HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bisc@zellweger.ch (Thomas K. Bischoff)
Subject: DZ's near Vancouver BC
Reply-To: bisc@zellweger.CH (Thomas K. Bischoff)
Organization: Zellweger Uster AG, Switzerland
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 92 17:48:32 GMT

I am going to visit some friends in Vancouver BC in october. I would also
like do some jumps so I am looking for info (location,planes,etc)
of drop zones near Vancouver.
What's the the weather like in october. Is it good enough for skydiving?


Blue Sky 
	Tom

-- 
Thomas K. Bischoff    Net: bit@ten.ch,bisc@zellweger.ch 
***** Minds, like parachutes, only function when open.
From: kgordon@courier6.aero.org (Kenneth Gordon)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: GPS
Date: 25 Aug 92 23:37:45 GMT
Article-I.D.: speedy.1992Aug25.233745.27937
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation
X-Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 16:39:16 GMT
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d3

No need to worry about the DoD "Turning off" the accuracy on our
receivers.
We never had it in the first place.  The signals from GPS come encoded
with
a 150 meter rms error or so.  The error is time variant, so getting a fix
off the
nearby lighthouse won't do us any good.  Military receivers, however, come
equiped with their own decoders, getting an accurate signal.

The exception to the above was Operation Desert Storm.  The military had
not
yet procured enough decode-capable receivers, so they bought up a bunch of
commercial receivers for the troops and turned off the error signal.  The
signal
error, however, his since been turned back on, to the protest of many
consumer
and aviation advocacy groups.

If an additional error-free signal is installed at an airport, the
resulting accuracy
can be good enough to use for instrument approaches.  This concept, called
"GPS Differential," is being actively pursued by the FAA.  That is, if
anything the 
FAA does can be called "active."

A GPS receiver requires exactly four satellites to derive all possible
information.
4 satellites provide 4 dimensions of information: lat, long, alt,  and
time.
(Or x,y,z,t, etc.)  The time is accurate enough to calculate very small
changes in
position, providing for a 3D velocity vector as well.  At any given
moment, more
than 4 satellites are in view, the receiver will automatically select the
four sats
which provide the best navigation geometry.

Currently, about half the required satellites are in orbit.  This means
that the
information available at any given moment is likely to be incomplete and
time
variant.

But enough about GPS, and back to our regularly scheduled programming...

- Ken Gordon
  kgordon@courier6.aero.org
From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org (SKYDIVE)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Clouds?! (was Re: the best)
Date: 27 Aug 92 19:51:36 GMT

Reply-to: Bill.Caefer@p0.f853.n102.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Caefer)
Fido-To: romulus!@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu:galperin@

 r>         So _share_ the ATA with pilots too -- you should be watching
 r> out for them when you're under canopy, trying to stay out of their way
 r> too.  "Skydiver strikes" can ruin a great day of jumping.  I think
 r> I've spouted enough.

 r>         By the way, does anybody know if a plane and skydiver have
 r> ever collided midair?  

Yes.  I know of at least one, a jumper went through the horizontal stabilizer of a Lockheed L-100  (C-130).  The pilots weren't even sure something happened until they landed and looked.  But a smaller plane wouldn't be so lucky.

I know of many close calls too.

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--- eecp 1.45 LM2 

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From: schut@prl.philips.nl (Schut G)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Jerry's Article
Date: 1 Sep 92 14:40:31 GMT
Organization: none

In article <1992Sep1.045631.6073@mercury.cair.du.edu> tjreynol@zephyr.cair.du.edu (The Jumpin Dude) writes:
>In article <1992Sep1.012824.14676@zia.aoc.nrao.edu> dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes:
>>
>>Blue Skies,
>>
>>BTW, Jerry -- That was a nice article in _Parachutist_ this month.  I

Can anybody post this article to the newsgroup (or me personally)? Or tell me where
to get a subscription to the Parachutist (I live in the Netherlands, btw)?

Anyway, now I'm at it, has anybody jumped the Merit (from Parachute de France),
and perhaps been able to compare it to the Robo Z?

Thanks in advance,

Gerhard                                                  schut@prl.philips.nl
From: yzarn@lhdsy1.lahabra.chevron.com (Philip Yzarn de Louraille)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: the best
Date: 2 Sep 92 17:25:21 GMT
Organization: Chevron Oil Field Research, La Habra, CA.

In article <1992Sep1.212528.16211@berlioz.nsc.com> worden@bouncer.nsc.com (Dennis Worden) writes:
>
>|> }There was a good example of a hook turn at Quincy.  A cameraman did a
>|> }hook turn into a dumpster, shattered his right leg, lost a knee cap,
>|> }a couple compound fractures.  My wife and i did a tandom jump that day
>|> }and decided to continue on in the sport and learn to skydive.  However
>|> }we will not be doing any hook turns.
>|> 
>|> Now here is a case of an experienced jumping setting a excellent example for 
>|> the novice jumper by aptly demonstrating the dangers of low hook turns!
>
>Let's not get down on these jumpers too much.  After all, as a letter to 
>a recent Parachutist noted, they are the leading edge of our sport.  And
>the first thing to hit is always the leading edge.

Sounds more like the "bleeding edge".....

-- 
  Philip Yzarn de Louraille                 Internet: yzarn@chevron.com
  Research Support Division                 Unix & Open Systems
  Chevron Information & Technology Co.      Tel: (310) 694-9232
  P.O. Box 446, La Habra, CA 90633-0446     Fax: (310) 694-7709
From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org (SKYDIVE)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: LORAN System for Spotting
Date: 1 Sep 92 16:44:02 GMT

Reply-to: Bill.Caefer@p0.f853.n102.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Caefer)
Fido-To: romulus!uunet.uu.net!mark%virtech%v

 r> : Just what IS a GPS?

 r> Global Positioning System.  Using a set of satellites, you can position
 r> yourself anywhere on the globe to w/i reasonable limits.  Pretty neato, eh?

Positioning yourself requires some means of propulsion doesn't it?

Maybe  "you can determine your position"  would be a more accurate description?

And yes, they are pretty neato.  I sure wish *I* had one.

Bill Caefer
DBC-75

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From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org (SKYDIVE)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Jerry's Article
Date: 3 Sep 92 11:59:28 GMT

Reply-to: Paul.Stansberry@p0.f22.n233.z1.fidonet.org (Paul Stansberry)
Fido-To: romulus!zephyr.cair.du.edu!t

Wednesday September 02 1992, romulus!zephyr.cair.du.edu!tjreynol writes to Skydive:

 >> involved.  However, I do not have a subscription to Parachutist (yet), and
 >> would not have known about this article till now.

 rcde> you should be able to find a copy floating around the DZ. ask a JM.

I should have known I could not go out and buy one, but didn't figure it
out until the third book store.  :-)  My friend will be bringing his on
labor day weekend.


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--- eecp 1.45 LM2 

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From: fsbgf@acad3.alaska.edu
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: how often does this happen?
Date: 2 Sep 92 18:10:18 GMT
Organization: University of Alaska Fairbanks

I've been following this discussion and thought that I'd put my
two cents worth in. I've just recently completed my AFF progression
by completing level seven *cheer*. The rigs I used have all had the
ripcord hip mounted with the orange pvc handle. I never had any problem
seeing and grasping the ripcord with or without gloves. The question I 
would have to ask is when the student was doing the ground training, did
they try to go for the cutaway handle? As an aside Jerry, when you got on the
ground with the student who went for the cutaway handle what did the student
say??

Brandon France
From: suhler@pollux.usc.edu (Paul A. Suhler)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: the best
Summary: The FAA can bust you
Date: 25 Aug 92 19:17:20 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: USC Advanced Computer Architecture Laboratory
NNTP-Posting-Host: pollux.usc.edu

A few months ago, I met a jumper who said that the FAA was trying
to punish him (whether in court or administratively, I don't know)
for flying his canopy through a cloud.  He says that the cloud
was between him and the inspector, who was on the ground at the
DZ, and that he missed it.  I don't know how it came out.

Does anyone know what punishments the FAA can mete out to
someone who doesn't hold an FAA license?

Paul Suhler
From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org (SKYDIVE)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Grave landing
Date: 25 Aug 92 21:58:26 GMT

Reply-to: Paul.Stansberry@p0.f22.n233.z1.fidonet.org (Paul Stansberry)
Fido-To: romulus!@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu:ma

Tuesday August 25 1992, romulus!@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu:mark@virt writes to Skydive:

 rcue> : I don't know, but I have noticed that almost all DZs are located
 rcue> : near both a graveyard and a set of railroad tracks.

 rcue> *Everything* is near a graveyard and a set of railroad tracks  ;^>

You know, I read that and thought it was funny, then *I* and my
wife go to the DZ where we took our first lesson, and it too has
a graveyard near it, called "Bone Break Cemetery".  No kidding!  :-)


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Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
From: jwa@vipunen.hut.fi (Jyrki J Wahlstedt)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Clouds?! (was Re: the best)
Date: 25 Aug 92 23:37:41 GMT
	<1992Aug25.011031.21240@das.harvard.edu>
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

In article <1992Aug25.011031.21240@das.harvard.edu> galperin@endor.uucp (Greg Galperin) writes:

>Olaf enumerates:
>>Fourth, traffic/transportation rules are there to protect the ordinary
>>average person from posing a danger to himself or to others under
>>average circumstances....  For example, I speed on the highway because
>>I personally am confident enough that I have better situation
>>awareness and handling ability than 95% of the people on the road
>   I basically agree with your point as made, but it doesn't
>apply to flying in or through clouds unless you happen to have
>on-board radar on your rig.  When the danger is invisible, all the
>skill and reflex in the world doesn't help; everybody is exactly the
>average case.  It's not poker we're playing, just roulette.

  Now, I can't resist! (I have not jumped (though I plan to do it some day),
  but I noted this driving behaviour in the already commented article.)

  Here in Finland they have asked the drivers, how good they
  think they are. Guess the result: about 90 % of them said
  they are better than average. Does that make sense!?
--
!
!	Jyrki Wahlstedt
!		jwa@vipunen.hut.fi
!
!  Our life is no dream, but it should and will perhaps become one.
!
From: mdk@siesoft.co.uk (Michael King)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Clouds?! (was Re: the best)
Date: 27 Aug 92 12:44:59 GMT
Organization: Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems Ltd.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

galperin@endor.uucp (Greg Galperin) writes:
: 	By the way, does anybody know if a plane and skydiver have
: ever collided midair?  

About 3 years ago at a club here in the UK, a first-time jumper (round
canopy) collided with a helicopter, which was being flown by a student
pilot. The parachutist was killed; the 'copter crashed and was written-off.
The pilot and the instructor survived. Result: lots of bad publicity for
the sport, huge furore in our national organization, the club's chief
instructor lost his advanced rating and both the club and the flying school
were censured for failing to keep an adequate lookout for each other.
Both enquiries (the parachutists' and the coroner's) were, if I remember
correctly, of the opinion that a square canopy wouldn't have avoided the
collision.

The club has since closed, though for different reasons (sad - it was one
of the oldest clubs in the UK, and had had an excellent safety-record till
then). I was a member; I joined the next nearest club, which was in fact
military and shared the airfield with helicopters. The ATC would tell the
club to suspend operations if a rotorcraft was about to take off, and would
get incoming a/c to wait if there were any canopies above the field.


Michael King   mdk@siesoft.co.uk   ...!uunet!mcsun!uknet!siesoft!mdk
From: drp40@cd.amdahl.com (Douglas R Puchalski)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: how often does this happen?
Date: 3 Sep 92 17:28:23 GMT
Reply-To: drp40@cd.amdahl.com
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA

In article <luanne.715529764@hq>, luanne@Pt.hq.af.mil (LuAnne Meyer) writes:
>i just did my first skydive ever -- AFF -- what a rush!  I went through a
>USPA traaining course.  The main ripcord was a big round orange tube
>type thing located on my right side.  The reserve was a large red ring
>located on my left side.  It cut away the main and deployed the reserve.
>It was very easy to tell the difference between the two and I didn't
>have to worry about another step to cut-away the main before deploying
>my reserve (not that I had to do it anyway!).  What would be the advantage
>of this extra step? 

Cutting away separately allows you to make sure that your main clears before
you deploy your reserve, avoiding entanglement.

-- 
Doug Puchalski						drp40@cd.amdahl.com
From: SKYDIVE@f15.n233.z1.fidonet.org (SKYDIVE)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: the best
Date: 2 Sep 92 04:38:24 GMT

Reply-to: Bill.Caefer@p0.f853.n102.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Caefer)
Fido-To: romulus!ra.oc.com!buick%belay

 r> Ya want stupid?  I just had an incident (actually a group of them) 
 r> brought to my attention regarding an AirEvac Service I am involved
 r> with.  Their branch to the North of my location has been observed
 r> overflying a *LIVE AMMUNITION MILITARY RANGE* on the return trip,
 r> presumably with patients on board.  This occurred at low altitudes.

 r> Sheesh, talk about asking for trouble and ignoring warnings on 
 r> maps...

It's not illegal, or even a bad idea IF the range is not active at the time.  Overflying ranges is common practice.  But, you must be cleared by range control (if you can call them) or ATC (who presumably IS in contact with them).


The main practice area of my flight school in florida was over ranges.  No problem at all, especially since there were no "homeowners association" on the ground to get annoyed and try to close the airport.

Ya want stupid?  How about people who buy houses near airports, complain about the noise, and try to close them?

Bill Caefer
NSCR-1369

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Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
From: dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs)
Subject: New Toy
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 92 09:02:11 GMT

Goodie!  The office just got a new toy -- a rather glitzy new color flatbed
scanner.  Naturally, as a loyal employee, it is my obligation to learn how
to use it, the better to perform my duties!  Three guesses as to my choice
of subject.  First two don't count.

Now, while I have a fair bit to learn about the thing, my first attempt
doesn't look all that bad to me.  I just uploaded skysurf1.gif to
skydive.eng.ufl.edu.  It takes mostly default values for all the tweakable
settings, but looks pretty good on my sun.

Blue skies, all.

-- 
| Daniel Briggs  (dbriggs@nrao.edu)                      |        USPA B-14993
| New Mexico Tech / National Radio Astronomy Observatory |            DoD #387
| P.O. Box O / Socorro, NM 87801   (505) 835-7391        |
Support the League for Programming Freedom  (info from league@prep.ai.mit.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
From: tjreynol@zephyr.cair.du.edu (The Jumpin Dude)
Subject: Jerry's Article
Organization: University of Denver
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 92 04:56:31 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.012824.14676@zia.aoc.nrao.edu> dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes:
>
>Blue Skies,
>
>BTW, Jerry -- That was a nice article in _Parachutist_ this month.  I
>watched a group break yesterday, while I was under canopy and close to
>level with them.  (That is, I got a more or less profile view of their
>track.)  Five out and flat, and one yahoo "tracking" almost straight down.
>I don't think he even realized how steep he was tracking until I talked to
>him about it later.  Maybe your article will help wise him up a little.

all you folks that are newcomers to the sport - seek out the September '92
issue of Parachutist. Jerry's article is a MUST READ. Jerry raises several 
points that noone bothered to tell me about when i was just off student 
status, stupid and happy. it seems stupid to me now that i didn't think of
these things myself, but last year, stupid and happy...
make it a point to study this article. page 30. Off Student Status Separation.
read it.over and over.

Jerry, IMO, you've done a monumental service to the 'newbie-community'.
i wish i'd had your article shoved in my face immediately after my 
graduation. i came within about a second of wasting myself and the DZM
here because i thought that waiting 5 seconds was enough. it wasn't.

sitting here brooding i realize that i have a whole hell of o lot to 
say about post-student-status training; a lengthy letter to USPA may be
in order; i'll post a draft here for critique and feedback this time.
i got some interesting comments the other day from my last letter :-)
(which, BTW, was heavily edited, for the better ;-)

>-- 
>| Daniel Briggs  (dbriggs@nrao.edu)                      |        USPA B-14993

tim
(bonzometer needle buried)
((Jerry looks rather like a skydiver, no?))
From: woycik@vargas.pa.dec.com (Tommy Woycik)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: how often does this happen?
Date: 3 Sep 92 18:12:31 GMT
Reply-To: woycik@vargas.pa.dec.com (Tommy Woycik)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

>when ht to pull the main ripcord.  The mainside JM dumped out his main
>which activated the reserve (via RSL).  The reserve came out with line twists
>and nothing was done by the student to clear up the problem (the brakes were
>still stowed).  There is some speculation that the guy might have had a heart
>attack (he was getting up there in years).  I don't think that this is the
>type of fatality one could rig up as a suicide.  He landed under a spinning
>reserve.  It could have been survivable.  As for the financial troubles, I 
>haven't heard about it.  He showed up to the DZ in a Rolls though.

Rob's got it right, but as a followup, the guy didn't have a heart attack.
Cause of death was internal injuries (impact).  They still believe he had
passed out.  He was seen slumped over in his harness under his reserve.

TEW
From: bonitz@ebony.eecs.ucdavis.edu (Bob Bonitz)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: PC's (nothing to do with computers)
Date: 27 Aug 92 01:14:46 GMT
Organization: UC Davis  Robotics Research Lab

In article <3442@ra.nrl.navy.mil> (wine@stress1.nrl.navy.mil) writes:
>
>To anyone that has used/packed a PC:  The manual compares the pack volumes of 
>the various PC's with respect to the origional PC, but how big is that???  Can 
>a PC fit in a Vector container (main).  What changes have to be made to the 
>packing instructions to do so?  Does anyone do this? 

I can't tell you exactly what the pack volume is, but its big and it won't
fit in a Vector.  Maybe a tandem Vector.  They were normally packed using 
sleeves or a POD which is like a bag.  I used to jump one and had it in
a Pioneer 3-pin deluxe container.  The combo (without the reserve) weighed in
at about 30 lbs.  As I recall the standard PC weighs about 18 lbs. so you can
get an idea how big it is.  That's about three times the weight of modern ram 
air canopies.  I've never heard of anybody putting one in a Vector, but there
were some big piggybacks back when piggybacks first were invented that would
have been big enough for a PC.
From: esj@viper.eng.ufl.edu (Eric S. Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving
Subject: Re: Big container, small canopy?
Date: 26 Aug 92 17:30:54 GMT

>So how badly am I constrained by wanting to fit a
>smallish canopy into a J-4?  Could I put a Sabre 190 into it?  A 170?  A
>150? 

Ive put a Sabre 120 into my J-5. I used to regularly jump it (300 or so jumps)
with a aerial 150 in it. Some tips:

S-fold the canopy to fit the bag. Learning to pack z-p in a big bag 
is a real win. Don't shorten the closing loop too much, if at all. 
Small Zp will be snug even in a fairly big bag. What you want to avoid
is having the canopy all compressed up in the big bag, and the big bag 
compressed up in the big container by a real short closing loop. Closing
loop should be just short enough to make things snug.

Ej
From: mark@virtech.uucp (Mark Smith)
Subject: Re: dreams
Reply-To: mark@vti.com
Organization: Virtual Technologies, Inc.
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 18:32:31 GMT

Jeffrey DeMent (jld@lookout.it.uswc.uswest.com) wrote:
: In article <1992Sep4.012837.11267@mercury.cair.du.edu> tjreynol@zephyr.cair.du.edu (The Jumpin Dude) writes:
: >Richard's article finally got me; I've had about 10 skydiving nightmares.
: >anyone else? i'll describe some of them in some detail if anyone's
: >interested.
: >
: >tim
: 
: No ;)

Oh my! that's cold!  :-)
-- 
      /_\   Virtual                  Mark Smith          USPA D-13761
    /-~_  \    Technologies          mark@vti.com
  /      ~-_\     Incorporated       703-430-9247,   FAX 703-450-4560
/_____________\      46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160, Dulles, VA 20166
Newsgroups: rec.skydiving