slotperfect

Thanks, Chris. Already on FB in several places. I will certainly forward you the email I sent to key folks and some gear dealers. Thanks VERY MUCH for the assist. Arrive Safely John

One of my rigs was stolen from Sanford, FL early morning 25 February 2014. Please be on the lookout. The manufacturers of all components are in the know as well: Vector3 M Series, SN 51472, Charcoal Grey/Purple/Teal with Neon Yellow embroidery (sides and mudflaps) Optimum 160, SN 002161, Orange Vigil II, SN 14434 Velocity 111, SN 002328, Tangerine/Silver/White, PD Logo on bottom, 500 Orange Vectran lines Pictures attached. Edited the post to focus on recovery of the rig itself. Other property is being handled separately. Arrive Safely John

Weather holds are perfect for logbook catch up. Lots of license holders hanging around grousing about the weather need a change of pace anyway. Pick the big crowd of jumpers, bring your book, introduce yourself, and be polite - they will catch you up! You may have to put up with the endless explanations of why people don't log anymore, etc. but you will get your mission accomplished. I don't recommend leaving it laying around though . . . you may get some sigs you don't want Arrive Safely John

Have you talked to your Canopy Piloting Coach about your next canopy? I would do that first, because he knows how you fly and land your canopy. Here in the forums we have no idea. Did you use your current canopy in your Canopy Piloting Course? What kind of approach do you use (e.g. front riser 90)? Arrive Safely John

Welcome to the sport, and welcome to the forums. I'm sure I will see you at Raeford. Please introduce yourself! Arrive Safely John

At Raeford I let the DZ staff know I am using the pond. They then look for me walking back after the low pass gets out. Best I can do. Arrive Safely John

How very sad. Rest easy, lass. Arrive Safely John

Our DZ would not be the same without its dogs. They are a significant part of its character. Never say never. Arrive Safely John

A note on dogs . . . Some DZs don't allow them and some do. Always ask first, and be self-sufficient (water, food, sanitation). Be smart about feeding your dog - do it by the car so he doesn't have to compete with other chow hounds (pun intended). The absolute worst thing you can do is go make a skydive with your dog unattended or without a plan (think about bringing your crate). At our DZ there is an area where the staff doesn't want any dogs to venture beyond, and you are expected to be adult enough to pick up after your dog when they plant a smasharoonie on the property - we even have bags aplenty to help you out there. Ironically, the favorite shite site at our DZ is the departure end of the swoop pond (don't ask me how I know that). If you are gonna go drag some water, do a FOD walk first. There are at least a dozen regular dogs there, including several that belong to ownership/management. They all get along with each other and with people, and with MOST other dogs. If your dog isn't social, you will be politely asked to take him somewhere else. They are also quite used to parachute gear and skydivers landing. Don't feed any dog people food unless you ask the owner first - our DZ alpha dog (mui pequeno) is a food whore and begs a SINGLE chip from 50 people and falls into food coma all afternoon giving himself health problems. You may occasionall see your dog following me (along with most of the rest of them) because I am the doggie Pied Piper who carries a pocket full of Milk Bones. It's what I do Oh yeah, and watch out for the three-legged Chihuahua - she's a NINJA P.S. The black tailless cat is named Crazy for a reason. You reap what you sew. Arrive Safely John

I have all the ratings I am likely to ever get, so I stopped logging jumps in paper logbooks about 7-8 years ago, but I still log my jumps. I now use an Excel spreadsheet that I can customize as I take on new things I want to keep track of. It's also searchable by sorting the data which is handy. For instance, I can see exactly how many jumps I have on a main canopy before I sell it or determine if it needs a reline. The spreadsheet keeps running totals & averages at the top so I don't have to tally anything including free fall time. I used to make a lot of notes in my paper logbooks early on, then it was just to keep track of stats and the occasional note. I have the names of most of my Tandem Students which is cool. I always recommend that people log their jumps somehow. Paper logs should be used until you have all the ratings you want . . . some I/Es may require signatures. Arrive Safely John

On Saturday, August 2nd the majority of Lenn's ashes were released in the blue summer skies over Raeford Parachute Center. Lenn's daughter made her first airplane ride and first skydive as the focal point of the ash dive. Lenn's ashes were released in free fall by the Tandem Instructor and one of Lenn's original Skydiving Instructors. The rest of the Otter load observed in free fall from a respectful distance. If you happen by Raeford and see a set of obnoxious yellow shoelaces, hear some Jimi Hendrix coming from the speakers, or spy a bottle of Fireball whiskey you know LT is there. If you stand still for a short time, know that a large portion of the skydivers passing by were trained by ".5C" While you're there, stop by the S2G gear store or my team room and look at his artwork, a testament to his talent, his intellect, and his passion for the things he loved. The time I knew Lenn seems so short, but we were closely connected on many levels. Earlier this year he paid me one of the biggest compliments I have ever received. I will think of him often and crack a smile, raise a glass, and vow to never forget . . . Arrive Safely John

125 jumps, USPA B license. August. Arrive Safely John

What type of aircraft? Arrive Safely John

I am doing some research for a friend . . . Looking for a DZ near Nice, France that will accept USPA Memberhip/License. I am not familiar with France's rules regarding FAI credential reciprocity. Any help would be appreciated. Arrive Safely John

The UPT Waiver and accompanying video, along with our Skydiving School waiver, all do a good job of conveying the risk of serious injury or death. I do a good job of conveying procedure to my Tandem Students, at least twice (usually three times) before we exit. The sign, displayed in what is for many students the most stressful environment in their tandem experience, implies that there have been previous incidents that involved improper hook-up procedures. I would rather not convey that to my students - it's a distraction to their focus on following the procedures I have taught them. I will certainly answer direct questions honestly as I always do; such questions deserve honest answers. I always offer to let my student check all four attachment points with me when I do it. I WANT them to know they are hooked up to me in four places before we leave the plane, having told them so on the ground in my briefing. Arrive Safely John

For everyone: This thread is about helping these jumpers get their property back. PERIOD. Because this is a new high-profile canopy and a rig from a member of a well-known team, some of you have chosen to dissect the situation and use your favorite parts to dive into speculation or create unnecssary spin. Lots of gear gets stolen . . . most of it gets posted here . . . ALL of those threads get stuck to the top of the forum page and many times gear has been recovered with the help of other skydivers from this community. This should be no different. I was at the event where the gear got stolen, and it just plain sucks that it happened at all, regardless of who it happened to. Those who could stepped up immediately to help. Either help the lads get their gear back or keep the spin to yourselves. Arrive Safely John

There's a lot of unnecessary bickering in this thread. Let's let that be and focus on the topic at hand. For what it's worth, I have a little over 5200 jumps, about 5300 if I include all my military static line jumps, in nearly 29 years of hurling myself out of airplanes. In all that time I have been hungry to learn and have continually gathered information and skill from a variety of sources. If there's one thing I have discovered it's that I can pick up new things from anybody regardless of experience level. I have learned things from both students and rock stars with five digit jump numbers. When I don't care to learn anymore, it will be time for me to sell my gear and take up something new. Until then I will continue to seek improvement through threads such as this one, [hint] provided they are not cluttered with noise [/hint] Arrive Safely John

Really? Arrive Safely John

"Kid -- have you rehabilitated yourself?" Arrive Safely John

Well played, brother. Arrive Safely John

I wish they had given the rating a new title when they revamped the program. Bringing it back as I/E created instant confusion with the old rating, which was VERY different. There was nothing wrong with the name Course Director, which was replaced by the "new" I/E. With due respect to all old I/Es, they could have just let the I/E moniker fade over time. I think just calling them all Examiners simplifies the title and at least reduces the confusion with the old rating. Arrive Safely John

TJNK is built for a main "ZP up to 139." Generally speaking you can go up or down one size from what the container was made to fit, unless the canopy is bulkier (like a crossbraced or airlocked canopy). You should be able to fit a Sabre2 150 in that container. Call Larry at SunPath with your specific question to get it from the horse's mouth: (910) 875-9002. Arrive Safely John

The search function is your friend: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4003314;search_string=underage%20tandems;#4003314 Arrive Safely John

I "Mainlined" the entire series in 3 days. It's brilliant. Arrive Safely John

OK - I am tired of trimming the PAs out of this thread. This one has run its course. Arrive Safely John