steelyeye

Saw a video on skydivingmovies.com (video here) where the jumper gets a really solid slammer of an opening. The canopy looks really odd to me after opening, like the end cells are inflated and flying and the center takes a while to get fully inflated. Could this be an indicator of why the opening was a real whacker? Any ideas? Blues - Wild Bill "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Once you get it, it is really second nature - keep at it. I can still (20 years after I quit racing) roll a C-1 without a paddle. It is all in the technique. You really don't put any force on the paddle, it's mainly an upper body motion thing. One method that may help you get the hang of it quickly and allow you to transition to a normal roll is the "pawlata roll" - the same thing, only using an extended paddle. (google "pawlata" for some videos and explanations). Learn to do it that way until it requires no force on the paddle, then normal rolling will be easy. Have fun - don't drown! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

My first thought was zoomed in with a wide angle lens, but sounds like you already looked at that - try this website - it has helped me in the past: http://esupport.sony.com "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Quade - Here is at least some information about the flags. http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0703/oif6.html, and yes, I have seen quite a few of them in and around military bases in Hawaii, Georgia and Florida. "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Adding meters (you Army types LOVE the metric system!) would be really easy. I'll incorporate that into the next revision. Also, I could change the winds aloft reporting positions, but talking with a forecaster down here at the JAX civilian station, I understood that the winds were only reported at 3000, 6000, 9000, 12000, 18000, etc. Where are you getting the extra numbers from? That would make it a whole lot more accurate. I'll get smarter on the dogleg issue. Did not get it the first time through the presentation. "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Thanks for the feedback. I am already working on an improved version which I will forward out to those who already have received the program. Improvements will include: 1. Ability to enter airport elevation, which will allow exit and opening altitudes to be entered as AGL vice MSL. 2. The mapping function will be keyed to a reference point (probably the same as used by the pilot) and the desired opening point will be user entered as a bearing and distance from this reference point. 3. A variable speed model will be incorporated allowing the user to select any terminal velocity (freefly and wingsuit friendly

Gotta side with you on that! Tools are only as good as the craftsman wielding them! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Yes, it is a static picture (there are separate pages for a large scale and small scale picture of the DZ). The calculations superimpose the exit point and predicted path over ground on the picture. PM me with an e-mail address (files to large to PM) and I'll be happy to send you the files. If you let me know what DZ to customize it for, I'll do that too! Bill "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

After Safety Day, I got thinking about how we compute our spot. I am sure this has been done before, but was not able to find it in the forums, but I cobbled together a program which takes the winds aloft, exit and opening altitudes and computes the spot two dimensionally on an aerial view of the DZ. I think it might be useful. It uses both the SIM method and several other more advanced methods to calculate the exit point. It takes account of the variation in wind speed and direction throughout freefall as vectors (more detail in the user's guide). If you are interested in using it, PM me with your DZ details (name, location, location of desired landing spot, etc) and I will customize the program for you and send it and the user's guide to you. I would love to have feedback on the program and will work to make it a more useful tool! Attached is a screen capture of the program. Blue Skies! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

My boy! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

I really liked the "retirement home" commercial and the "magic" commercial. "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

OK, while I was in England for about 6 months, I was stunned by the various degrees of "madness" - apparently, one could be as mad as a: 1. Bishop 2. Box of frogs 3. Bicycle 4. etc. I tried, over many pints, to get an agreement over the relative scale (is being as mad as a box of frogs worse than being as mad as a bicycle?), but to no avail. Clearly the Brits are all as mad as a bunch of hatters (which is apparently a really bad thing to call someone). Also, don't tell a chiquita she has a nice "fanny"! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Way more important, the commercials on the 500 were way better than the Super Bowl! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

OK, I am about as conservative as they get and I thought it was pretty lame. I was really hoping for a conservative twist on the "Daily Show", but was disappointed. I was also a bit affronted that it was on the Fox News Channel. Sure, we (conservatives) need a voice, but don't demean the overall credibility of the FNC by putting on a humor show. "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Hey, I don't know all the facts, but assuming that Hastert was flying in a C20D (3676NM range) or C20G (4872NM range) and DC to San Fran is about 2500NM, it seems like Ms. Pelosi would WANT to reduce her "carbon footprint" and save the taxpayers a few bucks by flying the smallest, most efficient aircraft that would meet her needs (assuming that her staffing needs are not THAT much different than the previous speaker's). "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Bought my next-to-second camera helmet from Miami's gear sales out of Virginia. I was really worried because there are not many helmets that fit my really big and narrow head (OK, I'm built like a fish!). Miami advised me to get one size smaller than I thought I needed. Got the helmet and was again really worried because of the tight fit. Miami advised me to give it a few jumps... Now it fits great!!! Definitely as comfortable as any other helmet, full-face or not, I have worn. And you don't even notice the extra weight (very well balanced) of the camera on the side. Camera access is super easy and very secure. Although nearly snag proof, I opted for the cut-away system, which is very easy to operate and unobtrusive. Even tried it under load without a problem. Great helmet and can't say enough about the great service from Miami! The wait for the helmet does suck, but that is probably more a reflection of the quality and demand for the product than anything else!

Nothing like being able to hop on a mountain bike in the middle of the summer and be on top of a snow covered mountain or out on the high desert within half an hour! Also spent a lot of time up towards Missoula. Craters of the Moon is also a must see in that part of the state! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Used to live in Pocatello. Now you have me wanting to get back out there! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Had to chime in as a "colonial" who spent six months in England with the Royal Navy and absolutely fell in love with you limeys and your wonderful country: Great things: - The local Devon village pub culture - Jubilee chicken sandwiches - Public transportation - The incredible density of history - The Royal Navy - Cider!!! - Mushy peas! - Curry!!!!! - "Just a minute"! - BBC Radio - Quirky cars (Triumph, Jag, MG) - Cricket (took a few pints and a very patient mentor to explain the finer points) - Rugby - Proper tea - Devon clotted cream Things I just did not understand: - The appeal of "The Archers" - Anyone from Belfast - Soccer - I have honestly tried, even with beer, fish and chips, but still a bloody boring game My favorite game while in one of the village pubs was to bring up that I was going from Plymouth to Portsmouth that weekend and watch the locals fight over the best way to get there! Bill Bryson's book was spot on! Cheers, Aye! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

This was a major find for my big old melon (7 5/8). The XL fit great right out of the box. Not sure what the complaints about security are. If this thing were to come off in flight, I think it would take my head with it! Maybe you have to have a prominent chin for the buckle and strap, but I have had no problems with it. The audible pockets are poorly designed and it usually takes some squishing around to get the audible to settle into a comfortable position. Had to update based upon GREAT customer service! After about a hundred jumps, I lost the right side fairing (a cover plate over the hinge on the facesheild) and hinge bolt while in freefall (must have whacked it on the plane on exit or something). I temporarily repaired it with a washer, nylon nut and bolt from Home Depot. Contacted PARATEC on their website and was soon contacted by Ken Krueger, the US Paratec representative. Long story short, they not only replaced the missing hinge bolt and fairing, but also provided an upgrade kit to turn my first generation FreeZR into the much improved third generation (improved visor hinges and fairings). This company really cares about its customers! Great service, great helmet!!!

OK, OK, OK... it's obvious I need to go out and jump more and worry about the way people park less... thanks for helping me get re-centered! For the record, there are not many vehicles with a larger turning radius than mine, and I can back/parallel park with the best of them, and I do not follow the guy/gal ahead of me too closely (unless it's out the door for a tracking jump!) just tired of watching everyone else do it! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Sorry for something so trivial, but people who back into parking spots are really starting to irk me. They seem to do it more over here in Hawaii than anywhere else I have ever lived! I guess my first question is "WHY"? What possible benefit, assuming you are not robbing a store and need a quick get-away, could there be to backing in? And why is it that the vast majority of people I see attempting to back into a parking spot take two or three tries to get the line-up correct? If you can't do it, don't try it! And if you own a huge "duelie", don't even think about it! There is nothing worse than following someone through a parking lot, watching them pass an open space, then see those back-up lights pop on...causing everyone behind them to have to slam on the brakes and/or back up. Grrrrrrr..... venting complete, thank you for listening. I know... I need to go get some air between myself and the ground! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Great actually - she did a tandem the same day I did my FJC (although she thought the tandem was a lot of fun, she did not catch the bug)! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."

Chin - about 100 - Fell down stairs a lot, plus football, plus my one pitiful attempt at breakdancing in high school Temple - about 10 - Fell UP stairs Knee/Wrist - about 50 - Surgery Thumb - about 20 - cut end off with a table saw (to quote my wife after I came in from the garage and whimpered "Honey...we need to go to the hospital...now!" she said, "I don't want to know what you did, I don't want to see it, and you're a dumb ass...") Foot - about 20 - fell off breakwater and landed in a bunch of oysters ....my medical record is getting quite thick with stupid stuff like this! "Better a has-been than a never-was. Better a never-was than a never-tried-to-be..."