AllisonH

The two places I've worked pay $9-12, depending on what exactly they expect you to do. Just manifest, file, and answer phones? Or do planning, newsletters, scheduling and training of other employees, etc. These were both small to medium sized seasonal DZs.

LMAO!!! No all nighters here. I'm trying to get stuff done ahead of time - like the 10 page paper due in a month that will be mostly done by Monday - and keep up on the reading so I don't have to cram for tests. That sounded really mature and responsible, didn't it? I usually start off the semester really enthusiastic and stay ahead or at least on schedule with things, but then somewhere about halfway through I start dragging along. Fortunately I'm all finished with classes and exams now. But it is time to start figuring out what I'm going to do for that dang dissertation...

When I took that class (same class and school as Unstable, but different professor and 8 years ago - I feel old now!!) we were given a page of formulas stapled to the back of the test. Unfortunately, the formulas weren't all that useful because you had to do a whole bunch of calc proofs to get to the point where you could use the formula.

That's exactly what happened to me. It was no problem for me to get the substitutions approved. They let me sub Engineering Physics for General Physics, Calc for Trig, and Java Programming for the class that teaches you how to use a mouse and create new folders in Windows.

For example: in place of dx/dt a formula would simply have v. I suspect most of the people taking non-calculus physics are more interested in passing the class and checking off the block in their general science requirements than in understanding the mathematical background.

What is the difference between the two classes? In Florida we have College Physics and University Physics, the primary difference being University Physics utilizes Calculus, while College Physics requires only and understanding of Algebra and Trigonometry. The material is pretty much the same from what I've heard, although I've only taken the University Physics sequence. General physics is a 3 or 4 credit hour class with a prerequisite of trigonometry. It's algebra based physics and is the kind that most people outside of physics/engineering majors take. Engineering physics is a 5 credit hour class with a prerequisite of Calc II (you can also take it at the same time as Calc II). It's the calculus based physics that usually only people majoring in physics, engineering, and maybe chemistry take. Along with those like me who listen to their advisors. No, I didn't punch my advisor, but I did change my major after a couple of years. Ended up with gobs of hours of physics, calculus, stats, etc. that didn't count for anything.

I'd love a B. I got a nice big B in EP1, and I think if I hold where I am now with a little improvement in lab I'll get a B in EPII. Man, it sucks! I was in the Library until 6:30 this morning, then I came home, skipped my AM classes, and took a 3 hr power nap. On the last exam Dr. Law (you had him, right?) threw so many curve balls and I was grateful to stagger out with a 60-something. Yeah, I got B's in EP I and II. I had Chakrabarti (not sure how you actually spell that) both semesters. I liked him - he made me enjoy the class even as I was failing a couple of the exams. Thank god for partial credit!!

Have fun!! I remember the EP days... I was a naive freshman who trusted her advisor when he said "You'll like this one better than general physics". I obviously didn't learn since I took the second semester of it too. I've never been more thankful for a B!!

I think I had about 30 jumps when someone else lent me weights and told me to get used to wearing them (I'm 110 lbs). I fought with it for a while, and finally ended up in a place where I know that I CAN stay with almost anyone without wearing weights, but it's just so much easier to wear them. Just like you're at the slow edge of your range and finding it difficult to fly well, without weights I sometimes end up at the fast edge of my range. It doesn't take a lot of lead to make a big difference. I've found it very comfortable to wear around 6-8 pounds, so that's what I do on almost every jump, though I'm certainly willing to adjust it as needed. With your large jumpsuit and the smaller guys wearing a little lead, you shouldn't find it too difficult to meet in the middle fall-rate wise. 123 isn't that fast. Edit to add: the poster above me makes an excellent point. If someone tried to put 20-25 pounds of lead on me (which I know some people wear fairly regularly) I'd rather stay on the ground. That's 20% of my body weight and I don't want to increase my wingloading that much and kill my knees on every landing. There are limits to what they can do, and if you lost 10-20 pounds it would probably make things much easier for you.

It was the third DZ I jumped at, and the first big one. I was new and didn't know much about what to look for, but I definitely liked it. You're right about the people - everyone I dealt with there was awesome. Looking forward to getting back out there.

Are Brad and Bruno still AFF instructors up there? If so, they're definitely top notch. Haven't been up there, but I've jumped with them both in Tecumseh and in Ohio. (Not saying their other instructors aren't good too, those're just the ones I know.)

Where are you going to be jumping? I'm over at Tecumseh - drop me a message if you'll be out there.

How are you liking things at Perris? I was there 2 years ago when I had ~40-50 jumps and had a great time. I'll be back out there the end of April/beginning of May for about a week.

In that case, yeah, I think it would be ok to tell them about the counter-offer (though you would have had more leverage if you hadn't already accepted the job), but don't just disappear. It would probably be ok in the short term, but not work out so well in the long term.

I think that might depend on what field you're in. Is it a small world kind of field where everyone knows everyone else and you'll get a reputation due to that decision? Or is it a big anonymous field where the company you're leaving will be pissed but you'll never need to work with them again or ask for referencecs? In my field it would be a very bad decision that would follow me around for a long time, but I can see how in many other fields it wouldn't be a big deal. Which category does your career fit into?

I'm picturing formation loads with the Caravan and the 182... Is that possible? I know I've been formation loads with an Otter and a 182.

Airspeed does a lot of tunnel coaching in Eloy, and I'm sure you can't go wrong with them. Haven't flown with them, but have gotten a lot of help from them on the ground. I usually do my tunnel time there with Divewerkz (http://www.divewerkz.org/teambios.html). I've flown most with Blane and Annie and have always been more than satisfied with the feedback. They're also pretty affordable.

Let me know what day that's planned for. What's the current women's RW record? 4?

I PM'd you a couple of names/numbers.

I usually get my rental cars through www.hotwire.com. I've paid anywhere between $10-18 per day (plus tax) for a compact or midsize car at the Phoenix airport over the past several months. Not sure about weekly rates as I've only rented for a few days at a time, but frequently there's a weekly discount.

Arezzo (http://www.skydivetortuga.com) is about an hour by train from Florence. Not sure how long it would take to drive, but it's a pretty straight shot down one of the major highways. Wasn't jumping yet when I was there, but it's a pretty neat town.

If you were an electrition I would not want your wife wiring my new home. Even though she had a front row seat That's assuming the wife is not also an electrician. Perhaps a better comparison would be a student electrician who spent 8 years discussing/observing her husband perform electrical work and has since then had several years experience working on her own?

It's pretty common to pay up to $1500 or more for the AFF part, then many dropzones require a number of coach jumps at $50-100 each to complete the student program (AFF is just the first part of the student program). Even if they don't charge extra for coaching, you're probably looking at around $50-60 per jump when you factor in gear rental. I paid less than $1400 for my A license a few years ago, but I was fortunate to be able tot do the first half at a club DZ where they offered static line training at a great price. To the original poster: if you're looking to save money on the jumping part, look around and see if there's either a club dropzone or a place that offers either static line or IAD instruction. The progression is a little different than AFF, but by the time you get 20-30 jumps you'll end up in the same place. You'll have just taken a different path to get there, and the jumps are significantly less expensive. I'm not familiar enough with dropzones in that area to give more specific recommendations, but call around to a few local places and compare.

Hmm, I think my mom and stepdad have been married around 17 years? And my dad and stepmom maybe 15-16? My grandparents had been married 64 1/2 years when my grandpa died - I was born a week before their 50th anniversary.

Any or all of the gear you need can be purchased used. You should be able to get all of your equipment for between $2500-5000 used, depending on what you get. You can also do a combination of new and used, which I did for ~4-5,000. You'll get a lot more (useful and appropriate) advice on that from your instructors as you move along in your student progression. If you tell us where you live, we may be able to suggest ways to save on student jumps as well.