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Skydiving (w/ Parachutes)/Questions Answered by Expert Mike Turoff
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Impact velocity using T10 parachute | 9/30/2010 |
| Q: I believe jump was from 2500ft(altitude of 1st jump, military training). Weight @170lb, not ... A: In freefall without anything overhead, it would have been 120 mph, but due to the amount of material ... | |
| Military to Civilian | 5/4/2010 |
| Q: Hey boss man, I have a few questions I'm hoping you can help me out with. I was in an airborne unit ... A: GO FOR IT!!! First off, work with the instructors at the skydiving center you will be training at. ... | |
| the best spring loaded pilot chute for the MC 4 | 4/4/2010 |
| Q: I bought a second-hand MC 4 parachute, complete, main and reserve, but for the pilot chute of the ... A: I believe the "Hot Dog" type of spring loaded pilot chute will be one of the best choices for you to ... | |
| Learning to skydive with a back condition | 2/17/2010 |
| Q: I recently did a tandem skydive and fell in love with the sport, so much so that I want to do my ... A: Despite some parachutes having a better history of softer openings (even snivels), I wouldn't bet my ... | |
| Learning to skydive with a back condition | 2/17/2010 |
| Q: I recently did a tandem skydive and fell in love with the sport, so much so that I want to do my ... A: While I appreciate your interest in pursuing the sport, a back condition such as you described makes ... | |
| reserve parachute deployed very low | 1/17/2010 |
| Q: I was paragliding in Mexico last month, fell out of a thermal when venturing to far over the back ... A: According to the table we have in our book, "Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook", here are the ... | |
| reserve parachute deployed very low | 1/17/2010 |
| Q: I was paragliding in Mexico last month, fell out of a thermal when venturing to far over the back ... A: I'm sorry, but not knowing what a "vario" is, I have no way of knowing what it records. Let's look ... | |
| skydiving | 1/6/2010 |
| Q: hey mike, thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I've been planning to take AFF ... A: Students are typically not allowed to wear weight vests. The compensation for us "normal sized" ... | |
| Skydiving before WW2 | 10/16/2009 |
| Q: What kind of material was the first parachute made of? When was the first parachute? What was ... A: Leonardo DaVinci made the first known square based parachute out of wood and linen. That was in the ... | |
| skydiving | 9/29/2009 |
| Q: "Hi Good Evening Sir, This is Prashant Bisht from India, i would like to ask u some questions ... A: Freefall/Skydiving can be done on the very first jump as either a Tandem passenger or an Accelerated ... | |
| age allowence | 8/5/2009 |
| Q: I have been searching everywhere for a skydiving site that will allow 16 to jump with parent consent ... A: Possible? Yes. Probable? Maybe. In today's legal climate, it is strongly recommended against ... | |
| Sky diving | 6/15/2009 |
| Q: I've been playing with the idea of skydiving for some time now but what I am MOST afraid of is that ... A: Register at a local skydiving center for a Tandem Jump as an introduction into the sport. You will ... | |
| hey mike | 4/1/2009 |
| Q: I am doing a research paper on my dream job and I have some questions for you. Whats the career ... A: Oh boy, have you chosen the wrong career aspiration! There is very little career growth in the ... | |
| teaching | 1/13/2009 |
| Q: i wanted to know how to get into the business of teaching sky diving? A: First off, you have to become a competent skydiver. Spending will be thousands of dollars to ... | |
| skydiving | 9/25/2008 |
| Q: how old do you have to be in order to jump? I just wasn't sure if it was one of those things where ... A: You have to be the age of legal majority to execute contracts in your resident state. Most states ... | |
| i need help | 9/9/2008 |
| Q: well i have never skydived but im doing a report and i need to know about the things involved in ... A: As a job, it is a low paying opportunity; one that you'll spend thousands of dollars just to get to ... | |
| Cutlery and Its Relationship with Parachutes | 8/20/2008 |
| Q: I was just remembering back to old Bugs Bunny cartoons, which sometimes contained a ... A: There is no historical basis for this. Only hysterical laughter. Think about the Road Runner ... | |
| Career | 5/12/2008 |
| Q: I read your response to a question about skydiving as a career, thanks for the great information. ... A: First off, I know nothing of the curriculum offered by the "schools" that promise full training up ... | |
| 12 months to learn | 4/18/2008 |
| Q: Having recently completed a couple of tandem jumps in Namibia and coming back to the U.K. only to ... A: There are two major skydiving centers in the US that come to mind. One is Skydive Z-Hills in ... | |
| Packing a Main | 1/20/2008 |
| Q: I have 16 jumps now and I am working through a course (yes, even in the winter in New York!) to get ... A: First off, congratulations on your progress and perseverance. No, it is not proper for someone to ... | |
| Failure to Deploy | 1/11/2008 |
| Q: Mike--I have the honor of representing a young flight instructor whose ballistic parachute failed to ... A: While I am considered to be an expert on sport skydiving scenarios including instructional ... | |
| FAA license | 1/7/2008 |
| Q: Is a FAA license required for skydiving instructors and chute packers? A: The FAA does not license skydiving personnel nor skydiving business operations. It does license ... | |
| skydiving as a career | 1/4/2008 |
| Q: i live in india. here we dont have skydiving. i am 27yrs old. all my life i want to be something in ... A: You are at a tremendous disadvantage with no skydiving in your country. As to earning a living at ... | |
| Skydiving at 16 in Florida | 11/12/2007 |
| Q: I've look all over the place to find a place in Florida that'll let me skydive at 16 with a parents ... A: None that I am personally aware of. In todays litigation driven climate, you must be of the age of ... | |
| school project | 9/27/2007 |
| Q: when did you start skydiving? how high do you go before you jump out? why do you skydive? where do ... A: November 12, 1977 is the date I made my first skydive of 3,420 to date. I normally jump from about ... | |
| I want to be a skydiver. | 7/10/2007 |
| Q: I want to know how much does it cost to buy the skydiving gear? does the cost of the training ... A: Used gear to new gear: The costs range from several hundreds of dollars to several thousands of ... | |
| Skydiving | 4/2/2007 |
| Q: I have previously done a skydive and loved every minute of it. it is something i have always wanted ... A: Well, you certainly do have a strong ambition if you already want to be an instructor. The ... | |
| Resources you have and people you know.... | 2/27/2007 |
| Q: I hope you don't mind this question ..... Can you help open up the category by interesting a ... A: Quite honestly, I don't know how to open up the topic. I would think that you could click on the ... | |
| Skydiving and back injuries | 12/28/2006 |
| Q: I had back surgery about 12 years ago and minus the typical aches and pains here and there (more ... A: There can be a jolt of opening shock during the deceleration phase of the parachute opening, ... | |
| What rig to buy | 12/22/2006 |
| Q: Im planning on buying my first rig in the near future and need advice on what to buy. I will ask my ... A: AH...I wish I could get back down to that weight! I remember when I was 160. Yes, I'm 5'4" as well, ... | |
| obtaining a camera flyer job | 7/14/2006 |
| Q: I have only skydived a few times, and tandem, so pretty much the lowest level you can get.I am 20 ... A: I am ammending my last answer based on documentation in the USPA's Instructional Rating Manual and ... | |
| parachutes for a science project | 3/7/2006 |
| Q: What kind of a parachute would have the best descent? How many shroud lines would that parachute ... A: Are you asking for a slow descent or a long glide? Sport parachutists (skydivers) use ram-air type ... | |
| skydiving | 3/5/2006 |
| Q: I'm doing an assignment on skydiving and a couple of the questions I need to answer are "what are ... A: The dangers of skydiving are the participant having an equipment malfunction that can lead to a high ... | |
| Packing | 9/1/2004 |
| Q: What are your thoughts about owning your own equipment and paying others to pack and inspect the ... A: I know of many jumpers who are not bothering to pack their own equipment for one reason or another. ... | |
| Skydiving | 4/18/2004 |
| Q: I am doing a report on the safety of skydiving and i was wondering if you could tell me how safe ... A: http://www.uspa.org/about/page2/relative_safety.htm This is a link that will give you a good deal ... | |
| Photos | 7/10/2001 |
| Q: i wonder whether you can help me. it's a bit of a strange request, but please bear with me! i'm in ... A: Many of the pictures you seek can be found in "Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook" which you can ... | |
Skydiving (w/ Parachutes)
Answers by Expert:
Mike Turoff
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
expert/master parachutist and an Instructor Examiner in the sport of Skydiving. Mike is a licensed (jump) pilot and parachute rigger, who is an analytical chemist in the "regular working world." As a dedicated instructor, Mike has made over 3,400 jumps since 1977. Mike has contributed to many of the training materials and exams used by USPA and the sport. He has authored numerous articles dealing with safety and training practices that have appeared in both Parachutist and Skydiving magazines. Mike participates as an evaluator at AFF Training Camps and Certification Courses and is a rated to perform Tandem instruction using both the Relative Workshop and Strong Enterprises gear. Mike is co-author of "Parachuting, The Skydiver`s Handbook and the CD-ROM text for "Skydiving, A Multimedia Reference."
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