betzilla

ParaPhernalia still exists - they just don't manufacture sport gear anymore. You could reach out to them with your question. Here's a link to their contact info: http://softieparachutes.com/order.html. An email usually gets a fast response, in my experience. Good luck!

I know a guy who used to do that (he doesn't rig anymore). To me, it seems it would only attract more grime. I'll stick with silicone spray.

it looks like it's just a bit of fine piano wire. But there are dental floss threaders that would probably work (I think the brand is 'dentek.' They're blue, shaped like a teardrop with a long tail, and come in a pack of maybe 40-50).

just want to say... I went to college straight out of high school and was a pretty terrible student even in subjects I understood well and enjoyed (I did still finish). I went BACK to school in my 30's studying something completely different and was a far better student having learned through experience to persevere at difficult, unpleasant tasks. Being a non-traditional student was an extraordinarily rewarding experience for me. And my mom got her bachelor's degree at age 60! Maybe it runs in the family....

If y'all need new soft links and don't want to pay $25, Jerry's your guy! Lol. I'm fine with homemade ones (on mains) that are in good shape, but I've never personally made my own, and am not about to start now.

this is a huge pet peeve of mine. Canopies come with links when they are purchased new, and used canopies should too. Whether or not those links are serviceable should be up to the purchaser/assembling rigger. It is an enormous drag as a rigger to have to ask a customer for an unexpected $35 ($25. whatever they cost now) because the seller kept or cut the soft links.

This can be true, and that's why it's important to practice how you frame it. But I just finished a top tier MBA, and not a single person advised that I should not talk (appropriately) about the hobby. I did learn quickly that *I* need to steer the conversation carefully though, or it will be entirely about how scary the thought is to my conversation partner. If you talk about focus, and how much you can accomplish in just a few seconds, and the importance of systematic training and practice to avoid and handle possible negative outcomes you don't sound nuts. You sound like the right choice (assuming you are also qualified for whatever is at play).

oh yes. Being a skydiver says many things about you: ~You can keep a cool head even when things are a little crazy ~You are not afraid of risk. In fact you know how to mitigate it. ~You will bring something to the student body that probably few other students will -- you will inspire your peers to try something new, or follow their passions in the face of adversity. Start thinking about how you can talk about the sport intelligently (you can still be loony about it on the DZ or with your buddies). That will help with your mom, too. Maybe you'll even inspire HER to try something she's been wondering about!

My mom was always pretty happy to hear I was too busy to make many jumps ("you haven't been skydiving, have you?"), BUT whenever she introduced me to someone, that person would say, "oh, this is the skydiver!" Parents want their to be safe and live forever, but they also love to brag about the cool things their kids do, and how their kids are more adventurous (or whatever) than all the other kids. And they want their kids to feel joy and passion. You might talk to your mom about how skydiving will set you apart from the other applicants for college and grad school (it really will, especially if you learn to talk about how what you learn about yourself and human nature in the air, applies in daily life and in school), and that it will HELP you achieve the goals you have that she supports. Then follow through on that. If your plan is to become a DZ bum once you finish high school, that's going to be a tough one to sell, lol

One place you can look for a part time job is at the DZ - they may need ground crew or a dishwasher in the restaurant, for instance. You won't make a ton of money (with this or any part time job), but at least then you will be surrounded by people doing the sport you just fell in love with. See if you can get your mom out to the DZ to watch some jumping. Maybe she'll chill out a little when she sees how smiley people get when skydiving.

I'm in my 40s, and I relate right now, lol. I think it's really normal to get to college, where we thought as a kid everything would be amazing, and then feel, "shit. Is this it?" I also think there's an expectation that you are supposed to have your life's path figured out at age 18, and progress linearly toward your Life's Purpose. That's pretty unfair. Your brain isn't even finished developing until your mid 20's. You will change your mind about... EVERYTHING hundreds of times over the course of your life, and that is completely normal. Change your major. Take a year off to travel or work. Study something you love, AND something mundane that can earn you a living. Graduate (or don't!), then go back to school for something completely different, or learn a trade and work with your hands. We're all just guessing, really, and that's the thing we have in common. Nobody (really) has it figured out, and it's a shame so many people pretend that they do. Because if we were all a little more honest, you might not feel so alone. If you jump at Skydive Chicago, maybe I'll see you there next season. I'd be happy to chat with you about what it's like to reinvent many times in one lifetime, and still be like, "oh... it's like this now?" Lol. It's just a process. We are all here to help.

I didn't jump much this season, but what jumping I did wasn't problematic. That said, my shoulder WAS sore after a long weekend with 15 jumps or so, all belly jumps. For the same reason I didn't jump much - I am just really busy and kind of crappy at managing my time unless it's an emergency - I haven't found time for PT. I'm inspired to make it happen before too long, though, because a couple personal training sessions this fall revealed some very minor popping and clicking that wasn't there before, and mild discomfort (not quite pain - just a sort of awareness of one spot in my shoulder). So as one might expect, it definitely hasn't gotten better on its own, but it's not getting worse very quickly in my case. Seems likely that it will be manageable with just PT, if I can find the time to do it! Good luck with your tear. I hope PT can manage it for you (they may be able to give you some very focused strengthening exercises), and that your February trip is fun and safe! Keep us posted!

might be trim, might not be. But if it's a brand new canopy that you just purchased from the manufacturer (or through a dealer who bought it from the manufacturer), they will most likely look into it and fix or replace it for you. Your first step should be to contact your dealer for help.

If you mean USPA license, it's a totally new license number

I think this would depend on the type of hook knife -- I was really irritated to have one confiscated until I considered that the "hook" was big enough that I could have lopped off a fingertip with it. The TSA has been cool with me when I've taken my stuff through security, for the most part. I'd just recommend that you allow some extra time, because if you're cutting it close, you'll look nervous, and if you look nervous they'll wonder what you're up to, and it all goes downhill from there. If you are relaxed and willing to shoot the shit with them about skydiving, they will probably not be too jerky about it. I generally carry my gear on if I have connecting flights (if I'm going to get separated from my luggage because of too tight a connection, I'd rather that luggage not be $10k worth of custom skydiving gear!). I check it if I have a direct flight, and I make sure I've arrived at the airport with plenty of time for the baggage handlers to get it to the plane.

I packed one in 2013. I don't recall having any negative feelings about it.

A bungee won't keep you from falling out of the harness backwards. Your own muscles will do that (and any rig that fits well enough for you to deploy a canopy safely in will fit well enough for you to stay in it with your leg straps scooched forward a bit under canopy). BUT... if you want a bungee on your rig, it's a really easy thing for a rigger with a decent sewing machine to add, for probably well under $20.

Dacron lines will add a bunch of bulk.

Lawyers have a high rate of misery compared to other professions. A 2-second google search revealed that attorneys have the 11th highest suicide rate by occupation. I'm sad that people immediately piled on the OP. I suspect skydiving has saved a LOT of people from depression, and I think there is HUGE value in people sharing openly about their struggles with mental health. That's undermined when people are jerks to each other when they could just as easily say nothing.

The grommets don't need to stay "together." They need to stay up against the stops (which are apparently offset a little on that canopy, as they are on many other designs). While I'm pushing the air out of a canopy, I put my knee up against the grommets and hold them against the stops. You can check and reposition the grommets right through the tail fabric when you start making your S-Fold too. You'll get better at it as you gain experience packing that canopy.

The 193 referenced in the Wings size chart is a PR 193, not an optimum. The equivalent optimum would be a 218.

The G4 comes down lower at the back of the head than the G3 does.

one thing I have done with my packjobs that has helped quite a bit, is to spread open the center cell of the nose, before I wrap the tail. In theory, and I think in reality also, lol, this helps ensure that the center cell inflates first, and the canopy then pressurizes symmetrically. Give that a shot and see if it helps. Good luck!

Para Gear no longer carries these. But I second that they are great!

for my night jumps (twenty years ago. damn), I literally duct tapes a mini-maglite to my wrist, pointed at my handmount. It worked great and cost me nothing. It had pretty minimal cool factor though, lol