betzilla

Thanks for keeping us posted on the press' field day, Quade. it always interesting to see who says what.

Hey Chris, You indulged all of us with that too. Thanks, it was beautiful. Kirk told me last night how much Roger did for you, and what a great mentor he was to you. That's a side of him many people never saw.

Eddy, thanks for the photo -- I didn't have chance to see Roger in his Elvis suit, so this brought a giggle to me on a really tough day.

Didn't RWS win a lawsuit filed against them, and collect on that very clause in their waiver a while back?

Hey, that's what I was going to say! I'm the sales manager at Para Concepts, and just started working on my rigger's ticket. For the really basic, first tools I needed, I spent around $70 (like an ass, I forgot to give myself my staff discount, and paid full price). That included a locking pullup cord, positive closing device with kneeling plate/packing paddle, cypres temp pin, molar strap and logbook.

That's what I loved most about skydiving when I started it.

A mile. I get the bonuses of living on the DZ, without actually having to live ON the DZ.

Is that called a Sun Dog?

I used to always pack for myself. My worst openings were at Quincy when I used a packer. but after a long layoff from the sport, the part that's coming back the slowest is the packing. I'm in real danger of becoming a non-self-packer....

never apologize for a good pun.

This would be a good point IF we didn't know that there are people out there who are "comfortable" doing stupid shit that's likely to get them killed. I've also seen people get talked into small stuff that they're NOT comfortable with, but who were flattered by the fact that someone thought they could handle it. So while we might hope that comfort and common sense go hand in hand, clearly they don't always.

First off, if you're going to be "paying" the guy, he need a commercial license. You'll need permission from the airport to land a parachute there too. Consider how ell your green pilot will fly with the door off or open. You don't want to make smoebody crash just because you want a cheap jump, right?

It's that hairstyle, that will make you look cool. See if they'll throw that in with the suit...

At our loft, a 9 cell reline is $268, and a 7 cell reline is $248 -- Icarus or PD. We do mail order, and we're an Icarus factory service center.

My tandem examiner got us in a sidespin on one of my certification jumps. I tried and tried to leg-lock him, but it made the spin faster. He saw an opportunity to chuck the drogue and took it (*phew*). I was AMAZED at how fast we got to spinning! He told me later (under canopy) that it's probably better to match the student's de arched position, then do a half back-loop to get belly down. unfortunately, I broke my leg with student number 13 (she fell on me, but she was unhurt), two jumps short of my rating . I'll finish it up this summer, if I ever get my nerve back.

Right back atcha Jessica

That is ABSOLUTELY true. Some of them are gifted teachers, and can coach people into jumping safely on small stuff. Others can't, and it makes me sick to my stomach when I consider that low-time jumpers can't tell the difference, and will take at face value what is told them by anybody with a couple hundred jumps (especially when that person says, "you can handle this cool small canopy"). We need experienced jumpers to be safe, (not necessarily conservative) considerate role models to new jumpers. They often don't have the sense to look out for themselves, and if we want our sport to stay safe, we have to look out for them. As a gear seller, I'm trending toward recommending larger sized canopies toward new jumpers. I'm grateful that nobody's asked me for anything stupid yet, but my time will come...

They don't think about that because their main concern is being cool. Being cool doesn't include breaking a femur, but it DOES include jumping a small fast canopy and getting long surfs. They want that as soon as possible. I had a guy look me right in they eye and say, "getting hurt doesn't scare me. I race motorcycles. I just get up and do it again after I get hurt." But when he was told that he will learn high performance landings faster under a reasonably sized canopy, he seemed to catch on. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but we have to find a way to get through to these guys.

A bunch of folks from my DZ sat around a table with a new guy (30 jumps) last week, and tried to convence him that he wasn't ready to downsize. He wasn't talking about going that small, but I would hardly be surprised to find out he's they guy that wants a 97. The thing that was said to him that seemed to sink in best was, "you'll learn faster under a bigger canopy." He wants to learn the cool stuff right away, and doesn't understand that a mistake landing a big canopy that might get you a bruise, gets you an IV and some morphine under a small one.

I know what you're going through -- I gained 30+ pound during my recovery from a broken leg. Scarily, my jumpsuits still fit me (barely -- the zipper teeth could blow any second). Talk about a ballistic meatball! my average belly fall rate, in my freefly suit is 137, according to my protrack (and I was trying to "get big"). By the end of the season, I'll have lost 15 of these pounds just through staying busy, i hope...

Aww, don't sweat it. Those little tiny girls have to put on weight vests in order to keep up with the guys in freefall -- you won't have to (I don't either). "Ballistic Meatball" almost sounds like a complement. When you look around DZ's, you'll see people in varying states of physical fitness. Don't judge yourself against the twiggy girls -- you could take them in arm wrestling anyway. Strong is healthy, and has nothing to do with thin. So there.

Then you're getting good information, because they're about dead even in my mind too. Vector is a bit ahead though because, I think they have a better velcroless toggle design The Skyhook RSL is amazing Mirage is more comfortable though....

A Sabre is most likely not going to hurt you, although it may give you a "positive" opening

I had this great dream that I was doing a 4-way at my then-home DZ (Great Lakes Skydivers), with the DZO and a couple friends. The RW was great, and at break off, I had a sweet track, then pulled . . . . Nothing happened . I pulled my reserve handle . . . . Nothing happened . At that point, I realized it was a dream, so I thought I'd go with it. As the ground got closer, I arched really hard, then slowed down. when my belly touched the earth, I literally bounced, then landed on my feet. When my friends on the jump landed, Dennis (the DZO) walked up to me and yelled at me for not using a parachute. I said, "But Dennis, I didn't need one, because I was only dreaming!" And Dennis said, "Sure Betsy, you're dreaming, and the rest of us are wide awake. Whatever you say." That's when I woke up.

I was super tired the night after my first jump. I did a static-line, so I had to get up really early, and sit through a 6-hour class. I was too nervous to eat or drink anything, then the jump itself was physically and mentally exhausting. Then I made myself more tired ny talking nonstop about how cool it was for hours and hours afterwards. So I slept like a baby the night after my first jump, and dreamed about the skydiving all night long.