August 2010

This tandem main canopy opened up with line twists that could not be cleared, so the tandem instructor initiated emergency procedures. The following photos show the various stages of a reserve deployment initiated by a Skyhook reserve deployment system (though the instructor puller his reserve deployment handle, the Skyhook beat him to initiating deployment).

Photos by Sean Harrison: more »

Q:
I have a reserve static line (RSL), but I don’t know whether I should connect it or not. What are the issues involved? more »

Some tandem instructors rarely have a problem with students becoming nauseated under canopy, while others frequently land with their students (and themselves) covered in vomit. Is it a coincidence? If it happens with any regularity, probably not. more »

Tracking dives are popular among jumpers with a wide range of jump numbers and skill levels. In addition, the size of the tracking group can be very flexible, limited only by the number of jumpers and the type of aircraft available (although common sense dictates that if there are newer jumpers on a tracking dive, the size of the group should be kept small). But regardless of whether a tracking dive includes one jumper or 32, or whether it consists of fresh A-license holders or world-champion record-setters, there are special considerations that every participant needs to understand. more »

Keri Bell is a third-generation jumper. She is a member of the Farrington family of skydivers in the Pacific Northwest— her grandparents were pioneers of the sport. Bell has traveled the globe participating in para-ski events and world-record-setting jumps such as 1999’s 282-way formation skydive in Thailand. Currently, Bell manages her family’s drop zone, Kapowsin Air Sports in Shelton, Washington, where she is also the Safety & Training Advisor. more »

by Reno Soverns | A-57030 | Vallejo, California

It was, as they say, on my “bucket list.” I was 42 years old, at least 50 pounds overweight, and I’d just ended a 10-year relationship that had been anything but good. I needed some excitement in my life. When I walked onto the drop zone on August 8, 2009, I expected to put a check mark by that item on my list and never return. more »

Over the past few years, USPA has been working to increase the association’s membership count. Our efforts appear to be paying off with a steady increase in both first-jump and membership numbers, thanks to a very active two-pronged strategy: encouraging positive media coverage of skydiving, which we label “promotion,” and encouraging those who have made their first jumps to continue in the sport, which we call “retention.” It makes little sense for USPA to market itself to the non-skydiving public; if you’re not a skydiver, then USPA has little to offer. So instead, our goals are to promote skydiving itself and to increase retention of those who have tried it. more »