darkwing

I don't know any details, but it seems no one else does either. I think there is waaay to much jumping the gun here. Just because it is on the agenda, doesn't mean it has a chance. Also, I want to say again that if you don't like your elected official, vote them out. Heck, impeach them if you want to. As for me, I know that I can contact my regional director and get some real information, rather than rumor mongering. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Relax, you have more time to do the stuff you need to do. You'll probably be more aware of the wind noise changing too. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

well, you could look at your visual altimeter when the alarm goes off So, how do you know your visual is accurate? People believe instruments waaaay to easily. Before you decide anything is accurate, you must define accurate. Then you have to figure out how to measure accuracy. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I have an Optima, and I like it a lot. L&B rocks my world. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Every reserve has holes in it. Needles make holes. That is one reason you can perhaps see that not all holes are bad, or necessitate trashing the reserve. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

As I recall, the AT-11 (bubble nose) belonged to Wally Benton, in Star. I think Rozzo's beech at Athol was a D-18. I recall the SNB, but I don't remember where it was or who owned it. I think Rozzo's D-18 is the one that Joe Taylor crashed with a load of Montana musicians, killing all. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

How would a person know if they were accurate? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I seem to recall being at a boogie a long time ago, maybe Freak Brothers, when 8 pregnant women did a "16-way" -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Bev. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I suspect that even with a Silhouette (or similar canopy) harness input will be marginal, at best, especially at that size. I can barely get my Pilot168 to respond to harness input, loaded at 1.4. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I have 600 Spectre 190 jumps, and about 200 Pilot 168 Jumps. The Spectre is in a different category of performance than a Pilot/Sabre2/Silhouette. The Spectre being a somewhat lower performance canopy -- do not interpret that to be a criticism! Both my Pilot and my Spectre are great canopies. Jump, try, think, and buy... -- Jeff My Skydiving History

600 jumps on a Spectre 190. Never roll or tuck the nose, just release it from between your knees and finish packing. Of course quarter the slider, and don't pull it out in the nose direction. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

That may be a sort of hook used to pull line stows through keepers, which were sewn-in nylon tapes used instead of rubber bands to stow lines. Then again, it may not be. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

The back side dumping drag and descending is pretty consistent with their theory, which would attribute it to a strong airflow over the back, top of the slider. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I'm a rigger from the old, round days, although not a military rigger. It doesn't ring any bells with me, but there are a lot of potential military items that I would never have encountered. ps - Many riggers, then and now, made special tools for themselves. Sometimes another rigger wouldn't recognize it, even if they routinely did the same job. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Probably do a search, and you will find any answer you want. I say cypres 2, others will say vigil, and others will say something else. Just wanted to get in my 2 cents before the mods lock this. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Virtually all canopies are set up this way these days. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Dang, I was already worried enough about the extra cosmic ray dose I was getting, and now I have to get a dosimeter and geiger counter mounted inside my helmet too. They can warn me if my dose gets too high, or if the activity at the time is high, necessitating a bail out due to core breach. So, how much will a jump ticket cost in this petroleum free aircraft? -- Jeff My Skydiving History

If you look down and see blue, turn over. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

All the major manufacturers make quality products, using quality materials. DO NOT make the mistake of thinking that any manufacturer has never, or never will put a flawed product out the door. It happens. Just as long as they deal correctly with problems it is not a big deal. Find a canopy that opens and handles the way you like it, and buy one. Or, more succinctly, as the phrase goes, "shut up and jump." -- Jeff My Skydiving History

Boogie is a state of mind. Just keep your eyes and ears alert, and ask around. If you are going somewhere, maybe email the local DZs. Of course there are the big name events/boogies, which mostly make it on the lists published here, and in Parachutist and Skydiving mags. There are pros and cons to boogies. Some events, and DZs are more accommodating for solo jumpers or relatively inexperienced jumpers. Some are better if you take your own group. Most jumpers that have been around have one or two favorites. I have been around, and my favorite is Lost Prairie (in Montana, late July). -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I don't recall an Idaho jumper going in at Pope. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

All of my first ten were at Jump West Parachute Center at Star, Idaho, out of the C-180. The DZ was owned by the infamous Wally Benton (deceased). Signatures from Wallee Lange and Jack Shrum, current whereabouts/status unknown. Joe Taylor, a pilot, also infamous, and deceased. "Bullit" Bob Denton, still an active skydiver, still marginally competent. The 7TU was pretty hot for me. They recommended against the even hotter 5TU. My progress as a student was unspectacular. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

I used to jump a lot, and was considered competent. Now I don't jump so much, so I suck. So the training method that got me where I am today was to not jump much. -- Jeff My Skydiving History

You were given (in my opinion) good advice. I have 600 jumps on a Spectre, and it is a great canopy. It is not in the same class as a Saffire (or the often cited similar canopies -- Pilot, and Sabre2), which is a somewhat higher performance canopy. Some truly great skydivers jump Spectres. You can learn to get a lot out of your spectre. Don't be in too big a hurry to scare yourself. Ignore people who say you can't get performance out of a spectre, they are numbskulls. There are several ways a canopy can "impress" you. One way is to not kill you when you make a mistake on it. That is a good impression. -- Jeff My Skydiving History