rjf98

Sorry Hook, but I just disagree with you and know of at least one Course Director who would as well. I've been around enough organizations that complain about standards dropping with each succesive year. The fact is that the quality of instruction and the ability of the average skydiver has only increased each year. I'm realtively new to the sport (5 years now I think), but I bet in 91 there weren't so many people with 100 jumps competing in FS competitions (I guess you would say none they were competing in RW comps). The average point total has gone up at all levels. FF has come VERY far, Canopies are beyond what most skydivers in 91 were probably even imagining. Not all of the above is directly related to instruction, but it starts there. You have more knowledge in this area than I do. What about student deaths or injuries over the course of the last 14 years. Have they statistically gone up? If that answer were a yes then I would have to back down from my position and say you are right. I think that instructors have gotten better over the years because of group knowledge and experience. It's very easy for experienced instructors to look at the new guys and talk about how unprepared and not ready they are. It's VERY difficult to remember that at one point the experienced instructor was unprepared as well. No course will every produce the caliber of instructor that you get after thousands of instructional jumps. The Base level of instructor is what you have to look at. Just the humble opinion of a pretty darn new instructor. Sorry to hijack the thread. Yes I feel like I get paid enough. Yes a free pack job on top of what I already get would be the bomb.

Dude: Your jump was fine. The whole point of a level 2 is to ensure that you can save your own life and fall stable. You did that. We were already to push you forward until you debriefed us. For everyone's ettifcation: This was not a bad jump. Little shakey on exit, but not even one tumble (for anyone who's been doing aff for any length of time that means a good exit

I still want a Vigil. I won't put it in my wifes rig, but I will pull out my cypress 2 and put that in hers while I take the new gear. Would have bought one 2 months ago had there been any type of customer service at all. My comment was more directed at AndyMan saying that the units were not for sale and all of our complaints were baseless. No, all of the complaints were more than valid. They were advertising in Parachutist (big deal here in the states) and their web site was accepting orders. Had the web site told everyone that there wasn't a price yet, and it wasn't in production, and that they were working on details then we would have no reason to complain. As it stands they have some ground to make up. I think Kim is doing an oustanding job as their representative and I hope that she finishes catching up the ground that was lost to hard feelings about a company that wasn't as ready as they would have liked everyone to believe. Kim if you read this, please PM me on where I should order this unit out here on the west coast, and if I should even do so for the next few months. Thanks.

Interesting... we're all talking about JC and no one has talked to him. It's been a while, but I think I remember him telling me he was flying a camera at around 200 jumps and filming tandems real shortly after that. Hey some guys are good, some guys suck, and some guys are great. Every once in a while someone makes dumb choices, lives despite it, and then turns out great. Not saying it's the case with JC... nothing but respect for the guy, but I'd really like to hear his thoughts on his canopy progression.

I was pretty sure, yep just checked their site, this unit IS for sale (at least you can order it off of the website, and they list their US dealers). Might not actually be shipping, but it has been for sale (could be ordered) for the last few months.

Silly Froggy.... 12oz in a bottle.

Just wanted to let everyone know I got a response. "Aloha Rich. Rumors, not completely. No stores, I need to deal directly w/ customers and Yes I am shifting gears. And Yes I can add those drag ports and repair your ankle. DP's are $75 The camera top I can do for you. tops are $140 and wings are $55. Total $270 Ineed your pants to match colors...tricky with tones always changing...so may not match perfectly. Floral teal I may not still have...I save scraps for just this thing. Please send pants ASAP. with top measurments to; Chuck Priest 2002 L Hunnewell St Hon. HI. 96822" I'll keep everyone informed on the speed of the repairs, quality of service on the new stuff etc. Rich

Anyone had any luck with this company over the last year or so. I have a pair of FF pants from them I need to get repaired and wanted to order a camera top to match. My local dealer told me that they were more or less done producing anything custom, and that their customer service was, to put it politely, suffering. Obviously this wasn't the case when I purchased the original pants or I would have gone somewhere else.

Holy S**** An actuall voice from the company. Trying to get them to answer e-mail from the web site was ridiculous. I'll PM you on a couple of questions I had.

Kramer: You sure he's going to HALO and not Air Force Free Fall school. Been with the Marine Corps about 8 years now, enlisted, ROTC, Officer and getting ready to go back to be an Officer Instuctor. I have never heard of a cadet getting HALO in any service.

I think as a general rule the military believes it is paying it's officers far to much money to have them "playing" for a job. That's just the way it is. As an enlisted guy I had fun. As an officer I'm expected to lead people and manage accounts. Pick your poison. Bennies to both sides

I call Bullshit. Someone from MFF in Yuma want to chime in. Most military FF jumps are pulled at altitudes usually laughed at by recreational skydivers. caveat: I have never been to MFF school, but know plenty of people who have. I am however an active duty Marine with Recon Background and jump school under my belt.

Jay jumped wet chutes all last night. Towards the end of the 24 hours the sliders were starting to stay up and they were not opening very fast, but they were working just fine being packed up soaking wet.

How many of you here dub music onto those fancy skydiving videos that are produced at your DZ? Can anyone tell me how we are getting around paying a usage fee for the music? In my head I know that the music isn't what we are selling, but since it IS a portion of the sale shouldn't a portion of the proceeds go to the record company/ artist? This is a serious question... EVERY major DZ sells VHS or DVD tapes of tandems and AFF.

How many that have posted so far have actually gone through the AFF-I course????? If you haven't you don't have anything to base your opinion on. Not that I'm saying it isn't strange for a low time jumper to have the rating (take a look at my profile). My Course director and evaluator made it very plain at the beginning of the course. "If I don't think you could save the life of my wife or son on their first jump... you won't leave here with the rating." Everyone had to start somewhere. Even those instructors with 6000 jumps. At some point they were a nubie instructor doing their first "real" AFF jump. Another question. Would you be more comfortable with an instructor that had 1000 jumps but it was his first instruction jump, or an instructor that had 700 jumps and had 200 instruction jumps???

I'd love to be able to say so, but ... NOPE

Yes... you're responsible.

If you need / want a buddy to go with you let me know. I've backed more than one person up in my life.

How about checking the damn spot! Screw the light... it's only a guide. It should be is the spot right? Yes Is the green light lit Yes OK Jump. I think it should be both when you have it. The pilot has access to information you don't about winds on the ground and comm with other aircraft and a view of what's actually comming from the other side of the plane.

I landed one at 200 pounds without my gear. Low altitude entaglement. Had combat load as well.

At first glance I liked this table. I think an enforcement at the local level is where it is at. That is a community of skydivers that want those regulations. Much harder to swallow in the form of BSRs (that is generally an American thing for those of you outside the states). I wonder. Could a table like this open up the DZ to a lawsuit. Say someone splashes in a breaks his femer at the 50 Jump limit. "well the DZ has this table and they said that it was safe to jump at this wingloading once I had 50 jumps." Not saying it's right, just asking what everyone thinks.

At the risk of sounding harsh. Going in is a reality in our sport. If the thought of it doesn't make you a little nervous.... QUIT NOW! Don't ever think that it's not a possibility or that it can't happen to you. Yes most fatalities happen under fully inflated canopies, yes, most terminal impacts could have been prevented with a cypress (shit Ron will probably read this and I'll have to listen to him rant about that) but a cypress is a back up... it's electronic and shouldn't be relied on. [Rich crawls off of his soapbox] Welcome to skydiving and the community of fellow jumpers that supports your decision to test fate every time you jump. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Try contacting the manufacturer. Guaranteed the rating on that rig is WAY higher than a standard rating on civilian gear. I bet they could show you the process they went through with the military to get the gear certified. If it doesn't have a TSO I'd be suprised, and even if it doesn't, if their testing was equivalent I bet you could get some form of waiver (FAA) for it with USPA's help. Lots of work, but don't give up hope.

NFW!!! Tell me you Photo Shopped that pic That was FUNNY. Rich thinks of the Austin Powers Song

I'm suprised you haven't heard about it. Close to 1 million acres have burned. Thousands of homes destroyed, and the last count I heard was 16 dead. This doesn't even begin to account for the lost livestock and wildlife. Biggest fires in history out here. Major disaster. I think for a while people thought that San Diego, CA proper was in hot water.