betzilla

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Posts posted by betzilla

  1. · Edited by betzilla

    On 6/4/2019 at 7:53 PM, Maddingo said:

    they also made the pc pocket slicker for easier packing.

    !!!

    Keep in mind this means you need to be extra vigilant that your pouch is in good shape, to guard against premature deployments. If your pilot chute slides into the pouch more easily, the same will be true for it sliding out. There is always a trade off.

     

    Really nice looking rig though!

  2. It's soooo normal to be nervous - as a student skydiver, every jump requires you to get way outside your comfort zone!

    Tunnel time might not help you with the nerves themselves, but it WILL help you with the freefall stuff the nerves are keeping you from visualizing. And it will help you with general confidence (which MIGHT help with the nerves!).

  3. yep. It's doable, but not much fun. PR126/OP143 (and below) is where the one-size-up OP doesn't really pack the same size as the smaller PR, at least in my experience. That becomes more pronounced as you get into smaller and smaller sizes...

  6. On 6/13/2007 at 10:46 AM, riggerrob said:

    If that is the original cutaway handle, Aerodyne owes you a new one.

    Aerodyne now sends their handles out with the cables needing to be cut by the assembling rigger. While this is annoying, they do come with very clear instructions regarding how to determine the correct length and trim the cables to it.

  8. It does make a difference - sometimes a significant one. First step would be to reach out to Icarus ([email protected]) and find out if you've got the factory-size slider or some other goofy thing (you never know what you're really getting when you buy used gear - people make all kinds of modifications and maybe the previous owner of your canopy wanted slower openings for whatever reason. who knows?), and go from there. J is quite responsive - you'll probably hear back from him right away.

    Good luck!

    • Like 1

  9. I take a decongestant before my first jump of the day during allergy season, because if I'm at all congested, I'll have trouble with ear pain. Sometimes I have to take another later in the day, sometimes one dose does the trick. You might find it helps you as well...

    • Like 1

  10. On 4/27/2019 at 12:35 PM, SethInMI said:

    What you experienced is not unusual. For one of my student jumps, I think it was jump 5 or 6, I drove to the dropzone, got out of the car, walked into the building through one door, walked past manifest and out the other door, got back in the car and drove home. Just too nervous.

    yup. I did exactly the same thing a couple times as a student, except I just drive right on by. Didn't even turn into the parking lot, lol. It's pretty normal.

  14. On 3/9/2019 at 4:15 PM, wolfriverjoe said:

    .... putting an earlier date on the card to make it look like it's due for another repack sooner than it should be?

     

    That sounds like it's getting into fuzzy legal territory, like postdating a check. Doesn't the FAA view packing data cards as legal documents? I get the willies when I even see one signed in ink other than black or blue, lol.

    I don't like packing rigs when the AAD will be due for service before the repack expires, but I've done it, making a note on the data card saying something like "Cypres requires service before xx/xx/xxxx." Overall, I've found that almost all customers are happy to plan their AAD service at the repack, because they'd rather save the ten or twenty bucks it would cost to remove/reclose, then install/reclose - they just need a little help remembering and planning, and it's easier (less hassle) to comply with service requirements on your regular repack schedule than not.

    • Like 1

  15. 6 hours ago, DiverMike said:

    ... is this the picture that should be on the cover of the official publication of the USPA? Should the USPA really be promoting lighting your canopy on fire?  It gives it a sense of legitimacy and may even make some people think they can go to the SIM to find out how to do it. :)

     

    I had the exact thought when I saw that cover, plus, "OOOOOH, that's where that dude on dz.com saw it..."

    • Like 1

  16. On 3/4/2019 at 2:10 PM, cjwilt said:

    Good luck and keep us posted. Hopefully you don't need surgery.

    Thanks all!

    I saw the Dr. yesterday. The shoulder itself is super stable, with no signs of arthritis or anything else particularly nasty, and really only decreased ROM and a very minor weakness to one direction (BOC direction, of course, lol). They're confident that some PT will improve all of that, and now that I'm not worried a dislocation is imminent, I suspect that even if tunnel and jumping make me a little sore afterwards, the pain won't bother me nearly as much now. All in all, about as good an outcome as I could have hoped for! So I'll have 12 PT sessions, then go have a follow up in June. Woot!

  17. On 2/26/2019 at 11:56 PM, Justincblount said:

     other likely reasons to shave one's head besides militant feminism. Like if you had a niece who lost their hair from chemotherapy or something, and wanted to show solidarity with her. Or if you had cancer yourself. I obviously brought a lot of prejudices into this.

    ...or if you just fucking feel like it because it's your own goddamned head and hair, to do with as you please.

    • Like 1

  18. On 2/25/2019 at 12:21 PM, cjwilt said:

    After suffering through pain the last 5 months I finally went to the doc thinking I might have a tear. I was prescribed (at home) PT and Etodolac for the period of one month. If no progress, go in for MRI.

     

    The first month is coming to an end and the PT has worked amazingly. I did ask for a cortisone shot while I was in and that provided immediate relief however I feel the PT is working for a long term solution. Time will tell.

    This is great to hear (read, lol). I've ignored intermittent pain for a few years, but after some tunnel time over the last month, it's really been aggravated (yesterday is the first day in a week and a half where I didn't have more or less constant pain. Today I'm pain free, which is welcome!), and I'm concerned about:

    1. range of motion, especially since it's my right shoulder, and, you know, it's great to be able to reach back for my hackey ;), and

    2. if these these things don't heal themselves, does that mean I'm marching toward a minimally effective surgery, no matter what?

    It sounds like maybe with PT, I can gain back my full ROM, and avoid surgery. And if I do end up needing surgery (which is probably a long way off), it might actually work. So y'all have given me hope! Seeing an ortho on Tuesday to get started planning a plan :)

    • Like 1

  20. As a rigger, over about the last decade, I've packed at least four Cypres saves, one of them a student on a level 1 AFF (many years ago - I don't know the specifics, nor would I tell you what they were if I did know, so don't ask). Two of the others were the same fun jumper. I feel like there was a fifth, but I'm not positive I packed that one (I did the repack and cutter replacement afterwards), so I'm not including it in the count...

    • Like 1

  21. · Edited by betzilla

    On 1/27/2019 at 6:17 PM, faulknerwn said:

     

    So I was considering heading up to the PIA symposium for a day but was not sure what day.  Looking at their website, they have a list of seminar topics, but nowhere (that I can find) does it talk about what seminars are done on what days/times.  This information would be quite handy for deciding about attending!    Anyone have a schedule?

    Wendy et al, there's an app called "Hello Crowd," for Android and iOS. Grab the app (it's free), then search for Parachute Industry Association. You can find the seminar schedule there, as it currently stands. Hope to see you in Dallas!

     

    • Like 1