wsinsel

Members
  • Content

    47
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

Everything posted by wsinsel

  1. Have a 1996 Sabre 190 with 4 steering lines. Is anyone familiar?
  2. Ok, his payment link won't work. He's evasive about his relationship to the skydive store. He says they don't accept any credit cards or Venmo, want's Zelle only and I'm feeling like this is the most bizarre sales tactics I have ever encountered in 30 years of skydiving and gear purchases. I'll never, ever deal with them again, even if this comes out ok.
  3. I'm dealing with Jeff Barlow here and something doesn't add up. He wants me to send money on Zelle to [email protected] but it's not his email or his store. The email belongs to a Sergei. Anyone?
  4. I'm dealing with Jeff Barlow right now. He asked me to send money to [email protected] but my software tells me that is not Jeff. It's some guy named Sergei. Anyone have any info. I don't trust this deal.
  5. It's a transition canopy for one of my customers. She bought it in a Javelin J1 and the entire system looks like new. She only weighs 130 lbs. I'm not sure what to tell her to do. She has been told to never use this canopy. I'm not so sure it's this generation of canopy that had this problem. Ok, the Sabre II is the hard opener. It can be identified by unequal length of it's upper steering lines. The Sabre 1 is NOT the hard opener and can be identified by it's EQUAL length upper steering lines. I got this info from Parachute Works, Mark Lancaster. Now we know.
  6. What do any of you think of a 2001 Sabre 170? It looks new with like new lines and is the very crispy material I see in all the newer canopies. Definitely new ZP, not like the old F111stuff. I don't think this is one of the old slammer Sabres. Any help? Anybody?
  7. Does anyone have any new or current info on Jim Cazer? I have been trying to reach him for over a week to order parts as usual but the phone only rings once and then goes to a busy signal. His FAX line does the same thing. I do not have an email for him but got no reply to a text message. Anyone? Riggers? "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  8. I've known Dennis for a long, long time. He was my first flight instructor in airplanes and also my instructor when I was working on my tandem rating. He worked odd times at my shop and was continuously talking about the airplanes, skydiving and what his kids were doing. I just attended his service in McPherson today and this day tempers my life for me. I cannot believe that one so happy and helpful is gone. I asked him once earlier this year how things were at the DZ.. He told me he was happier than he had ever been in his life.. Seems like when we finally arrive at that point it's usually fatal for us. A truly great aviator has passed. He told me once on a really wild crosswind landing approach in an airplane,"It's really important at this point that you don't become simply a passenger." I adopted his words and applied them to everything in this life. It's the best advice anyone could give. Dennis Anderson lived his life as a pilot, never as just a passenger. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  9. Lord Ratner, I agree with you fully. I'm one of the older guys and I was putting students out of the airplane as a jumpmaster with.......uh...I think 50 jumps? I think that's correct. The older I get the shorter my memory is. Anyway, I don't think I was unsafe as a jumpmaster because of my low jump numbers. I had a real passion to learn everything I could about being a good jumpmaster and my superiors were more than willing to teach me what they knew and they helped me to become a good instructor. I think the only time low jump numbers detract from the overall conception of another skydiver is when the "know-it-all" attitude is brought to bear on all of us who have already seen a few skydives. I certainly do not know everything and I can see that I might stll learn some really useful information from people who are younger and have less jumps. I encourage those who are willing to learn to share what they think they know with the rest of us. To be really familiar with anything, one has to teach it. You cannot just drag coaches, riggers, pilots and instructors out of a crowd and tag them as such. They all had to learn this somewhere. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  10. I,m trying to find a rigger in Texas. Not just any rigger. The card reads Wichita, Texas. His letters are BL7 and his number is 371520162. Does anyone know this rigger? "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  11. WHAT?????????????????????????? By YOUR logic anyone can just willy-nilly cut stuff off a rig and hand them out as if nobody cared. I guess you follow YOUR little rules when and if you want and I'll just call the manufacturer. Thanks for playing. Like I said before, it's fun to argue here but the lawyers and the FAA are going to use the manufacturers interpretation of alterations and I wish you well with your home brewed rule book. See ya! "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  12. No implication meant or needed. You simply want it your way. Call ANY manufacturer and ask them if it is an alteration to remove, NOT DISCONNECT, to remove an RSL from a container which was manufactured with the RSL. Do you have a phone? The answer is always the same. Try it and see. I did! "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  13. The Manufacturer has stated that removal is an alteration. A senior rigger cannot alter any portion of the system in accordance with his ticket. A master might remove it but it will be an unapproved alteration. For clarification CALL the manufacturer. When I took my riggers course and the FAA written they gave us several sources of information. The Manufacturer is first on the list. Sorry, but they did not mention that I might get it on DZ.com.. While it is fun to read and debate here, and I do, in cases of rigging questions pertaining to reserves and containers, it is best to consult the manufacturer and follow their reccomendations. The FAA and the courts are going to use the manufacturers interpretation of the information, even though I can clearly see that most here want it to be their own interpretation that wins. The debate ends with what the manufacturer says. Call them, they are clear, concise and always glad to answer any and all questions. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  14. Oh, I called them alright. You should too. If you are a senior rigger and you remove the RSL from the system that would be in violation of the priveleges of your ticket. Dave at Sunpath says that is an alteration. If you are a Master rigger and you remove it, you are making an alteration which is unapproved by the manufacturer. Call him right now and ask. Their website says to call with rigging questions and they ARE the manufacturer. Who do you think the lawyers are going to listen to? You???? The RSL has a simple clasp, allowing the user to unhook it....geeeezzz! "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  15. I just now called Sunpath and asked Dave.....He says it is an alteration to remove the RSL from any rig that was manufactured with it. As a rigger that is all I ever need to know. End of story.
  16. Well, not following it is definitely not an option. That got me 2 back to back reserve rides. Body position also cannot be corrected by another canopy of the same size and brand but when I jump my friends alpha 129 there is no problem. Thanks anyway. I think it may have lines out of length. I am told just because it was new is no sign it is true. I have the predecessor to this canopy, the Viper 135. You could trash pack it and lay on your side and throw. It would open on heading every time. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  17. Oh, Note also that I have 2 of these canopies and they both have exhibited this characteristic since they were NEW. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  18. Anyone have any thoughts on Alpha 129 and/or Space 130 that twists up violently on opening? Save all the body position stuff as a reply. I've experienced this with these canopies and have several friends who have the same experience. I love the canopy but have 8 cutaways from unrecoverable line twists. It takes considerable effort to steer the canopy through it's initial inflation and you have to "follow" it around, otherwise you're SCREWED. Does not occur with the same canopy in the 150. At my riggers course the general concensus was set the brakes deeper. Any suggestions? Wing loading is about 1.4 "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  19. I bought a NEW TACSEW copy of the Singer 20u with all the accessories, table, motor, everything, just this month from www.sewinggold.com. That is Goldblatt Industrial in Chicago. $599 plus $99 shipping. Got it here and LOVE it. See their web site. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  20. I never said I didn't see ANY good advice. I said I see very little. I did like your advice. I don't mean to discount your post. I've been in heavy equipment for 34 years and have 11 years as service manager in a heavy truck shop, 8 years as a heavy equipment tech(ag and oil field), 15 years in our own business. Sorry, you must have misunderstood me. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  21. I have owned and operated an auto repair shop with a parts store, including a heavy equipment and diesel repair facility all my life and I have seen and heard all kinds stories about other places. Sometimes you can be outright ripped off and other times you just have to chalk it up to misinformation on the part of the owner. For the most truth never go to a chain type store for any service. You are begging to be screwed by their lack of experienced mechanics because of their constant turnover rate. Also, they will put every freekin part imaginable on your car to sell the part. They work from sales quota's and commissions. The rest of the time they tell you they change parts and never did so. We work in a small community and all of our customers have known us all their lives. We are the only place in the town, hell, in the county to get some things done, like diesel and tractor repair. People trust us because we don't screw them. We give them bids and estimates and show them all the old parts and keep them informed of any changes as the work progresses and give them the option of decision making along the way. Not all shops are dishonest. I see very little accurate or good advice here. Not to discount our fellow skydivers and would-be mechanics but I would give anyone who writes me sound advice and book times and common practices and maybe even tell ya when they're screwin ya. Bottom line is, find an independent mechanic with a clean shop and a clean location. Ask questions and ask for your old parts. If you find you can trust him, build a rapport with him by being a regular customer. You are much less likely to be screwed, and by the way, don't be the whiney, bitchy, argumentative asshole either. Even I feel compelled to pork those types. Be nice and go back. You'll be suprised how well it works and it can even turn into a system where you get free diagnosis of the problem, no matter what you decide to do. We do just that for our regulars. [email protected] "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  22. wsinsel

    epilepsy

    In your opinions should an epileptic do tandems? What would you do if you knew it was happening? Opinions........... "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  23. A warm and friendly atmosphere with qualified instructors and coaches, a safe, well maintained aircraft and a short 15 minute drive all combine to make this one of the best DZ's in Kansas. The new runway and other improvements to the airport also insure the long term viability of ACDZ. Riggers, mechanics and pilots on site are second to none. Only minutes away from a city full of restaurants and services, it the most convenient DZ in Kansas. It makes no sense to drive a longer distance and receive less for your skydiving dollar. It's a great place for your kids too. Even the family dog is welcome. No drugs, no drunks, and no egos. Come join the family and the fun at Kansas' only family DZ. See why it's the real deal.
  24. To make things as easy as possible, attend several FJC's and stick around for the entire class and pay attention. This will help immensly. Our guys who went to a coach course also said they were very intimidated by the directors and by the practical evaluations, so be prepared to have your skills questioned. As someone else said also, practice the evaluation dives before going. It's still fun to learn it all and it will make you a better skydiver and a better teacher. Then use it. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.
  25. If the DZO allowed a non-rated or newly-rated Coach or Instructor to perform duties without supervision, he bears a large part of the responsibility for the consequences. _________________________________________________ The SIM clearly states this and any lawyer that can read will utilize this to the ultimate demise of the DZO, the S&TA, the pilot, the A/C maintenance people, the airport authority, the initial instructor, and anyone else breathing at the time of an incident. It just makes no sense to cut corners and save costs, even in the abscence of qualified people to put students out of the plane. It cannot be that hard to use a telephone. Direct supervision also means the supervisor is in the A/C or in the class. NOT just in the john or next door. Drop Zones need a comprehensive plan that includes all of their coaches and instructors that clearly supports and follows the guidelines set forth by USPA. A plan that puts the instructors and coaches in charge of contacting students, arranging continuing training and openly recognizing and praising students in their progression. The plan should also encourage those who think they might wish to become coaches or instructors, to work hand in hand with current staff and learn first hand, safe student practices. This also helps to keep coaches and instructors current in their teaching. Coaches should be encouraged to teach as often as possible, not simply overlooked or replaced by non-rated people. The best way to truly understand skydiving is to teach it. I have learned tons of great teaching techniques by simply watching other teachers in class. This plan will also give "energy" to the DZ and to all involved and it would inspire those who observe it in action. Everyone wins. "It's very important at this point that you don't simply become a passenger." Flight instructor Dennis Anderson speaking about life and crosswind landings.