Merrick

For someone who just recently tried painting a few helmets with NO previous experience. here's my input: First, the best paint you can use is Automotive Acrylic and Clear Coat. You must protect your paint with a clear coat or it will scratch very easily, ESPECIALLY if you simply paint it over the existing clear coat. Which brings me to my next point, when I redo Pam & I's I will definately wet-sand the existing clear coat off before I paint it, I think it will make for a nicer surface. However, it's hard to get it as shiny as it was from the factory after you add your clear coat if you don't have much practice at it. Anyway, I think for what you're wanting to do, the Auto Acrylic and clear coat will do just fine. Blues! Merrick

Yup, I've tried that too.

We're using WinME at home now, and we're on a dial-up ISP If I completely terminate the connection and log back on to the ISP it will work fine (I think), but it takes so damn long to connect. LOL I've tried removing just the dropzone cookie, then I removed all cache, cookies, and history... and it STILL didn't work. Any other ideas?

Well, I jump with my wedding ring on all the time with no problems... yet (it's just a simple band). My wife (Pammi

Answer your question brutha?! Surely you were just trolling, but in a cessna you spend 25 - 35 minutes cramped & moving around trying to stay the least bit comfortable (that is if you can't sleep). You mean to tell me that you don't see any possibility of the pilot-chute getting snagged or the closing pin working itself out!? As for reaching back and feeling the pin yourself, there are short people in this world, who generally come with short arms (my wife for one probably couldn't reach her closing pin with her rig on), so not everyone is able to check it in the plane themselves. There have been open containers in airplanes before, there will be again! Wise up! Blues! Merrick

Hmmm...I think I smell a trip to titty bar this weekend!!! We have a couple of membership cards to one up here if you need to borrow them Seriously, I'm sorry to hear that. I bet there'll be some people at Raeford to help you take your mind of things! (whoops...that was from me..Pam, but for some reason won't get Merrick signed out on the forums!)

ROFL - Honestly, I just wanted to try out my new profile pic! Blues Brutha!

LOL - well, I have an extra set of slinks and 2 extra sets of reserve slinks.... I saw this thread last night and was going to offer them up to you cheap, but was informed to hold onto them in case "she" changes her mind and wants them after all. LOL Ahh well, I don't blame her!

Well, after a closer look at the ol' check-book... looks like Pam & I aren't gonna make it... DAMN - I knew I should have waited until the 5th to pay bills! lol Anybody want to hire an unemployed systems analyst??? LOL

That's kinda what I figured, but never hurts to ask right!

Maybe I'm missing something, or simply don't know enough about BASE jumping, but I've always wondered why base rigs were even manufactured with cutaway risers. I mean, if you have an off-heading opening & slam into the wall of a cliff and find yourself stranded on a ledge somewhere, I can see how it would be helpful, but otherwise.... what's the point?

BWAHAHAHAHA!! Fucker! If you wanna see my tits you just have to ask! Blues! Merrick

Oh shitchyeah, Pam & I will be at Raeford... she got a job today, so we may even be able to jump! (my sugar Momma!) & yes Chuckie, we'll probably cut out early again, because now the kids are home too!

Yup, that's how I broke my leg last year at Quincy Dave... Dragging a toe on a "mini-swoop" in a questionable landing area to say the least, and SNAP... watched my ankle flopping around like a flounder. Here I am a metal plate & 7 screws later in my leg!

Yeah, you save your good judgement for your mouth.... I'll save mine for my canopy skills! Blues! Merrick

Absolutely not! I just recently went thru this dilemma myself. I just bought all new canopies and a new container for myself... there is one brand that I would have loved to have, however my wife had a somewhat horrible experience with them on a customer service issue so there's no way I will EVER order anything from them again. It was the owner we spoke with & he who handled the situation poorly. too bad, they make some pretty nice stuff. Currently in our sport, if you're looking at the top canopy and container manufacturers it's virtually impossible to say this such & such is superior to this other such & such. Sure, there are opinions out the ass, but as far as solid proof that one is better than the other is a bit moot, because the differences, if there are any, are very very minimal... it all just boils down to personal preference. I love my new rig, every bit of it, and I'm glad I made the decisions I did! (well, I don't know how well I like the reserve yet, but I'm sure I'll find out one day ). Blues! Merrick "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

ROFL - well, somebody had to promote that! "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

EXACTLY!!! I was a bit reluctant to share the experience, but if someone would have had a similar experience a year or so ago & shared it with me I more than likely wouldn't have made the mistakes I did..... thanks for the support, and although as unwelcome as the situation was, I welcomed the attitude adjustment! Blues! Merrick "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

Would definately execute my emergency procedures..... see the PC in tow thread. Blues! Merrick "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

I was really hoping that this whole discussion wouldn't be brought up again... but now that it has I'm glad it was. to answer your question a fully cocked BRAND NEW pilot-chute will create enough drag to continue with the deployment process once the pin is manually pulled (from recent personal experience). However, if I were faced with this situation again, I would simply execute my emergency procedures. In a normal deployment process the lines stretch out nice and straight behind/above you, pulling the pin yourself can put you in a compromising body position for one, and when the lines begin to deploy it is very erratic, if I hadn't thought to bring my legs in away from the mess, I very well could have had a horshoe as well after it was all said & done. So, after really thinking about it, I would simply do what I was first instructed.... even tho everything turned out fine, it was not a pretty deployment/opening and could have ended up much worse. Now for the reasoning behind my decision: I did this because this is what I'd adopted as my SOPs (after talking with a few experienced jumpers a year or so ago) for a PC in tow, not because I couldn't afford the $55 for a repack, or any other reason. When I was packing I checked & double checked the PC, it appeared cocked..... the window was showing green and when thrown in the air would float back down nicely. The only thing that looked odd was the bunched up bridle down by the dBag, that's when I should have stopped & started asking questions..... we all have that internal voice letting us know when something's not quite right, we just have to remember to listen to it. Just my experience.... Blues! Merrick "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

HA! Ya know, after her low pull, the PC bridle wrapping her arm at pull time, and her many painful looking landings that I had the privilege of witnessing.... I say we're even! Blues! Merrick "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

ROFL - yeah, I'm just glad that I pulled high enough that I didn't have to worry about it. It actually surprised me how well I kept track of my altitude throughout this mess.

ROFL - Yeah, wasn't really sure if I wanted to tell that story or not, but I figure if someone else can learn from it.... why not let the whole world know I'm a dumb-ass. LOL Here's the link if you want read about it.... "FUBAR" Blues! "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

As Pam mentioned in the Talk Back forum, I had a bit of a problem myself this weekend. We picked up our gear from the Auger Inn Riggin Loft at Raeford (Eddie's bad-ass) from getting our reserves in, I'd already assembled my main before we took them in so I just had him look over what I'd done. Well, while assembling my own main I noticed that Relative Workshop had sent me a standard pilot-chute instead of the collapsible that I'd ordered.... to sidetrack, when I called them about the problem they sent the collapsible out to me just in time for me to get it the day we were moving in to our new house here in NC.... anyway, so after we'd gotten our rigs from the loft I insisted that I knew what I was doing (after much disagreement from Pam I might add.... damn that "crow" tastes bad) & attached the collapsible to my main (just like I'd done a few times before on my sabre with no problems). Well, lets just say that I obviously didn't get it hooked up right, but thinking I know everything, didn't have the sense to have someone check it.... packed that bad boy up & was ready to jump. Maybe it was the buzz of a new, bigger DZ, maybe it was the excitement of finally getting to jump my new rig, or maybe I was just being a f**king knob..... probably the latter. 20 minutes later we find ourselves on the s. otter not feeling right at all, but I just blew it off to new DZ & new rig jitters.... 12,500, Pam & I exit the plane in a two-way working on proximity... which went surprisingly well for not having REALLY jumped in a while.... Pull time, I had already planned on pulling at like 5,000 since I would be under a new canopy to give me time to get used to it (probably the only smart thing I did on that jump)..... track away, 4,800 I reached back & pulled, I didn't feel that nice warm-fuzzy feeling the pilot-chute gives as you feel it tuggin on your back & standing you up.... I knew immediately what was wrong, looked back & sure 'nuff, the damn thing was just flapping back behind me. My first reaction was to reach back & grab the bridle, It's what I'd always said I'd do if I ever had a pilot-chute in tow & I did it in an instant... problem was as I reached back and looking at my altimeter reading about 4,000 I flipped over onto my back as I manually pulled the pin, I saw my lines come up the right side of my body as I was kind of heading head-down at this point, so I pulled my legs in to get them the f**k away from the lines, I didn't need this mess getting any worse........ WHAM!!! the canopy snapped open hard & flipped me back down underneath where I belonged.... I still had plenty of altitude (2,000ft), I did a quick body-check cuz I was literally seeing stars and thought I might even black out, checked the canopy as well & everything was cool..... landed uneventfully... except for the evil turbulence here in NC. LOL Needless to say, Pam was NOT happy watching from above as I fall and fall and fall wiggling (as she put it) with my pilot-chute out behind me. Complacency can kill you, and like Skreamer in his post I had a little reflection time with myself, it scares me that I was so non-chalante about something that very well could have killed me, especially after not having jumped much this year. Nothing like that will be happening again, I've got to much to lose by being a dumb-ass! I'll be feeling this one (& hearing about it) for a while.... I have some hellacious bruises on my shoulders and upper arms from god knows what... and enough of an ass-pucker to know that I screwed up when I don't have that luxury. Blues! "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"

ROFL - Well damn, I got purple on my canopy too..... but it was only because I couldn't get it in Camo or Real-tree Dave "Pammi's Hemp/Skydiving Jewelry"