fjd

my deepest condolences to the loved ones of Sara and Ron. it is very hard and becomes very real, when the tragedy hits home. fly free. i know you will always have blue skies. ===============

Cayce, is there a coaching program in Perris that combines personal coaching with tunnel time? and what is the Bridge the Gap at Elsinore? most importantly, how much did they cost you? ===============

i agree with you, in general, that the more jumps one has the higher knowledge level. however, that relationship is not necessarily true in ALL instances. and as you pointed out "it isn't the be all and end all" in that who's to guarantee that the profile info is the absolute truth? a reader of this board should always have certain amount of skepticism when reading posts. on the same token, a post should be responded to on its merit of the content, not based on the profile info of the poster. i think we all can use a bit less attitude in general on this board, IMHO. ===============

check "Rigs & Things Paraservice" website, if haven't already. they had the lowest price. the shipping was quick and accurate as well. ===============

it's scaring the crap out of me, too. then again we're a nation which bestows high raings to FOX news and their certain talk shows, and elects a person with no clue as the president. i'm scared crap-less. ===============

exactly!!!! there is no excuse for the main flap to be completely open like that during the climb out. especially the rear float with the newer Javelin with the tuck tab. as you get ready for the climb out, get a pin check. if you don't want a pin check or no one is around that you trust to do it for you, then get in the habit of reaching back and at least make sure that the main flap is secure. i do this multiple times after getting up off the floor/bench of the plane, along with checking/touching all of the handles in the order that they would need to be pulled. this little incident could have easily turned into a much more serious variety. glad you all are OK. ===============

i'm trying to picture as to how the payment was made. i'm guessing most likely the payment was made when the rig was picked up? or maybe you sent in the payment afterwards. in any case, wouldn't you ask for an itemized invoice of some sort, especially if the amount due was much higher than expected? i'm sure you had no intention of "smearing" anyone, but you have to realize that this 'bulletin board' is a powerful medium. for many at your home DZ reading these posts, it doesn't take much to figure out who the rigger in question is. and IMHO the thread certainly had negative connotation for the rigger in question. i think the mis-understanding could have been easily avoided if your rigger had provided an itemized invoice to begin with (mine always does), or if you had asked for it yourself before making the payment. just my two cents. ===============

blind faith?!? i'm sure there is _a_ plan. however, note that we're dealing with politicians here. if they had any plans with any semblance of future success, you would no doubt heard it by now. ===============

amen! ===============

i agree with you. if one were to weigh all the contributing factors, the intoxication would have the most weight. but the choice of canopy nonetheless would be up there as well. if it were a lightly loaded canopy, would it have made a difference? could you make an arguement that the incident report could have been for a couple of broken femurs rather than a fatality? i think that is a distinct possibility. ===============

right on! ===============

i was referring to the latter, a 'pre-planned' night jump. so would you borrow a larger 150+ canopy to do it? ===============

couldn't agree with you more. ===============

i would tend to agree with you on this point. going with a bit bigger canopy than usual should not hurt, unless you are already jumping a lightly loaded canopy. ===============

i agree with you about the scenery, but i would also like to land in one piece, even if not gracefully. ===============

in this month's Parachutist, the incident report gave a lot of details on the recent fatality involving a night jump. there were many factors cited in the report that have collectively contributed to the unfortunate outcome. one of the factors cited was what it called an aggressive choice of canopy: Velocity 97 loaded at 2.1 to 1. what have been your choice of canopies for your night jumps? and what are some of thoughts out there regarding type of canopy, wing loading, own rig vs. rental, etc., etc. ===============

it sounds like you are setting yourself up for a failure by your negative thoughts about how you don't like to exit from certain jump ships. like someone posted earlier, we all could sense the amount of tension just by reading your post. it's all in your mind. why don't you have your jumpmaster do a simple relaxed dive with you before continuing on. the dive will simply be: get stable, be altitude aware and pull for yourself. ===============

hey thanks for the posts and PMs. i think i'm back in the market for a z1 now. blues, ===============

or better yet, if one of you computer geniuses can turn it into a computer file and post it on the skydivingmovies.com website, so everyone can enjoy. ===============

have you tried selling it at your local DZ first? put up a flier or talk to your local rigger or gear shop. that would be THE best way since both the seller and buyer would be local and can meet face to face. if that fails, list your rig right here on the dz.com and use an intermediary, once your find the potential buyer. here is how it worked for me. you send the rig to a reputable rigger or DZO so that the buyer can inspect the rig or have it inspected at his/her expense. if the buyer likes the rig, then he/she will send you the payment. then your intermediary would release the rig to the buyer only when they hear from you saying that the funds are in your bank/paypal account. call and talk to the rigger/DZO in advance to make the arrangement. most, if not all, will be happy to help. and you can bet that they will not risk their reputation on a lousy rig. oh, one more thing. you gotta have a certain amount of faith in the skydiving community. of course, there are a few bad apples, but i've found that most are straight-up folks. good luck! ===============

not to hijack this thread, but i'm in the market for a full face and was considering Z1. however, after reading the posts about it 'falling off during the opening,' i'm having second thoughts. are all full face susceptible to this 'falling off during the opening' to a certain extent or just z1? ===============

it isn't clear from your post which training program you're going through. but as some mentioned, it sounds like a S/L. i'll tell you what worked for me when i did the low solo (3 second delay and pull) as part of my AFF requirement way back when, and it should be applicable in your situation. and this may be a neat trick to use for all you instructors out there. my jump master told me that he would hold up certain number of fingers as he would watch me exit the otter. i was supposed to remember how many fingers he held up. this forced me to maintain a head-high stable body position, because my line of sight was zeroed in the door jam of the otter, watching my jump master's fingers. it was a poised exit so it should be applicable for exit off the strut of a cessna. just make sure your hip is into the relative wind and your legs positive. talk to your jump master and give it a try. good luck. ===============

try giving the folks at Body Sport USA a call. the contact info should be on their web site bodysportusa.com. if you provide them with your measurements, they can custom design a suit using their proprietary software to a specific fall rate that you desire. i'm guessing that is what you're looking for. they have a reasonably priced suit called "the crater suit". they will probably have it made out of poly-cotton (the heaviest material for the most drag) with wings (material under the armpit for additional drag). good luck. ===============

my personal recommendation would be www.para-service.com good price, selection and customer service. what more could you ask. ===============

looks very nice. don't forget the scotch guard!!!!! ===============