canopydave

3 years ago I loaded my shiny new Spectre at 1.1 to 1... Now I am at 1.4 to 1... Did I mention that I'm jumping the same canopy? Dave A preposistion is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.

No more than we do. We call terrorists the ultimate evil, yet support them whenever we think they will kill/depose/harass someone we don't like. We claim that Iraq must go, yet we buy oil from companies that buy Iraqi oil. We say "Remember 9/11!" as we buy ever larger SUV's, and we applaud people who vote against fuel-efficiency standards. *** This is a case of where semantics can get you into trouble. Hypocrisy, much like truth is a matter of perspective. This is one of the reasons why I cringe when folks start throwing around good and evil. (Bill this is in general and not directed at you.) I much prefer using "us" and "them." I am sure that the terrorist can point to several instances where the U.S. was heavy handed and can be perceived as acting in an "evil" manner. To them the WTC attack was an act of self defense... Again this is the truth in their perspective. Flip it around some and take a look at SUVs. Yes they consume more gas than a smaller vehicle, they are also being purchased at a prodigious rate. However, SUVs also represent the freedom of choice that we have in the U.S. None of us are forced to buy just one type of vehicle. None of us are forced to worship one religion. Nor do we even HAVE to practice a religion. It all ties in together. I personally would never own an SUV, I have no need of something that size. However, when I see them on the road, I am glad that the person driving it had the freedom to choose (just hope they chose to drive in a safe manner.) As I did when I choose to drive a 200SX. Maybe I should have bought the 200SX SE or GXE, but I decided to buy the SE-R because of its greater power and performance. BTW: It gets 5 to 10 mpg less because of the bigger engine. Am I a hypocrite for not choosing a model that gets better gas milage? No, I am a free person who exercised his right to buy a car with a better engine, better brakes and better tires so that I could use my skills as a driver more effectively to keep me safe on the road. THAT is what we are fighting for folks. The right to choose and live our lives as we see fit, as long as we do not cause harm to another. The terrorist see that and to them it is a great "evil." To them women should not be educated, men should have long beards. No other religion is to be tolerated. You should ALWAYS have fries with your Big Mac!!! Do you see where this is going? Is the U.S. way of living the best for everyone? Who knows, I'm not intelligent nor wise enough to answer that question. I do know that the lifestyle in the U.S. works for me and I would like to see other people of the world live in a similar manner. However, I would much rather see them chose it of their own volition, than being forced into it. Every terrorist that has held up their fist and cried "JIHAD," probably at some time or another had a Snapple grasped in that very same hand. What does that tell you? Dave A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.

Dave, how were you guys removing rubberbands before this handy bit of information crossed your path? *** Usually by pulling on one side of the broken band, or by using a small pair of scissors to cut the band, being careful not to knick the D-bag. Please note, that I added the disclaimer that the trick was probably not truly original or new... Just that a few other people and I had not thought or seen it till that 8 year old boy demonstrated it. As I stated before... Learn from every source you possibly can... Phree: I have a problem with using the closing pin for anything other than what it was designed. Any knicks in the metal could lead to a premature failure of the closing loop and then you have a horseshoe to deal with... I may sound picky, but remember two people died two years ago because a micro line got caught under a grommet!!!! So little things count. Dave Remember, YOU are UNIQUE!!! Just like everybody else.

Where are you planning to get the hydrogen? Hydrogen is only as clean as the energy source that is used to make it. *** Actually, that is part of the problem at this point in time. Hydrogen does require energy to obtain. Such as using electrolysis to seperate a water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen. An idea that uses current technology, is using solar farms to power the electrolysis process. The trick is to store enough hydrogen to make up for cloudy days.

I think someone told me we either put a man in space or on the moon and the capsule itself had the equivalent capacity/memory of a Commodore 64 inside. *** Actually, a Commodore 64 back in those days was a super computer. The Apollo spacecraft's computer had something like 7k of memory if that much. Speedracer: Fusion, at least is 50 years away and probably more like 100. What you will be seeing in the next 10 years is a device called a fuel cell, come into wide spread use. A fuel cell produces electricity by chemically breaking apart hydrogen atoms. To learn more go to this page: http://www.fuelcells.org/ Automobile manufacters are racing to get a fuel cell powered vehicle to market. The first should hit the show rooms by 2004 maybe as early as 2003. Fuel cells are also being developed for consumer electronics, such has portable phones and laptops. Yes, you will be driving around in a hydrogen powered automobile in the near future... What what about the Hindenburg?!!!! The dispel a popular MYTH, the Hindenburg tragedy would have happened even if the zepplin's flight envelopes where filled with helium (or water for that matter.) By the time the hydrogen was released and burned, the zepplin was already lost. You see, the Hindenburg was painted with a mixture that was based on aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide is the main ingredient for the propellant in the solid rocket boosters on the space shuttle. Obviously this substance is volitile and the Hindenburg was painted with it. The covering caught fire, not the flight envelopes. Treated with respect and care, hydrogen can be a safe, plentiful and extremely clean energy source. Dave A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.

Yes essentially defenseless... Maybe not totally, but Iraq stands little chance against a well equipped and modern military. Killing someone is a terrible way to change their mind. Unfortunately, sometimes it is necessary to defend your way of life using violence. It has been that way since the dawn of man. As far as being the 600lb gorilla. It is an egregious thing to act more than you are... However, it is just as bad to act less than you are. Blessed be the day when the world energy supply is shifted to a hydrogen base rather than oil... In 50 years we will probably be sending aid to the improverished countries of the middle east. Dave Don't make the dragon angry, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

What's the trick?! Hmmm... I wonder if I could get beer out of this... Actually, I should have wrote that sentence as "a completely new way to her (and the rest of us)." It is doubtful that this is a completely original trick, but an 8 year old did expand the horizons of sevreral people well into middle age with years of skydiving experience... The trick is so simple it is rather embarassing... Simply take your pull up cord and feed it through the loop holding the rubber band. Then saw it back and forth against the rubber band... It usually takes 4 or 5 strokes and the rubber band will pop right off... I have yet to see this trick fail. As far a being up at the DZ, Phree, it will be Sunday if at all... H and M are getting close to getting their rear deck finished, so I'm helping them out tomorrow. Besides the weather report looks iffy at best. Dave "Sir you are drunk!" "Yes madam and you are ugly. However, tomorrow I shall be sober." Sir Winstion Churchill

After talking to some local skydivers they seem to think it would be OK to try a tri 220 even though I can't stand the Mantas. One girl said she thought there was maybe 1000 jumps on them. Tough to dial in a good flair under those conditions? *** It sounds like you are going to several people for advice... Which is very good. No one person has all the answers in this sport. Learn from absolutely every source that you possibly can. Just be sure to weigh each bit of advice according to it's source. It will give you a better perspective on what people are telling you... As a case in point, an 8 year old boy gave my rigger (who has years of experience) a completely new way of getting broken rubber bands off a D-bag last year... It works like a charm and she unabashedly tells everyone where she learned the trick... The canopy being worn out could be an issue, however it depends on when you are flaring and how much... Do you have a propensity to flare low or high? In other words are you finding yourself in a full flare, still 3 meters off the ground? If so a brand new ZP canopy would not save your knees and backside from grass stains. Same with a flare that is way to low. What is going through your mind during your final approach? Nothing? Are you nervous? Focused? Are you aware of traffic around you? Are you breathing? If it is a mental issue, there are thousands of techniques that would be beneficial... You just need to find one that works for you. Visualizing is incredibly important as Skybytch has stated. However, in order for it to work, you need to make sure your mind isn't running wild on you. Just food for thought... Dave A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.

I do agree with the thought of trying another "student approved" canopy. Also, get video, get video and ummm oh, by the way, get video of your landings... How are your canopy skills otherwise? If you pick a spot to land while sitting up at 2000 feet, do you come close? (Don't confuse that with "hitting the X." Pick your OWN "X" and hit that instead.) Do you understand the accuracy trick, flat turns etc? I had some trouble with landings, due to being nearly blind in one eye. Depth perception for me is non-existent so it was fairly exciting landing, till I got the knack of it. Do not be ashamed to ask for help. Nothing scares me more than a jumper who does not ask for assistance. All true Skydivers will be glad to assist you and will not make you feel embarassed. On the contrary they should make you feel welcome, just be sure to get coaching from someone capable... Not just some scmuck that is typing away on the internet. My guess is in a few jumps, you'll be shooting accuracy with the best of 'em. Dave A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.

Well, Phree as someone who has seen you go from yelling "OH SH#$," right before you became a clubhouse ornament, all the way to the present... You should have told that "DZO" to affix his plexiglass navel, for his head was so far up his a$$ that he couldn't see... I'll jump with you anytime... Dave A preposistion is a terrible thing to end a sentence with.

1. The gang I hang out with is there. 2 Freeflying has made a major introduction, however 20 way RW jumps are very common. You can do what you want with who you want. 3. Turbine or Radial engined powered aircraft: (I love the sound of those Wasp Jrs.) CASA, Westwind, Beech-18 and occasionally an Otter. 4. The pilot has crashed at least once and walked away... That way I can be sure he has his head out of his ass in an emergency. Give me a pilot who's crashed more than once and has 1000hrs below treetop level dusting crops or evading fire anytime. 5. The trip to the DZ has been made so many times that the car knows the way... Canopy Dave A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with. However, it is grammatically correct!! That is a rule in Latin, not English...

Phree is 22? 22? Man, I can't even remember being 22!!! So what diaper do you use kid? Pampers? Huggies? I know, I know! You use those cheap generics right? After all you gotta save money for all those jumps. Happy Birthday and many many jumps... Dave So was that enough abuse or does he deserve more...

Sadly we will have someone else to remember for this weekends Memorial Boogie. Lee "Skypunk" Werling was killed yesterday from injuries received while BASE jumping from an antenna in Florida. http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/05/31/loc_carew_tower_jumper.html My thoughts go out to his family and friends. Blues, Dave

Bill has some really good advice for you, Satchfan... Practice the flat turns especially. Smaller canopies tend to be less forgiving with this manuver, but with practice it can be done safely. Practice up high though. The one bit of advice that I did NOT take from my rigger, when buying my own gear was I went with a 150^2 canopy instead of a 170 as she wanted to see me buy (I weighed about 165 at the time.) My thought was I jumped the DZ owners 150 Spectre, 5 or 6 times without incident... Jumps number 2 and 3 on my shiny new Spectre 150, I flared a touch too low and came away with a nicely cracked tailbone that took a YEAR to heal. Even to this day it still hurts when it rains. Not too mention the grass rash on my legs... So here I am over 300 jumps later and my Spectre and I are the best of friends, but it sure was a rough start that could have been a whole lot rougher. If only I had listened, my rearend would not be such a good weather predictor... Jump and jump hard, the skill necessary for you to fly that Omega will come quickly, but be patient and listen to your instructors!!! Blues, Dave Safety in skydiving like many things, comes from the skill and expertise you employ before, during and after the jump.

I saw that rapid link this past weekend and it gave me the shakes. My comment to the jumper was to go buy a lottery ticket. If the lines had slipped off (which they did when he picked up his chute to pack) he would have been the latest statistic. Something that I did early in my jumping career was to pack my own reserve, under supervision of course. It taught me a great deal about what to look for. While I have no interest in pursuing a rigging certificate, it was fascinating to really learn and get familiar with the gear. It has served me well in spotting problems on my own and other rigs. Remember that there are 6 rapid links involved with the main parachute. 4 for the lines and 2 for a kill line pilot chute. Check all of them for tightness. If you find a loose one, please check with your rigger on the proper method of tightening them. A loose rapid link is a terrible reason to ruin a perfectly good jumpsuit. Blues, Dave In English it is grammatically correct to end a sentence with a preposition. (That is actually a rule in Latin) "This is the sort of pedantry of which I will not put!" Winston Churchill.