packerboy

That was awesome! A true expert shown in action! Hats off. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Threatened the fact that all the beer in the fridge is MINE! -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

So many guys say "Why are good looking women such bitches?" I say "It's because if they're nice and smile at you, you act like they want to have your baby." It is SO SO unfortunate that their are SO many threats out there that it really has ruined things for nice guys. It's why I used to HATE clubs. Seemed like it was all about dickhead men scoping out the drunkest (have forgotten all about this sort of stuff) women and if that didn't work out they were out to get in a fight. Tough to have fun in a place like that for some average Joe just out to socialize. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I was going to say he forgot to bring his face... -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

haha, ya ull get a beer. I can always rent a rig, leave, unpack it, and walk back in. True, but you will have to pay for the pack job.. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I was more scared doing a bungee jump after 400 skydives. Too friggen close to the ground. I bet the first time you huck yourself off a building downtown in the dark would probably do it, or a bridge, or cliff, tower... -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

C'mon now.. did you see that on a video? LOL. jk! I have to admit, I think I would probably make a sorry assed attempt to land it and kill myself and the pilot in the process. Screw the airport though, I wouldn't turn. Just trying and figure out how the flaps work and then gently ease forward on the yoke until I could figure out how to get it back to level from slight decline and then take her down nice and slow until I find a great big field and then put her down and shut the key off, More than likely doing a front flip into the dirt and ending it all for myself. Edited to add: On second thought, I would probably be more useful to jump out and run for help... -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I wouldn't dismiss the idea of doing a tandem first. It is a tonne of fun still, and it helps to get over the fear when you have someone strapped to your back who has thousands of jumps and knows what they are doing there to take care of the minor details like not dying. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

All good answers so far. Can I just say "What he said" and get beer if I see you? I will say you should get your own rig as soon as possible. A: you don't have to pay rental fees. B: If you get one that fits properly, things will generally be more comfortable. C: If you don't feel like packing at the end of the day, you don't have to. Stuff it in a gear bag and get it next time. All the coolest skydivers show up to the dz with an unpacked rig ;) -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Meh, I'll giver a go! For enough money anything is possible... ;) Edited to add: PS: No fatties please. That actually looks hard. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Where I did my first tandem, they had a garbage landfill not too far off the end of the runway. We taxied to one end and it just smelled horrible. TI: "Do you smell that?" Me: "Yeah, it's horrible" TI: "You want to know what it is?" Me: "sure" TI: "It's the smell of fear... New pilot, first time taking off on a short grass runway, and the left flap is seized up. Welcome to our perfectly good airplane!" -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

If they just let students watch a video and go skydiving without any formal instruction from an experienced instructor they would literally have to hire a paramedic crew and coroner on staff. Most people wouldn't just get it like you think you would. I don't think I'm really exaggerating. It would put others in the air at risk as well. You can go skydiving without having to take any sort of course. All you need is a rig, a plane, and a pilot.

Best point made in this thread so far. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I can't reply to much of your last post because I gave you the last word.. but inside I am LMFAO because you simply don't understand how much the experience in the field that you have more of than me (doing tandems) has really no bearing on what my opinion was about (pricing structures). I really don't think many dzo's give a shit what people have to go through to get the job done. What they care about is how much money they can get out of the finished product. It's just business after all. (To most of them anyway). Like I said.. as far as I'm concerned, your opinion on the matter means exactly shit to me, mostly because you are arguing about something totally different because somehow you felt your awesomeness was being challenged by me saying that doing tandems isn't hard. Which in fact I never said. But I do have to say this piece, because you did just laid down a personal attack on my character. You offered me a deal 3 times with having a clue what you were getting in to because you have NO CLUE who you are talking to and you weren't expecting me to actually take it. I didn't "negotiate" anything. You did ALL the negotiating. It was actually only when you found out that my total sum of tandem pack jobs to sport pack jobs was going to be $0 that YOU backed out on the deal that YOU were offering. That was just YOU being stupid. I passed on the deal a couple times, but you kept on shoving it down my throat to prove a point. I've got a bridge I can sell you... And you also have said all that I need to know about you. So piss off. Really.. just piss off. Sorry.. I went and gave you that present... and you took it. And then I went and took it back. I guess I negotiated the last word thing in bad faith. My bad. Here, now you can have it for real.... go ahead. It's ok. Take it. Here, I'll throw it on the floor in front of you and I won't look. It's ok boy.... *looking away* pffft -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Perhaps the extra "fat tax" is not about the DZ's bottom line (at least not in any direct way)... perhaps the extra pittance is merely a "tip", a token symbolic gesture the DZ makes to the TI/TM to show appreciation of them taking on the heavier people? And like all emotional gestures, to make it count this has to be publicized and not a behind the doors allocation. This is perhaps the real reason it is not "priced in" by a flat rate. By charging heavy people more and doing it directly and in an open manner, it leaves less room for TI/TM to say "no" and emotionally pressures them into saying "YES". It gives the heavy customer more "power" because now they can say they "paid" for it. Basically, the heavy dude now can (indirectly) insinuate that the TI/TM is a "wuss" if they rejected him/her due to weight issues or concerns when they were under the hard limit. Even though the extra fee is not equitable to the extra risk. After running some simplistic numbers it now seems more like an emotional play on the TI/TM than a full and straightforward "financial" compensation of any proportional or equitable means. This tax is probably less about the DZ trying to recuperate lost margins from heavy people than appeasing and making an emotional appeal backed by a token symbolic financial gesture to the TI/TM to take them on at all, otherwise like you said the DZ is out the $300 completely. Perhaps the heavier people should be THANKING the DZ for this physiologically manipulative (just my theory) tax that compels the TI/TM to take on heavy people that they otherwise would turn down? If $20 is going to convince a TI to take someone that they would normally turn down for safety reasons, this is NOT the TI that you want to be jumping with IMO.. But my opinion on the matter, how do I put it? "Means shit" I think it was. Only way to know for sure is to ask someone with 5K+ tandem jumps.. :) -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson