Aylett2004

Congrats! I'm still working towards my ticket, and my third (fourth?) supervised packjob was used... by my mentor's girlfriend, no less! Aylett I only know I don't know anything...

My first AFF jump was Christmastime in Colorado, and it was extremely cold at altitude. I had no gloves on (don't ask me why, I was a brand new student and nobody warned me) and my hands went completely numb in freefall. At the end of the dive, I couldn't feel my hacky. The instructor put my hand on it, and I still couldn't feel it. He pulled for me, and the next time I wore gloves. Lesson: You should probably always wear gloves for various reasons, and definitely when it's cold. I have found surfing/scuba gloves to work really well at very low temps because they allow dexterity while insulating your hands well. And no question in this sport is stupid unless you're unwilling to listen to an answer you don't like.

A good way to think of it is that the canopy is only "aware" of its speed relative to the air around it - it's airspeed is not affected by the wind, only your speed relative to the ground (groundspeed). Think of it like swimming upstream in water that is moving 5 mph, if you are moving at 7 mph relative to the water, then relative to the shore you are moving 2 mph. Now, you turn around and swim downstream, still paddling relative to the water at 7 mph. Only now, you are moving at 12 mph relative to the shore. 5 mph water + 7 mph swimming = 12 mph relative to the shore. But all this time you are moving 7 mph relative to the water. similarly, your rate of decent is NOT affected by the horizontal airspeed. An exception would be air moving with an upward or downward vector component (thermals, updrafts, downdrafts, etc.) I'm sorry if this is over explaining, I’m a little tired...

It might be worth mentioning that my DZ is at 6000ft MSL.

My line of reasoning was that if I demo a CF2 at the same wingloading for several (30 or so) jumps, the only differences will be flight characteristics (turn rate, recovery arc, stall point, etc) but not speed. This would allow me to safely learn how it feels before I downsize. If I downsize. I might feel that just going to an elliptical is enough to challenge me for a while. I have spoken to a couple really good canopy coaches who have observed my swoop landings under my spectre (please don't laugh ) and they seem to think that I could actually handle a bigger step, but I prefer not to rush it. Keep the opinions comin' please. I need all the help/advice I can get . Aylett

Hey everyone, I am currently flying a Spectre 150 and am getting really bored with it, and I want to downsize to an elliptical 9-cell. Since the canopy I think I want to eventually buy is the crossfire2, I wanted to demo one in the same size range so I don't have to downsize and learn how a fully elliptical flies at the same time. So here's my question - does a Crossfire2 149 equate to a Spectre 150? I think I heard something somewhere that PD measures deflated and Icarus inflated, if that makes a difference. Thanks for your help. Aylett

I don't have much experience, but I was faced with this same decision not long ago, so I'll put in my $.02. I have made 220+ jumps in 9 months, so I'm pretty current for a weekend only guy. At 70 jumps I bought a Spectre 150 loaded at 1.35 and I love it for several reasons. First - small pack volume, so my rig is pretty low profile for a beginner (also, with 7-cells fewer lines and everything, it's a little simpler to learn good clean packing on). Second, it opens smooth and on heading pretty much every time. Third, it was really docile when I first started flying it, but now that I've got some basic sense of ground picture I can actually push it a little bit (I had a 100 foot swoop last weekend that really made me grin). Downsides - really really short recovery arc, and heavy riser pressure, so if you seriously want to swoop it it's hard. But, as a beginner this isn't really an issue anyway. My plan is to put another 150 or so jumps on it till I'm really maxing it out, every time, and in the right spot and then downsize to a crossfire2. Whatever you choose - keep listening to people and always remember to know and respect your own skill level (or in my case, lack of ). Live fast, Aylett Note: I spent 50 jumps borrowing and renting 190s and 170s before I bought my 150, and I had the benefit of some incredible canopy pilots who were helping me in my progression. Don’t go straight from a student 260 (or whatever) without some coaching from people who really know what they’re doing (not me).

That's the best thing anyone has said to me. Thank you. My primary reason for wanting it is just knowing my gear. I'm not comfortable trusting something I don't understand, and I want to be able to inspect and care for it myself. I'm a control freak like that. Live fast, Aylett

How long does it take to get a riggers ticket if one is really dedicated to it? How long did those of you who are riggers take from deciding it was a goal to obtaining the rating? I was hoping to start this weekend (under mentorship) and have it by Thanksgiving. Is this realistic? Live fast. Aylett

My first Mr. Bill. I landed screaming at the top of my lungs, and ran across the field with a still inflated canopy over my head to give the other guy a high five. Best feeling ever. Aylett

me and some friends...

I had a normal jump, landed, and while field packing discovered that my bridle was in a knot about halfway between the pilot chute at the canopy. The pilot chute had done it's job, collapsed properly, and it wasn't really a problem but i would still like to know what might have caused this. I know for a fact that it was not knotted when I packed it, so it must have happened on opening or while under canopy. I jump a TalonFS, Spectre 150 loaded at 1.3 with a standard size ZP PC. Thanks. Aylett

Duey was one of my AFF instructors... my coach, my friend, and my mentor. Almost everything I know about the sport (which at this point it still very little) came from him, and I will always associate my love of skydiving with his carefree way of approaching life. He's the one who taught me to "relaaaaaaaax", and put things in perspective. I'm trying to come up with words that will do him and his contribution justice, but I can't. He is Duey, and we all love him. My prayers are with him and his family - may you all find strength and comfort in this difficult time. "Drive on". Blue Skies, Loooong swoops (when i learn), and Soft Landings. Aylett

I am interested in buying a camera setup for fun, but I am relatively inexperienced (150+ jumps), so I need it to be as small, light, and safe (low profile, no snag points) as possible. Anyone have any recommendations for brands of helmets/cameras to look at? Thanks. don't be stupid...