skyjames

The only time I do not wear Tevas is at Skyventure ... they frown on sandals. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

That is just damn funny :-) "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

During my second jump today I was visited by a "White Christmas." My "White Christmas" arrived in the form of a seven cell Tempo. It was the first time I had seen my reserve in flight. Nice to see! I had thought about my first reserve ride before it actually happened. I think we all do. Sometimes after doing the "touch your handles" routine I gave it thought. Not much thought as to how I would feel, but more on the desire for it to work as advertised. I was sure I would be a little scared though. Surprise to me, being scared didn't enter the scenario. I had tracked off from a 5 way RW, we broke at 5, two wanted to pull at 4. I tossed about 2,500, I knew right away I had problems. Line twists, looked like 3 or 4 turns. I pulled the risers apart and tried kicking out but the twists were not going anywhere. I pulled the risers apart really hard and got 1 to 2 twists out, I released the risers and the twists spun themselves back to the starting point. By now it's 1800 or so and I just went into EP's, I wasn't going to fight it any lower. It's hard to tell what was holding the twists by looking at the ball of twisted up wet nylon. The left brake was still stowed though. I have had twists before and always kicked out or pulled the risers apart to unwind them, these didn't go anywhere. I watched my main and free bag drift away as I did a couple practice flares and then turned towards the LZ, I could see where they were going to land. I didn't want to watch or chase the main and free bag into the water. The winds weren't honking, but they were brisk, about 15~20, I wanted a familiar area to land my new ride in. I have listened to people describe their first chop-n-pop, they were not scared about their last chance to arrive alive, but how the hell did that happen? Cutting away seemed to be as natural as tossing the PC. All those routine practice touches built memory. So for those who haven't taken a ride on the reserve yet, keep touching those handles or puds in the correct order and when you need it maybe it will be automatic for you also. It wasn't a dream after all. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Holy crap! that's like being born. You fall out the hole, and spend the rest of your life trying to get back in again. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

You remind me of what Pat Dodgin (RIP) said to me when he got a skyvan for a week. 1st time I jumped on I said ,"This thing sure is noisy" He replied;"You would complain if I gave you a hundred dollar bill .... because it was wrinkled: "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Oh yeah, that and more. Pitman Stunt plane, an attempt at a 40 way Magic Carpet Ride out of a C130 with the MUFF bro himself Johnny. Somethings can never be replaced. If you woke up early enough even the balloon jumps were a blast. If you were there for Carbone's wedding to much fun. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

A damn good reason to drink yourself into a stupor. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Actually the energy making the power to run these units (lets argue a 10 megaton sys) which would be airport sized (small airport) produces more wast heat than the units running. Todays systems are so efficient you would not believe it. Plus most newer systems have heat recovery which lowers power consumption Then there is co-generation, but you didn't mention them. The waste heat from the roof tops is mixed with fine water vapor. This evaporates, which produces... ahh hell with it, I say let them all sweat and I would not have to be on that damn roof fixing the heat producers :) "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Checked just about every boogie out... Only takes two to party, but there was something about being around 2~3 thousand jumpers same place same time :-) "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Think there will ever be another WFFC? It's like missing an old friend. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

BTW, Brian owes BEER! Lots of it. That was a huge 1st "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Skydivers dissing skydivers...next please. I think if you had that jump under your belt everything would be A-Ok... I wouldn't mind jumping into Daytona Speed Way,any-day anytime; people watching or not :-) Good bad or evil, cool jump! Closest I got was a 10 way sunset jump on the beach during the w/e "Willing To Fly" was released in Daytona area. Never bent/broke any regs/rules eh? So~K, if it hadn't been you posting someone else would have. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

http://www.grindtv.com/snow/blog/26377/skiers+amazing+avalanche+cliff+jump+becomes+internet+hit/ "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

This was another point made about the Pulse, the Pulse isn't as difficult to get in the bag as you would expect with any new ZP canopy. He didn't say, but I think this is true in part because the canopy is only about 50% ZP. The Pulses ZP fabric is different than other ZP fabric. Several times I was urged to 'feel' the new ZP. I don't remember the exact size difference in thickness, it was in the neighborhood of 30% thinner iirc. Concerned/considered yes, worried no. As riggerpaul pointed out, the complete system, not an individual component should be the focus. For sure the more inflated reserve fabric I have overhead the better I would feel. This is where packing one size smaller can really add up for you. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

I wonder if they would let me order one with an orange bottom skin or ribs? That's what color the material is on the reserve. Anyone heard about this? While I was tossing a coin on which canopy I was going to demo first, the PD guy (sorry I forgot his name) was going over the menu for the Pulse and the Storm, he told me white was the only color available for the bottom skin for the Pulse, I don't recall the ribs having the white only restriction. I am only referring to the Pulse. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

"PD says the Pulse is "lightly elliptical", so not perfectly rectangular." The guy said "slightly elliptical" in his description to me but that is splitting hairs. Looking up at it fully opened, compared to what I am used to seeing the corners do look "square". Of course it isn't really square, it's just the term I chose to use. "That said, the Saphire and the Pulse don't aim at exactly the same market, and we should not expect that either would meet the needs/wants of all customers." I agree with that. I liked the Safire 149 from the 1st jump on it. It was everything I wanted in a canopy at the time. Now I want something else, something tamer. Compared to my Safire, which some would claim is tame, the Pulse is much more so . "One size smaller" is a sort of a catch phrase. It is not a scientific statement." Yeah, but the math was kinda fun and if that statement wasn't meant to be exact I suppose other things said are to be read between the lines also. No argument, I think I understand where you are coming from. "I like my Spectre, but a Pulse would be very nice for many things. You might find either too docile. It all depends on what you are looking for." Ok, some tongue in cheek. I want a canopy that will be easy on my aging body during opening, specifically area C3 thru C5, have at bit of flare left on a no wind day so I almost never have to run it out (maybe an exception for Eloy), it will not get pissed at me if I do not split the slider in perfect quarters or don't roll the nose. It will always let me down ... easy. If portions of it are made of fabric other than ZP it will not affect the canopies performance through out its jump life expectancy. Riser pressure will not wear my arms out and its glide ratio will be the envy of any canopy the same size. Lastly, it will pack one size smaller and it doesn't have to fit into my J1. "I know that it is tough to consider, but several respected contributors here have mentioned that there seems to be a lot of backwards thinking when it comes to gear - that people choose the rig and then try to find canopies that will fit it." There is real truth in that, back-asswards thinking, a winning example. It was happenstance for me that PD had the demo's between Jones' 20 way dirt diving area and the packing concession. I was not entertaining the idea of a 170 main with a 150 reserve, I would not dismiss the idea outright though. I bought a new 149 and Sunpath put everything new around it. At the time I wasn't considering up sizing, quite the opposite, but that was then. I intend to up size if I need to purchase another rig or not, not a hard consideration at all. Like you rightly suggest, complete system compatibility far out weighs any single feature ... It was like, damn, look at this, the size canopy I am considering and it will fit in my existing rig. The odds of that occurring right then and there without having really looked made me think no shit and no way at the same time. Others agree not to be concerned about the non ZP lower skin. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

No such thing as a simple question I guess :) Your answer is simple enough though. Thanks! I demo'ed the Pulse at the 'glades boogie, PD was on site with canopies to play with. Your explanation is just about the same as they told me, they did not offer the info you provided relating to other canopies though. The point that interested me was that the larger canopy packed small enough to fit into my container. They said the Pulse packed 'one size' smaller. I understand packing smaller, the 'one size' didn't make a lot of sense because 170 seemed more than one size larger than a 149 to me. I did not ask the actual size of the 170 but I guess it would be close; +/- a few sqft. My point of reference to a size smaller would be a 149 to a 139 in the Safire, since they offer stock sizes like 179,169,159,149 etc... I know you can order any size you want though. I was told when I bought the 149 some 500+ jumps ago that they would cut me a 123 1/2 if I wanted it. The Safire is semi elliptical, the Pulse is square, flight charartrictics while different, weren't drastic enough for me to say no way jose. The reason given for the Pulse packing so much smaller is the "new" ZP fabric they are using. On the few jumps I did do on the Pulse I think I could get used to it. Damn, that sounds like a sad acceptance, but since I have no intention of getting rid of my Safire I can down size anytime I feel like doing so. All this mumbling is off topic,I will demo the Pulse as I intended and trust PD, they been 'round a while. Appreciate the response. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Presently I jump a Safire 149. I am looking to upsize (yeah UP). I did a few demo's on a Pulse 170 recently. I have a J1 container and the 149 while not super tight to pack wouldn't take a standard ZP170, however the Pulse 170 fit almost the same as the Safire 149. I am planing to demo the Pulse for 2 weeks, hopefully during the time span of the next boogie Z-hills has so I can really put some jumps on the Pulse. there and at home. I think the charge was like $60~$70 for 2 wks, seems fair enough. Anyhoo, my question is about the lower skin, it is not ZP, more on the line of F111. I am wondering if this will make a BIG difference in the life span of the canopy vrs full ZP. FWIW, I am pretty sure this will be the last canopy I buy. I liked the Pulse and it would save me the cost of a new container. The pro's so far look pretty good. If color 'were' an issue, the bottom skin is only available in white, call that a con if you want. One would think after 10 years in the sport I could answer this seemingly simple question myself, I admit I could only guess an answer. Appreciate any thoughts, facts or ideas from ya'll. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

If you don't like GT then don't read this game drivel. I started playing early on as you did, I was introduced to the game by a neighbor who just 'had' to come over and use my play station to work on a license, his ps1 quit working when he was .2 sec off the 'gold' time for that license.. I thought this was dumb that an otherwise smart person would become addicted to a game. It took a blister on my thumb before I would admit that I was hooked on the game. I was using the ps1 to play movies, not games. At the time I thought it was so cool you could save all your game data on a memory card, take it to another players home, plug it in and race, trade cars or update/upgrade your/their collection. That's funny, the expectations come from the game players, not the game developers. At least I can enjoy picking the nuances apart. I didn't expect a popular track being removed, and to answer another posters suggestion that a person builds $$ using only one track (I could have misunderstood his post) isn't factual for me, but it could be true if that track is the only one a player chooses to use for that purpose. We all have our favorites. Other than the 'Test Course', the Major Oval track is Super Speedway (Twin Ring Motegi ) you could generate 'building your car' funds 50K~250K a clip + a car. Put your fastest car up against 5 game cars, lead a lap then make a pit stop, switch game mode to 'Auto' and let the comp run the rest of the race. Race duration you choose (5 laps~100 laps) and your finish position will dictate $$ amount won. You can sell the car you win for fast cash. You only need to do this in the beginning where you need $$ to start building. Once you unlock tracks and races, winning races and selling duplicate cars will be enough. Winning isn't that easy as you progress to longer and more difficult tracks and almost always you have the challenge of a different ride to master. If virgin-burner means 'Twin Ring Motegi' isn't available in GT5, well that sucks, but I bet other fast cash options will be available. When I say 'fast cash', it isn't really fast, it's just easier than other options. I will look forward to the new 'cool stuff', and even if GT5 lacks in some areas I am pretty sure I can enjoy what is included, and for me ... I can't beat the price :-) So, what's the big deal about a video game? Of video games available today, name one that provides useful, learning, real life information due to the nature of the game? If you are a racing fan, car nut or even interested in geography, but mainly racing at famous tracks around the globe, something in GT might have you saying "I know that" or "I recognize that place" ... for me it was "no shit, for real?". Actually the best thing about GT for me is when I watch a road course race now, I can relate to what the driver is experiencing much better ... like when he is approaching a left banked, right hand turn going down hill at 100+mph. (did I forget that this particular turn has a 'bump' half way through it!.) "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

" only additions to new tracks are the nürburgring i think, but they take the supercool oval test-track out? WTF!? 'BURG' was in 4 It is imho, the best track of them all. About the only driving experience lacking on this course is o/r. If you aren't into vid games like "WOW", (I'm not) this is, or can be hours of wasting time and enjoying it, but 1st you have to like this type of entertainment. Custom building your car can be great fun, but you have to win money racing to afford the upgrades and Unlocks. Suspension, tires, engine and trans all can be tweeked. I haven't seen 5 yet, just a guess, but me thinks a fat guy wearing mostly red & white will surprise me with my own. WHAT! no super track? how the hell can you earn $$ fast enough to upgrade, or what about the missions, including drafting with the slowest cars on earth .... Wait, don't tell, I would like something of a surprise left besides expecting more and getting zilch. thx for the heads up ... not... :-/ james "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Agree with almost all replies 'cept "business is business" and "give them the $$ back and let them keep it" You obviously are honest, why else would you be concerned or care? I have bought lots of stuff on ebay, from cameras to a paper shredder. I have 100% positive feedback even though I have left a down right mean feed back to a mega seller (electronics), went through the process and got my $$ back even though "no returns" was specified in the sellers lit. I posted feedback " I don't care what EBAY says about this seller, they SUCK"; all the seller could do is reply (after I got a full refund, and even then I had to pay return shipping of $28) ... "We try to help but some people are beyond help" I have worked out a solution with 2 sellers, we both were happy, never did I hold a threat over their head as a deal maker. Lots of horror stories about ebay are everywhere to be found, for sellers and buyers alike. In my opinion you have gone beyond being honest. Save ALL their emails! If and when they file a claim, their threat of bad feedback is powerful stuff. I know the emails I were sent from the seller won the case for me. I have had some of the best service and deals from sellers with less than a 100% pos rating. I always look at feedback before I buy. If you contact a seller (as I have) you will see not just a few ppl try the same shit, threat of neg feedback to pull a fast one. Don't fall for it. ... some people mistake KINDNESS for WEAKNESS! This post might sound like you are destined to lose ...NOT! EBAY does not like threats like that. I know :-) "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

What does "arrested" mean? The judge wrote (in part); "Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials and agencies to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully-present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked," Bolton, a Clinton appointee, said in her decision. If you are arrested, how does this affect those who are not in the least involved. Cops routinely run your name through the data base to see if warrants have been issued for you if you are stopped for ... lets say speeding. Your friend is sitting in the passengers seat. "Step out of the car please,"... Wait I see my problem ... "lawfully-present aliens," the 10 people in the trunk are of course just having a family reunion. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

I had some fun jumps with Pat and a few with Amy, Pat kicked my ass outta the 172 on my beer night jump over pitch black Lake Okeechobee. Amys face with the lime green jump suit for the record (do I really have to wear this color?) and several "you exit 1st and we will catch you" training jumps b4 the record. Damn, another "one of a kind" is gone. "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

Winds have been honking here in Ft. Lauderdale since Friday, had to work the w/e... any jumping happen in the keys? "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james

snipped where I felt like snipping.. I read the whole thing. Cudda done without the Readers Digest heart tugging sappy tree hugging cry baby crap-ola though. It is what it is. I saved a copy to re-read just before dementia sets in so I can..uhh I can. How was your day dear? "exit fast, fly smooth, dock soft and smile" 'nother james