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Just a few weeks ago we had a low-time jumper injure herself on landing on her first jump after taking the winter off. As sometimes happens, she avoided our “currency radar” and made a jump under a canopy that is a good size for her when current, but questionable after a long layoff. It wasn’t until after the landing that we found out how long it had been since her last jump and that she was badly in need of currency training. While instructors, drop zone owners and other experienced jumpers along with safety and training advisors usually are aware of the general currency of the familiar faces, many jumpers can slip through that loosely-organized system. Which brings me to the person who bears the ultimate responsibility for currency: you. As a licensed skydiver it is up to you to know the currency recommendations for your license level and to seek out an instructor so you can get current on your skydiving skills in a safe and controlled manner. Currency jumps are designed to refresh your muscle memory, reinforce basic survival skills and regain a heightened awareness while in the air. A-license holders have two levels of currency training at 60-89 days without jumping as well as 90+ days without a skydive. At the minimum, an A-license skydiver needs to demonstrate “altitude awareness, freefall control on all axes, tracking and canopy control skills sufficient for safely jumping in groups,” according to the USPA. B-license holders should make a currency jumps after a 90-day layoff from jumping and C-License holders who have not jumped in 120 days should make a currency jump. Jumpers who have not skydived for more than six months and have a D license should make a currency jump as well. Specifics on recommended currency training can be found in the SIMS manual. Come out of your winter skydiving hibernation with a thirst for knowledge, a healthy fear of the sport and a currency jump. See ya at the DZ!

A company based in the Czech Republic has added a bit of competition to the automatic parachute opener market with news of the upcoming release of MPAAD. MarS claims its new automatic activation device will have a 15-year lifespan and will only be subject to “rigger checks” and battery replacements every 3 years. Each unit is an “all-in-one” device and can be programmed for student, tandem or experienced jumper operation. The placement of the unit is very different from the Cypres automatic opener. The Cypres has three components connected by cables: the control unit, cutter and processing unit/battery pack with the largest component located in a pouch on the inside of the main/reserve divider wall. The MPAAD is one solid unit without exposed cables that will be installed on the bottom of the pack tray, centered at the reserve closing loop. In width and length, the MPAAD is larger in the Cypres, but in height, the MPAAD is smaller. MarS says its unit “fills the space created in the middle of the reserve container by the pull-force of (the) reserve closing loop.” Personally I don’t think there is much unused space there, but neither is there unused space where the Cypres sits. During the reserve packing process, riggers have always had to distribute the canopy bulk to best fit each container and its components. Some containers and components are easier to deal with than others. Without a prototype to work with, it’s hard to say if the MPAAD placement would be easier to deal with than the Cypres placement. But one thing is for sure; the new product is creating at least a sense of competition in a market with only one truly viable product over the last 12 years. And seemingly on the heels of the MPAAD news, Cypres manufacturer Airtec has announced the release of the Cypres II due out in a few months. The unit will fit in the same Cypres-ready rigs, but the user improvements are not known.