NWFlyer

I'd either do them myself or sweet talk my boyfriend into doing them for me. As others have mentioned, this is all good stuff to learn to do yourself. Get someone to talk you through it the first time, then do it again by yourself with that person watching. Repeat till you're comfortable, and it's always a fair idea to ask for a once-over by a second set of eyes even once you are comfortable. "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

Oh, I know that, thank you. It's one of the reasons I don't jump w/one. What are the others? From what I can glean reading your posts, you've contributed your opinion on cost calculations (a fair criticism of the numbers people are throwing out, but not a reason for not choosing an AAD per se). You've critiqued Chuck's quoting ability. You've critiqued the language others have used. But this is the first post in which you've actually begun to explain why you have chosen not to use one. So please, share. Recall, if you will, that was the original question, not "does Chuck know how to use the quote feature?" or "do people really understand compound interest?" I'll quote it for reference. "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

http://distractify.com/Myka-Fox/just-dont-be-a-dick/?ts_pid=5 Three (#1, #4, and #5) out of five and a bonus use of the term "tranny" and we're only two posts in. I expect #3 and #4 to be picked up, probably before this thing gets moved to Speakers Corner. dropzone.com never disappoints.

As noted in the other thread I'm not pro-mandatory AADs (I *might* support them up to a certain license/experience level but even that I don't feel *that* strongly about). I'd also never advocate banning swooping. I'm all for limiting it under certain circumstances (like you don't bust a 270 through the normal pattern, or you restrict it at higher-traffic events). In general I support managing it through separated landing areas (which help manage risk for the non-swoopers as well as the swoopers). I can see some benefits to mandated canopy downsizing progressions as some national associations (and individual dropzones) have implemented. But I'd never call for banning it altogether. "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 even if it does come out, does he think that an unconscious landing under a reserve loaded at 2:1 is going to be survivable? That's another interesting angle in this if we require AADs; in the case of people with high reserve wingloadings, are we actually making them any safer? (Then again, I do know lots of people who load their reserves quite highly who choose to jump AADs... I guess the theory is that some chance is better than none at all...). "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

What size reserve are you planning to buy? That should be your first decision and build everything else around that.

I've used an AAD since I started skydiving, and have them in both of my rigs now. I can count on the fingers of one hand the jumps I've made without one (servicing, planned water jump). I'd jump without one but have a strong preference not to. Like everyone else I'd like to think I only need it in the event I become incapacitated and can't pull for myself, but I'm also not egotistical enough to believe that I might not someday, some way fuck up so very badly that I need an AAD to do what I don't. I'd prefer to have the opportunity for my friends to beat me up and berate me (and for me to beat myself up as well), than for them to wonder over my dead body why the hell I didn't get a parachute over my head. I'm generally in the camp of once you have your license you should be able to decide what you want or don't want. I could potentially get behind a requirement to have an AAD up to a certain experience level, such as once you have a D license, you get to decide. Of course, that wouldn't have made a bit of difference in Tom's case as he was well into the range of jumps / years in sport / license to meet any sort of experience requirement that one could potentially devise. An "AAD till you have a D" would potentially help the "you don't know what you don't know" crowd*, and give people (theoretically) enough time in sport to be able to form and defend a cogent argument for or against using an AAD. On the whole, people with less than a D license probably shouldn't be on the types of canopies they can fly so fast that they'll spook an AAD (of course we all know a DGIT or 12 who's way in over their head, and if we're going to talk about regulating anything, it still seems like canopy rules would have a bigger impact in terms of preventing deaths and serious injuries than would an AAD requirement). Most (of course there are exceptions) people with less than 500 jumps are also not in the "two pr more rigs" crowd yet, so most of the people who'd be required to get one would also be people who'd only need to buy one for a single rig. Flip side is these are also the folks who (at least at first) are spending a ton of money to get themselves up and ready to skydive (student costs, costs for additional license requirements such as canopy courses and water training, building up their gear collection, etc.). As someone noted upthread, more creative options for financing / purchasing AADs might go a long way to increasing their adoption amongst the cash-strapped, especially since the market for super-cheap AADs with a couple years of life left is quite tight and often the only available ones are new or nearly-new that have a big up-front cash outlay that can be tough to swallow. *Edit to add a little more commentary from my own experience & observations. As you're growing in the sport, you're generally itching to do the bigger / faster / cooler jumps. It's really hard when you've got a hundred or two hundred jumps to really know which of those have the highest potential to turn into zoo dives. It's more likely that you'll find the zoo dives fun than scary. It's only with the wisdom of time and perspective that most people tend to start to look at zoo dives as shit shows and start to be more thoughtful about what jumps they will or won't get on. That's definitely been my own personal experience, and I've observed that same progression in others. Requiring AADs up to a certain point like a D license helps to protect those people who are feeling their way into more complex skydives without quite fully understanding the shit show potential thereof. "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 suspect it won't have the same impact, due to the fact that the media landscape has broadened so significantly since then that video / film of "extreme" sports is widely accessible in a way that it wasn't back then. In the early 90s if you wanted to see skydiving footage, you watched the X Games, or a feature film or TV show that had skydiving in it, or you knew a skydiver. Maybe there'd be the occasional local news fluff piece or fatality report. Now you can put "skydiving" or "BASE" into a Google search and spend the rest of your life looking at video and not run out. The well-produced proxy porn or the particularly gory incident story /video goes viral so even if you're not looking for it, it'll show up in your Facebook or Twitter feed. It might attract a few new participants, but I'd be very surprised if the bump is anything like the original Point Break bump. "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

Wait until it is available for streaming, and you can avoid the pseudo-"3D" crap, as well as 30 minutes of trailers for garbage you don't want to see, and ear-splitting audio volume, and distractions from clueless rude strangers. And you can hit pause/resume any time you please. And if they get too loud and interrupt your viewing, you can pause and tell those kids outside to get off your lawn! "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

Assuming you are a brand-new skydiver whoever told you that might not have your best interests in mind. 215 lbs on a 190 is a wingloading of about 1.25-1.3, which isn't generally recommended for a novice jumper. Even at a weight of 200 your wingloading would still be on the high side on a 190. If you take a look at Brian Germain's chart linked in the thread below, at an exit weight of 232 (which is the closest to your exit weight that's on the chart) a 190's not recommended till you're over 240 jumps. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3470220 Keep in mind, also, that wingloading recommendations also should be applied to your reserve. "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 IIRC they figured out pretty quickly the guy had nothing to go after. "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

Totally! Which is why I lawyered up to make sure I got all my expenses covered by the (too many) insurance companies that were involved. It actually does make total sense that MV coverage would be primary in those accidents and the health insurers would subrogate (I actually work in the health insurance area though not in claims; still a little of that stuff has seeped in through osmosis.) I'd just never really thought through where my auto insurance fit in if I wasn't actually in a vehicle... but I learned (the hard way). "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

Interesting little factoid about insurance and pedestrian accidents. Guy who hit me was ticketed for a red light violation but lawyered up and got out of the ticket on a technicality. His insurance company didn't dispute that he was liable for the accident (since, as mentioned above, I was not jaywalking, but was in the crosswalk with a walk signal), so my medical bills went against his insurance. Problem was he had the state minimum (which at the time was $50K, may still be) which wasn't enough to cover my bills, so the rest of the payment was made by my uninsured/under-insured coverage on my auto policy (even though I was walking). I guess if I'd been a non-driver who didn't have my own auto insurance I would've been screwed on the bills on that one, or maybe it would've been borne by my medical insurance company (as it was they were off the hook for all the bills). "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

Absolutely, but as someone who walks a lot in my pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods (both at home and at work) I am equally sick of drivers who believe their need to get from point A to point B as fast as possible trump my right to safely cross the street. I appreciate drivers who, like you, take a breath to try to establish communication via eye contact with pedestrians before moving across a crosswalk. Unfortunately there's just as many who think that it's perfectly okay to ignore the crosswalk because they're in a hurry. I'm not going to step out into a crosswalk till I've looked around enough to believe that I can safely cross it, but I'm not above yelling at an asshole or twelve who breezes right by me as I step back onto the curb. (And I say this as someone who spent a week in the hospital after getting taken out by a driver who ran a red light and nailed me in the crosswalk after slamming into a car that was legally in the intersection... I try to be hyper vigilant as both a pedestrian and a driver ... and it has to be a partnership). "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

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=meme "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'm not very aerodynamic." How long till this guy's a meme? "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

Inside = a person actually participating in the skydive takes video from their perspective, meaning it won't capture the big picture, just the person's vantage point. Outside = a dedicated camera person takes video from an "outside" vantage point. He or she does not participate in the skydive actively - his/her role is to capture the skydive from a "big picture" view. "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

Just don't eat too much of it ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/medical-mysteries-it-seemed-like-a-heart-attack-but-the-tests-said-no/2015/01/26/a8856bf6-8b8a-11e4-8ff4-fb93129c9c8b_story.html "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

There are some student jumps done every year at the boogie but if you have your A license completed by then, it'll be easier to be at the boogie. As for how long it takes, well, it takes a minimum of 25 jumps, sometimes more depending on how many it takes you to demonstrate and get signed off on all of the skills on the A license card. With good weather and good health both weekend days jumping every weekend, it wouldn't be that hard to knock it out in a month if you've got the time and funds. If you've got the time there are dropzones that do "A license in a week" programs ("in a week" is of course highly dependent on weather as is everything in this sport). So the answer is ... it depends! For the 16 to 32 way jumps scheduled for the boogie, I think those are intended for more highly-experienced folks. In general, though you wouldn't need a D license for jumps of that size, they're also not usually recommended till you have quite a bit of post-license experience jumping in smaller groups and gradually building up your skills. One step at a time! Get the A. If you come to Lost Prairie there's always jumpers with lots of different experience levels and it shouldn't be too hard at all to find people to jump with you wherever you happen to be in your experience at that time. "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

Was it the fact that Bush got re-elected at the end of 2004? "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

Yep, should be pretty easy to get in 4 jumps a day as long as you've got the weather (this time of year it's more likely to be high and/or gusty winds than anything else). If you still need to work with a coach or instructor to finish up some of your A requirements, that may be a limiting factor, but as long as you give a call ahead to plan that shouldn't be an issue, either. Plenty of folks around there with ratings to help out. And you can camp on the DZ if you want - there's usually a few folks staying over, especially on the weekends. "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

8 to 12 is not uncommon for fun jumpers, and not all that hard to do at a reasonably busy DZ with good weather and long summer days. That said, if your profile is accurate and you only have 14 jumps total, you may find more than 4 or 5 in a day to be a pretty ambitious pace at this point. If you're currently jumping at Cloverdale, why not spend the day or the weekend at one of the busier turbine DZs in northern California? You can up your pace without having to commit to taking a huge chunk of time off. "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

Yes, that's quite a six pack. "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

This - as long as you're not an outlier size-wise, finding used is a great idea! Since the OP notes their location as Cloverdale, I'd recommend taking a look at what's in stock at Action Air in Davis. They show some used suits available on their website - might be worth a trip over to try some on in person. http://actionair.com/store.html#usedjumpsuits "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 won't jump with sunglasses, period. But then again, all of my jumps are FS jumps where eye contact is critical. Full face with clear lens for me. When I did jump an open face, the darkest I'd go was amber goggles, which still allowed people to see my eyes. "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