jerry81

You're talking about president Bush, right?

I think the percentage of smart boms would be very high- it could even be close to 100% with "dumb" bombs being fitted with "inexpensive" brains. What I would like to know is, how come Americans are so certain Saddam is a threat to them? Is your propaganda (extensive as it is) really that efficient or has this view been present even before this whole WOT mess started?

A fine list of do's and (mainly) dont's. And how about this one; Talk about optimism, tracking towards a small lake...

Well, your FARs and FAAs can't touch me! So I can openly say that busting clouds is real fun unless you forget about altitude and shit your pants pulling way below your 'safe' point. (been there, done that, learned my lesson) As for good stuff, try going through a cloud with your mouth open...it's not as creamy and fluffy as you'd imagined when you were a kid, but fun nevertheless.

I like a nice dark ale over a watery lager almost every day (except on hot summer days and nights and mornings...) but haven't found a favourite yet. But i sure enjoy the search. On a related subject; we held a beer tasting contest at our pre-ny party with the skydiving club. Six beers to identify, 10 contestants (it's a small club, right). Among the beers were some imported and some local (anyone from my country will claim they can identify at least the two most popular, which were among the choices). The results; after two recounts, the guy closely affiliated with the judges (camera flyer in their rw team) won with 3 hits. I placed third with one wild guess right. Most of the 'experts' competing didn't even score. What was the prize you ask? Why, beer of course. (for anyone who could still drink any)

While backpacking across Spain I had to spend a night in Bilbao because the automated luggage storage at the train station decided to take a siesta and confiscated our bags until morning. Luckily I was with three friends, so we took turns standing watch and sleeping in cardboard boxes, talking to the local loonies (we met Jesus Christ that night. really)etc. Ironically, this happened at the beginning of our journey, so we were all loaded with cash, but none of us wanted to take the easy way out and go to a hotel. 4 weeks later and 2000km from home with just enough money for food left, I was quite grateful for this decision...

I wouldn't know about grunting (maybe just the couple of times when I got really spanked), but I have been known to express my joy of life quite loudly after a nice fall and a soft opening. Whooohooooo and all that...

Perhaps, although I'm quite certain mine had more to do with stupidity.

I think a couple of guys from our club where in Kiev this summer and from the videos I've seen, they've had a pretty good time- big dropzone, large airplane with an exit ramp in the back (an Antonov 28) and lots of relative workers, if that's your thing.

Hehe, congratulations on your tree landing (and also your survival). I had mine on jump 55 after I spent too much time fixing my altimeter (the velcro came loose in freefall and the damn thing was bouncing on my hand, showing altitudes from -500 to 2000 meters, had to hold it steady with my other hand the whole time) while flying downwind. I would have made it to a clearing, but I tried to get more upwind penetration by pulling down the front risers (a thing you probably shouldn't do when above a wooded area). Anyway, the trees were low enough for me to reach the ground (it was, btw, the softest landing ever), but the branches were real thin and sharp, so I had two fine hours of entertainment while getting the canopy (a huge student Skymaster) down. You can guess the beers were on me that night. Also, I earned (along with a million little scratches and bruizes) the titles Tarzan and Squirrel-killer. So what I learned is this; always triple-check your gear (including your alti), never fly too far downwind from the landing zone, and remember that it's better to walk back to the dz for twenty minutes than to spend two hours in the treetops rescuing your canopy.

All my documents may say that I just turned 21 (December 31st, how cool is that?), but I actually stopped counting three years ago, so I guess in a way I do fall in your category. As for being in the air, I think most of us don't feel a day older than 16 when freefalling.

When people ask ME what it's like to freefall, I usually think back to the last few jumps I made, get a big dumb smile on my face and forget all about the question. Whoever said that you can't explain it to those who don't, but those who do understand you without words was probably right. Also, when you're in the plane and riding to altitude, try thinking positive thoughts and looking at more experienced jumpers- especially if there are any like me, who grin all the way up. Being scared on your first couple of (hundred/thousand) jumps is probably completely normal, it's only when you're looking forward to the jump (on the ground, that is) with no joy or excitement, only dread, that you should reconsider it. I hope you'll have a lot of fun!!

When you're in freefall, remember to breathe...very important. I wouldn't agree with that- I think breathing in freefall is easier when you don't think about it (at least I never think about breathing when falling). After all, do you know any jumpers/tandem passengers who have blacked out because they forgot to breathe?

The last picture on that page was in one of our newspapers a few days ago. Underneath it was a short article about the "paragliding contest" being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...

We have an Antonov 2 at our club, although it's not rusting yet- we usually jump from it. It takes forever to get to altitude, it's noisy as hell and reeks of oil, but otherwise it's quite comfortable and it just feels like home. As for flight characteristics, it's amazing. It can't go really high (10000' max), but I've seen it land on a runway less than 300' long and take off from less than 200'. And from the ground you can always see when it's dropping people since it almost stops completely. It may be because I've done my first jumps from it, but I love this plane!

Well, the rig IS a screaming bargain- in fact it's so cheap I'd be quite suspicious if I didn't know the guy selling it- he wouldn't try to sell me (or anyone, for that matter) a worn-out canopy. However, I don't know the exact number of jumps this canopy has (the cruiselite I mentioned has 150)- will have to ask him. Oh, and my exit weight? With my current gear I'd say about 190lbs- that's 160lbs of me, 5lbs of clothes and the rig amounts to the rest.

Damn! Knees are the weakest point of my otherwise quite strong legs- I actually needed surgery after a minor windsurfing accident and my landing #5 (flare too high, drop 5 feet, make a crater, you know how it goes ) had me limping for a week (didn't stop me from jumping, though. very foolish, I know). I guess I'll have to start searching for an affordable zp main.

I'm really no expert on flying hd (just beginning to grasp it myself), but the last time I attempted it (which was also the last time I jumped, curse the weather) it went amazingly well- because I dreamt about flying a stable hd the night before (I dream about skydiving at least once per night)- and when I jumped I managed to get into a postion that felt right- like the one in my dreams- and it worked- I almost zoomed right past my 1100m get stable-pull altitude. (One more reason to get an audible as soon as possible). So if you know anything about lucid dreaming, try this. And another thing I find useful (easier to practice than lucid dreams, too) is headstands- you can try leaning your legs against a door or a wall if you can't hold your balance, just as long as you're getting used to the upside-down position and practicing looking forward instead of down. Hope you (as well as I) will master the hd soon.

OK, so the things to watch out for are bridle exposure, secure riser covers, tight flaps...anything else? How important is a butt strap and what material should be used for it? As for the canopy choices; currently, these are the only two available. If I find a ZP main in my price/size range I'll definitely try it out, too. Just how much does the material affect the flight characteristics -are zp canopies more responsive, do they glide better, offer longer swoops? (Not that I'm planning on trying to swoop with my future parachute immediately, but I'd like to get some surf out of it once I know how it handles)

Hi all. I'm a low-time jumper (nevertheless, a complete addict since jump #10) and intending to buy a used rig sometime soon (in a month or two). I'm currently jumping a student skymaster 270 with a naro container (a bit like having a large suitcase strapped to your back, the whole thing weighs about 25lbs) so I guess I'm in for some major downsizing. I got my eyes set on two available complete rigs, a cruiselite215 main with a racer container or a teardrop with a pd190 nine-cell. I can't say which canopy would suit me better until i've demoed them both (and I can't do that because I don't have my license papers just yet), although I suspect I might like the smaller one better . The thing I'd really like to know is the freefly-safety of both container systems (both have BOC throw-out pilot chutes). I intend to do mostly freefly/freestyle jumps (belly-falling is just not as fun) and I know some systems are less suitable for that (although I did learn to sit/stand with the aforementioned suitcase which I don't believe was ever intended to go vertical in freefall ). So I'd be very grateful for any advice/experience anyone may have on these two rigs. Also, since this is my first post on these forums, virtual beers all around!!!