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Well, here is my story. I hear a lot of skydivers say that skydiving is something that they wanted to do since they were very young, because of seeing an exhibition jump or something like that. For me, aviation related things were something I assumed were expensive and difficult to attain. No one in my family was involved in aviation, and I had a lot of aunts, uncles, and cousins. With the exception of a much older cousin that was Airborne, and had a picture on my aunt and uncles's living room wall, but no one ever talked about it at all. Maybe they all thought he was crazy. I never thought to ask him about the details until he was gone. http://www.skydivestlouisarea.com/peekfjc.htm

According to the FARs (USA) that is correct. Another variable is if the person was ever "intoxicated or under the influence", which could be subjective at low alcohol levels. To explain the issue in your original post, I think that it would be best to not tell your students about the FAA regulations, but to instead tell them about dropzone policy, which can be whatever the dropzone wants to make it, either following the FARS, or zero-tolerance. I can't imagine why any dropzone in the US would allow any amount of alcohol because of the legal issues that could result if an accident occurred.

Yes, they are a very good choice. Note that you might find a better selection of size and color at a reasonable price if you get it from a skydiving equipment dealer. http://www.paragear.com/skydiving/10000020/L3104/PROTEC http://www.square1.com/manufacturers/square1/p519.asp#ProtecHelmet

Yes, but very few. The Astra requires more knowledge and attention from both the owner and rigger than other AADs, so if either of those parties are not willing to do what it takes to use one, then it would not be a good choice. It is not compatible with the prevalent attitude now days of "set it and forget it". Since not many of them are being used and providing the manufacturer with data and statistics, the firmware is not as robust as the other AADs because it is not being updated. Because of these things, its value is low.

Well, Doc, I was wondering what you had been up to lately. If I was in your area I would be there for your class for sure. Thank you very much for giving your time to the sport like this.

Do you have any details about the dimensions of such a slider? Larger sliders and pocket sliders have been proven to slow down Sabre openings, but I have never seen any details about a domed slider that does.

http://www.hendersonfuneralcare.com/obituaries/Jack-Tillman/ Excerpts from that page: Jack E. Tillman, 86, of Pekin, IL passed away at 9:20 AM Tuesday, January 05, 2016 at Timbercreek Rehab Center. Jack was born on June 11, 1928 in Dillon Township, Tazewell County. Jack was a veteran of the United States Air force serving in the11th Airborne Division. He worked at Caterpillar retiring in 1990. Jack’s passion was parachuting. He was a master rigger and held a professional exhibition rating for his demonstrations. He was a founding member of the Illinois Valley Parachute Club where he parachuted and flew planes. He was also a member of the Liberty Parachute Team, a professional parachute demonstration team with a patriotic flavor. He was a member of Parachutists Over Forty Society and Skydivers Over Sixty. Note: The Illinois Valley Parachute Club jumps at Tillman Field in Minier, IL.

Well, just in case it matters, Mouser sells a number of Renata batteries too. (Renata brand may be recommended because they are of known quality.) Keep sending information folks. Maybe we can get a Moderator to make this thread a "sticky" for a while.

Nice data point, thanks. And the good news is that Panasonic batteries are prominent at electronics distributors. Perhaps we can use this thread to get a lot of feedback like yours for what works well for the various devices. By the way, I just did some searching on the Mouser Electronics web site and saved this link, which is basically, all the Panasonic "coin cells". (Note: this link works today, but may not work in the future, and will give different results!) http://www.mouser.com/Panasonic/Power/Batteries/Coin-Cell-Battery/CR-Series/_/N-965wk?P=1z0y6zbZ1yzvjj0Z1yzvebp&Keyword=coin+cell&FS=True

Agreed. The nice thing about buying batteries from an electronics distributor is that you can stick with brand-name batteries, and the prices are still very good. And the product specifications are right there on the product's page.

I just read on Facebook where a friend of mine is out of town and needed replacement batteries for his device. He went to one of the specialty battery places and they actually did not have the battery that they said they had. Well, this time of year is a good time for everyone to get out their devices, see what kind of batteries they use, and order some spares from a place that has good prices and probably has them in stock. (At least you can do a search on their web site for stock.). An internet search using the battery type and the word "substitute" will provide a lot of good information too. In the US, my suggestion is full fledged electronics supplier like Mouser Electronics (www.mouser.com), but there are many others. (Mouser has the advantage of not having a minimum order, so if you are willing to pay a minimum for shipment for such a lightweight order, you can do that.) However, in the spirit of taking care of your batteries during the winter so you will have spares when you need them, I suggest contacting your friends and have them check their devices for what kind of batteries they use, and order a bunch of different types. Keep in mind that most of these batteries have a very long shelf life, so it is very unlikely that they will "go bad". Another good time to do this would be Safety Day (which will be here sooner than you realize!) DZO's, this includes you. You might even be able to make a few bucks off skydivers during the year. There is great value in having what they need in your display case. DZO's, here is another piece of advice about batteries. Make sure your 1. handheld aircraft radios, and your 2. student radio transmitter, have batteries that are not too old. I have found that for radios that spend much of their life sitting in a charger at the DZ, that 2 years is a reasonable replacement cycle. Of course your mileage may vary. (Remember that it takes more battery capacity to transmit than to receive, especially if your instructor guidance style is to keep the transmit switch pressed for long periods of time.) This has been a Public Service Announcement from an old electronics guy.

It was WFFC Staff that handled it. I had considered getting one that first year they had the jet, but they were so busy that I wasn't willing to wait. Then I forgot about it. I don't think you could get one now. I would imagine that all the blank certificates are long gone, and probably the list of recipients and their numbers is gone too. If you have a 747 jet jump in your logbook, I wouldn't think that anyone would think you are a cheater if you made your own certificate. You just wouldn't have an official number.

The USPA web site will list the Group Member dropzones and will usually be fairly accurate. Parachutist magazine also lists them but will lag during change due to the publishing cycle. I do not know of an easy way to get a list of non-Group Member dropzones. A comparison to the dropzone.com list would work up to a point.

If you can make it sew, it is definitely worth your time. Some of the older "home" model machines are quite rugged. I just did a search for that model number and found lots of stuff.

Brian, the idea of using the same silicone lubricant that we use on reserve closing loops is very good. That stuff is thick and sticky, so it should last longer than the thinner silicone sprays. I have noticed that a lot of people refer to using "food grade" silicone, but the only difference in that and any other kind of silicone spray is that it is less toxic if some of it is ingested. (I verified this with a chemist.) Folks, don't lick your kill line!

I think most reasonable people would think so. There is so much about regulations that need interpretation, and one needs to think about why things were required when the the regulations were written long ago, and why the interpretation could be "loosened up" a bit in current times. I'm rather sure that when the FAA decided that a "table" was required, that what they really intended is that someone not just throw down a reserve parachute in the dirt, the sand, or a dirty hangar floor. The carpeted floor of a hangar or your home is certainly a proper place to pack a parachute (as long as it is clean.) If anyone finds an FAA Inspector that tries to complain about the lack of an actual "table", (other than perhaps in a parachute "loft" or business), that the Inspector needs a bit of remedial training to help them with their interpretations. Someone mentioned a "climate controlled environment". I think there that the intent was that it is probably not a good idea to pack a reserve in a little shack in the jungle with 99 percent humidity, not really requiring an actual climate controlled environment. Once again, intent and interpretation. Many of the regulations were written long ago, when skydiving and civilian parachute rigging was crude. Our most crude operations today are probably pretty good compared to when some of these regulations were written.

If that's the only thing you have issues with in your later years, you are a lucky guy indeed! Well, I just give up and use Chapstick whenever it feels like I need to. I know that it is not the best stuff, but when they now have flavors such as "Cake Batter", well, what is there not to like? I keep it at my computer, in the car, in the airplane, and in the skydiving logbook cover. No kidding. (Do you suppose they have Pumpkin Spice? I bet you are all going to check the next time you are in Walmart, right?) Added - Well, we all might as well just go there now: http://www.chapstick.com/ (Pumpkin Pie actually.)

Yes, twins are often very much alike aren't they? But the attached picture shows how their attitudes sometimes diverge ...

Here is a thread where various names are used. It is worth skimming. If it is too much to read, start with Rob's comment in post #16. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2837229;search_string=universal%20cutaway;#2837229

Excellent research as usual Peter. I just bookmarked that. I think it will come in handy in the future.

Generally it is because many people are not careful enough to specify the conditions when quoting such an altitude. Those quoting 750 feet are referring to (whether they know it or not) flat and stable, belly to earth. For most other body orientations it would be about 1000 feet. When a person is flat and stable belly to earth, there is a low pressure area where an AAD is located (in the "burble"), and makes the AAD think it is higher in altitude. There are some variations to this, but in general this is what is going on.

Agreed. (In the US at least.) Agreed. Except, my thoughts are that if you are doing a single 4000 foot jump on your Uncle's farm way out in the country that a NOTAM is not going to improve safety much. That is my experience too. I am used to referring to that situation as a "permanent" or long term "Notification", combined with a permanent or long term NOTAM. Are some or all of them actually Letters of Agreement? I have never seen a copy of one.

Maybe. Check out this article first of all. Yes, it is complicated, but you can probably get a jump pilot at your DZ to explain it. After that, you will need to determine if his plane is reasonably safe to skydive from. Again, ask some experienced people. http://www.dropzone.com/safety/General_Safety/Jumping_Away_from_the_Normal_Dropzone_896.html

Who are these people? Experienced jumpers? Students? Instructors? A B license proficiency card (by that exact name) may not exist, but there is an important "card" related to the B license. It called the Canopy Piloting Proficiency Card and can be found in the SIM or in the Downloads section of the USPA web site.

I knew this day would come but it doesn't make it any easier. Dan Poynter has been with me literally my entire skydiving career. I purchased The Skydivers Handbook after just a few jumps, and realized then how special he was in skydiving. Later, while becoming a parachute rigger, I learned even more from The Parachute Manual. At that point it started to sink in just how much he had given to skydiving and the parachute industry. Imagine my surprise one day when he called me up offering to sell my canopy color program. Suddenly I became a Para Publishing author, working in the Para Publishing booth with Dan at the PIA Symposium, and meeting many people that I still know today. Watching him work at the Symposium was amazing. He had such energy. I couldn't keep up. I learned a lot from Dan about a lot of things. The parachute industry, USPA history, and much more that I just can't remember now. Whenever I had a question about anything in the skydiving and parachute industry, or their politics, I called him to get his perspective, which was always helpful. I'm really going to miss those calls...