apley

i had one a short time ago... damn thing turned and dived (dove?) toward the ground... as murphy would have it, a potential collision with another tracking jumper put me in the basement on that one, and there was just enough time to chop and pull silver. i believe that the real cause of the pc ending up under the nose was a serious out-of-trim situation. i had 650 jumps on this beautiful spectre and all of the signs were there, i just chose to blame them on packing and/or body position. when your canopy starts surging/bucking, doing off-heading openings, have a rigger check out the lines! it's worth the minor effort and expense. i hate hiking in those damn mountains!

my kill line broke a few weeks ago. the deployment felt a little weird... off-heading and a feeling of "surge". no noticable difference in handling my pilot 140 (WL 1.4:1), but i haven't flown the pilot enough yet to be fully intimate with its flight characteristics. just to satisfy the curiosity of those wondering, "what if"? i've also had a pc-in-tow. being jump #60, THAT was a major pucker. to chop or not chop before reserve deployment, that is the question. one debated highly in these forums. my decision was correct, cause i lived. i was happily ignorant on the subject at the time, so the terror was somewhat mitigated...

i took 26 years off, and when i came back, everyone was flying these funny looking "ram air" canopies with cells and shit... i did a tandem to see how they landed, then got really hooked on the new age of skydiving. my recurrency was 16 AFF lessons, and a lot of humility. i still suck, but i'm safe, and anyone will jump with me. probably because i always bring beer to the dz... has anyone seen my walker?

I think it is reasonable to assume that under most conditions the jumper will know that he/she is about to do a water landing and should therefore disconnect the RSL. i'm going to go out on a limb here.... it might be more reasonable to assume that if one still has a connected RSL, they remain in that scarey place without the 1st cutaway or emergency. it would seem that they are more likely to forget about the RSL and NOT release it. they may also not have the presence of mind to cutaway after water contact, either. back to the basics... get your water training! refresh it every few years if you have to. we need the clarity and muscle memory BEFORE the water landing emergency.

"I shudder to think if I had deployed my main with the leg strap fully extended. I would likely have had a spinning mal... then a double mal... That was back in 1998 or so... before I got a Cypres." probably off the subject, but have to interject... i actually had a leg strap slip ALL the way down to the final stitch upon opening. yes, it was a major Pucker! i was loading my spectre @ about 1.4, riding my brand new javellin odyssey. that damn stainless steel just let the webbing slip out and i was opening with one tight, and one floppy leg strap. as a fairly new jumper, i had no idea what to do. i just rode it in conservatively, fighting a turn, and landed on the ground at the same time as the canopy (sideways), and did the best damn PLF of my career. it hurt. i was scared as hell to jump that piece of shit for months. i did discover that the dirt and friction from normal wear probably solved the problem, as well as "setting" the hardware by pushing on the top after getting it cinched up.... i think. you can bet i try to pull that fucker out about 10 times before i jump it these days. that was 700 jumps ago, but the lesson is engraved in my brain for good.

"Who wants to borrow our Constitution? We're not using it!" Frightfully accurate. May i borrow it? get prepared for the next new secular govt, folks. it will happen. it IS happening... fuck bush; the newest international criminal

Brother, I'm feeling for you...my AC went out last summer and it took a week to replace the unit after wrestling with my crappy home warranty company. My house was 108 during the day and cooled down to 100 at night...my dog and I slept in the pool... Summer in AZ is slightly uncomfortable without A/C... what's ac? not much need for that in sandy eggo, with the mean temps being 65 deg all year... i'm spoiled. but don't move here, it's full.

i agree. by that logic, i have 31 years in the sport. my first jump was in 1974 under a round, on a static line. didn't get back in the sky until 2001 when we finally had these sport can-o-peas. i talked about this passion for 26 years until my friends finally told me to shut the hell up and bought me a tandem. the rest is history... i'll be passing 1,000 this weekend.

yeah... a dude was doing some very sketchy stuff off the rope that week. he was completely drunk, broke his leg in a few places (i think i saw the bone sticking out), and refused to go to the hospital. ummm, beevis, you can't walk! i hope my post didn't sound negative. i am serious about it being the best boogie i've been to. what a great place!

wasn't there also a dude in the bible who tied his ass to a tree, then walked 50 miles?! incredible!

god told me to hate you!

that is just WRONG! i know someone i'm going to do this to... he's an obnoxious asshole drunk or sober... but when he gets drunk, we can probably get the pickle in there.

dammit. i just can't make up my mind. i want to get back on the horse after breaking my leg @ LP 2 years ago, but have to take unpaid vacation to do it. for those who have never been, LP is probably the most beautiful DZ you could jump at. the peeps are very friendly, the visitors extremely bazaar, and you couldn't go to a better boogie. bring your BIG canopy, though... unless you have good (well-tested) canopy skills. i think i was the 1st of 5 or 6 broken bones that year.... 3500 ft at the cow pie, err... landing area, and 95 - 100 deg every day, with serious wind gusts.

Since when did a tight main closing loop make it difficult to extract a pilot chute out of a spandex pouch? Or was missfortunem jumping a pull out system? thanks... mispoken for sure. a tight closing loop (more pressure on the pin) will avoid a horsehoe if the bridle caught enough air to pull the pin, but not the pc!

my first (used) rig was a VECTOR 2. i just had to freefly, so i had to make it safe to do what it was not designed to do. with much advice from more experienced jumpers and riggers, and witnessing a few (other people's) premies, i developed packing methods that kept me safe for at least 300 jumps. it IS all about the bridle and the pin. #1: s-fold the bridle into the taco-shaped pc. i hope you understand how to make a taco out of a pc. if not, consult an old timer, a brit, or maybe your rigger; #2: when stowing the pc, leave just enough bridle out so you can get the pc in the pouch. then, when you stow the bridle under the right flap, you have to pull the bridle out of the stowed pc, causing tension on the bridle. this avoids LOOSE exposed bridle; #3: keep your main closing loop new, and TIGHT. it makes for a hard pull, but better that, than a premie! (check with a rigger on this one. i have since learned that having a main closing loop that is too short can create it's own problems.); #4: if you're going to freefly a Vector 2, keep a plastic jezus on your dashboard... you're going to need it.

if you are a belly flyer, this is likely not an issue. if the wind catches that bridle in a freeflying attitude, you should be very concerned. i have witnessed the results of many a premature deployments in freeflying positions, and the result is unnerving. be aware that the bridle can be capable of pulling either your pilot chute or main closing pin! i have a video of a guy doing a flip while in a sit fly, main pin cover a flappin, and then a premature deployment at somewhere around 150 mph. hard jerk, horseshoe mal (the bridle actually ripped off the topskin of his canopy... fortunately), and one helluva whiplash. other possible consequences include broken neck or just a whiplash, broken arm (i watched a girl from eloy land with one hand after breaking her upper arm in a premature during a sitfly), serious back trauma, and many other injuries. obviously, a premature in the belly position has little risk unless someone is above you, or you are spinning. bottom line is... be very diligent in maintenance and in getting checked before you exit. there have been instances where contact with the door will deploy the main and have you hanging on the tail of the aircraft at best, and taking it down or knocking yourself unconscious at worst.

i thought it was rather odd that you were a coach and instructor with such low jump numbers also, but your advice was sound. ignore those on here who can't wait to jump down your throat because of their perceived superiority. i've witnessed MANY jumpers with less than 500 jumps who are far superior in talent to myself with almost 1,000. admittedly, i'm a bit older and more conservative, but some of you guys just take to this sport like it is the most natural thing in the world. i like hearing from EVERYONE, regardless of experience, in all of life. causes me to think in ways i may not have on my own. keep contributing to the forums, and ignore those who would degrade you.

well, they asked for it! i have some other ideas that were too gross to share....

here's another suggestion... send the cc company back their own shit. they often make the original solicitation too big to fit into the reply envelope, but that doesn't stop you from cutting it down to size. i've been doing this for years, along with sharing french fries, abc gum, used condoms, whatever... if it will fit in the envelope, share it with them! you'll both be glad you did!

echoing a few of my thoughts... well said, bill

my advice...? RELAX i know, easier said than done. maybe this will help. i failed AFF4 FIVE TIMES! it took me 17 jumps to get through AFF. concentrate on your breathing, the beautiful sky, and that zit on your instructor's nose. relax. you'll come around. BUCK FUSH!

not sure i would call it "unnecessary". there is a ton of discussion on this subject. read up as much as you can, buddy. the more you know about mals, the more prepared you are for that unusual situation that you can call your own. my favorite resource: THE SKYDIVER'S HANDBOOK great stuff in there on malfuctions. also, PD has an extensive article documenting their testing efforts on dual deployments. a real eye-opener, and definitely makes me more comfortable with the idea that they are 99.9% survivable. for the record, i have 3 chops... ALL of them packing error.

i've been buying online for 3 years. i've found that there is very little difference in price from one to the other. welcome to our insanity, bud. be safe.

i was selfishly disappointed that i could not get inside the chapel to hear the speakers. i caught some of her cousin's remarks and was moved to remember the unselfishness of adria's life, and the great impression she left on me. i'm sure she was smiling while she saw me shifting from foot to foot, straining to get in the middle of things, and sunburning the top of my head. i smirked back at her... and paid my private respects. i sure would like to get my hands on that video that was playing at the entry to the chapel. my video of our last jump together, 3 days before her accident, was inadvertantly erased by a friend i loaned my cam to the next day... i loved watching that girl dance with the sky! ______________________________________________

hmmmm the flavor of this discussion is a good sampling of the "normies" in our culture... gay is BAD. i think i'll start a HOMOPHOBIA thread so that those who need it have a place to express their displeasure and revulsion. my favorite popular expression today is "that's so GAY!" clearly, this statement is meant to express how fucked up something is/looks/seems. intolerance is normal in every society. learn to reject the bigotry of the norm and think for yourself. skydivers are a segment of society that refuses to be normal.... this discussion sounds like an exception to that rule. bigotry comes from fear. haven't we all conquered that beast every time we fly?