packertom

several of the shirts mentioned here are ours at velocity sportswear, a lot of the others are made by one of the following go wear, go fast, reaper wear or jumper sportswear... I try to keep up with who's making what so we don't steal an idea of something that's currently in production... sometimes it's hard to come up with new sayings for this sport, but somehow, this thread has shown that there are still new ideas out there! ya'll might see some of these sayings again soon ;-) [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

if ya'll forgot, I'm the guy from velocity sportswear who was handing out the T-shirts and generally making a nuisance of myself taking pictures of about everything that wasn't nailed down :-) Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

for all of ya'll that have called and written, all of the useable pictures that I took this year at Couch Freaks are up at our website www.velocitysportswear.com look for the button on the left hand side of the page at the bottom. Had an awesome time and will see you all again next year Tom Stewart [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

I'm thinking he wants to get into swooping. he does back flips and throws his pooh when he sees a good swoop... maybe red bull will sponsor him [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

N/A

hypothetically speaking, if I were to have a 52.6 lbs pet bonobo (chimp) named Bubbles what would be a good first canopy choice for him? I'm thinking something under 1:1 and definitely not cross braced. It probably should have good opening characteristics to keep him from having a hard opening and then climbing up the lines to throw turds at the canopy. I'm not sure if he can figure out which way is down wind so it should have pretty good flare authority and be able to land him on a downwinder well... he can't really get his feet and knees together because he's bow-legged but he does a dynamite rolling PLF... I'm thinking something like a Spectre 97... does anyone know if they make spectres smaller than that because he'll probably want to aggressively downsize. On another note does anyone make a really small camera helmet? we want video and stills. thanks [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

Guys, let me help you out here... I have a theory that I'm trying out with some success at the dropzone that I jump and work at... question 1: what gets people to the dropzone answer 1: Skydiving question 2: what keeps people at the dropzone? answer 2: the social life. why go to the dropzone instead of the golf course or the ocean or the movies etc ? easy, you're afraid you're going to miss something if you're not there.. all of your friends are there and you want to be there for the party even if the weather is shit. I planned a boogie a couple of weeks ago using that thought process... I put almost no effort into planning jumps, no specialty aircraft etc... but I did plan a big ass blowout 3 day party... we were rained and winded for a large portion of the time (about 35% of the available time, we were on the ground) but we still made 1900 jumps in 3 days. People came out that we haven't seen in 2 or 3 years... why? to see their friends and party and maybe make a jump or two... we had about 200 people show up on the first day and didn't make a single jump... closed the dz at 3 pm and started the party 5 hours early instead and everyone had a blast, almost noone mentioned that they hadn't jumped... the owners had been actively discouraging the social life for the past couple of years and after talking to them I got their support for the boogie... when asked why they had so few boogies, the response was, the dz always loses money etc... so I said, what if I can throw a boogie that brings in the jumpers and you spend nothing? the answer was, it's not possible... guess what? it happened... why were the jumpers there? the social life, seeing their friends, hanging out with like-minded people... seriously folks I'm telling you, work on the social life and everything else will follow... invite the students to the party, once they see a real skydiver party going, they will be back just my 2 cents Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

one more point that begs to be brought up... what is it with skydivers and being cheap? this may be your LAST RESORT people!!!! I don't know how many times I field questions like what is the cheapest reserve? where can I find a really cheap reserve? I don't want to waste money on something I won't ever use... etc... jesus people, think about it... when your brand new shiny and crispy VX (that you had no qualms over spending top dollar for) spins up on you at 2000 ft, do you really want a used 20 year old Swift reserve to be the only thing between you and a hole in the ground? how about a terminal opening on a 20 year old used reserve that you got a great deal on so you could use the extra money to buy a spiffy matching jumpsuit? news flash people, the first thing that happens is that they cut the spiffy new matching jumpsuit off you. I don't want to start an argument and sorry if my tone is a bit rough, but people you have to understand that you WILL have a reserve ride if you skydive long enough and you WILL want to survive it. When you try to tell whuffos about skydivers not wanting to "waste" money on a reserve or don't want to pay to have it repacked frequently, they are baffled... invariably they say something like... isn't that the only thing that keeps you alive if your main doesn't work? just a thought... kinda off topic, but this thread got me going [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

honestly as a working rigger with a full service loft... over thirty machines to feed and support and a hell of an electricity bill... charging more would be great, but I won't increase my fees. I&R's generally speaking don't make any money... if I were to charge by the hour a repack would be around 150 bucks.. timing it out, I lose money on every repack I do... minor repairs make me money. I don't see how riggers could justify raising their repack rates just because the repack cycle has been extended... now if riggers were to raise their rates due to their costs... as I did about 3 years ago when I discovered that I had rent, electricity, property taxes and sales taxes to deal with that "shade tree" riggers didn't have to contend with, that would be justified... I charge 10 bucks more than other riggers in the area without their own loft and another rigger I know in Texas also charges 10 bucks more because he has to maintain his loft... surprisingly enough, I didn't lose many if any customers over price... but honestly, if your rigger increases his/hers rates due to a change in the repack cycle, find another rigger.. price changes should be keyed to costs, not the frequency of the work to be done. just my two cents [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

just to throw a monkey wrench in the works.. with the growth of pond swooping and more people jumping wet rigs.. should there be a provision that any reserve parachute immersed in water or suspected to be wet should be inspected and/or repacked prior to being placed back into service? just a question... so all you pond swoopers don't freak out and jump on me [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

forgot to mention that one of the events that we are having is the "Jump your Reserve" event. Our staff rigger has contacted PD and gotten one of every reserve that they have set up as mains. here's your opportunity to jump your reserve before you really need to... no sense in figuring out how it's going to fly when you're already having a stressful day. [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

Just Fer Us Boogie is back again for the 4th year. June 7th through June 10th. That's right it's a four day event this year. Usually, we don't advertise the boogie at all but I decided to get the word out to the general skydiving public this year. the history of this boogie... 4 years ago we were having a drunken discussion and realized that we never got to jump with the people who work at the dropzone... well, cause they're always working when we're jumping, so we talked to the manager and opened Skydive Dallas up on a wednesday so that all of the working skydivers could jump with the great unwashed and we had a great time... we've done it every year since and this year we've bumped it up to a four day event (thursday thru Sunday) the manager has gratiously decided to not accept students or tandems on thursday so that the staff is free to fun jump. this boogie is called Just fer Us because, WE the jumpers are putting it on, the dropzone is just the place we're doing it. We have a list of pot luck donations or paricipants can just donate some cash to an account that we've set up to defray costs and the rest is just skydiving fun friendship and partying! We're cooking out on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights... we've got an open bar with bartender working for tips using donated alcohol, a professional DJ and a great bunch of people to hang with. I formally invite everyone in the universe to come on out and have a good time with us. Especially, we're looking for people who have jumped at Skydive Dallas that we haven't seen in a while, we want to make this kind of a reunion.. don't let the fact that you may have stopped jumping stop you from coming out to the party... this event is about hanging with our friends. this isn't Skyfest or Lost Prairie, but it's ours and we're proud of the fact that this boogie is planned, organized, and executed by the jumpers for the jumpers. Thursday and Friday jumps are 20 bucks, Saturday jumps are 15 bucks and the early bird loads on sat and Sund (manifest before 8 am) are 12 bucks oh yeah and by the way, getting a packer may be a pain in the ass cause most of them will be on the loads with you :-) hope to see all of our old and new friends out there. if you have any questions etc.. email me at [email protected] blue skies [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

Just got a call from the arctic from my partner at velocitysportswear.com Lee Hardesty, he's on a solo trip and linked up with the Asylum group up there. He verified the story and wanted to make sure that if I heard the news that it wasn't him. He didn't have time to give much information (on a sat phone, limited time etc) it happened yesterday and was apparently a wing suit event-- and he was flabbergasted that it was already in the papers in Hawaii. Part of the asylum group is evac-ing with the body sometime today, they are working out transport today with some of the locals (Levi Palituq, kinda the base outfitter of the area)... he is staying with the rest of the group to help with the climbing... those who know him (and those that have been pulled off of walls by him) know that he is a climbing virtuoso... anyway not a bunch of information, but some nontheless. My condolences, didn't know him, but he sounded like a really interesting guy. Tom Stewart [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

Honestly guys, it has nothing to do with the boogie. If you look at the stats, this is the time of year when accidents tend to happen in groups... season is opening up again, DZ's are planning events to kick off the season... jumpers haven't in many cases jumped for a while... how about we all focus on safety? it doesn't matter if there is 1 or a hundred people at the dropzone or if there is a party planned for later... cranking off a 270 in the main landing area is not a good idea. Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

http://www.sunpath.com/downloads/bulletins/RSL_MasterV1.2.pdf this is the link of the updated statement for those having trouble finding it. Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

good point on the difference between different TSO's ... here's the big question.... if your rig was manufactured prior to 1989 is it immune to this ruling? if that is true it would be a big help for a lot of jumpers... sunpath's letter is pretty clear, but I think they need to clarify if some of their rigs, like one's that never had an RSL installed are not covered by this recommendation. I'm not going to call sunpath, I'm sure that their phones have been busy enough and I seem to have stirred up a large enough hornet's nest already... one other note... for some reason, we've been getting an attitude from some that we are responsible for this thing... nope, we just asked for a clarification in writing and this was it... instead of pointing fingers riggers, why not say thanks that we helped in getting a ruling on this thing so that riggers, packers and pilots know where they stand now instead of finding out where they are in a civil court... I honestly am having trouble understanding ignorant people who are hell-bent on shooting the messenger... remember, we dont work for sunpath, we just asked for clarification on an important issue that honestly if you'd thought about it a little more might have wanted to know on your own to protect yourselves... just my .2 cents worth of venting. Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

I don't see why a master rigger couldn't have a liability release done... it works at dropzones... having said that, the letter that sunpath put out states that they strongly recommend that you leave it on and if something were to happen and you signed off on an RSL and you go to court, I can hear the lawyer saying... "but the manufacturer thought this was a bad idea, are you smarter than the manufacturer? why did you ignore their warnings... by the way, how much is your house worth? just joking a bit on that , but it demonstrates a point. a liability release probably is a good idea. Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

let me clarify my kudos to Sunpath. I personally don't jump an RSL and don't like them... however, the fact that Sunpath has finally come out with a black and white answer to this serious question is where I am proud of them. In the past this has been up in the air and the riggers and pilots were in jeopardy depending on the answer from the manufacturer. This statement is unequivicable and leaves no area for debate, thus letting everyone know where they stand in the future. Additionally, sunpath believes in RSL's and is taking a stand on this subject.. whether I believe in RSL's or not has no bearing on the matter.. I salute them for taking a stand, no matter what that may be... as to senior riggers working on the RSL... read up on the regs... according to the TSO paperwork submitted by sunpath, the RSL is part of the reserve tray and any alteration of the reserve assy must be done by a master rigger, they are just sticking with the law, if you don't like that ruling, talk to the FAA not to sunpath, they didn't make that rule. Here's the deal guys, this isn't a big deal unless we make it one... if you have a javelin either put an RSl on it, leave the one that is on it in place, or get a master rigger to sign off on the removal... it's that easy and you're back in the air... but beware packers, riggers and pilots, if that javelin doesn't meet these requirements, it can't be jumped until it does. Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

basically, they are stating that you can not disconnect the RSL unless in an emergency situation... this gives Sunpath a legal out in that if you disconnect the RSL and bad things happen... they can argue that it was not an emergency and you are therefore responsible... this is not that big a deal and I don't blame them for placing this caveat in their statement.. having said that, I will say that this is liable to have a larger impact on the skydiving public than the Capewell bulletin did... beware guys and read the bulletins and for your own sakes stay in compliance... honestly, this has needed to come out.. I salute sunpath for coming out with this unequivicable statement... Tom www.velocitysportswear.com [email protected] [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

this is important people. go to the sunpath homepage and read the adobe download concerning RSL's on javelins and javelin odessys... as it is stated by the manufacturer, if you are a pilot flying a load of skydivers or a rigger packing reserves on javelins or a rigger supervising others packing javelins, you are putting your ticket on the line by placing into service any unairworthy rig... ie.. any javelin or javelin odessey without an RSL or an annotated pack data card signed by a master rigger stating that the rig has had the RSL removed... this statement by Sunpath effectively causes every Javelin in existance to be as of this date unairworthy and not in compliance with the TSO unless it has an RSL installed or has a MASTER RIGGERS certification that it has been ALTERED and that the MASTER RIGGER takes responsibility for altering the rig with the manufacturer stating that they STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT IT IS NOT REMOVED. basically, this means that if you have a Javelin and don't have an RSL or have a MASTER RIGGER certifying the removal, you can not get on a plane. This is important people, if you are packing or flying jumpers with javelins, you need to be aware that if they are not in compliance with this notice, you are placing into service a rig that is not legally AIRWORTHY. Personally, I salute sunpath for taking a stand on this important issue... Kudos to sunpath for stepping up and making known their focus on jumper safety. Tom www.velocitysportswear.com [email protected] [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

at the PIA rigging forum a comment was put out by the sunpath rep that Derek Thomas wants RSLs to stay on rigs that were equipped with them and as a rigger you shouldn't pack one that has had the RSL removed. we've been back and forth on this for a while and I've seen memo's from sunpath stating that it is HIGHLY recommended for the rsl to stay on yada yada... what I would like to know is, what is the real no kidding manufacturers ruling on this subject. ie.. if there is an accident and that person has his RSL removed is sunpath going to tell the FAA that in their opinion the rig was not maintained in accordance with manufacturers recommendations? honestly riggers out there, until sunpath makes this issue clear, anyone packing a javelin that came from the factory with an rsl that no longer has an RSL on it is in a position of jeopardy, that includes packing the main because packing the main could be seen as placing into service a rig that has not been maintained IAW the manufacturers recommendaitons and is therefore unairworthy... tom www.velocitysportswear.com [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

honestly, if you have type 69.. whoever you got that from should also have A or AA nylon... just order some... if I were you I would find a non-bonded nylon, it's less scratchy. we use Type 69 "E" thread on our pants but for any applique type work we use a lighter thread like A or AA. hobby, fabric and sewing stores tend not to have thread worth a damn, you need to order it from an industrial source, these are usually hard to find unless you know who to talk to, if worse comes to worse, call para-gear. Tom Stewart www.velocitysportswear.com [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

damn it... these guys must have tapped into my brain waves to get some of their ideas... I need to change out my foil hat [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

good point on the sword... I'm adding one to my packing list.. might have to dismember them to keep them from coming back.. and going medieval on their undead asses has never failed in the past... I believe that we've found their weakness... they're powerless without their heads... great point.. may add a couple of swords in case one breaks or a find a playboy playmate who needs a ride along the way.. I've seen the movies, there always seems to be playmates hanging around during apocalyptic calamities... [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?

Never... no matter what people would like to believe, this stuff is dangerous.. be nervous, be careful, pay attention... familiarity breeds contempt... when you start taking things for granted, that's when bad things happen... be cautious but don't let it stop you from having fun. Tom [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com What's YOUR Zombie Plan?