Rant & Rave Blog

(Written by ChutingStar's Henry Kochen.)

A 20-Year Journey of Growth, Safety, and Complacency

Over the last two decades, skydiving has evolved significantly, transforming from a niche thrill-seeking activity into a widely accessible and increasingly safe sport. From improved equipment technology to enhanced training protocols, the sport has made remarkable strides. However, amid this progress, a concerning trend has emerged: complacency among experienced skydivers and a lack of respect for the inherent risks of the sport. This is resulting in an unfortunate retrogression—more experienced skydivers getting injured or even killed, while newer participants neglect the importance of vigilance, discipline, and respect for safety.

The Growth of Skydiving: A Safer Sport

Skydiving has experienced exponential growth over the past 20 years. What was once seen as an extreme sport reserved for a select few has now become increasingly accessible to a broader audience. In 2000, skydiving was largely a sport for adrenaline junkies and military personnel, with the equipment and training far from the streamlined, professional systems we see today. However, advances in equipment technology and training have made skydiving more reliable and safer.

One of the major factors contributing to the sport's safety is the development of modern parachutes. The introduction of “square” or “ram-air” canopies, which are far more stable and predictable than the old round ones, revolutionized how skydivers navigate and land. These canopies are designed to offer better control, making the landing process less perilous.

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These are the Mirage Packing Tips I have given since 2007 during my seminars at the Parachute Industry Association Symposiums (most recently in 2025 in Daytona Beach) as well as during each ChutingStar Senior Rigger Certification School.

I've added a link at the end of this summary of the presentation so the entire text and photo presentation of the seminar can be downloaded for reference. Keep in mind these tips and techniques are only meant to supplement the Mirage owner's manual. I have found these techniques to lead to a cleaner, consistently better-looking Mirage reserve container.

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FAA Advisory Circular 3-1 now requires all current and future FAA Parachute Riggers to have a U.S. Agent For Service if they do not have a U.S. physical address.

This requirement was effective as of April 2, 2025, which was the date the USAS website for U.S. Agent registration went live at this link. That is where foreign riggers and rigger candidates designate their U.S. Agent For Service.

That U.S. Agent must:

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The Parachute Industry Association has released Technical Bulletin TB-266 that gives its interpretation of the FAA regulations for sealing a packed reserve container. This bulletin addressed the common use of lead seals, which are banned in some countries due to environmental and health issues.

The PIA Rigging Committee completed a review of other available materials being used outside the United States, and found these to work just as well as lead seals while satisfying 14 CFR 65.133.

14 CFR 65.133 Seal. Each certificated parachute rigger must have a seal with an identifying mark prescribed by the Administrator, and a seal press. After packing a parachute he shall seal the pack with his seal in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation for that type of parachute.

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The popular speaking audible altimeter from Freefall Data Systems has an available update for improving the sound quality, volume and reliability of its built-in speaker. Reports of failing speakers was determined to be a firmware issue, which is resolved with a firmware and sound file update.

If you have a SonoAlti 3V unit with a firmware of 1.0 or 1.1, this firmware update is for you. To find out what firmware version you have, press the button adjacent to the speaker with a paper clip to hear the firmware number.

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With most skydiving helmets over $200, and the most common at $500 or more, it's a smart investment to protect your helmet when you're not using it.

Most skydiving helmet bags also have additional pockets to carry your smaller skydiving gear and helmet accessories together so you're able to keep everything in one place whether you're at the drop zone, the wind tunnel or traveling around the world.

Henry Kochen of the ChutingStar Crew took some time to show off a few of our most popular helmet bags this week to show you which helmets fit and the features of each.

Check out this video as well as a video from Mike Gruwell on the new Cookie Flight Bag, and then click the links below for additional info and ordering information.

Skydiving Helmet Bag Overview from ChutingStar.

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Looking for that perfect gift to surprise the skydiver in your life? We've got an entire section of skydiver gifts for a birthday, milestone jump, the holidays or the like to help you find just what you've been looking for!

Click here for a direct link to our Gift Ideas section online. And then below are highlights of several gift ideas we know will be a hit.

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ChutingStar makes it easy for you to save plenty of money when buying all the gear, goods and toys you want and need to enjoy your days of skydiving to the fullest.

Here are the top 11 ways you can reduce the price of a product, save on shipping fees or find a great deal on gear you need to make the most of your weekends!

#1. Free ChutingStar Gear Bag, $100 Off, Plus FREE US Shipping of a Complete Skydiving Rig!

All complete rig purchases get a free ChutingStar Gear Bag! Our package pricing at this link also includes a $100 discount off the prices if purchasing each item separately.

Plus, you can select Free Standard Shipping at checkout to any US, APO or FPO address!

#2. Free Standard Shipping in the US for orders of $499 or more!

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More often than not, ChutingStar usually has the best price around on every product we sell and support, but we're human and we miss price changes or just flat out didn't price something correctly.

Our ChutingStar Crew doesn't want to lose you as a customer, or for your next purchase, just because we didn't realize our pricing was higher than that other shop. So ChutingStar offers all of our customers Price Match Rewards!

In the most simple terms...if you find a price lower than ours on the internet for a product you purchased from us, we're going to give you the difference in SuperStars Rewards Points value to use on your next purchase. So if you find something $10 lower in price, we'll give you $10 in SuperStars Rewards Points...or if it's $100 lower in price, we'll give you $100 in Rewards Points...etc.

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Just a quick note that all accessories and mounts that work or fit the HERO9, HERO10, HERO11 and HERO12 also will work and fit with the new GoPro HERO13.

The GoPro HERO13 works with all GoPro accessories that were made and designed for the HERO9, HERO10, HERO11 & HERO12, so if you see any noted as working with the HERO9 and/or HERO 10 and/or HERO11 and/or HERO12, these will also work with the HERO13.

And then since the HERO13 camera is the exact same size, shape and form as the HERO9/10/11/12, it also will fit into any GoPro mounts designed to fit the HERO9/10/11/12.

ChutingStar is updating all the HERO9/10/11/12 accessory and mount listings, names and info to reflect this, but in case you come across any that indicate it is made for the HERO9/10/11/12, just know that it will also work with the HERO13.

See the video and links below on the GoPro HERO10 and HERO9/10/11/12/13 Mounts for more information:

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