larsrulz

For example, a USPA coach is an instructional rating holder, so I would assume the later. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I suppose you suggest he hope that Mirage reinstates that deal, huh? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Work hard and get on staff at a dropzone that gets the mirage staff discount....closest thing I can think of! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

My dad heads down there a couple times a year to plan US-Israeli military exercises. Used to fly with them when he was active duty, and there are some crazy mofos in the IAF! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Some people have this problem of not listening and just talking. Gary pretty much covered the important details. There are a few more, but essentially it was a pilot-error induced crash. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Kinesthesia is a great RW video. It can be a great tool to use during the week or downtime at the DZ. Ask around at your DZ as someone might already have it. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

The cutaway rig at my dropzone is a belly mount that uses a capewell cutaway system. The capewells are put inboard of the shoulder straps and once the first canopy is cutaway, then they don't interfere. The only problem with this was that the first time I saw someone use it he exited belly to earth, which caused the belly mount PC bridle to wrap around his arm! The next time the guy exited correctly and it worked fine. The only negative, in my inexperienced opinion, of the capewell is that it is a multi-step cutaway process, but if you intend to use it for an intentional cutaway, then this shouldn't be a problem. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

The dive type has no effect except to display dive type for your jump log on the pro-tract or when you download to jump-track. I personally keep mine on "0" which is blank, so then it doesn't say anything on my jump log. Anyway dunesurfer....isn't it "get 'er done"? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Relax and have fun...everything else will come naturally!

Its going to have a little Cessna Please tell me that the daddy is a skyvan. I can see it now....a single pilot tailgate that doesn't make you go deaf! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Caravan pilots from both Skydiving Greensburg and Archway Skydiving indicate that this isn't the case for a 13.5K foot climb with the upgraded engines. Maxing out climb and descent puts up about 3 loads a tac hour. Either you have a considerably high field altitude or something doesn't appear to be adding up. Even our new short caravan with the upgraded engines does climb that well. None the less, it certainly isn't a *slow* climber, so I have no complaints with the caravan. I would certainly prefer an otter, but I'll take it over a King Air or PAC anyday! Not to say I don't believe you, but I would be curious for details as they are a bit surprising. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Rook and Melissa (the two owners) are both BMIs and have their own demo fleet. I've had very bad experience with trying to get a FFC from them though, so be sure to call and schedule in advance...and call again to double and tripple check! Lou, I'll probably come up for a FFC, so that maybe I can get my flock on by the end of the convention! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

You might see if these people have any useful information to help you out. But in all honesty, a simple bernoulli calculation will probably be as extensive as one can get, or throw in the lift and drag equations and it is a moderately intersting problem. It's interesting in that they can see that the speed of a parachute will change dependent upon the weight that it has to carry, i.e. lift must equal weight in steady flight. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Not sure who was flying the caravan you were in, but as our pilot last summer said: "it's a cessna...fly it like one." For bigger RW groups, we started complaining about the 85 knot jump runs as you didn't have much control for the first few seconds after exit. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Which, in my opinion, is the biggest safety concern with low altitude balloon exits. Someone without BASE jumping experience may attempt to exit the same as they would an airplane, and will be on their back about 3 seconds after exiting. One should assume an unstable exit on their first balloon jump, so altitude should be included to allow for that. If they are stable, then so much the better! As for time for the first 1000', the world is not ideal, but the time to fall 1000' will be the same, for all intents and purposes, with a balloon and aircraft. The fact that some people use their forward speed to produce lift on exit, i.e. a head high exit, does implies there will be slight differences, but basically physics says that the first vertical 1000' will take a fix amount of time no matter the horizontal velocity I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I disagree with the two parts in the first paragraph, but certainly not the second paragraph. One should know the rear riser response characteristics of their canopy within the first few jumps after jumping it. There is a very good reason to do a number of higher altitude canopy rides to discover this. Also, the beauty of the steering lines is that they can be easily replaced in about 15 minutes. The lower steering line is separate from the upper, so you only have to replace the steering line to the cascade junction. Any rigger will have the line and it will be cheaper than a $50 repack. Most important though is that safety always trumps cost. If the jumper feels more comfortable with getting a new canopy than landing on rear risers, then the choice is simple. I would merely recommend that one learns how to use their rear riser, so there are two perfectly acceptable options available to them I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Unfortunately Mirage has stopped offering the discount. The one advantage of the wings deal is they merely require a military ID, so there is no requirement of having been deployed to a combat zone. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Congrats on discovering and dealing with the problem that you were dealt. Curious, without being preaching, if you regularly exit at your minimum opening altitude? A stuck toggle is something that could have been easily corrected (in some instances) given adequate altitude without necessitating a cutaway. But did I hear ? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Some people wish to concentrate on what is happening under canopy, which is certainly a valid endeavor, and if they don't wish to collapse their slider, then there's no reason they have to. An equally valid question is to "why use it?", if someone doesn't want to, then there is no reason to. The incident you posted is a problem because the jumper did not have slider bumpers and did not bring the slider to the bottom of the risers. To the original poster: Gary Peek, who is a master rigger and regional director, is very knowledgeable about skydiving gear, and he doesn't collapse the slider on his stilleto, so if you don't wish to then I personally wouldn't worry about it, but no reason not to throw the question by your friendly rigger anyway! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

The flying's free....you're just paying for the plane ride. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

That should obviously be up the opinion of the people voting in the poll. What's important to one person may not be equally important to another. Also, issues such as these aren't opinions; they are something that can be precisely determined. For instance, it's a fact that slinks are stronger than rapid links, but both are far over rated for any situation (that's probably too broad, but still....) that a normal skydiver will get themselves into. For me, I prefer rapid links on the main and slinks on the reserve. I prefer having a rapid link to grab a hold of for front riser manuevers, then I can grab higher on the riser and ensure that I'm not deflecting the tail any. You can grab a hold of a slink just the same, but the rapid link gives you something to grip onto. As for the reserve, I surely don't intend to swoop my reserve, so the improved strength and extra comfort from not having to worry about a rapid link poking in the bottom of my reserve tray make slinks my preferred link for my reserve. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Nope, just hell of a fast googler! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

The fear of Friday the 13th stems from two separate fears -- the fear of the number 13 and the fear of Fridays. Both fears have deep roots in Western culture, most notably in Christian theology. Thirteen is significant to Christians because it is the number of people who were present at the Last Supper (Jesus and his 12 apostles). Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive. Christians have traditionally been wary of Fridays because Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Additionally, some theologians hold that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and that the Great Flood began on a Friday. In the past, many Christians would never begin any new project or trip on a Friday, fearing they would be doomed from the start. Sailors were particularly superstitious in this regard, often refusing to ship out on a Friday. According to unverified legend (very likely untrue), the British Navy commissioned a ship in the 1800s called H.M.S. Friday, in order to quell the superstition. The navy selected the crew on a Friday, launched the ship on a Friday and even selected a man named James Friday as the ship's captain. Then, one Friday morning, the ship set off on its maiden voyage... and disappeared forever. A similar, entirely factual story is the harrowing flight of Apollo 13. Some historians suggest the Christian distrust of Fridays is actually linked to the early Catholic Church's overall supression of pagan religions and women. In the Roman calendar, Friday was devoted to Venus, the goddess of love. When Norsemen adapted the calendar, they named the day after Frigg, or Freya, Norse goddesses connected to love and sex. Both of these strong female figures once posed a threat to male-dominated Christianity, the theory goes, so the Christian church vilified the day named after them. This characterization may also have played a part in the fear of the number 13. It was said that Frigg would often join a coven of witches, normally a group of 12, bringing the total to 13. This idea may have originated with the Christian Church itself; it's impossible to verify the exact origins of most folklore. A similar Christian legend holds that 13 is unholy because it signifies the gathering of 12 witches and the devil. The number 13 could also have been considered pagan because there are 13 months in the pagan lunar calendar. The lunar calendar also corresponds to the human menstrual cycle, connecting the number to femininity. Some trace the infamy of the number 13 back to ancient Norse culture. In Norse mythology, the beloved hero Balder was killed at a banquet by the mischievous god Loki, who crashed the party of twelve, bringing the group to 13. This story, as well as the story of the Last Supper, led to one of the most entrenched 13-related beliefs: You should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13. Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Let's leave the training to his instructors. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Yes and No. The A-license proficiency card requires you to pack a main without assistance, but no where does it say you ever have to jump your own packjob. Many dropzones will require this so that one can gain confidence in both themselves and the gear, but USPA never requires this. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF