kkeenan

I am trying to locate an AC charger for old Sony CX-100 or 150. There are probably other Sony models that use the same. The one I have is a model AC-L200C. What I actually need is the part of the cable with the plug on the end that plugs into the camera. I’m making an extra charging port for my camera and I don’t want to amputate the one I have. If someone has one that is unused, please let me know. Thanks, Kevin K.

Blue Skies, Jack.

There was a pretty gnarly story of someone impacting the runway in a track right in front of the packing area. They said that teeth were found imbedded in the runway. I think the beer light was probably on when I heard the story, so the details are somewhat vague. Kevin K.

It’s an old topic and one that plenty of folks feel they don’t need to be lectured about. However a fatality that occurred yesterday at a boogie should remind us that inappropriate reactions can get you killed. All the facts of this accident aren’t in, but it appears that two canopies were close in the landing area and one pilot took evasive action that caused a fatally-hard landing. There may have been contact between the wings and a resultant instability. But here’s my point: Seeing other airborne traffic and constantly analyzing it is absolutely necessary if you are landing with more than a couple other canopies in a field. If you’re landing with a group and you don’t feel that you can do it safely, land farther away. Every DZ I’ve ever seen has extra wide-open area away from the “center-stage glory area” for landing. In a more open area, you have a much less intense workload when it comes to separation. When landing with multiple canopies, you have to start scoping out the others way before turning on final approach. If everyone is competent, the approaches will be very close to parallel - but it’s never exact. People will be slightly diverging or converging. You have to monitor this in real time and make small corrections as needed. You should never be surprised by the appearance of a canopy in your peripheral vision. You should already know where it is. But here’s the important part. If you do get surprised, don’t overreact. You must avoid the instinct to bury a toggle to get away from the threat. The chances are great that a small input of a few degrees will give the separation you need. Making a hard turn at a low altitude will almost always get you hurt. It’s hard to overcome a reflexive reaction like that, but it can come with experience. I don’t know if this latest accident fits the profile of circumstances I’ve described, and it doesn’t matter. Abrupt low altitude turns hurt and kill people. Work your way up to landing in a crowded environment. Don’t endanger yourself and others by getting in over you head. Many people come to boogies from small DZs where there are never more than 4 people landing at a time. Landing with a 20-person Otter load can very easily overtax a person’s capacity. The jump’s not over until you’re safely on the ground. Sorry to be so preachy, but when you get old in this sport it’s hard to see people repeat actions that have killed many in the past. Kevin K.

Sometimes, folks didn’t get by with the “unsafe” acts. Quite often at WFFC, ambulances would be passing each other, coming and going at the DZ. Kevin K.

Having been a skydiver for a lot of years, I’ve seen plenty of friends resume jumping following surgical repair or replacement of hips, knees, etc. I’m wondering if any active dz.com jumpers have had shoulder replacement and resumed skydiving afterward. I’ve had rotator cuff surgery in the past, and resumed both Formation Skydiving and Canopy Formation at a fairly high level. The total shoulder replacement, however, is a whole new level. Kevin K.

Juiciest gossip to appear here in quite a while. Never a dull moment at Lodi. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

In Canopy Formation jumping, head protection is frequently needed, due to possibly violent mid-air impacts. Since it's not freefall and speech and hearing are essential, open-face helmets are usually worn. Ski helmets are ideal because of light weight and strength. Most are far better protection than any skydiving helmet. Years ago, the alternative to the flexible leather "frap hat", was a hockey helmet. The aerodynamics of modern full-face are probably better than a hockey or ski helmet. With one of those, the strap would have to be pretty tight to hold it on in a face-to-earth position. Most skydiving helmets have a better tightening system that grips around the back of the head as well as under the chin. To answer your main question - Yes, skydiving helmets are poor protection for major crashes. They mostly help only for a kick or elbow to the head or incidental bump against the airplane door frame. If you want more protection than that, there's nothing wrong with wearing your ski helmet and skydive goggles. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

The purpose of the jump is to produce a dramatic and visually stimulating show. Clearly, it succeeds in this. The folks who planned the jump and designed the equipment are very experienced and highly qualified. Procedures have been developed, discussed and trained and participants are carefully vetted as to their individual suitability for the jump. Having said all that, there is no doubt that it is an extremely hazardous jump. As has been discussed, there are worst-case scenarios that could produce tragic outcomes. All of skydiving contains jumps that are more hazardous than others. We all participate at our own level of comfort. More can go wrong on a big-way than on a solo. More can go wrong on a swoop than on an accuracy jump. As much as we successfully complete even the simplest of jumps, none of us (hopefully) thinks the hazards are zero. Many people allow themselves to be influenced by the WOW value of a particular jump. Flying a wingsuit even closer to a rock wall than the previous YouTube flyby may be one example. The biggest challenge seems to be rationally evaluating the risks without being swayed by the fact that the jump will be so incredibly spectacular that it will be seen and cheered by the whole world. That's a strong influence to try to ignore. People jump from deadly stratospheric altitudes, people jump without parachutes into a net, or land a wingsuit onto a pile of cardboard boxes. All of these folks have made that evaluation and that choice. Back to the night CRW pyro jump. The one in the linked video took place in Qatar. Similar jumps have been done by the same organizers in Florida. I know everyone involved in that jump. They all are cognizant of and accepting of the risks. There is no doubt that there are unsurvivable combinations of events that are possible. Nothing bad has happened on these, yet, but we all (hopefully) recognize that doesn't mean zero risk. There are experienced CRWDogs who choose not to perform these jumps. There are less experienced CRWDogs who want to, but have not been selected. We can't reduce the risk to zero and (even if we don't admit it ) there is always an element of luck in skydiving. Our objective in all of our risky activities is to make the best of what luck brings us, but to hedge our bets with knowledge, planning and awareness. Kevin Keenan _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

These forums are so educational. Thanks. 😃

On the subject of their website, I noticed something strange. In the "Canopies" section, under "Triathalon", the second two columns of text are in Latin. However, it doesn't really translate to anything. I guess just a placeholder for future text insertion provided by the website-building software. Still, a bit strange looking. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Thanks, Jimmy. I think I found the info I was looking for. Hope you're doing well. Kevin K.

I won't claim the idea, bit I heard that a name had already been given to a theoretical pilotchute-in-tow mal in which the magnets in riser covers latch onto the magnets in a D-bag and stop the deployment. It would be called a Mag Lock. :-)

One of my favorite lines from, "Breaking Bad". After 40-something years of skydiving, I still run into odd stuff. Climbing to altitude in the Twin Otter at DeLand yesterday, I pulled out my little tin box of Altoid mints to pass around. That plane has straddle-type seats, so everyone is packed in facing aft in the cabin. As I was holding the mint box, trying to get it open, I felt the box pulling strangely in my hand. Just as I got the lid open, the box jumped out of my hand, spilled all the mints, and stuck to the riser cover of the guy sitting in front of me. I hadn't realized until that moment that I had been holding it directly over the magnetic closure of the riser cover of the guy's Vector container. Those are some strong magnets Mr. Booth puts in those things. Kevin K. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ?

Are there issues of "Skydiving" magazine viewable online ? I'm interested in 1980 issues. Kevin K.