Mattbs4e

Thanks for everyone's opinions and info. I'd never thought about what would happen if I were to break the bone again in another such accident and the metal was still in there. I think in the long run I'll just get it taken out. Especially since that's what everyone seems to end up doing anyway, regardless of what my doctor says. But I'm going to have to come up with a way to convince insurrance to pay for it. Anyway, thanks again.

I could write a book about all the interesting times I've hitchhiked or picked up hichhickers. In my opinion though, the only bit that needs to be said is that often times people are too afraid to pick up hitchhikers, and for very unfair reasons. There's all this talk of "if we lived in a safer world..." or if "these weren't such dark times..." Give me a break, the world's the same as it's always been. We're all just trying to survive, feed our families, get a piece of the same pie, and get from point A to point B. The only thing that has changed is that we've been led to believe that we're all different somehow and that rapists and murders line every corner. If half of us just showed enough compassion to pick someone up here and there, I bet you'd be surprised at how mellow and normal everyone is. I used to hitchhike to the DZ every weekend. Gone across Australia, New Zealand, and the US by thumb. And I probably could have afforded public transportation or even a rental car most of the time. But to be honest, my travels were made by the people that picked me up and I did it for that very reason. Just being invited into their homes, being shown that secret fishing hole, being asked to participate in a political debate, shown that beautiful spot the tour book never mentioned, given a free pass to an amusment park or hotel, etc. The people make your journey memorable. And you'll never meet a more interesting or amazingly vast collection of people than you would if you didn't hitchhike. From inventors, to artists, to diplomats, to soccer moms, to grandmothers, to yes--weirdos, hitchhiking shows you the real people that live in the areas you pass through. Give it a try. Believe me, it does get cold and tiresome out on those on-ramps with people passing by yelling profanities as you watching the blank stares of the rest drive on. But in the end it is worth it, and likewise it is worth it to pick them up. That one person that stops makes all the difference. I'm not saying that everyone you pick up will be a saint, or even fun to talk to, or even safe. But as a skydiver, you're already a risk taker, would you not lend a helping hand to a fellow risk taker----just remember, he/she thumbing a ride is taking just as much of a risk with you, as you are with them. Help your fellow man, and you'd be surpised what unexpected bits lie in your otherwise routine and mundane life.

So here's a question for those who have sustained internal hardware for broken bones (which I know there's a lot of us). I broke my tibia in two places and fractured a bit of my fibula back in July during a ground launching incident. The end result was the standard cut you open, pick the pieces out while bolting the rest in place with pins, surgery. I have seven screws and that metal plate bit installed. Generally, the healing went well, and I have returned to my normal activities and manage to go running at least 3 times a week with little inconvience now. For a few good months, besides a bit of swelling, I had no problems. In the last few weeks though, my ankle has really started to hurt when I'm flexing or using it to its full ability. For lack of a better description, it feels like I have a fucking titanium plate in my leg that won't move with my body. It hurts a fair amount of the time, and it aches even when I'm not using it sometimes. Twice as much if it is cold out. Everyone I talk to with this same experience says they had theirs taken out after about 1 year. (Except I have spoken with a bunch of people that have pins and rods in their wrists/arms/hands that have never been removed). I've asked my doctors about this, and they say I don't need to have it removed---"it's designed to be permanent" they say. And unfortunately, my insurance covered most of the cost of putting it in, but will cover almost nothing of the estimated 3K to take it out. Plus the doctors are entirely optimistic that I will learn to deal if it's just left alone. Yet everyone I talk to who has had this done has said they felt way better after it was out. So my question is this. Is there anyone out there that has left their hardware in indefinitely, and what has been the result? I guess I can't assume that I will ever be 100% healed again, but I'd like to do the action that gets me closest to feeling normal. So is this just part of the healing phase, or am I just coming to that part where everyone thinks about getting their pieces removed? With the 2 1/2 months on the couch still fresh in my mind, I'm also not really stoked on being back there again. That stated, even if I somehow could come up with the 3K down the road to get these removed, how much recovery am I looking at? Is it worth it? Any first hand opinion on this would be appreciatted.

Thanks

From my understanding Perris is a public airfield, and licensed pilots can land there during the day. My friend is a commercial pilot and offered to take me directly there in a bonanza. Should we be aware of anything prior to arrival besides obviously staying west of the field on approach?

One, and only one. My logic being: You don't sign it---you don't get to jump. Regardless of what it says, if I physically have to become the property of the DZ, I'll do so to jump. It's a small price to pay to do what we get to do.

Okay, I’ve always jumped Javelins. I find them sturdy, practical, well designed, and all without a lot of extra tabs and flaps, etc. But, a fellow jumper recently told me that if I ever need to do a quick pull of my reserve, I have to pop my riser tabs before it will come out. (Assuming I hadn’t already pulled my main to pop the tabs). So on my last repack, I pulled my reserve in the loft with the tabs still in and F**K!!!---the bag didn’t come out!! Sure the spring went flying like it’s supposed to, but the bag just remained on my back. Further more, I took off the rig, grabbed the bridal and lifted the rig up by this----still without the bag coming out. I finally popped the tabs and it came out. I’m glad I know about this now, but it seems like it is one more emergency procedure I’d rather have not have complicate a fluid situation. Being that if I ever needed to just pull my reserve, it would probably be during an emergency bail out, a low pull, or after a total malfunction. During neither of which I want to also be fumbling with my riser tabs in order to save my life. I could just picture myself not popping them both at the same time and having some horrible horseshoe with my reserve. So my questions are have Javelins always been this way? Is it only Javelins? Why don’t they warn anyone? And is there a rigging solution to this? (besides using another container). Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

I usually just read these responses and nod, but since everyone has a different reason why they started jumping, I thought I’d share mine. The simple explanation is that like any kid, when I was young I wanted nothing more than to be able to fly like Superman. Once I reached kindergarten though, I had realized that such a dream would never happen, so I became set with idea of becoming an astronaut so maybe someday I could at least float around in the space shuttle during an orbit. Of course, once I reached middle school, this too became a squashed dream when I realized how much math I would need to learn to become an astronaut. Being an “A” student in everything but math (mostly C’s) only made it more disheartening. So, even though I was only 13, I decided the closest I was going to get was skydiving. I began to learn all I could about the sport and started to save all my money (I worked as a golf caddy on the weekends), so by the time I was 16 I could convince my parents to take me to Vegas and sign a waiver saying I could do AFF. I remember it as if it was yesterday, I was so excited to be finally doing something that I had put three years worth of savings into, only to spend it all in one weekend and not even finish the course. I walked away broke with 7 jumps under my belt, only to have gotten to level 5. I realized three things that day: 1. Never put all your eggs in one basket (I had been saving for 3 years for only 3 days worth of training). 2. Just because you try to study up on something doesn’t mean you are prepared for it. (I was scared out of my mind the entire time). 3. Yet, given those first two, when faced with such difficulties in life, if you consider yourself serious, you should never give up (the most difficult things will always be the most rewarding). So, on my 18th birthday, I was at Perris finishing my AFF after being uncurrent for over a year. Even then though, I still had doubts as to whether this was going to be something I could do, or even afford, but I just kept suppressing those feelings and kept on jumping despite the difficulties. I had two reserve rides and a broken leg after six months after coming back into the sport, but I kept going. The ultimate reward finally came over a hundred jumps later though. (I was committed to the sport by this time, but I couldn’t really pinpoint why yet). I remember being the last one out on a tracking dive over Elsinore and realizing I was going to have to do a fair amount of swooping to get down to the group. So, I went into a hard dive and really cupped my body to catch up. I was amazed at the distance I had just closed as I quickly was working my way up the line to the lead of the flock. It also helped that we had some clouds coming in to give a better sense of not only my speed and distance, but just the raw beauty of it all. Anyway, I came in above and dropped down to the lead’s leg and lightly grabbed on. He smiled and gave me a cheer. All of sudden though, as a joke, my more experienced friend tackled my legs from above and dragged me down out of the group. He was laughing at me and I was so pissed that he had ruined my moment that I started chasing him across the sky for a while. Quickly deciding it wasn’t worth it though, I started to float back up to the others. I ended up getting right back to where I had been before (much to my amazement). As we began to thin out, I remember looking down at the ground and seeing people driving around on the earth below. (Briefly thinking to myself how unaware they all were of this endless world above them). I quickly turned on my back to see if anyone was above me and I caught a glimpse of my friend smiling in my direction about 200 hundred feet up. I waived bye to him as went to dump his chute. I subsequently turned over and did the same. Letting out a huge “Whoo-hoo” upon being under a safe canopy, I reflected on the great jump I had just had, and it hit me that all my dreams have already come true. Skydiving isn’t about falling and doing tricks in place like all the whuffos think it is. Skydiving is about flying, pure and simple. About owning the sky, being able to go anywhere you want to while you pass through the space. About doing what our mind says is impossible and making it possible. Superman couldn’t have done the moves I did on that jump, nor taken in as much of the earth below him as I did in such a short period of time. No astronaut has ever hit these speeds floating around in their cramped vessels. Besides, at most, an astronaut will make only 3 missions, I can jump for the rest of my life. And lastly, kind of in line with the more philosophical quote by “The111,” flying isn’t something that can actually magically be attained; it’s a state of mind. Once you believe you are experiencing the emotions and actions of whatever the true feeling of flying would be, you probably already are. It’s like being love--it’s not really anything more than a set of emotions, there’s no substance to it, you can’t define it, you just know it when once you reach it. Ten years from when I started, I now know why I skydive; I skydive because it allows me to fly, just as I’ve always wanted. I don’t bother with all those life/death discussions whuffos will drag you into. We’re all going to the same the end, and it matters little to me how I get there, I can’t stop it. If during my time here I can experience things outside the box, I will. Skydiving has taught me that if you can dream something up in your head, no matter how improbable, it probably exists in your head because it is somehow achievable in life. It's no mystery why the sport's disciplines keep expanding, people think stuff up and give it try. What can't we do up there? And, if all that isn’t enough for you, it’s just a hell of a lot of fun. Sorry, that kinda got long.

Anybody know what the status is on the clowns' Chronicle IV video, if there even is one?

What about just placing the snap permanently through the top of the reserve flap and having the type IV sewn to the back of the slider with a snap on itself so it packed up nicely. That way when you opened, you would just unsnap the type IV from itself on the slider and re-snap it to the snap on the reserve flap. Then you wouldn't have anything flapping around in freefall, and wouldn't have to worry about velcro or the type IV slipping off or around your reserve flap. Anything I'm not considering with this idea?

Couldn't a large stow also work if you wrapped it around the reserve flap and had a perpendicular velcro loop coming off of that

I've read the posts on the Slider keeper, specifically HooknSwoop's cutaway test on one, but I'm still unclear on how they work. I just figured you collapsed your slider and pulled it below the knob on the back of the rig there, but there is obviously more to it. Where do you find one of these keepers? As well, what are people's opinions on the slider stoppers on the risers instead of the keeper? Do you need front and rear, or just front riser stoppers? Where do you find these and how low on the risers do you place them? These seem more convenient than a ball on the back of your rig, but I've never seen the stoppers in use? Any info on either method would be appreciated. Thank you.

I used to work in a bank and those numbers sound VERY fishy. Namely because it is common knowledge that anything over $10,000 brings up a red flag to the IRS, and it looks like they're trying to avoid that limit. Most people don't know though, that anything over $3000 is also reviewed, especially internationally or in cash. You wouldn't neccessarily be responsible for whatever they are doing, but you could be questioned. If I were you, I would either ask for more money, like $3000 from them, since you're basically doing them a favor. Or just plain don't do it.

I agree with skybytch and wonko, canopy flight is something that is constantly changing in your first couple hundred jumps, and it's important to be under something forgiving. But, I'm 220 lbs out the door with camera equipment (wing loading 1.29), and got a spectre 170 that I've put about 300 jumps on. It was the first canopy I ever bought when I had about 50 jumps and I'd only jumped as low as a spectre 190 before I ever even got my 170. I got the spectre for a relatively stupid reason, but it turned out to be the perfect canopy for me. My stupid reason is that I basically could not pack very well at the time. Spectres just open well overal, and that was a huge draw to me. I have been slammed once, but it was entirely my fault, and every other time has been soft and steady. And believe me, I've packed this thing worse than you could imagine at times, which is entirely unacceptable-Spectre or not, but it opened like a dream. Be warned though, Spectres have a tendency to open slowly at times, especially if you roll the nose while packing. This is probably why they open so softly. It's not everytime, but a 1000 ft opening is not uncommon from my experience and what I've heard. I personally once had a 1700 ft opening. So my advice is to pull by at least 3500 ft. As far as the performance towards something more speedier, I would just stay with the Spectre. If you think you'll get bored within 100 jumps, just go with the 170 instead of the 190. I wouldn't say that about a jump to a 150, but between a 190 and a 170, I honestly could not tell the difference. My Spectre flies straight and does not require constant attention like a smaller or elliptical canopy might. I used to do as many pull ups as I could twice a day for the sole purpose of building my upper body strength so I could pull down on the front toggles of my 170. When I first got the canopy, I would have to pull my body really high up on the front toggles to dive only a little bit. If I didn't do that, even with a wing loading of almost 1.3, the canopy would hardly ever gain speed. When I finally built enough strength, I changed from a standard pilot chute to a kill-line to reduce drag, and now if I do a hook turn into a dive, I can get a decent swoop and flare. I don't bring this up to suggest you do this, but only to say that it took all that to force the canopy into a situation that would be dangerous. Otherwise, if I just toggled it the whole flight, it would be smooth, steady, and on heading. I guess what I'm saying is, I really have to work my 170 to get it to do anything fast, otherwise though, it responds well to conservative flying and recovers from dives or stalls very rapidly. I should mention that all these jumps were at sea level or close to it, and I don't know what elevation your DZ is at, but that is definetly something to consider when comparing the 170 to the 190. Either way, the Spectre is a great canopy, and is especially good for learning on because it is very forgiving. I obviously went with the 170 and I was instantly glad I did, but the 190 is just as good, and probably safer if you're worried about your wing loading and elevation. Yet, I would not tell you to be afraid of the 170. Maybe just buy the 170 and continue demo-ing the 190 until you're ready for the 170. It honestly wouldn't be that long once you understand how the Spectre flies. -Of course, these are only from my experiences, and they do not speak for everyone or every Spectre. I hope it is useful though.

focus people focus Thank you. Being that this was my post to begin with, I'm glad someone is trying to wrap it up. I don't think anyone trully thinks in their heart that students should jump elipticals. It amazes me that so many of you have exploded onto this topic over this "he said/she said" crap. I stopped carring about the posts a few days ago, and I could not believe the shit that you guys have been tossing back and forth over this topic when I saw it at the top of the list still today. Honestly guys, we're all skydivers here, and one of the best things about this sport is the instant camaraderie we gain from our mutual respect for the sport we do and for the people we share it with. Thank you to those who responded with thoughtful and insightful answers to my question. I greatly appreciatte your opinions on your colbalt experience. I would also like to thank Colbalt Dan for at least showing interest in my inquiry, no matter if his answers are scripted or not. If all of you read all of you're own posts though, I think you'll realize that your replies are pretty scripted as well, and you're not even trying to sell anything. Let's be safe and sane. The nature of our sport is a dangerous one, no matter what skill level or wing loading we have. Obviously, I think we can all agree on that. I'm glad we're watching out for each other, but I don't believe there is anything wrong about anyone's approach to skydiving so long as it is thought out and done safely. Meanwhile, I'll be keeping a sharp look out for those crazy students on those cross-braced elipiticals. One nearly chopped my head off the other day as he was coming in!!! Blue Skies and take care.