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Im not actually asking anyone buddy, the info isn't out yet. I did ask airtec (cypres is a product, not a company) months and months ago after learning about the first fatality and they said they were working on something and I'll know more along with everyone else when it's out. The questions were meant to promote discussion (this is a gear forum, yes?). I did not expect anyone to answer them per se, but was expressing my likes and dislikes based on info that's available. I'm terribly sorry to have wasted your time with my talk about gear at a gear forum, thanks for reminding me this place is only for people with all the answers.

What I like about this so far with very limited info: Someone is doing something about the WS/AAD situation. That someone is airtec. What I'd like to know more about: How is the parameter switch triggered? What are the conditions to switch modes? Would it be at all possible in some circumstances to trigger the mode switch without a canopy? At what loading and handling could we bust the WS fallrate parameter under canopy? Is everyone in danger of a misfire if the mode switch doesn't happen or just highly loaded canopies throwing multiple rotations? If the mode switch doesn't happen, how should flight be restricted to avoid a misfire? No fronts? No hard toggle turns? No turns? Can we still fly our canopy safely to the ground on WS mode? It would be highly unlikely to have someone deploy a main, then cut away still zipped up and get no immediate reserve out (no/released rsl + no pull) then spin in with the cypress still in canopy mode. I can think of some canopy collision scenarios that would fit the bill. If we knew how long after slider down the switch happened it might be a good idea to clear traffic and unzip at least partially before that happens. Might be too short though. What I don't like: Audible. I don't like another computer box in my helmet. I don't trust the idea of the wireless communication. I hope it's not full on communication, but something more KISS. That. Sound. WTF. I absolutely cannot imagine every single one of my amazing flight experiences having that god awful sound at the beginning of every canopy flight forever. I can see why airtec would want to have a reliable way to ensure the information is received. I think they should have went with a small led extension mounted on say the mud flap. No access at all, just a LED mode indicator. After deployment part of house keeping would be a glance at the indicator. Not sure how hard that would be on the battery compared with wireless communication. Hell if they like the box so much let's put the indicator on the box and let us choose where we put it, helmet or mounted on rig or even wrist for visual instead of audible.

Thank you all very very much! Especially Totter for the detailed explanation :-)

Hi everybody! I hope someone here can help me answer a question about aircraft capacity. I find many common skydiving aircrafts are used to fly more jumpers then are specified as max passengers by flight manual or FAA, adhering to (I assume) maximum load and CG limits instead. Example beech99s are listed as 15-17 but I've seen 19 jumpers listed on them, Cessna 208 have up to 14 passengers with a waiver, but I know DZs that fly more jumpers then that in them. Are jumpers passengers or cargo? What if anything do you need to legally fly jumpers based on lift capacity? Thank you all!

Okey, my friend can't post here for some reason, but he says he always carries the rig on with him too, and his only issue ever was flying into Israel from Rome, but it was with the Italian equivalent of the TSA and the cypress card fixed it, nothing to do with Israel.

I just feel like traveling light every now and then :-) let me see if I can get someone with experience carrying on in and out of Israel to chime in.

Hi I'm from Israel and would happily help out here or on pm. I have flown in and out of Israel with gear dozens of times over the last 7 years. I have never had any complications related to my gear except one time. I check my gear usually, but also sometimes carry it on. I have never carried my gear on into or out of israel though, not intentionally, just never did. My only issue was one time flying into Israel, checking my gear and flying elal, the national Israeli airline, which has more stringent screening and security. I forgot my hook knife on the rig and they saw it on the xray and wanted me to take it out of my luggage, but also didn't want me to carry it with me. They ended up handing it to the staff and I got it back after landing. I usually carry it on without issue though. That's all I've got on this, no serious problems. Travel with your cypress card on you. Have fun!

Right. Let's only voice our concerns when the solution is clear and change is unavoidable. So your points thus far have been: *nothing is wrong. The TI did great and the student was stupid. *the TI is wrong, should have done a bigger turn. *the mfg's and uspa are wrong, they write impossible to enforce rules and don't enforce them. But also they shouldn't make those rules because they are wrong, and anyway they can't be enforced. And shouldn't be either. *nothing can be done. *nothing should be done. *nothing will be done. *see? Nothing happened. It's been a full week now and nothing changed anywhere for anyone. Definitely.

So you call me out on not knowing what I'm talking about, yet delete your comment I was replying to? Sure, a 270 would negate the blind spot, but in your now deleted comment you were talking about a 180. Oh but you deleted that so you could change the subject and question my experience, classy. Fair enough, lets establish a high performance lz for tandems, good call, nice job. Is your dzo choosing canopies that you feel require you to take unnecessary risks to land safely? And your reaction is to agree to fly them with a student hooked up on your front rather then kindly request or demand he provides you with proper gear? Is the pax you're paired with makes you think a no blind spot safe approach is impossible? And your reaction is to fly them in the general pattern with other canopies around you in a dangerous way that asks for trouble rather then explain to manifest this student is beyond your ability to jump safely? I almost feel like if you can't land a canopy straight in with the worst of it being dirty pants which you will accept as part of your job description you shouldn't be throwing drouges. But what do I know, I have less then 5000 tandem jumps.

This is how it's an added risk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYvfh90P1hQ Get their pants dirty, shake their hand, tell them they're a skydiver now, and watch them walk away safe and happy.

Looking at: * the heading of the top right canopy, another tandem, looks to be holding into the wind at a spot that would allow a safe pattern in either direction. Seems to be facing into the wind to me. * the normal upwind low wind flare and collapse behavior of the canopy landing right to left at the very start of the vid. * the flat flat flight path the black canopy (low guy) has on final before being hit. * the much less flat flight path the tandem has on landing after strike, as compared with both its own flight path before the turn and the black canopy's flight path before the strike. * the fact the TI executes a 180 into a heading, and the fact a TI chooses a landing direction, unless other info is avaliable I will most always assume a TI is landing into the wind regardless of local practice for sport canopies. It seems to me that low guy landed down wind, and possibly the wrong way depending on local practice. Either way a lesson there. I really want to say something else but first id like to ask. Is everyone clearly avoiding the 180 debate because this thread could be viewed by lawyers or because this is a hot button issue between pro and con 180s for landing a tandem and people don't want to star a flame war over this?

Probably so they could swoop. Swooping is currently considered a legitimate discipline and so this discussion should include them too. What you think about group freefall with dedicated swooping mains, and what the cutoff should be before it's a bad idea to risk freefall collision with a canopy is relevant to the discussion in a way. But even if all you did was dedicated swooping hop and pops, you still could find yourself coming to in freefall. You may or may not use an aad. And you bring up a good point, that your procedure for this eventuality should definitely take what kind of main you have into account. And of course there's the already learned in blood lesson that it doesn't make sense to spend good money on an aad when your reserve is loaded at 3 to 1. But it should be noted people have died landing very docile reserves without input with bad luck on wind direction and speed and obstacles. But I'm also looking for a broader discussion on the subject.

Recently I was exposed to several incidents where jumpers were knocked partially out in freefall, or blacked out and only half "came to" still in freefall. In all cases jumpers pulled their main out of habit as soon as they realized they were in freefall. One case came close to a two out by aad, and two had injuries from landing mains under partial control and awareness. This got me thinking about what I want to try and plan for. Of course it's hard to control your actions when you're not "all there". But im thinking maybe the right thing to train for if you can't verify altitude immediately and don't know what's going on, tunnel vision or limbs not fully reacting, is to go for your reserve. Better for no flare landing, less likely to need to use your hands and body to fix a malfunction etc. Eliminate the possibility of a 2 out low to the ground when you're already physically or mentally out of it, and get a canopy out faster in case you're already low. But only one chance to get a good canopy. One jumper had her right hand completely paralyzed and left hand partially paralyzed. She spent 8500 ft pulling her metal d ring style reserve handle, just working to get her thumb in. Really made me think about my soft handle again. What are some of your thoughts about gear and procedure for being in freefall with partial consciousness and/or partial control or use of your limbs?

Dat face...

http://youtu.be/0Hv6iqxLKpQ Now can this stop being a thing please? Thank you :-)