betzilla

gosh, it seems like, if you're going to be at Rantouil this year anyway, you might as well just send in your papaerwork regardless. That way you'd be available for any impromptu wedding that might come up. Are you telling me that you're a Rodriguez Brother AND a minister? I didn't know that combination worked!

Try maybe the national skydiving league website. Sorry I don't have the web address. There will definitely be plenty of info on 4-way there, and maybe some really basic stuff too. That side-grabbing thing is called "sidebodies," by the way.

who's RMW? Never heard of them.

You can also avoid horseshoes by doing a thorough gear-check before each jump (especially just before exit), and making sure nyou have agood closing loop and a tight BOC pouch with the proper pilot chute for your container.

Wow, good eye. Unless he's wearing a women's jacket, that is definitely a fake.

That's actually how i broke mine, Except that the tandem student on my front them fell on my leg. Thank god she wasn't injured (although I can't say I hope she didn't have a great big bruise []) i had a nurse tell me I would never jump again. I asked never to have her in my room again, and my OS thinks I'll get back to 100 percent. He's right, of course

Here's what I did: 35 jumps on a Manta 288 10 jumps on a Triathlon 220

My fiance has claimed repeatedly that there is a Bald Eagle near Skydive Chicago who will "fly right up next to you under canopy" and fly along side you. I'll believe it when I see it. And no one else around here has made that claim....

He's very conservative and has worked on many skydivers before (he's right down the road form our DZ and did an interneship near Quincy -- poor guy!). As a result, it took months for him to believe that I was actually following doctors' orders, as opposed to walking on my leg early, and so on. It didn't help, of course, that when my fiance was being treated for a broken foot in the same office (but a different doctor), he did a jump with one of the therapists who works there. Apparently he's treated a lot of boneheads (non-skydivers mostly) who literally wear their casts down to the skin when they're not even supposed to be walking yet. Anyway, I think it's more the repetition of, say, a mile run aon asphalt that he's worried about. My muscles aren't quite strong enought to trot more than 2 steps right now anyway.... But I have no pain, so yay for me -- I'm getting there. But he's a great OS. if anyone near Skydive Chicago needs one, he's the guy!

Relative Workshop, at least, is going to honor the USPA rating, but you still have to jump through the RWS hoops to get rated on their equipment. One you're certified to jump a certain manufacturer's gear, isn't it YOUR responsibility to make sure that you're current and safe? Of course that's scary , but no scarier than it was when each manufacturer was holding the certifications for JMs, IMHO.

The fracture's stable (there's tons of pretty new bone, and the screws are staying right where they belong -- no haloing, or any of that), but my Ortho suggests waiting until a full year after the injury to start running for fitness. Other than that I can do what I want, But running out a landing might be a little much.

I was 2 jumps short of my rating when I broke my leg (on the 13th jump with a student). Relative Workshop woudl never allow someone who's not trained to jump one of their tandem rigs to use one, solo or with a student. But I need to do a solo on it before I take another person along anyway, SO...

My DZO has offered me my choise of the student canopies to jump my first jump back (we have Sabre2's up to 260 ft2). And I could always dot eh old soslo recurrency jump on a tandem rig -- if I can't land softly with 370 sq. ft. of nylon over my head....

ugh. it's raining here, and we have like a 50 foot ceiling . But at least someone's having some fun....

most of the physical healing is done. Now I just have to get my cojones back.

From what I understand, 9 cell canopies tend to give a bit more forward speed than 7 cells. that is, 7 cells "sink" a bit more. The PD Spectre is a great 7 cell, if you want to go that direction. It's slightly elliptical shape gives you a bit more response in the steering. I think your choice to stay with a big canopy is a good, responsible one.

If you're looking for a cheap, indestructible altimeter, try the Robynk Sapphire. Not the coolest one for sure, but they can take a serious beating and still tell you when to pull.

yeah, I'd just spring for new risers. If there's wear at the 3-rings, there's probably wear someplace else too. For 100 buck you can get the peace of mind of knowing you're not going to have a riser failure which leads to a cutaway which leads to a lost main which costs a grand to replace.

Possibly they are trying to avoid duties at customs? If you ship them a rig AND a check, it doesn't look like they bought it from you, it looks like they already owned it, or it is a gift.... But the shipping companies now have extensive paperwork to fill out when sending anything overseas. It blows.

Thanks man. I am planning to jump a huge canopy, but my immediate decision has been made for me by the weather -- it just started to rain. At this point I plan to be REALLY picky about the weather. I want to land standing up -- the ground is either still frozen here or full of giant mud puddles (that's the case today). I don't want a bruised tailbone, and I don't want to sit in a puddle on landing. I'm lucky, in that I work at a gear store and can have my choice of the various demo canopies to make my jump. And that my leg is the right length, and my foot still points forward .

... but you can't check to see whether your pilot chute is cocked with a pullout. This is pobably no big deal if you pack for yourself, but if you use a sketchy packer just that one time....

You don't need to know a thign about harness size if you're buying new gear -- just have someone take your measurements. If you're buying used gear, harness size can be a good indicator, but it often helps to know what the build of the previous/original owner was like. Is he/she built similarly or differently to you, etc... Also, articulated (fully ringed) harnesses can be resized by a good master rigger for 100-200 bucks. I work in the equipment store at Skydive Chicago (Para Concepts), so feel free to email me with more questions.

HELP! I can't tell whether my urge to jump is foolish or not. I'm nine months post tib/fib fracture, can walk without a limp and without pain, but am not allowed to run for another 2 months. Would i be foolish to make a jump on a moderately large canopy? I'm jonesing but scared.... Anyone with similar injuries who could share their experience, please do! thanks....

Hi everybody. I am new here, and just thought I'd introduce myself. Although I've spent plenty of time hanging out at the broken-leg discussion board (sometimes the ground just comes up and bites ya!), it will, clearly, take me a while to figure out all these little smileys and stuff (looks like I figured that one out. Maybe there's hope for me yet)!