jimmytavino

i always have, and still DO Flat Pack....it works for me...

One mans Noise is another mans Music.. I LOVE the sound of aircraft... BUT such a sound 24/7,,, and inescapable... might get tedious..... ... and SO that's why i wouldn't BUY a house adjacent to an airport, But might stop and park my car nearby to a runway.... to take in " a song or two "....

Oh sorry to hear that, Spence. so, i deleted that previous post... still in favor of supporting the OTHER locals.... however... But it could be wise to BYOB jmy

There IS a beer store...right nearby....A guy named David works there and will likely have a Wide variety... ( saves having to truck all those cases WITH you ) The store is behind the places on the road, across the street from the W -Mart.. Maybe someone can find and post a link for the place...( for advance orders ) I bet they can get Anything.. Support the Local Fitzgerald business establishments......

And you will have idiots on the ground pointing lasers at you; Better to be invisible while flying. hahaha!!! true enough, i guess... I like those who think outside the box... i never would have considered the "laser Looneys " what a world..... My answer Still Stands... because i will know how to "fly perpendicular " to any ground based laser shooter ...

If " be able to Fly " Means having the talent to launch UP off the ground AT will...... And afterwards, LAND... Back, SAFELY onto the ground ... then That's what i would choose.... Invisiblity ???? Hell NO !!! I would want EVERYBODY,,,, to be able to SEE Me...

it was late in the day.. maybe temps were dropping, especially at altitude. was there also precipitation happening??? it would be tough to fight off, rime ice on wings and fuselage, IF an engine was acting Up... sad SAD situation...

I'll admit, it's been a WHILE. but i seem to remember that IF you tried to use a reserve, from a minisystem ON a stylemaster main container, the reserve container would be UP around your nipples. very uncomfortable and you'd Likely EAT the altimeter mounting plate that was On it....at deployment... But it HAS been a long time since i've jumped EITHER type of gear... jmy

stylemaster, as I recall had a 3 pin closing flap that ran diagonal on the back of the main container. It had Reserve D rings that were rather high on the main lift webs. And so the reserve container had connector snaps that were at the end webbing straps which stuck Up 2 to 3 inches, out the the top corners... A mini system reserve container has Waaay shorter webbing components for the snaps and so would ride waaaaay too high on your front.. if used with that Main container..The D rings on a Mini System were MUCH lower. Compatible components not only make sense,,,,they are an important safety issue.. It sounds like THIS system has been cobbed together using whatever was in the closet, or stuffed under a rigging table.... It's not the canopies that Need to match or not.....It's the containers.

P B & J sandwiches were a real staple for my siblings and me....when we were kids... Mom would lay out 8 or ten sheets of waxed paper, and then deal out the slices of wonder bread like it was No Limit Texas Hold 'Em She bought the Peanut Butter in Half Gallon glass jars !!! and then saved every One of them. ( She used them to put her World Class Macaroni Gravy In them , and then freeze. Meatballs went into a second Jar ) Usually grape jelly, Also from a BIG Jar.. Peanut Butter TODAY..... MUST have a different ingredient in it... 90 % of the kids in our elementary school lunchroom had PB&J sandwiches in their brown paper bags and There was NEVER ANY hint of an "allergy "....Nowadays, it's ALL changed.. either the Peanut Butter is Stronger... Or the Kids "are weaker "

GOOD Find.....

a BIG part of the Fun of skydiving, is getting to meet and Jump with many different people... I do pretty well with placing people and can remember names , for the most part. One of the reasons I got into video and stills, is so that AFTER I leave the DZ,, I can still review pics and vids, in order to help Names, stick in my head. The More likely scenario is that OTHERS seldom remember Me.. I guess I have THAT effect on folks.... I never say, " I forgot your Name".... that seems as though I'm kinda "disinterested " in them and so I usually say, " I remember YOU,

good suggestion... There is also another aspect to this issue. Wherein someone without any weaknesses or history of problems, can suddenly find themselves FACING a shoulder dislocation... either during a gripped up exit, which tumbles, or a doorjamb biting you on exit, or from any sort of "kamikaze relative work " .. Suddenly you CAN find yourself in freefall, with one arm or another Flapping wildly over your head.... ( been there , done That ) talk about a rude awakening So it could be sensible to run that scenario through our heads a few times, JUST IN CASE ... It helps a lot to know HOW you'd handle that sort of emergency,,, and being IN freefall without the normal use of Both arms...IS an emergency!!! stay cool. assess what's going on around you.. Where?? are all the others?? with whom you exited?? is the dive building??? where Are YOU in relation to the formation ? Check your altitude.. resist the temptation to Pull Immediately, What if there are Others above you??? what if you CAN'T Get..... to your main PC??/ What if you deploy either of your canopies waaaaay above normal pull altitude. and it's a windy day... Bad enough to be incapacitated, and so you sure don't want to make an off field landing.. while injured. assess the situation. and accept that it could be best , if it's your main PC arm,,, to go directly to your reserve. Do NOT pull tooo high.... nor Wait for an AAD to activate. Pull at normal altitude plus maybe 500 feet. AND Wave... with t he good arm, before you DO pull. Figure out Where you ARE relative to the spot, ANd to the landing area. Concern yourself with accomplishing a SAFE landing, and in the right place... I had a right shoulder dislocation during a pregripped 6 way, off a CASA.. ( long story ) Bang...knew I had a problem, right away followed these above guidelines.. and managed to get safely to my ( less than graceful ) landing. A friend who witnessed the reserve opening from the ground, had my freebag IN Hand,,,before I even got below 1,000 feet... Only thing I did wrong,,, was NOT taking Both toggles into my left hand... in order to flare the reserve squarely.... wound up with a left turning touchdown.. BIG reserve 225 Sq ft...and did a plf. friends got to me and helped me out of my gear, and Tspoon got me to the local ER. No fun... but a good learning opportunity.. If that experience can help others here and in the future.. then much more good will have come of it,, than the saving of my butt!! So think about it....WHAT would you do????: if you're perfectly sound, in your shoulders... BUT something happens during a dive to CREATE a dislocation... It could be a real saver for you sometime down the road to run that situation through your head BEFORE it happened.. gotta dirt-dive the BAD,,,, as well as the Good jmy

well, It WILL fly... only mostly in an uncontrollable manner... AND it WILL "land"... only it won't be Pretty

a Sad & Sorry Event on every level. have not yet heard what the race, or ethnic origin IS, of the shooter....for SURE he was unstable.... unstable , can be fertile ground for erratic thought and erratic thinkers are REAL susceptible to "the power of persuasion"... classic case of thinking he is Helping,,,, by "pouring gasoline on a fire "... Each of "the inciters " Who stand before microphones and BLATHER,,,,,, and all those who thoughtlessly Mimic them....encouraging an " Us against Them " attitude, share in the responsibility AND Blame here.... peace on earth. good will toward man.

Good to see the brainstorming has begun !! hahaha. Good point BillyV about that exit,, not to mention "aft of center " concerns at climb out. NOW,,,,Since i have already "been chunked " waaay tooo many times in the past, ( please don't ask about that CASA exit where i truly was " the innocent victim " ),,, i will happily consider watching from above, and/or chasing it.. cameras operative !!!. WHEN it builds, if altitude, conditions, and awareness allow for it....maybe i can dock, WHERE it was dirt-dived, that i'll dock...

hahahah!!... be careful what you wish For Thomas !!!!!! i ain't as young & spry , as i once was>> ( they tell me i'm " over the hill " but i can't seem to remember EVER being on TOP !!! .. ) I've done a few "quarter TON 2 ways " a couple of Big guys WITH gear....If the fallrate is Good... we often surprise ourselves. Yes, keithbar, the right mix of personnel, in the correct slots, and with some patience and diligence,, should be able to build, just fine... We used to host a CASA boogie every summer and had some great raft jumps, in years past..Planning, practice, and a dose of good luck.... Fun for all

Nice trip, beautiful country, but those temps are hell on the ski resorts. Was Vail open for skiing yet? the temps in the Fifties were in Denver. The scoreboard at the Stadium reached 58 around 4 PM local time, on Sunday The Ski areas WERE open and we were told they had gotten about 2 Feet of natural snow a week earlier and had been Making snow for about as long. The air temps were lower up at 10,000 feet ASL Got into the Teens overnight !!!Clear skies a nearly full moon and lots of stars and the snow was piled here and there near the skiing areas... While some of our group DID ski, we did not. Lots of walking around, window shopping, riding the free shuttle buses, and taking pictures. Vail was surprisingly NOT real crowded, as the season had only just started, and it was a monday . Kinda Nice...We could come and go easily, anywhere in the Village. They had an outdoor skating rink, and Lights and decorations here and there. Candy stores, Clothing stores, souvenir shops, eateries... The skiing places , Vail and Arapahoe Basin were running at a nice pace...a little crowded but very easy to get back onto the lifts, as indicated by those who did ski. we had Fun...so i posted the DAMN pictures!!!!!

You up for another raft dive this year if we can get the right A/C? If not, how about some heavy ways TailGates????? Heavy Weighs ( ways )

hmmmm we got a state farm Life Ins. policy on me... which COVERS me, in the event of any skydiving related "loss" So it's funny to read that your agent says they don't wish to be "associated with skydiving".. they've been cashing OUR ( substantial ) premium payments for years... Had a video camera covered under Homeowners, when it got smashed during a "zero G " situation.. With the cost of todays gear.. ( MY rig is worth MORE than my Van ) ( which ain't sayin' Much ) it sure does make Sense to find coverage in the event of a lost cutaway main and freebag AND of course against theft... Check your auto insurance to be sure that any theft from your car.... is covered.... and/or fire. It may be a good idea to alert them to the (approximate ) Value of the gear...at some point so there are fewer issues, IF ever you used the insurance. good luck.

my Son has been a tried and true Buffalo Bills Fan since the days of the lost super bowls, and Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith and Thurman Thomas. We decided to reward his loyalty and his hard work for the past few years, ( getting OUt the door at 7:40 AM,,, Every morning, working many saturdays and occasional sundays ) with a 5 day getaway to a Beautiful Place... We went to Denver, and then on to Vail, Colo. Saw nothing but Sunny skies .. and temps in the 50s... just a wonderful trip..... Saw Peyton Manning LIVE,,,, and damn near Upset those Broncos... EVERYone we ran into , was friendly, helpful and gracious....

wouldn't "the meal " become oxygen starved, once he is any distance into the snakes gut ???? AND don't constrictors Kill ya' Before they swallow you??? I say, leave the poor animal ALONE

....and so Far... in 43 years... they haven't "escorted me to the county line " Yet... inviting me to " KEEP OUT " ... well there WAS that One time when i got " overnight lodging " courtesy of the County Sheriffs Dept..... But we worked things Out... so i Could Stay ( i swear.. I Didn't Do It " !!!!) Lots of other parts of NY State are nice too.....

hmmm Ok well maybe the term "cesspool " is a bit over dramatic, but the facts are..... the city is Old. the infrastructure is failing. The people tend to cluster into groups based on cultural similarities or countries of origin, from low economic levels to High society Big shots... My words may have come across as pointing out stereotypes... and so for that....I'm sorry... .. as for City folks thinking they have an idea about "Upstaters "... Unless they Have been there... they'd only be Guessing,, and 8 times outta 10 the guess would be Wrong......

Fair enough... and while "foreclosing " on a rig does have some comic element to it...it's also a serious matter... Never wanna see anyone getting p'od least of all ON a dropzone.....and aside from being embarrassed , the target BETTER take it in stride. and scratch off the load.... and "Stand Down "... Done deal... let them get Mad later....tell them to cool off and have a beer... Don't LET them walk away with the rig.... you follow up the repossession of the reserve handle by "suggesting " that any AMOUNT previously paid has been deemed by the owner,,, as RENT, for the time that the rig was "out of the hands of it's rightful owner " .... NOT per jump. not per pack job.. but by HOW many months have passed since the " good faith deal " was made... One person Gave away a complete rig to the other, as we're told, and then only a couple of payments and then 150 dollars...recently..have been made... Not Fair... You'd have to consider relieving the person entirely, of the rig, along with any AAD and canopies attached to it..Put the damn reserve ripcord BACK.... immediately Be prepared to handle the reserve pc and bridle try NOt to let the free bag get out... Find a helper or two and dirt dive the damn thing... Make it a fun event if you can... Don't let him keep it, unless FULL payment is tendered,,, then and there.....Let him take up a collection IF he can... Thanks hackish for adding to the discussion.. How about an update from the O P ?? any progress ?? Hell the BEST thing would be .... if the dude just Pays for the rig ,,honors his word....and everybody' s Happy !!!!