Weighing only 850 grams, the Carinthia G145 features two layers of G-LOFT insulation (75g / m²), giving it a minimum comfort of 0.9 °.
In addition to an almost seamless outer shell of water repellant Shelltex Ultra Pro, they’ve added antibacterial features to the G-LOFT liner. Incidentally, the bag has loops to accept Carinthia’s cotton and fleece liners to extend the bag’s comfort range.
www.carinthia.eu/en/g-145-p2768
An essential part of preparing for each dive is calculating the amount of weight you’ll need to ascend and descend safely and effectively. By gearing up in the correct amount of weight, you can successfully maintain neutral buoyancy throughout the dive.
Many factors can affect your buoyancy—your body composition, the equipment and clothing worn, the amount of air you’re breathing, and the water you’ll be swimming in (freshwater/saltwater). Being able to add weights to your dive belt or in the pockets of your BCD can help you minimize drag and make your finning more efficient.
Proper weighting and buoyancy control are crucial if you want to have a successive dive. Unfortunately,there is no extract formula to help say how much weight you should wear on any giving dive. The reason for this is no one is exactly alike. So, all you can really rely on is knowledge and practice, I will say this a couple times a good log will help more then you will know. This goes for anything you do. Always keep a logbook, for land warfare, over the beach, and as much as you can. This will help when it has been a couple of months in between doing things. To help make it easier, below are a few easy steps you can take, preferably with the assistance of a dive weight calculator. Find a formula that works for you and stick to that, but make sure you test yourself before each dive. Also keep a dive log of all your dives. (See told you I would say this a lot) Write down what you wore, what way was the current going to you have to kick harder, were you carrying anything extra like a ladder or breaching tools, and how you felt. Make sure you have water temp, wetsuit thickness, and other information like that. This will go a long way to helping with future dives.
Weigh Yourself and your Gear
A rough approximation of the weight you’ll need can be figured out quickly by weighing yourself and then using those numbers to figure out the amount of weight you’ll need on you.
In freshwater, most divers need 6 to 8 percent of their body weight in added weight, but in saltwater (which is denser and will add buoyancy), this figure is closer to 8 to 10 percent. This number is a good starting point to calculate your weight amount further.
Part of determining your body weight is weighing your buoyancy compensator (BCD), dive jacket/ Rebreather. It is a significant source of buoyancy as most of them, especially older models, have a lot of padding that will make you float.
To determine the buoyancy of your gear, immerse it in water and release any air that might be trapped inside. Move it around underwater when you float test it, same as when you get into the water make sure you get all the air out so there are no bubbles, halfway thru your dive.
Test Your Weight
Go through a trial run in a swimming pool and wear all of your dive gear. If you can’t wear your full equipment, make sure to put on the closest approximation to what you’ll be wearing for the specific dive. Remember that if your dive is going to be in saltwater, you’ll need a bit more weight compared to a freshwater swimming pool.
Here it is broken down.
1. Before the dive, float motionless in deep water.
2. Deflate all the air out of your BCD/ Rebreather.
3. Take a normal breath and hold it.
4. If you start sinking – you need less weight. If you find yourself bobbing out of the water – you need more weight.
5. Repeat the process until you are floating as close as possible to eye level.
6. If you are floating at eye level with all you gear on, that is what you want. Have weights by the side of the pool so you can add or subtract weight as you check yourself out. They make weights with snap links or have weights with some 550. Have a carabiner so you can hang them on your weight belt or if you have a weight belt with pockets, you can add or subtract weights as you need. Lastly, a good logbook can go a long way to help with what you will need.
Use a Dive Weight Calculator
While manually figuring out the right amount of dive weights to gear up in works for many divers, others find it easier to use an actual calculator. Try using a SCUBA diving weight calculator. You’ll be able to find tons of calculator websites online. Enter the figures for the required fields and check if the suggested amount of weight works for you.
www.divestock.com/calc/weight/weight
Take 10% of your body weight in lead
A common rule of thumb, adhered by many divers, claims that a diver must carry weights equivalent to 10% of his body weight. While that does give you a specific range of the number of weights you need, it does not take many relevant factors into account.
Factors such as muscle, fat, height, gear, and exposure suit are crucial when choosing weights and should be taken into account. For example, muscles sink and fat floats. A muscular man weighing 180lbs would probably need much less than 18 pounds of weight (even with a long 5mm), whereas a short stalky fellow weighing 180lbs might actually need more than 18lbs. This rule has led to many overweighted divers.
Don’t be overweight!
Many newer divers, and even some of the more experienced ones, dive with too much weight, either consciously or without knowing. Being overweight can lead to some bad situations. Sinking too fast is a common cause for ear problems. Now if you are overweight, you will add air to your BCD, now when you head to the surface to take a peek you will be pushed up faster than you want to go. You will also feel like you have to swim fast all the time, to stop yourself from sinking, and you will breath more air then your swim buddy.
Too much weight will also affect your body position, sinking your lower body and causing you to swim up. Even if you do manage to balance yourself properly, you will have much more drag through the water. Swimming downward for half of the dive does not look cool and looking cool is half (or more) the job.
I first met Sergeant Major Nail in 1991 while attending SERE Level-C at Fort Bragg. He was a grizzled old tough, the kind of guy you immediately respected and wanted to call “Sergeant Major” even though he had long since retired. He started his self-introduction with, “I’m a sky diver, SCUBA diver and muff diver.” You could get away with that kind of stuff back then, especially if you were a retired “Smadge” of the stature of Richmond Nail. I was hooked.
I ran into him a few times after returning to Group and he remained just as captivating. He never failed to start off anything he was going to say, with a colorful story, which was always a lesson on something.
Unfortunately for all of us, Richmond J Nail passed on late last week, joining his beloved wife Ann who passed away last April.
I am amazed that he didn’t retire from his position with SWC until 2006 considering he was always in a field environment. He was over 70. That’s a long time to serve your country.
Nail was a legend in Special Forces and had been inducted as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment.
Here is his bio:
SGM Richmond J. Nail spent over 50 years serving his nation, both in and out of uniform, leading and training airborne and Special Forces Soldiers. He was born May 3, 1935, in Batesville, Ark. In 1953, at age 18, SGM Nail enlisted for three years of airborne duty. As an enlisted artilleryman, he served in a number of capacities with the 11th Airborne Division in Germany. In 1956, he participated in combat operations in Beirut, Lebanon. In June 1966, while serving as an artillery NCO in the 101st Airborne Division in the Republic of Vietnam, he earned the first of many combat decorations, a Bronze Star with “V” Device.
In 1967, SGM Nail returned to Fort Bragg to begin his long, distinguished career as a Special Forces NCO. He completed the Special Forces Training Course as an 11F in 1967.
In 1969, he returned to the Republic of Vietnam as a member of a Mike Force Team B-55, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), a quick-reaction force composed of a few American advisors and Montagnard tribesmen. On March 17, 1969, while serving as a platoon leader with three other U.S. Soldiers and 200 tribesmen in the 5th Mobile Strike Force Battalion, he earned another Bronze Star during search-and-destroy operations against communist strongholds at Tuk Chup Knoll in the hills of central Vietnam. After being severely wounded during this operation, he went to Japan and then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for an extended period of recovery for severe wounds that eventually claimed an eye and a kidney.
SGM Nail’s long relationship with the JFK Special Warfare Center began in 1969, when he was handpicked to perform duties as an instructor at Camp Mackall in Phase I of the Special Forces basic enlisted division. He served in this capacity until 1975. During that time, he personally wrote every lesson plan for Phase I training and set up a jungle lane and a RECONDO course.
In 1982, Lieutenant Colonel James “Nick” Rowe requested SGM Nail join him in standing up the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Course in the Special Forces School. SGM Nail joined LTC Rowe and lent his expertise to the SERE program. He tailored his Phase I lesson plans to create a SERE course that emphasized the knowledge of poisonous plants, ropes and knots, and infiltration and extraction techniques. He set up strenuous training enhancers that became the hallmark of the SERE Course: barriers, wires, a slide for life and the use of aggressor forces.
In June 2006, SGM Nail retired after 24 years of civilian service to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. He was married to the former Anne R. Reynolds of Summerville, Ga (deceased April 2019). They have one son, Todd.
DroneShield Ltd (ASX:DRO) (“DroneShield” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce it has received funding from the United States Department of Defense (“DoD”) for targeted development of its DroneShieldCompleteTM Command-and-Control (“C2”) system.
The section of the DoD, which has awarded the contract, is a new customer for DroneShied. The funding was awarded through a sole source contract.
DroneShieldCompleteTM is an intuitive and feature rich C2, providing real time alerting, tracking and reporting information for native DroneShield as well as third party sensors. The DoD is working with DroneShield, providing funding for an agreed list of feature enhancements, for a project expected to span over several months. Importantly, following that period, the DoD is expected to make multiple purchases of DroneShield’s C-UAS equipment, which would run on the enhanced DroneShieldCompleteTM C2.
Oleg Vornik, DroneShield’s CEO, has commented, “We are proud to be working with the United States Department of Defense, one of most demanding defence customers globally, on this project to ensure our DroneShieldCompleteTM C2 stays at the cutting edge of customer requirements. Further, this project underscores our leadership not only as a product/sensor manufacturer, but also as an integrator of fixed site and mobile C-UAS systems. This contract is a material milestone in cementing our close working relationship with the largest defence customer globally. In addition to expected purchases associated with this paid development contract, further orders for other DroneShield solutions are expected as part of developing a trusted supplier relationship with this customer.”
Whilst the Company is unable to precisely quantify the follow up orders, it expects the orders to be material and will in due course provide an update on the dollar amounts to the market, when available.
The ThruDark SF Echelon is a new all-round utility jacket designed for every day combat. Manufactured from a specially engineered fabric containing both Cordura and Dyneema reinforcements on the shoulders, which provides abrasion resistance. The body and arms are enhanced with a 4-way stretch water-resistant fabric. Features also include two YKK upper arm pockets and two torso pockets.
In spite of starting my career in the Army, I retired from the Air Force. Although I worked primarily in the intelligence business, I served on jump status during various SOF assignments in both services.
One of the easiest ways to deduce if an Air Force Officer is an Academy graduate is that they have jump wings (that is if they haven’t already told you). That’s because the AFA offers a course in skydiving.
The AFA’s Basic Freefall Parachuting course, known as Airmanship 490 (AM-490), is run by a cadre of Cadets who make up the Academy’s free fall team, the Wings of Blue. The team and course operate as the 98th Flying Training Squadron, 306th Flying Training Group, Air Education and Training Command.
The course website boasts:
Each year, over 700 cadets take the AM-490 course, “Stand In The Door”, and earn their jump wings.
Here’s an example of the instruction:
If you’re a static-line parachutist, you’ll wonder what they’re up to and how this translates into jump wings.
While it’s true that there are many members of the Army who attend Basic Airborne Training early in their service, but never jump again, many others are assigned to jump billets later on their careers and use the skills that they were taught as Privates or Lieutenants. But that’s not what happening at the Air Force Academy, because it’s impossible to serve as a parachutist after graduating form the Academy’s AM-490 course of instruction.
The most important issue at hand is that Cadets who complete the program do not learn a military skill, despite being awarded a badge which indicates otherwise.
AFI 11-410 (Personal Parachute Operations) governs management of the Air Force parachuting program. It states:
6.3.2. USAF Academy Parachutist Qualification. Members on active parachute status who are quali- fied as USAF Academy parachutists are authorized to fill validated parachute positions and student authorizations at the USAF Academy. These parachutists are not authorized to fill parachute positions elsewhere (emphasis added) unless qualified through paragraphs 6.3.1. or 6.6. This qualification requires completion of one of the following formal training programs:
6.3.2.1. AM-490, USAF Academy, CO. AM-490 satisfies the qualification requirement for assignment to parachute positions and student authorizations at the USAF Academy and may be completed after assignment selection provided the member is a parachute volunteer.
6.3.2.2. AM-492, USAF Academy, CO. Completion of the jumpmaster curriculum in AM-492 qualifies members to serve as jumpmasters for USAF Academy operations only.
To reference back to paragraph 6.3.1 which covers S/L training:
6.3.1.1. US Army Basic Airborne Course, Ft. Benning, GA.
6.3.1.2. S/L courses or programs of instruction, including Mobile Training Teams (MTTs), approved by the US Army Infantry Center (USAIS).
6.3.1.3. US Navy Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM) Naval Parachute School (S/ L Course).
6.3.1.4. AM-490, USAF Academy, CO, when the diploma was earned prior to August 1994. (emphasis added)
To reference back to paragraph 6.6 which covers MFF training:
6.6.1. US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS) Military Free Fall School, Yuma Proving Grounds, AZ.
6.6.2. MFF courses or programs of instruction, including MTTs, approved by USAJFKSWCS.
6.6.3. NAVSPECWARCOM Naval Parachute School (MFF Course), Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, CA.
To summarize what those paragraphs mean for graduates of AM-490; to actually serve as a military parachutist, they have to attend one of the courses of instruction mentioned above.
As you can see, Cadets can’t earn advanced ratings. They aren’t filing J-coded billets. They aren’t static line parachutists and they aren’t military free fall parachutists. So what are they? That’s simple; they’re skydivers. The USAFA is creating about 700 new skydivers per year.
Although it hasn’t been the case for quite some time, over two decades ago Cadets were even allowed to earn Senior and Master parachutist ratings, based on skydives (see above). They selected their own jumpmasters and considered wearing smoke canisters or the flag during demonstration jumps as “combat equipment” jumps.
A few years ago, BG Goodwin, an AFA Commandant, wore Senior jump wings which she had been awarded as a Cadet. It caused a bit of confusion for actual parachutists who questioned her qualification, considering she had never served on jump status.
Even today, there are still a few senior officers a running around wearing badges they were awarded, but didn’t earn in the way parachutists would expect. That same argument could be made about those current and former Cadets wearing Basic wings. They aren’t qualified as parachutists.
Instead of awarding the basic parachutist badge, Cadets who complete the course should be awarded a cadets-only badge. There is already plenty of precedent for the concept. Cadets learn to fly gliders and even powered aircraft while at the Academy, but they aren’t awarded USAF pilot wings once they complete training. Why even the Space and Cyber communities have clubs for perspective members of their careerfields, but they don’t award actual careerfield badges. Instead, Cadets earn badges they only wear while at the Academy. Many of these are shared with Air Force ROTC.
Here’s a list of the many badges which can be earned by Air Force Academy Cadets:
Superintendent’s Pin: Worn only by those cadets whose name appears on the Superintendent’s list for obtaining the Commandant’s Pin, Dean’s Pin, and Athletic Director’s Pin for the previous semester.
Commandant’s Pin: Worn by those cadets whose name appears on the Commandant’s List. The Commandant’s List is reserved for cadets in the top one third in military performance by class. They will retain this status until the end of the next academic semester.
Dean’s Pin: Worn by those cadets whose name appears on the Dean’s list for obtaining a Grade Point Average of a 3.0 or above for the previous semester.
Athletic Director’s Pin: Athletic Director’s Pin: Worn by those cadets who obtain a semester Physical Education Average (PEA) of at least 3.00 during the academic year. The PEA is based on 50% Physical Fitness Test score, 15% Aerobic Fitness Test score and 35% P.E. class grade. Cadets on any probation do not qualify for the Athletic Director’s pin.
Combinations of the Commandant’s Pin, Dean’s Pin, and Athletic Director’s Pin are worn to signify attainment of placement on multiple lists the previous semester.
Soaring Instructor Pilot Wings: World War II glider pilot wings awarded to cadet soaring instructor pilots upon completion of AM-461. A star and wreath are added as cadets progress through the soaring program.
Flying Team Wings: Approved in October 2012, these wings are worn by members of the Flying Team, a select group of cadets who were selected after arriving at the Air Force Academy with a Private Pilot’s license. A star and wreath are added as cadets progress through the soaring program.
Cadet Flight Wings: Flight wings with star are worn by cadets who have soloed a USAFA glider or a powered aircraft. Wings without star are worn by cadets who have completed at least 10 flights in a USAFA glider but have not soloed.
Cadet Aviation Club Wings: Worn by cadet aviation instructors. A star is added for a senior cadet aviation instructor.
Cadet Space Wings: Worn by cadets who are involved in space activities. A star and wreath are added as cadets progress through the space program.
Cadet Cyberwarfare Badge: Worn by cadets to acknowledge the achievement of cadets who are involved in the cyberwarfare program. A star and wreath are added as cadets progress through the cyber program.
Parachutist Badge: Worn by those cadets who have successfully completed either the Airmanship 490 Basic Parachuting course taught by the 98 FTS or graduates of the US Army Basic Airborne Course, Ft. Benning, GA. Senior and Master Parachutist badges require operational experience and are awarded as authorized in AFI 11-402.
Air Assault Badge: Worn by those cadets who have successfully completed US Army Basic Air Assault School.
Bulldog Badge: Worn by those cadets who have completed the Marine Corps Bulldog program at Quantico, VA.
UAS Wings: Worn by cadets who have completed Small UAS (SUAS) certification. A star and wreath are added as cadets progress through the UAS program as instructors and evaluators/test pilots.
Here are a couple of examples.
The choice for a Cadet Skydiving Badge is easy. From 1956-1963, the USAF awarded a distinctive badge for Air Force parachutists. Based on the shield now worn by medical personnel, it featured a light blue background emblazoned with a white parachute.
Not only is this design distinctive, but it’s no longer used by the Air Force yet supports the service’s heritage. It’s the perfect design for our skydiving cadets. There are even Senior and master versions. The master variant is seen below.
In 1963, the Air Force switched back to the basic parachutist badge used by the other services.
As you can imagine, some AFA cadets do in fact attend the three-week BAC at Fort Benning, Gerorgia. That course teaches a military skill and graduates are awarded basic airborne wings. Just like cadets who attend Air Assault school, they earn their wings.
It’s not that the training isn’t valuable. It should continue. There’s no operational requirement to pilot a glider, but the skill does teach airmanship. Likewise, skydiving teaches Cadets about aviation and instills confidence. As an airmanship course of instruction, it should continue.
This isn’t the fault of the Airmen, but rather the institution. The Air Force is failing to prepare them for the mission. Recently, AETC attempted to set up its own MFF training program to help streamline its Special Warfare training pipelines with the eventual goal of adding S/L as well. The Air Force scrapped the project when it realized it couldn’t adequately replicate the exacting conditions and standards of the formal courses of instruction already mentioned.
Even the Academy has halted training that didn’t adequately prepare its students for operational roles. At one time, Cadets participated in Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape training run by Cadets at the Academy. When it was determined that it didn’t adequately prepare students for operational requirements, the Resistance portion of the the training was halted and Cadets who required it, received the training as part of the formal course at Fairchild, once commissioned. The Survival and Evasion training continues as part of Basic Cadet Training as it instills confidence and teaches basic outdoor living skills.
Creation of a Cadet Skydiving Badge aligns with other aeronautical programs at the Air Force Academy, recognizing unique skills taught at that institution, while reserving the parachutist badge for those who are actually qualified to fulfill operational duties as parachutists in the operational Air Force.
Very recently, the Air Force asked for feedback regarding dress and appearance, but as I am now retired, my input is understandably not wanted. However, this issue continues to affect the active force. Perhaps others who continue to serve, will make similar suggestions.
PressCheck Consulting’s Chuck Pressburg talks fighting gun set ups. There’s a ton of real world valuable info here on how a fighting gun should be configured and things to consider regarding enablers…lights, sights, lasers, etc….
Train with Chuck: presscheckconsulting.com
About: SGM(R) Pressburg retired from the US Army on January 1, 2017 after 26 years of active service, mostly in Special Operations and Special Missions Units. After Infantry and Airborne Training in 1990, Chuck completed the Ranger Indoctrination Program and was assigned to the 1st Bn, 75th Ranger Regiment.
Chuck’s experience includes:
• 10 years in the 75th Ranger Regiment including Platoon Sergeant of a 65-man strike force that was deployed to Afghanistan two times in 2001/2002. Chuck’s platoon was highly decorated for combat action receiving 10 Silver Stars and 11 Bronze stars with “V” during their first deployment.
• 24 months Rifle and Sniper Squad Leader – 82nd Airborne Division.
• 2 years Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) (Founding member, 1st active Army unit member deployed to combat, Selection Class #1, Operational Training Course (OTC) Class #1).
• 20 months in Operation Iraqi Freedom conducting Small Kill Team (SKT) operations and Direct Action raids in support of conventional and Special Operations Forces.
• 12 years, HQ USASOC performing various operational and staff tasks including a two-year assignment to the G8 section where Chuck performed Science and Technology R&D. While assigned to USASOC, Chuck graduated from the Defense Acquisitions University’s Combat Developer’s Course and The Human Factors Engineering (MANPRINT) Course. Chuck spent several years assisting in material acquisition programs for SOF.
On this anniversary, we want to honor the heroes of Flight 93 who made a fateful decision that they weren’t going to become pawns in a crazed attempt to decapitate our government. They took the enemy on, firsthand. They will always have our respect.
The Crew
Jason Dahl
LeRoy Homer, Jr.
Lorraine Bay
Sandra Bradshaw
Cee Cee Lyles
Wanda Green
Deborah Anne Jacobs Welsh
The Passengers
Christian Adams
Todd Beamer
Alan Beaven
Mark Bingham
Deora Bodley
Marion Britton
Thomas E. Burnett Jr.
Willam Cashman
Georgine Rose Corrigan
Patricia Cushing
Joseph DeLuca
Patrick “Joe” Driscoll
Edward Porter Felt
Jane Folger
Colleen L. Fraser
Andrew Garcia
Jeremy Glick
Lauren Grandcolas
Donald F. Greene
Linda Gronlund
Richard Guadagno
Toshiya Kuge
Hilda Marcin
Waleska Martinez
Nicole Miller
Louis J. Nacke II
Donald and Jean Peterson
Mark “Mickey” Rothenberg
Christine Snyder
John Talignani
Honor Elizabeth Wainio
Kristin Gould White
We will not name the hijackers. May they forever be dishonored.
