me to thinking. If you are hurt or killed, what do you want people to say/not say about you and/or what happened? Any messages for loved ones or friends who may read dz.com. Personally I hope that I don’t end up being discussed here in any shape or form, but if I should and it will help anyone else be safer then feel free to speculate about what may have happened and the circumstances that may have lead to the incident. Comment on my (in)experience, the gear I was using, the conditions that may have lead up to the incident. Don’t presume to know me or judge me for one jump. Like many others I’m addicted to skydiving, and hope that my skydiving legacy is that of someone doing something he loved and having a good time, not a fool doing a stupid thing. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

So are you saying that only pilots can comment on pilots, and only people with 1000s of jumps have anything worthwhile to say about skydiving?. Using this reasoning, unless you are a professional chef with years of experience, you don't know anything about cooking, so you can't comment on the food in a restaurant. Skydivers may not be able to tell what makes a pilot 'good' or 'bad', but they can say the things that they value in a pilot. Most of the posts in this thread seem to be just that, i.e. skydivers saying what they value in a pilot. I hope that most pilots are interested in what their passengers think of them and want from them. All the pilots I have met (in the short time I have been skydiving) have been friendly, professional, and easy to talk to, especially about flying. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Try http://www.apf.asn.au/cloudjumping.aspx The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Hi Mike, I am at about the same experience level as you and think that my canopy progression is coming along well, but I have never even considered doing a "90 degree front riser turn" on approach. Looking through these forums, there is a lot of emphasis on wing loading and experience level, and it seems to me that there should be a similar linkage between experience level and types of landing approaches. Good to hear that the damage was limited and you will be jumping again soon. Blue Skies The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Recently I noticed that my bridle was frayed around the closing pin. Closer examination revealed that only about half of the bridle material was intact and that one third of the inside edge of the closing pin (center of the doughnut) was razor sharp. It appeared to me that the material had fractured during polishing leaving the knife-like edge. About ten to twenty small low pressure movements were all that were needed to cut completely through the bridle. My rig is about four months old and had 40 or so jumps on it when I noticed the problem. Main lesson for me was that detailed gear inspections can find problems before they become malfunctions. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Agree 100% , great photos. Now I know why my photos are so washed up no pollution Attachments were taken yesterday, Abel Tasman National park, Nelson, New Zealand. The Fletcher often overflies this area while gaining height. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

The good doctor is just saying what a lot of whuffos are thinking. Each of us decides what level of risk we are comfortable with in our lives. Don't let the fact that some people will think you're an idiot, stop you being an advocate for skydiving. Rather than worrying about the negative reactions, keep looking for the next potential skydiver. The best way to build the sport is word of mouth. To paraphase someone else's by line: Dying is compulsory, living is optional. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Weight does affect terminal velocity. Imagine that you are lying in a wind tunnel as it starts. As the speed of the wind increases, so does the lift created by the wind hitting your body. When the lift created is equal to your WEIGHT you 'float'. If at this point if you add more weight than you 'sink' and either the wind speed needs to increase or you must generate more lift (e.g. de-arch). For a heavier object with the same shape/size/surface roughness then the wind speed must be higher, i.e. when falling through the sky its terminal velocity will be higher. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I was taught to set the brakes so that the brake line ended up inside the risers. Now that I have purchased my own rig, I'm wondering if they might be better set the other way around, i.e. the line outside the risers? My rig, a Mars Real-X has secondary riser covers (see pic) and if the brakes are set on the inside it looks to me as if the secondary riser cover could cause a brake fire. To date this hasn't happened but just wondered what others do/think? The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Thanks for your reply.

Humm!. I don't know much about skydiving, but do understand the basic laws of physic at least as well as most of the posters in this discussion. My take is that both sides are partly correct. Weight affects terminal velocity For the same drag, a heavier object falls faster. (if you don't believe this, try wearing a weight belt). Opening the canopy increases the drag and therefore the velocity decreases. During de-acceleration the tension in the lines and canopy fabric is only dependant on the velocity, however with higher weight the time taken to de-accelerate is increased and therefore the stress is present for more time. The longer the force is present the more likely that the lines/fabric will reach breaking point and fail. Conclusion, if you exceed the design/certification limits you run the real risk that the canopy will fail. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Understood, so assuming that you manage to kill all of the vertical speed, but are left with considerable horizontal speed, is a PLF the best way to go?. My understanding is that PLF was originally developed for the reverse situation, i.e. dealing with vertical speed. As a keen skier/motorcyclist I've fallen over many many times with lots of horizontal speed (working on the theory that if you aren't falling occasionally, you are going fast enough) and have never PLFed nor ever suffered any major damage from horizontal speed (touch wood). So in this situation, do you always PLF? The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Now that looks dangerous! The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Understood, a downwind landing is a better choice than a low 180 degree crash into the ground, but is "Don't turn low" always true?. What if the alternative is to fly into something bigger and tougher than you or the ground ? e.g. a powerline, another skydiver, a car, a fence etc. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

The flip side to this is that having high jump numbers doesn't necessarily make you all things to all people. While some of the questions and comments from people with low jump numbers may seem stupid or inane, they may also lead to innovation or help them or someone else clarify their thinking. Its a lot safer (at least for your body) to test the waters in a forum, than halfway through a skydive. At my stage of skydiving, I'm trying to learn as much as I can and look at all sources of information, including these forums. Occasionally the posts are all ego, but sometimes they are full of useful and applicable information. For example the post on belly flying was perfect for me at present. For me the best sources of information on skydiving in order of relevance are: 1) The instructors and staff at the DZ where I jump at regularly. There are three main reasons for this, firstly they are aware of local conditions and issues relevant to the DZ. Secondly, they have jumped with me, watched me exit the plane and land. Finally they depend on skydiving for their living, and keeping me safe is in their commercial interest. 2) Manuals and manufacturers information on the equipment I use. 3) Other experienced skydivers at the DZ. They are a great source of knowledge and often have more time to 'chew the fat' than staff. 4) Books and articles published by well known and respected authors. These are very useful, albeit that for books, sometimes the information can be a little out-of-date. 5) Posts by well known and respected posters here in these forums, e.g. Billvon. Similarly the careful and well thought out posts by a range of others, such as AFFI and NWFlyer. 6) Posts by others who complete their profiles 7) All other posts. Any other sources I have missed? The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

I'm not even a 100 jump wonder (yet) so claim no expertise whatsoever in canopy control, however I have been flying radio control sailplanes for over twenty years and know about thermals (aka dust devils). Thermals are a result of the sun heating the ground/tarseal/roofs etc. This causes hot air which then rises and turns. Thermals can be very small (say 10 feet/3meters across and 100 feet/30 metres tall) to very large (say 2000 feet/700m across and 3000 feet/1000m tall). They are characterised by warm air moving upwards and spiralling (like the traditional image of a tornado, albeit slower) about a center and air moving downwards just outside the thermal. When you fly into a thermal the edge of the canopy nearest the centre of the thermal will go up in the warm air, while the other edge will be in sinking (and usually colder) air. This appears to me to be precisely what happened to your canopy. So what does this mean for skydivers: 1) Be aware of the circumstances which create thermals. Hot sunny days with little or no wind (contrary to an earlier poster, no wind days create more thermal activity and dust devils, they just don't move much) are the days which create the most thermal activity. Thermals are generally present from mid-morning to after sunset. 2)Beware of areas downwind of dark surfaces - the runway, roads, dark roofs, freshly ploughed fields etc. 3) Thermals can be observed in a number of ways - dust, temperature differences (you can often feel the cold/warm air), seagulls, and by the sinking air around them. None of these should make you turn in your landing pattern, but should just make you aware that you may have to aggressively control the canopy to stay straight and level. 4)If you encounter a thermal, it will try to turn you away from its center, your best response is to keep the canopy above you (wings level for a model sailplane) by fighting the thermal induced turn, i.e. try and stay on course. If you get into the middle of a thermal you will be in rising air, i.e. your sink rate will decrease, but be aware that on the other side you will encounter sinking air and you sink rate will rapidly increase. Again I have no expertise in canopy control and make these comments soley based on years of flying models in and out of thermal activity, however it seems to me that the same general principles apply. The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Even accepting that this guy is trying to make trouble, what's the worse that will happen if you just try being civil to him? He might offer some advice ? Ignoring him and walking away is (IMO) an aggressive thing to do. You are happy to publish your jump experience on a public forum, but not prepared to answer his direct question. Even people you dislike can give good advice. Having said all of that, I jump at a small friendly DZ and am happy to get any advice/help from anyone. Blue skies The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein

Great DZ. Did my AFF here, great instructors, strong focus on safety, good teaching techniques, lots of positive feedback (and negative when desired). Fletcher is great way to ride, large packing area. Recommended!!!