Raistlin

Aerograd Kolomna made 45 (or 47?) loads this Sunday. How many loads were made in Borki ? ------------- Why, only about 28 (30? I left way early that day) :P Re the weahter, if it isn't a total bitch, expect something in 60 to 85 F range... July is normally quite scorching, June may vary.

I really don't see what prohibits you from being in every single load there is (and we get about 20 of those on a busy day), granted you are a packing god, or pay the packers to do the job quickly >:) *stare*

I guess I'll represent a third opinion here and reiterate that no DZ is better than Borki, and nowhere else are you likely to receive a warmer welcome :)

Aerograd Kolomna is overrated :P

I have. Of course, it's about the only country I've jumped in so far, anyway! :) So what specifically interests you? There are three major dropzones in Moscow whereabouts, each about a couple hours' worth of driving, and a good few of smaller ones that you aren't probably interested in. Enough people speak at least a bit of English that you can get by. Prices are expected to go up, but currently linger at about $10 for a ride to 14k. AADs are obligatory on all DZs here. I'm attaching a few pics of my home DZ taken when I missed the first load :p

Or am I just poking fun at you? The "repudiate" thing is a classic line from the How To Be an Alien by Mikes... pretty fun to read, should you want to: http://lib.ru/ANEKDOTY/mikes1.txt

Must a Tandem rating always be a job? I'd like to get one just to introduce the people I like to the sport I love...

From the very lineage of my rich ancestry, by everything our proud civilization has achieved in a thousand eons, I bring my most exquisite salutations to your exaltedness, who, uh, umm.. hi! Now that we got the greeting part out of the way, here goes: Your petulant expostulations should be repudiated! :)

Might I be so bold (no, really :p) as to ask if someone could point me to a video of a model front riser landing, preferrably on a largish canopy? :)

A rather heavy rig (container and a 170ish reserve sans main) got here from Canada in exactly 19 days after the guy said he posted it; and it cost about $76 - canada post. On the other hand, a main is still getting here from the USA (it's been a month already), with about $50 cost - usps I believe. I can't wait... :p Subtract a few days (it being Russia in my case), and you get possibly correct estimate... To avoid any customs hassle, declare it as used/gift, and at a low value. If you put it on insurance, may want to leave the insurance field empty - if it does get lost, you get your money back anyway, and if it doesn't, the customs officers won't raise eyebrows. Of course, customs IS rather unfriendly (ok..very unfriendly) here, so it's an issue... :)

Hi, As we all know, UV destroys the fabric the canopies are made of, that's why we don't leave them hanging out in the sun. Now, a snow-white canopy will probably deflect more UV rays than a midnight black one, right? Is it then safe to assume that in the long run bright-colored canopies are more durable than dark-colored ones (perhaps for only a few tens jumps, but still), as they adsorb less UV?

Excuse the newbie, but what are the shit-uations when you need to use a hookknife? Ok, other than dangling behind the airplane on your reserve :)

So technically I am not a license holder, not even the A: if you jump without shenanigans, a license is pretty much unneeded in Russia, so why bother for now... However, If I come to the USA in summer, will I have to get a license in order to jump there, or are there dropzones to admit me based on the logbook?

A good few people can manage enough English to communicate on a basic level; me, well, I do it for a living. :p And don't forget about the body language! er.. :) On a vaguely related note, there were those two guys from Sweden in Borki the other day, and it sort of seemed funny that they, being from the same country and all, should talk in English between themselves too.

I'll be there, despite the tremendous effort it'll take me to drive all of two hours to the dropzone!! But I promise, I'll make it just to meet you guys! :)

I skipped the deal, settled for a Raven 170ish instead... thanks for all the the advice!

I think the only demo gear available here is Atair's... but not PD, definitely not. If I really, really wanted to, I guess I could take someone's reserve (I don't think anyone at my DZ flies a Diablo, let alone a Tri), pack it as my main and jump it? That'll be the cost of a jump, a repack and quite a few beers! :)

Well, it's a PD R. And the condition is mint. And the price is unbeatable. And I'd ask the instructor, only I'll get to see him in a week and a half, so I thought I'd ask here too! - Love this place for all the great people it's got :) Thanks!

Well, I hope to be conscious at the time. :)

Got a nice deal for a reserve canopy at the local DZ. If I buy it, I'd be loading it 1.4 (it's 140 in size). Honestly, I'd feel more comfortable with a 160 or even a 180 reserve, but let's theoretize: just how safely would I land under a standard F-111, 7-cell reserve loaded 1.35-1.4?

Heeh, thanks John, but I was really only looking for the Hornet canopy pictures. :) D.

Thanks a lot. That helped! :)

Hi... :) is there anywhere specific that I could find pictures of a Hornet in flight? I need that specific canopy... Thanks! D.