SCR10480

With 102 views, and zero replies...I might say that your question is the biggest "screw up" I've ever seen.

Hey Brett! Over here at Central Oregon, we get paid by Bob at day's end with a check. When we reach $600.00 in earnings, we're then given a 1099 to fill out. All tips and other forms of "gratuity" are a jealously guarded secret that are extensively bragged about. Pigpen

I wish the name for this packing method was less bizzare; I look at as basically just a rolled-up pro-pack. ________________________________________________ Your wish has been granted...it is now referred to as the "Precision Pack."

Right you are! Intanglement/inversion isn't possible with mesh. Sure does gather twigs and leaves good too.

500 jumps maximum...Period! After having one fail on deployment, I change mine at 300.

Thanks for your "zwei Cents" . . . do you prefer the thinner lines? Do the lines increase canopy performance? _________________________________________________ Yes I do prefer thinner lines. It's simple Physics to "see" the benefit of the smaller profile...but then, with continuous lines, there are more of them. So I kinda feel like it evens itself out.

HI There! After reading the replies that you've gotten so far, I would like to give you my "Dos Centavos"... I think it's easier to stow non cascaded lines...what I mean is, it's easier to keep them neat and orderly. I find that on cascades, when I get to the cascaded part of the lines, the bight (stow) seems to always have a few hoops, and strays sticking out. As far as packing, my Xaos is a pain! But WELL worth it!

Yes, I have refused to jump with some students. I took my S. O. for her first Tandem, but when she decided to continue I handed her off to a colleague for further training. Maybe I'm weird, but I feel like her training would be better accomplished this way. __________________________________________________

Was it "feezing"? did your balls get "Frosted"? When I read your post, I could only think of one DZO in AZ that fits the discription. By the way, I've done 5 in a day from a 182...and it kicked my ass!

Right on Shawn! I got my "Vector" rating last year, and so far it's been a blast! Congradulations Bro! When are you comming to Madras? Pigpen

I have been waiting to add my review of the Vengeance, until I had a few jumps on it. Not that I don't appreciate the reviews written by folks that have made only 10 or 20 demo jumps on a canopy, I do...it's just that the "personality" of airlocked parachutes don't fit the common mold. Even though the Vengeance is often compared to the awesome Stiletto (what elliptical isn't)? I have found them to be, at best, distant cousins. If you have read the other well written reviews here, you've noticed a common theme. Openings with the VN require immediate attention, (from line stretch to slider stow) if you want to have anything that resembles an on heading opening. If you try the "shoulders level, hips flat and feet together" routine, you're gonna get a very scenic ride! One really needs to be on the rears as soon as the Vengeance is out of the sack. Once your Vengeance is out of the bag, and you have it settled down...Oh Baby! What a ride! I disagree with the reviews claiming that the Stiletto turns faster. My stiletto needs to be "told" to turn...my Vengeance seems to read my mind. I have found the VN to be both more responsive, and quicker to enter turns and dives than my ST. Riser pressure is also noticeably lighter on the VN compared to the ST. And as noted in other reviews, the VN will continue to dive, until told to do something else...where my Stiletto will recover on it's own. When it comes to stability? Well, the Vengeance is in a class by itself. I jump in the "High Desert" of Central Oregon, and we get some pretty nasty air during summer. I've had my ST do some really weird stuff in the trash, and even had it "drop" me a few times. My VN on the other hand, gives me a rougher ride, but is always on top and immediately controllable. Yes, in moderate ground winds airlocks can be somewhat embarrassing to gather...just follow Germain's instructions, and get over yourself! Look at it this way: If your friends aren't teasing you about "folding your air mattress" they will find something else! Airlocks: "Rock and Roll is here to stay" (Brian Germain)

"feel I will be SERIOUSLY injured if I don't actively fly the thing" __________________________________________________ Still, it's a better idea than landing your jumpsuit.

The risers are tied together to insure that they are even when the lines are stowed. This helps to promote more on heading openings.

Thanks Man...Valid, interesting and accurate.

"I just might stick with my tempo 170 reserve for a while..although I do not trust it" __________________________________________________ Then by all means replace it. You have asked some very good questions, and have gotten some very good answers...but, if you DO NOT trust your reserve you are already in danger before you even get on the plane. PD makes great stuff...contact Kolla.

Bravo Dude! Your post got my pulse rate going. Great heads up driving too!

The most difficult part for me was the "role playing" portion. Learn to become an actor, because to "teach" a student that has 6000 jumps and treat them like they have 10 or 11 takes a pretty good imagination! And, like the others here have told you, watch those gear checks! If it can be screwed up, your student WILL screw it up. Good luck, and welcome to Instructing.

"Well....it's easy to think that once AFF is done it'd get cheaper. Fact of the matter is that after AFF you'll want to buy your own gear, start travelling to boogies, and just want to jump more in general....all of which add up to a lotta $$$." Umm, don't forget BEER! Welcome Cookie! You'll do just as the rest of us have...Whatever it takes!

Texas Terry...Congradulations! Getting your first license is a big step, and you should be proud. Welcome!

No...Hard deck is hard deck. Unless a Skyhook can gain me some altitude, I'll still chop on time.

"Any advice for landing in turbulent conditions?" Land on a 12 pack of beer, and don't move until you've completed all 12 exercises. Then, once you have demonstrated this skill to the satisfaction of your DZO (Drinking Zone Observer), wait 12 hours, lather rinse and repeat. Seriously...don't jump in bad air. "It's much better to be on the ground, wishing you were in the air...than being in the air, wishing you were on the ground!"

I have a Vengeance 135 in a J-1 (one size bigger than OJ) and it's pretty snug. I suppose you might shoehorn a 135 into your OJ by getting a bag that's a bit larger, then squeeze the excess air out with the container flaps. Just a thought

"I doubt the packing volume will significantly change over time" And right you are! The amount of fabric you stuff in the sack doesn't change. The ease with which you get it in the bag does. As the canopy is used, some of the "SoarCoat" is scuffed up, and makes the fabric less slippery, and the seams stretch allowing you to squish more air out. It may seem that the canopy is getting smaller, not bigger.

Awwww You mean that MY malfunction, is YOUR worst one too? Thanks Man...(overcome with emotion)