Spectrejumper

Welcome back!!

Unless Skysystems finally wised up, they don't make the Oxygn in XXL. Some bogus XL.5 or somethin. I ended up getting a Factory Diver. The Z1 also will not fit if you truly need a XXL. I had to send mine back, then wait forever for my Factory Diver. It doesn't have the flip up visor, so I took out the lens and I just wear goggles under the helmet. I've found Sorz goggles work the best for doing this. The big plus of the whole deal is that the Factory Diver is a lot cheaper. Good luck finding a brain bucket.

Since nobody else has said it yet, I'll play safety nazi. You might want to think twice before you use anything that attatches your main parachute assembly to you or your rig, other than the three rings. In the event of a cutaway that little velcro loop could retain your main, possibly leading to an entanglement with your reserve. Somethin' to think about. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

Maybe I've just been lucky at the DZ's I've been to, but the person checking me in has always given me a briefing on the basic stuff. (e.g. aerial photo, landing rules, etc.) As far as walking the landing area before jumping, I've never done it but it's not a bad idea. I think each person needs to do what it takes to make themselves feel comfortable. In regards to Kelly's post, I think it might give inexperienced jumpers some ideas of questions they should be asking but hadn't thought of. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

Yeah, I was kinda bummed when I found that out. I did meet all four people that work at the DZ store though. I also met Quade, though I didn't get to jump with him. He was doing hop-n-pops to practice for his PRO. I did have a great three days at Perris though. I even got to jump out of three different planes, due to some mechanical problems. It's great to have back up aircraft.

I also started on 280+ sq ft canopies (Raven 4's), then put a few jumps on a PD230, then a few on a Griffin 210. At 57 jumps I demoed a Spectre 210 for 4 jumps, then I bought one. I put 410 jumps on my Spectre 210 loaded at 1.19:1, and I loved it. Then 30 jumps on a demo Sabre2 190 convinced me to buy a new canopy. My point here is that if you put a bunch of jumps on canopies sized between 280 and 190, by the time you get to 50 jumps or so you should be ready to handle that 190 at 1.23:1. I also wanted to illustrate that you'll probably be happy at that wingloading for quite some time, I know I was. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

It's great news that it wasn't more serious, but I don't think a broken pelvis at 70 years old is exactly a walk in the park. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

See, if you lived in NY your friendly neighborhood skydiving auto technician could have fixed it for a lot less. Hope to see you next week when I'm in Perris. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

Ahh, such a joy to get good responses. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

Not really dissing either. Just trying to illustrate that just because two things meet a minimum federal standard they aren't necessarily equal. Although I'd much rather be in a Volvo, crash situation or not.

I always use my powertool when I pack my rig. I just changed from the closing loop that came with the rig because it was slightly frayed, and I was downsizing so I would have had to shorten it. I have almost 450 jumps on the rig. I've never heard of a closing loop lasting that long when using pull up cords. Of course I still flip the line underneath the pin before I remove it. YMMV Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

I fold the bridle on the outside of the folded/rolled pilot chute. I like doing it this way because it reduces the chance of a hard pull due to a monkey fist. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

There are only three 'times' at a dropzone, and you don't need a watch to figure them out: jumpin time, drinkin time, and sleepin time.

The five center cells of the Sabre 2 have stiffeners on the ribs at the nose of the canopy. I've heard a couple different theories as to their purpose, but I was wondering if anybody had the facts?? Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH

I invested in a Powertool, and I couldn't be happier. Well, if the rig packed itself I'd be happier but we all know that's not gonna happen. I know Paragear sells them, there's also an ad for em in Parachutist every month. They're $15 or $17. It's a piece of Spectra attatched to a stainless steel rod. People will argue that you could make one for a lot less, but I'm lazy. It makes it much easier to close a rig with a tight closing loop, and it seems to help the closing loop last longer. Mike D-23312 "It's such a shame to spend your time away like this...existing." JMH