des

well,so far one person has realised there is a world outside usa.the word "kit" in the original post,might have been a clue

photo aside,i think i love you skybaby420. best brains in the country i think.please go into politics

somebody is panicking bigtime.a bit of commonsense would be nice,but that's usually too much to ask from bureaucrats. none of this shit makes any sense.i'm really pissed,and broke,so better shut up now,or i'll post something i regret.

speedracer wrote "you just don't scare off a country like usa". so why was all aviation stopped for days ,and still some are not operating,seems to me someone is scared. we are giving these assholes the result they want,i.e total disruption,.and economic chaos.,while in real terms accomplishing zero. i rea`lly think the powers that be f----ed up, and the reaction should have been,"f--- you bastards ,we're just gonna carry on,and we will be coming to get you.". --but i aint no politician. des

yeah, i know jump no's don't make an instructor,(or even a good skydiver)what i mean't was, he's the best aff inst i've ever seen,( and i've seen alot. 5 yrs in charge of aff at a busy dz.)my point was ,the best can still get caught out. i know how this guy feels,and hope so does the dzo,and he doesn't suffer any castigation because of one mistake. i think i also know something of what the student feels too. he/she will probably need some confidence build up now.i'm sure there will be someone capable of this. best wishes to all. des

skymonkeyone, you must be one of the few aff instructors that has never been caught out by a spinning student.i've seen who i considered the best,caught out,(9000 jumps,world 8 way medalist)it can be impossible to anticipate, and reach incredible speeds in a few revs.i feel for this instructor, cos i've been there too,and it feels like shit! i agree the only way is to stop it early(not as easy as it sounds),no-one has come up with an answer as yet ,god! i wish someone would ,we all know this is the most common problem in aff,and we know that relaxation is probably the answer.easy? not for a 3 or 5 jump student. i personally know 3 people who took 30-50 jumps to complete aff,for this reason ,and who now are all very competent skydivers,(1 is an aff instructor). michele,tell your friend to be aggressive,stop that turn before it starts.every student has a natural drift one way,left or right, make your 1st turn opposite to your drift,if you can do that,you can stop the opposite,unwanted turn.hope this helps. des

just got an email from a VERY reliable source, "brake line broke during normal high speed landing".sorry ,don't know what the canopy was. des

my name is des,and i'm not very good at anything,and i'm not very smart,but i have 3 great kids and 2 new grandkids,and i'm happy as a pig in shit.

yep. worked the summer of '98 at sdo. very well run and professional student programme.joe and blake run an A1 dropzone.good people and lots of fun happens there. des

at a guess i'd say your friend was at P.I.C. it's a real nice part of the world,P.I.C.is a real nice place too.worth a visit. des

an earlier thought of yours was a good one.scuba in micronesia.

grogs. everytime you jump from a plane is loggable.tandems included. des

sounds just like my 1st,13 yrs ago.i can remember how you feel.there ain't nothing like it! it just keeps getting better! des

agree with you zennie,but mike mcgowan could give you a good story about cutting away with a p/c in tow,not a pleasant one either. there are really too many scenarios to have a hard and fast procedure.do what you think is right at the time. des

nausea on a tandem jump is very common,not too much you can do about it,all good suggestions so far,but they may, or may not help. you can be sure tho,that you will not get sick under your own canopy,i know many skydivers who got sick on a tandem,but never when by themselves. never heard of a driver getting carsick,maybe something similar. keep going, des

go for it, mountainman!remember it's all about having fun, so rule no.1; enjoy it! des

one of the better ways to land a parachute,if you can. one of the better ways to die ,if you can't.

good thread! as a tm i only wear a fraphat for aesthetic reasons.i'm pug ugly without one,so i only wear one when i get videod. i kinda like the dytter too,but aesthetics is the only reason i wear one. p.s sunnies really help too. no vid,no fraphat. them protecs look ridiculous tho ,don't they? why do some american tm's wear those suckers?i'd like to hear a reason----------- any body? des

riggerrob, i knew there were experienced tm,s who use a rsl.what i was asking is "why". can you give me a scenario,where a rsl is useful on a tandem. des

i can name 3 fatalities directly related to rsl's. wouldn't use one myself,but for personal gear,it's a reasonable option.tandems-- no way, they're killers.i do not personally know one experienced tm that uses an rsl. replying to post here,that has heard of no main reserve entanglements.(haven't figured out yet ,how to post the quote i'm replying to ). sorry folks. (all the tm's i'm thinking of, have over 2000 tandems) would be interested to hear from an experienced tm ,that uses an rsl, and why. regards des

another one here. did my certification on palau(great spot).since dived in the philipines,and saipan. my fulltime job is drogue pulling,so my hobbies are scuba and fishing,which we ofen do after work,at least 3 times a week.ahhhhh,the tropics,ahhhhh,it just doesn't get any better. des

congratulations! sounds like you are starting to fly by feel,and not by rules ,which will eventually get you into trouble in unusual situations,(which will happen,as it just did to you.) sure, follow the rules ,but if you feel turning onto final at 300' is not going to work,do what you think feels right. at 70 jumps you are starting to get some experience,so use it. 200' is not very low on a 170 at 1:1,as your landing proved. the important thing is to make your decisions early,and stay with those decisions,even if it means a off dz landing. last second changes of plan can cause serious injury. just my thoughts . des

yes n,z is pretty damn good.whenuapai in auckland,is sensational,rotorua amazing.haven't jumped in taupo or the sth island,but both are highly recommended. vanuatu is beautiful(don't think too many people have been there tho.) n.w usa is also right up there , with the volcanoes.you can see 12 (i think) from height at molalla (skydive oregon),and rainier is great from toledo. best of all tho,is saipan in the northern marianas. hawaii's ok,but really doesn't rate with other tropical locations. just my opinion, des

no,not hamilton island harro. it's a small island in the northern marianas,south of japan 17miles by 8 miles.full of good bars,restaurants,and absolutely beautiful asian girls. pity skydiving finished on hamilton tho,it was a great spot. they still jump on keppell and dunk tho. sorry guys ,yeah, kissing ben would be a bit risky.(think i'd get away with it tho). little bit isolated here,so please put up with some of my bullshit posts at times,need some sort of contact with the skydive community. thanks des

hi riggerob,hey i'm an opiniated old fart too. i agree 100% on a tandem for the 1st jump or 2. my main concern with s/l is the sensory o/load thing,which i believe is far more serious 2 secs after exit than 30-50 secs,a high speed mal in that situation is very unhealthy,( i realise high speed mals are rare in s/l,but they do happen)a horseshoe being prolly the most common and dangerous,and with an unstable deployment, are a real possibility.at least i can ensure a stable deployment on early aff jumps. my other concern is the spinner,at least with aff,we have a chance to stop it,s/l no chance. that being said,s/l has proved itself,as has aff,and it really comes to a matter of choice and circumstance. i have made my decision on preference,as have all the other posters here,and i am not arguing your choices. my point again was, ist jump s/l's are more profitable,and dz's that do aff only, are not just after money. mark ,i would agree that s/l from a turbine is not economical, i've been to many dz's in my time,and all i've seen have a c182,or similar, available for s/l.i'm sure there are ways to make s/l more expensive,but i am talking generally,please remember my original comparison was with a c182,and no-one has yet,come up with substantially different figures. carl ,i have no problem with you age (i know you were joking)i'm a grandfather tho,so most of these guys are just pups to me. regards all, des