Whamie

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Posts posted by Whamie

  1. NWFlyer

    :D:D:D:D

    What did you order?



    Hullo NWFlyers.
    Opps! I forgot it's my first so I need to buy some beer for everyone and for my local shop. If ya'll are at Perris this Friday and Saturday i'll be bringing in the cases.

    I decided on the Vector...I know, i know, but I hope this doesn't turn into a brand vs brand war :D

    But I wanted to go with a Vector for several reasons.
    1. I knew the turnaround time would have been 32-34 weeks because i checked their website. But at the same time, I wanted to take that 32-34 week advantage to refine my canopy skills. So my target is 150-200 jumps by the time the rig arrives.
    2. I looked high and low (pun intended?) on the classified and craig's list for a year but could not find a rig that was sized for me for the canopy i wanted to fly. So i went ahead and ordered rig that would fit me yet have a container to fit a 190 with the option to downsize later to a 170.
    3. Since i'm a unique size, if i decide to resell the rig and go with something smaller then i think it would hold it's value for those other unique sized people that want a good rig but still want to fly a conservative WL.

    what do you think? :)

  3. redramdriver

    Your 210 isn't necessarily a "caddy" and most student rigs are that size or bigger anyways. If your only doing 4 jumps a day or so, why aren't you packing your rig yourself? That packing fee is good for a cpl of jumps! I would say do yourself a favor, and learn to pack it like a pro....



    I know. I feel ashamed. I did take a packing class just to fulfill the requirements to become lic. But in the class we learned to pack over a hook. I'm going to take a refresher course and learn to pack over the shoulder.
    For now, it takes me 1 hour to pack my rental :(
    That's why i'm opting to pay for a packer while I wait for my rig to come in.

  4. I agree. Those packers that I go to work their butts off and do it every weekend (well the weekends I am there). My hats off to them. I was asking because I didn't know if my tip range was too small. I certainly appreciate their work and I do not want to short change them at all.

  5. I'm all about supporting my local store Square 1.
    Dude who has worked the counter on the weekends is very knowledgeable and helpful.

    Their manager, I think Dwayne, is cool too. He gave me a quick packing bootcamp class on a day there weren't any packers around and even offered to pack my rig for the day.

  7. Hi skydiving friends!

    I've been jumping as a licensed jumper since Feb 13. I'm still on my 210 sqft "Cadillac" and I will admit I am quite lazy packing that Cadillac up. So I've been having a packer pack my rig for every jump.
    Each pack job costs $7 and an additional $3 for disconnecting and rigger rolling the main. In a Sat or Sun I make 4 jumps. So the cost I give to my packer is $34. To tip my packer I usually drop down $45 - $50 and tell him to keep the change.
    My question is is $11 - $16 a good tip range? If not, what should I be tipping my packer in terms of monetary compensation?

    Thanks everyone and blue skies!

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    I have the canopy of a friend of mine, he was injuried badly and there is ALOT of blood on the canopy its been sitting for awhile, almost 2 months. Does anyone know how to get the blood out of the canopy with damaging the canopy? I would appreicate advise from someone who is sure they know what works. Thanks



    Chlorine takes that blood right off in a second...which reminds me, i once used chlorine on my bathroom floor right after a....


    You forgot the "winkie" icon so any newbies reading it will realize you're joking.
    Of course, never ever get bleach on your canopy.


    ;)

  14. Quote

    So lookjg for a new rig. Have jumped and had around 4 mirage containers. Started jumping an older infinity years ago... micron is OUT due to the 9 MONTH WAITING TIME!!! Might just stick with Mirage but damn can never get anyone to get back too me. pisses me off. Even just a quick email would be nice. So looked into Infinity. Not too familiar with them. What do people have to say about Infinity ?? Also have considered the Curve. But not with a $3000 price tag. Not even considering it anymore. ( unless they throw a new optimum 126 in;)) thanks guys. Just trying to get some opinions before i choose Friday.



    hullo..new in the sport and i'm still renting gear until i get to a comfortable wing to fly. But i've heard alot of people rave and crave and swear to the Almighty that the Curve is the rig to end all rigs. Why isn't it worth the $3000?

    Thanks

  16. I think you have to have the passion to do this. Take AFF1 and see how you feel about it then.

    IF Aff1 interests you then consider taking the full AFF course but know this...initial start up from AFF to student status to licensed can cost you on average of $7000 (minus gas, minus if you opt to take wind tunnel lessons, minus time).
    As you transition off AFF and go into student status, you want to have an interest to do solo jumps as part of the requirement to earn your A license.
    And once you're on the A license you gotta have the passion and drive to stick with the sport knowing you'll have to invest in your own rig or rent while you work your way to your own rig.

    Money aside, you have to want to skydive, enjoy the community, enjoying hanging around the DZ (someone told me 99% of the time you're spending it on the ground), getting to know different people, willing to take time to dedicate yourself to this sport, sacrifice other hobbies, etc.
    I think if you want to do it and have a genuine interest you'll keep up with the sport. If not you'll be come one of those 1 jump wonders we see one weekend at the DZ and never again.

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    Since I am 'that guy', I'm going to stick to what I know and be 'that guy'.

    Three months ago you were posting about wanting to start using your rears, on a X-fire 119 at under 2.0. Now you're on a JVX at 2.4. See the problem? Maybe pushing a little too hard?

    Part of the 'mixed emotions' you're having is that you found you that you're not bulletproof. I'm sure things have been a ball up to this point, but it all came crashing down (no pun intended, I swear) when you hit the ground.

    I know 1300 jumps sounds like a world of experience to you, but it's really just a foot in the door in terms of swooping a JVX at 2.4.

    One thing to keep in mind is that as your WL goes up, so does the net effect of a downsize. So when you downsize .5 all at once, and it also happens to be up above 2.0, you're biting off a big hunk of shit.

    A simple thing like not swooping over buildings or hard surfaces is something you should have known well before getting on that wing and that WL. I can only assume that the area you've made the mistake of swooping '100s of times' is close to the hanger, and it's no coincidence that there was a photog standing right there. Ever heard the phrase, 'Here, hold my beer and watch this....'.

    Use your downtime/recovery time to really take stock of your situation. You've put yourself pretty far out at the end of the spear, and there's not a lot of 'wiggle room' out there. Just for reference, I have 5 times the jumps and 6 times the time-in-sport as you, and I jump my Velo at a lower WL.



    With all respect. You dont have aton of jumps for 17+ yrs in the sport. So as far as numbers go i was above average and moved down when i and other felt it was right. Guys with 10,000 jumps make mistakes. Im just trying to figure a few things out. I guess i could not reach out and say screw it...


    uh oh..he went there :o

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    Maintenance cost does not count toward the money you put down to start.



    Should it? That monthly fee goes for things like reserve repacks and container washes and new closing loops and main canopy relines and... All the things you get to pay for yourself when it's your rig.

    If they still offer the no fee for a big deposit deal, that's the hot tip. You're gonna end up handing them all that money anyway; if you have it up front, put it all down and avoid the monthly fee.

    To the OP: I didn't use the Sq1 demo program, but I worked for them for a few years so I've seen it from the other side.

    If you have the money to buy a new rig right now (or most of it, anyway) and you plan to be jumping a lot, the demo program at Square One is a fantastic way to go about it. Being able to jump pretty much every container and every suitable main on the market before making your purchase decision is huge. You will be able to downsize from student canopies to what you will want to buy when you have 150-200 jumps, instead of buying something too small for you now or something that might be too slow for you then.

    You will likely end up spending a bit more on the complete rig than you might be able to find on the interwebs. You have to decide if the benefits of the program are worth the extra cost to you. For sure ask about the possibility of shipping it to a friend in Nevada instead of picking it up at the store (7% + of a complete rig is a lot more than shipping)...

    The biggest downside to the demo program is that you can't take the rig with you - so you're limited to jumping only at Perris or renting gear elsewhere for awhile. The other downside is that you may have to get to the dz pretty early on a busy summer Saturday to get the container or main that you want to jump that day.



    Correct, I agree, the monthly fee (maintenance fee) strictly goes to reserve repacks, washes, loops etc. Basically to keep the rig air worthy. What I was referring to is that that fee does not go toward the purchase of a new rig.
    So when i put down the $2G and paid the $199 the following month for maintenance, my total for a new rig that I put down didn't go up to $2199. So in that sense I don't mind paying the $199 monthly so that I can be assured that the rig is in tip top shape by the time i rent it.

    Yes, Square 1 does offer a no monthly fee if you drop down $8G. However, after 3 months (I think 3 or maybe 6 months) or after 100 jumps, whichever comes first, you pay a $99 monthly fee.

    Either way, in the long run, i think the demo program best fits my schedule and needs.

    and yeah, i'm already at the DZ by 7:00am to be assured I have a chance of getting the correct sized rig and container i want to use for the day.

  21. Yo Flo. How's it going. Were you that dude last Sunday at Perris finishing out your dives? if so, congrats.

    Hey, I partook in the Square 1 demo however here are my pros and cons from my experience:

    Pros:
    Awesome staff. Very knowledgeable. Can't ask for a better staff out at Square 1.
    I get to try out different canopies before making a purchase.
    On Site riggers.
    They keep excellent records of the number of jumps you've had and the type of canopy.
    You sound like a young buck so be aware that they will not let you progress to a smaller canopy until they feel you are ready. (Staff are always out watching the landings)

    Cons:
    Maintenance cost does not count toward the money you put down to start. For example, I put $2000 down and there's a $199 monthly maintenance fee that does not count to the $2000 I put down. So make sure your schedule allows you to jump at least 2 weekends a month if you went with a $2000 down/$199 monthly maintenance plan. (Note: Other plans exist just ask them).

    Depending on what you want on the rig it can cost up to $8000. Square 1 will not (from what I was told) price match, say, ChutingStar.Com. I've seen complete tricked out rigs at ChutingStar cost $1500 - $2000 less compared to the same build as Square 1.

  23. Before getting on the load i looked out at the field and judging by the wind sock the winds were light (the wind sock was not even half way erect..it was loose and limp).
    However, I think on the ride up to altitude, the winds might have picked up because when I landed, the wind sock was toward the half way erect position.

    Because I plan to be on a 210 for awhile (at least until the end of the year because i can only make it out to the DZ 1x a month,,,until i can get my own rig) i just wanted to know if turbulence has certain effects on lighter WL like mine.
    I'll take a canopy course on my next DZ visit.

  24. Quote

    Anyone is susceptible to canopy collapse due to turbulence, but lighter wing loadings are more vulnerable since the have less pressure keeping the cells inflated. Going into partial brakes can help keep the canopy inflated more strongly.

    Do you own this Sabre 210? or was it rental gear you were using? As a light person your canopy progression will have to be slightly slower than someone who is heavier since canopies will fly more aggressively even at lower wing loadings for you. But you should be able to get up to the 0.9-1 WL area safely. That would be a better (more common) place to hang out rather than the 0.7 you are at now to help you cut through turbulence a little better.



    yes sir, it is a rental Sabre 210 w/ just 23 jumps on it.

  25. Hello fellow skydivers!

    I am 130 lbs flying a Sabre 210.
    This past weekend I noticed that I hit some turbulence while flying the Sabre. I've flown through turbulence before but this was the first time it felt like a really bumpy ride. Because of the bumpy ride, i made sure i wasn't making drastic turns or diving turns. My question is, in higher then usual turbulence and on a lighter WL, should i be concerned of a canopy collapse?

    Sorry, for the noob question but wanted to get some answers from experienced flyers.

    Thanks mucnh.