Skydiving (and also other sports parachuting) Megathread. Touch the Sky!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Skydiving (and also other sports parachuting) Megathread. Touch the Sky!

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

Outstanding effort post dude! I've been skydiving for 3 years. I'm at around 550 jumps now. Primarily I wingsuit, and do CRW (4 way rotations) competitively. Any questions please ask.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2014 17:04

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 17:40

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

My Q-Face posted:

I do own my own rig I've taken it through airport security once, the way I'd packed everything, my checked baggage was 6 pounds over, but the only way I could reorganize everything on the spot was to take out the rig and put my carry-on into my checked bag. I took it through security at Munich airport and they freaked a bit. The guts of the parachute appear organic on the scanner, in the same way that explosives do. Add to that the electronics and pyrotechnics in the AAD and the metal in the reserve pilot chute, and they were quite insistent that I open it up on the spot so they could inspect it. I was quite polite but insistent that it would be impossible unless they wanted a huge mess. I won't go into detail about how, but eventually I was able to get through and carry it onto the plane. It wasn't easy, but it's do-able. I will say I'm glad I got to the airport a few hours early.

If you are going to check it, I would recommend a hard-shell suit-case to prevent it getting crushed, dragged on the ground, or punctured by something during the process.

You'll find the airport security experience varies wildly between airports, time of day, weather, and what side of the bed you rolled out of that day. Protip: carry the cypres card and TSA letter with you. Also AAD releases the reserve. Don't say cutter, pyro, or other "scary" words.

Greyish Orange posted:

Fascinating thread, thank you for this. It's encouraged me to look up costs in the UK!

One question (I may have missed this somewhere) - how long does a skydive take? As in getting up there, any time hanging around, and the jump itself?

This will depend largely on several factors: the type of airplane, the exit altitude, size of the parachute. Climbing to altitude can take from 10-20 mins. Free fall somewhere between 40 and 60 seconds. Parachute ride 5 mins or so.

Iseeyouseemeseeyou posted:

Trembley / My Q-Face: Have either of you HALO jumped? There's a dz near me that offers them about once a month, so I'm planning on going in August or September.

Highest jump so far was 18k. I might have the opportunity to do 35 or 40k in the next couple weeks. Still waiting to hear. My arms are gonna be shot after that wingsuit flight.

And yes, skyvans rock. They are however deafeningly loud.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2014 05:26

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

crowtribe posted:

I did have a question about packing your main and reserve canopies though - is there a special method of folding and rolling like parachute origami that makes sure it comes out just right?

You also mentioned two-out, where both canopies deploy - what's the risk of this? Do you have to detach the main or anything - what effect does it have if you have a 'skyhook' configuration?

Packing: Yes, there are different methods for main canopies and different reasoning behind them. The most common method is called pro packing. You can find instructions on youtube look at Performance Designs channel. I think Nick G is the guy that did that series. Reserves are packed in a different manner than mains, similar to BASE pack jobs. You probably won't ever pack a reserve. You have to be a FAA certified rigger to do so legally. It's not hard, just different.

Two out canopy situations can be dangerous for a number of reasons and how to best handle it is almost a religious argument. You can land safely with 2 parachutes out. It really depends on how they are flying and how much altitude you have. For instance if the reserve is flying perfectly behind your main, and you cut away the main. You've now released a bunch of poo poo that is now going to entangle with your reserve and probably kill you.

If you start working towards a license this is one of the emergencies that will be covered during your first jump course.

For story time, one of our practice days for 4 way rotations, my reserve decided to fire through the main canopy of the guy docked on me. That was, exciting.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2014 02:23

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

crowtribe posted:

When you say that the reserve is behind the main, is that because the lines are longer on the reserve than the main canopy?

No. When you have a two out usually the main and reserve are flying in front or behind the other. We call that a biplane configuration. When they are flying end cell to end cell we call that a side by side. A biplane is the most stable flight wise. You can fly your dominant canopy with gentle input to the risers. This will tend to keep the canopies in a biplane config. Side by side is when things can get dangerous (depending on altitude. If the canopies turn away from each other you go into what is called a downplane. Now we do these for fun with two people. Basically the parachutes will orient themselves 180 out from one another and you'll start spinning and diving at the ground. Your descent rate and angle will be a function of the size of the parachutes. "Common" wisdom in the sport to have fairly identically sized reserve and main canopies. I personally think this is poo poo. I like having the biggest reserve I can in my container. It's far easier to land in a tough situation. My freefall rig has a Saber2 120 for a main, Performance Design Reserve 160. You just can't sink a 120 into a tight LZ like you can with a 160.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2014 07:05

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

DreadNite posted:

Unless you have a weird malfunction, it's pretty hard to release your reserve and main at the same time. Lots (if not all) of parachutes are rigged so that when you pull your reserve, your main gets cutaway. That's why you have a cutaway handle, then your reserve handle to follow. You'd have to pull your main, then reserve (because something was going wrong ofc) without pulling the fat red handle on your right first.

This is called an SOS setup and it isn't common. Some dropzones use this setup on student gear, but not all. I've never seen a licensed jumper with one, nor would I ever want to jump one.

Thrasophius posted:

Oh so oxygen requirements depend on location got it.

What happens if, as mentioned in the OP, you end up with your main and reserve chute out at once, whats the usual course of action in that situation?

It depends on altitude MSL (mean sea level). We set our altimeters to AGL (0 == you are on mother earth). O2 is required from 16k MSL iirc. If you are a smoker or in poor health you might get hypoxic lower than that.

2 outs are a long discussion, for now. I wouldn't worry about it.

Thrasophius posted:

What are the kind of conditions where you'd say "gently caress that" to going on a jump? For example is there a wind speed threshold where you would cancel a jump?

High ground winds, extremely shifting ground winds (heading shifting rapidly), turbulence, hung over, tired, dehydrated, etc. There are conditions that I'm comfortable jumping in skill wise, but won't. It just isn't worth the increased risk of injury.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2014 05:27

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

Thrasophius posted:

When it comes to the jump being cancelled what happens then is your money held by the company and the jump set for another date or do you get a refund to come back in your own time?

Basically yes. Licensed jumpers don't usually have to "schedule" jumps like you might as a student or when doing a tandem. I usually show up, check my gear and then ask for a slot on the next plane taking off. I've done this up to 5 mins before it takes off. Most dropzones you'll have an account that either you can prefund, so they'll just deduct the cost of the jump ticket from that pool of money. You can also usually leave a credit card with the office staff and they'll charge your card for all of your jumps at the end of the day.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2014 16:29

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

IMJack posted:

Oh hey, there's a skydiving thread again.

I made an attempt at training last year. Didn't do too hot. 5 AFF jumps, 9 all told when you count tandems. I could not figure out how to relax in free fall. I wound up separating my shoulder during opening (maybe, it could have happened on exit) on that last jump. That was in September, and while my shoulder is recovered I've put on too much weight over the holidays to get back into it right away.

Of course I'm not sure if my shoulder injury completely disqualifies me from trying to do AFF again. I still have a bit of tightness when my arm is where it would be in box-man flight.

Any advice for overcoming the panic of free fall and relaxing in the sky? Ways to offset the half-hour-long trip to altitude where I tend to psych myself out?

Anyway, I'm the guy who failed at the sport and didn't have the good sense to die in the process. Feel free to laugh at me.

For me it was remembering to smile, and breathe. If there is a tunnel near you that might help a bit. You're going to be scared, the trick is to be able to calm yourself and/or put it aside. Until I hit 100 or so jumps I still had butterflies first jump of the day. If you can't get past it, then ok. How did you do under canopy? If you did ok with that, then finding a drop zone that does static line training might be a better option for you than AFF.

Your shoulder injury doesn't automatically disqualify you. Yoga is a hug help for flexibility. It's definitely something you need to talk over with your instructors though. Which arm?

Thrasophius posted:

You have to think of it this way. You're the guy who actually had the balls to give it a shot in the first place. As Arnold Schwarzenegger said "don't be afraid to fail, you can't always win but don't be afraid of making decisions".

What is the maximum weight you are allowed to be before they say you're too heavy to go on a jump?

Max weight for students is going to depend on the dropzone and what they have for gear. No one likes putting students out first go at higher than like a .8 wing loading.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2014 19:05

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

IMJack posted:

My right arm. There is a chance I pulled out out of socket with my idiot strength when I reached for my handle that last time.

I think I did okay under canopy. I could fly a decent pattern, and I managed one stand-up landing out of five attempts. Especially on that last jump with my shoulder not working, I am drat proud I managed to fly the pattern and land in the DZ using only elbow and wrist strength in my right arm. Granted I slid in, and I think I broke my tailbone, but I was able to stand up and walk back to the DZ building on my own.

The biggest student rig my DZ has is a 260. Too small for my current weight. At least the harness fits my height; the first two AFF jumps I made, I was in a 240 with a harness one size to small for me. That sucked.

Ouch.

I don't think you are out of the running. I know a girl who jumps pretty regular and has issues with her right shoulder. She has to be a little careful and wear a brace. So you haven't said anything I don't believe you can't overcome.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2014 20:24

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

My Q-Face posted:

The Max single canopy size is 300 sq.ft, which puts a 260 lbs. jumper with 40 pounds of gear (and the larger rigs weigh probably 30-35 lbs alone) at a wing load of 1. I think 250 might be the max for beginners, but I'm not entirely sure.

Eh, I know we have a rig kicking around with (iirc) a firebolt 330. Really depends.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2014 20:59

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

crowtribe posted:

Wind-noise:

Do you wear ear-plugs or listen to music or anything?

Funny story when I did my tandem for my 24th birthday and I have stretched lobes. I forgot to take them out before the jump just in case they were blown out instead, so the entire freefall I had this odd flapping noise in my ears, and this insistent tapping on both sides of my head as the plugs slapped into me constantly. It was a little distracting.

Wear ear plugs on the plane, I take them out before exiting.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2014 05:13

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

mitztronic posted:

Sunset high pulls though. Extremely beautiful. Recommend.

yup!

# ¿ Apr 2, 2014 03:02

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

Thrasophius posted:

How often are you able to land in the designated field? It's all well and good saying here is where you should land, but with unpredictable factors like the wind I imagine it's easier said than done.

To echo Q, on a jump that doesn't involve emergency/malfunction situations there is no reason you should be landing anywhere but the designated area. Errors in judgement, piss poor planning, and lack of awareness are the prime reason folks land out.

Also echoing talk to locals and understand the area. There are a lot of hazards that you can't see till you are too low/already committed. Gear choice is also a factor, I jump 5 different main canopies. Each has their own quirks and limits. I can put my Lighting 160 down in a parking space if I have to. If I tried that with my Sabre 2 120 I'd be a broken rear end dude. To clarify, the 120 has a MUCH higher air speed. You need to plane out for a longer period of time (depending on prevailing winds) to get your ground speed to a low enough figure that "touching down" doesn't break you.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2014 17:30

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

mitztronic posted:

I cant even imagine jumping a 120, I have only jumped 240 and 230 (which are both really slow and I'd like to downgrade soon). I've had 3 standup landings on 11 solo jumps jumps

Nothing wrong with that at all. Best advice I can give anyone is to take your time. There is no reason to rush in any aspect of the sport. For me, canopy flight is the best part of any jump and that's what I've spent a lot of time doing. For "normal" free fall I use the Sabre 2 120. For wingsuiting I use a Sabre 2 135 (to be replaced with Storm 135). For CF or CRW Lighting 160, or 143 depending on the needs of the formation. Lighting 126 for competition (4way rotations). My exit weight is about 210 all geared up. A lot of it is right tool for the job. I don't think I'll ever use a Velocity as my go to normal free fall canopy.

Side note if you have CRW dogs in your area I highly recommend you make friends with them once you are lic jumper. You'll learn a poo poo ton about canopy flight. Last year at Project Orange (boogie put on by PD). My buddy beat out all the swoopers and their hot rods, by landing a Lightning on a raft in the middle of the swoop pond.

To add to the above once you get more comfortable do hop and pops on light wind days and practice cross wind and down wind. I'll repeat LIGHT wind days to start. Also when you add a new piece of kit, I'm of the mindset that EVERYTHING is new again. I get a new canopy, my first 10 jumps I'm getting out at 5 or 12k and pulling immediately and then seeing what it can do (including stalls). The parachute saves your life, your ability to fly it is the single most important skill in this sport. Too many people think they are awesome because they can fly a basic pattern and stand up a landing in perfect conditions. Don't be that guy (or girl).

Tremblay fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Apr 25, 2014

# ¿ Apr 25, 2014 22:05

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

Minus Pants posted:

I've done a few tandems, and now I'm ready to go all in and get my license. Any Chicagoland goons have comments on CSC vs. Skydive Chicago?

I've jumped at SDC but I'm not familiar with their student program. Nice DZ though.

# ¿ May 10, 2014 04:10

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

Rock the boat posted:

Vigil or Cypres ?

I see most of the people at the jump zone using Cypres.

What bothered me was when an instructor started talking about how Cypres 'cover up' all their misfire and malfunctions, while Vigil as a producer doesn't. Is this true?

I'm at that point where I'm thinking about getting my own gear, hence the ADD question.

Both work. If you go Vigil for the love of god either get a Vigil 2 or send the one you buy in for calibration and a SW update. READ THE MANUAL. If you don't understand how the device works you are setting yourself up for a real nasty situation. I personally have Cypres 2 in my rigs and will probably continue with them.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2014 15:57

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

My Q-Face posted:

Was reading a discussion on Facebook recently, Vigil vs. Cypres. A few years ago, there was an incident where the pilot apparently pressurized the plane on the ride to altitude and opened the tailgate, resulting in a rapid depressurization of the passenger compartment. Everybody who didn't have a Cypres 2 had their AAD activate (Including Vigils and even Cypres 1s). So points in its favor?

Eh Vigil 2 is out and they've done a lot to clean up the firing parameters. They also got rid of the stays on if not at calibrated 0 thing. Which is good, since i know someone with a broken back due to it and another guy that died. One was the fault of the gear vendor (demo at a boogie, the other was user error). CYPRES or Vigil you'll be fine. I'd argue that both should be sent in for service (optional for Vigil), and that you need to understand how the drat thing works. Then set your procedures accordingly.

My Q-Face posted:

Went skydiving in the Czech Republic recently, four Skyvans!

Something about the Skyvan is really unsettling to me, I wonder if I'm the only one. From the moment I stand up at altitude until I'm clear of the plane I feel queasy. I don't know if it's the vibration, the slight pitch to the floor, the way the plane shakes when the 20 person formation in front of you jumps out at once, or the fact that as you walk to the door with nothing to hold on to and so much space around you, that this is the view that greets you:

I've flown on Otters, Caravans, Dorniers, 206s, 182s, 172s, Porters, and I don't get that feeling in any of them. (Well, maybe just in the door of the 172 because there's no handle or step and it's going so freaking fast)

But once you clear the door, it's just freaking awesome!

They are unbelievably loud. It might be the noise/pitch is loving with your ears and causing this.

# ¿ Aug 14, 2014 18:43

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

My Q-Face posted:

I think it's the noise combined with actually standing up. I noticed a similar ear-loving the other day when I went to a tunnel. I was in the locker room next to the pipe and had a similar queasy feeling when I didn't have ear plugs in. Weird.

Does anybody else train in a tunnel? I prefer jumping directly, but I found after one hour of training with a coach that I have a much much better feel for the wind now, especially on my back. I was able to backfly stable enough to lead a track dive and actually got a grip during one, not to mention slow my fall rate to a sustained <90 mph on a non-track jump. Something just clicked with it. I don't want to become a tunnel rat or anything, but I'm doing another tunnel camp next month.

I recently put in my paperwork for my B-License and talked to one of my instructors about doing the C license test soon. After a recent scramble event at my DZ, I'm thinking about doing some flat jumps with some low timers and maybe even pursuing my coach rating. On the one hand, I can't believe how much money I'm sinking into this sport, but on the other, I can't think of anything I'd rather do!

In other news, I will be leaving Europe soon and moving to Southern California. I'm a bit nervous and leery about jumping in the states after hearing how "relaxed" Europe is in comparison.

Drop me a PM with where you end up. A bunch of great DZs there. Taft is north of LA and is super chill, two of my friends bought it last year. Oceanside is awesome, also very chill. Perris is a bit more on the serious side, however they always have planes running and the calls are consistent. Elsinore isn't what it used to be, but still a lot of cool folks around.

Tunnel is a good time, just remember it's the canopy that saves your life.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2014 03:48

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

My Q-Face posted:

Back in the states now, getting my reserve repacked on the east coast, I'll be out in San Bernadino county in a week or two. Thought I'd do some DZ hopping along the way.

The tunnel was definitely helpful and a lot of fun, but the canopy is still my favorite part. I've done two canopy courses now (20 jumps total) and loads of hop and pops. I plan to keep going with that because it's just so much fun.

In other news I've done a wing suit course now too and feel a phantom 3 tugging at the hole in my pocket. It never ever ends!

Hey Sorry just saw your PM. I'll be at Oceanside this Sunday if you're still around. I love my P3. Probably ordering a Funk or Havok Carve. But the P3 is sticking around for sure.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2014 00:55

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

spoon daddy posted:

Just did my first jump yesterday on a bit of a lark. It was fantastic and I am considering my AFF but I had a question about free fall. I was really surprised at how painfully cold my face felt during free fall. The ambient temperature on the ground was about 63F(~17C) but during free fall my face hurt so much from the cold that it was hard to enjoy it. I really much preferred my time under canopy. Do people wear masks or helmets to help protect their face? That said, probably going to wait until spring before I consider getting my AFF for financial and weather related reasons.

Also, for those in the Austin area, the Salado drop zone was pretty good from a newbie standpoint. They made my first experience very memorable and I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

I prefer to jump with a full face helmet when doing free fall jumps. Others don't like them at all and use an open face with goggles or sunglasses. No right answer. For AFF you'll need to speak with the instructors. I know at Elsinore you are not allowed to use a full face helmet until you are licensed. Being able to fully see a students face is important for us to figure out what the hell is going on (or not) upstairs. Other DZs may not care.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2014 00:57

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 17:40

Tremblay: Oct 8, 2002; More dog whistles than a Petco

Out landings can cause massive issues at Oceanside, so Rich has to be a little careful. Renting from Bonzai/Darren?

# ¿ Nov 27, 2014 23:16

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Skydiving (and also other sports parachuting) Megathread. Touch the Sky!