NWFlyer

Me too. I already knew my night vision wasn't very good, so I wanted to make sure I had as many things working in my favor as I could (more experience, VERY familiar DZ, incredibly well-lit landing area). As it was I had no trouble, but the DZ where I did mine brought in stadium lights, which are quite the beacon in an otherwise-dark area. I still only did the two for my D (having already completed the other requirements) and when I got down I said "Okay. Done. Never again. Can I have my fucking D license now?" "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I could, but I decline. Oh FFS, Spot. Either share facts or don't. This "I'm going to throw out just enough gossip to show that I am more in the know than you" routine wasn't really that clever in junior high when the mean girls did it.

Skydive Chicago posted on 10/15 on their FB page that theirs has been sold. https://www.facebook.com/SkydiveChicago "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Have? or have one that's still flying? In the latter category: Skydive Arizona. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

While I respect the sentiment behind this suggestion, I'd offer a counter that this can be one of those learning opportunities for a thoughtful non-rigger. I have on more than one occasion disassembled rigs for washing, and found it to be well within my skill set, so long as I proceeded carefully and thoughtfully. That meant making sure to keep the lines on both canopies organized (I used cards but there's other ways, of course), to carefully place all the parts in a container so nothing went missing, to take a good look at how the AAD was installed so I could carefully extract it without damaging anything, etc. I read a lot and asked a lot of questions about how best to wash the container, and followed said advice. With all the MAJOR respect to the work that riggers do, this wasn't rocket science. When I was between jobs and wanted to wash my rig, I appreciated the extra money in my pocket. When I was preparing to sell a container, it was faster to do it myself than to coordinate with my rigger who doesn't live anywhere close to me. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Skydive Arizona is your best bet for weather. But where is your rig being made? Going to the shop where your rig was made is always fun. Florida mainly Deland has a bunch of shops within walking distance. What if his rig is being made in Sunriver, OR? Lovely that time of year ... for skiing or snowboarding. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Someone earlier had posted a screen shot of a dropzone.com PM. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

New in the United States. Been S.O.P. in some other countries for a while. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yeah, most of them aren't well set up for guests. If there's a reasonable cafe/bar with seating (outdoor with a view of the landing area is a bonus), that can keep people comfortable for some of the time, but given that many of us get there early in the day and stay till after sunset, that can get to be a bit much for anyone who's not involved in the operation directly. Places like Eloy or Perris that have pools are good choices on warm enough days, though depending on the age of the kids you'll probably still need supervision. My parents have only come out once and that was when we all met up in Florida for a couple days around Christmas. They came out with us to ZHills for the day - we made it a relatively short day (easier in the winter since they're not that long anyway) - started late morning, left mid-afternoon, did 3 jumps or so, and left before anyone got too bored. But ZHills has a good setup with the big deck with lots of chairs overlooking the landing area, decent bathrooms, and a cafe to pick up lunch. So no one was too uncomfortable. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I think the sorority just won this round, though. http://www.fastcompany.com/3051851/the-recommender/how-the-alpha-chi-omega-sorority-turned-fox-sports-selfie-shaming-into-a-sel "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

If you find this interesting, you may also find Scott Smith's candidate statement interesting. (page 42 which is the 5th page in this PDF excerpt) http://www.uspa.org/portals/0/downloads/BODElection.pdf "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Skydivers aren't some special class of human, as much as they like to think they are. You'll meet cool people that you like spending time with and you'll meet assholes and everything in between, just like any other group of people. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Would you like a cookie? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

You've been around here long enough to know that ain't happening. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

https://www.facebook.com/events/965294920195715/ Skydance holds them fairly regularly (4ish times a year, I'd guess). Also, if you're doing your research, you've probably noted that the USPA web site contains information on rating courses that are held in many locations (not just Florida). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

"In Bruges" is cult? SMH Oh, hop off your fuckin' high horse, quade. I caveated the shit out of that post and acknowledged it didn't really belong here. How about "In Bruges is not really a cult film, but hardly anyone's seen it so I'm going to talk about it anyway even though quade will probably look down his nose at me?" Better?

I wouldn't say it's the weirdest, but it's definitely one of the darkest, and this is as good a place as any to recommend it (rather than starting another thread). In Bruges. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Amazon Instant Video, too! Looking forward to catching it! https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B015DF3PY4?ie "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

And you still don't end up finding the right person half the time. (I say this as someone who's been a hiring manager more recently and more frequently than I've been in the dating pool!) "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

www.burningsky.org "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

You may want to consider a clear pair for lower light situations. Before I switched to a full-face helmet, I would wear amber tinted goggles and found that they were not so good at sunset load or on cloudy-but-jumpable days. (Edit to add if you call ChutingStar quickly I'm willing to bet they can modify your order to get both pair in so you don't have to pay shipping twice). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Buying new vs. used doesn't have to be an "all or nothing" thing, either. As others have pointed out, you have plenty of time to be patient and keep an eye out for the deals. The other possibility is that you combine new and used parts; maybe a new container built to your size (and built to handle appropriately-sized canopies for your size and experience level), with used canopies and a used AAD. Or, you find a used system that lacks an AAD and you can buy one of those used (the market can be pretty tight on those) or new. The great thing about AADs is that they are the one thing that can go from rig to rig if you choose to downsize and/or buy new / different gear. They also hold their value well, depreciating in a linear fashion from DOM to date of expected (or required, depending on the manufacturer) time out. Look broadly; classifieds on here (and look both in the categories for individual components as well as complete systems), and there's a whole mess of Facebook groups for used gear as well. eBay is a possibility but be cautioned that sales on there are more likely to be older gear sold by someone who doesn't really know what they have in hand (family member cleaning out a dead relative's older gear, someone who got an old rig in a storage unit auction, etc.). Better off to stick to skydivers (or skydiving gear dealers) selling to skydivers. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'd highly recommend a gift certificate to a skydiving gear store in lieu of trying to pick something out for him.

Recently picked up and reposted by Skydive Mag. http://www.skydivemag.com/article/a-fatal-attempt "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Sounds like you dodged a bullet. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke