topdocker

I was there in '88, they were still talking about her. Great DZ! I managed a few trips there, great place to jump and the jumpers were tons of fun. top Jump more, post less!

Reginald Denny says hey. I thought I was the only person who remembered that guy! top Jump more, post less!

Very sad to hear this. Larry was an amazing individual. When I was a young jumper, he was one of the big names in the sport, but always had time to sit and talk with us youngsters and make us feel welcome. Over the years, we didn't always agree on things and had some heated discussions, but he was always willing to sit down and talk calmly later and see other views. His mind didn't always change, but he at least took the time to listen. Mostly, Larry was a warm, engaging man who loved the sport and the people in it. Blue skies, Larry. Thanks for being such a great friend to many of us. top Jump more, post less!

They also made a version of the JFX for CF. My profile pic shows us jumping them. Great canopy for what we were doing, but also highly modified for CF. We found the extra rigidity from x-bracing to make the canopies more stable in flight. And finally a damn CF canopy that landed well! top Jump more, post less!

Seeing first hand what can happen in this sport is difficult. Initially, the advice of "keep jumping" works really well, but over time, you do need to process the incident. The big part of that talking to some more experienced jumpers and understanding what happened to that person most likely will not happen to you. It's okay to feel your mortality, it makes you check your gear just a little bit better. This is why I don't like it when jumpers talk about doing something stupid and shrug it off as "it's my life, I can do what I want." Someone dying, even if they are unknown at the DZ has an affect on everyone involved- witnesses, people next to them on the plane, people that respond to the scene, those that write up the incident reports, and everyone that has to call their family members that day and tell them it wasn't them. Good luck! top Jump more, post less!

Those are perfectly good questions along with "How many GoPros can I get to video this?" top Jump more, post less!

The last shipment of canopies that I received from PD had, in the largest letters on the shipping document, 'Signature Required.'* FedEx just left it on my front porch. * This may not be the absolutely correct, perfect wording on the shipping document, but I think you and others get the idea. Jerry Baumchen If that happened to me I would be on the phone pitching a king-sized bitch to management. Also, if you demand signature shipments and the parcel gets stolen from the porch without someone signing for, the delivery service is liable for the loss. That's the whole point behind requiring a signature - to PROVE you got it. I don't think the delivery drivers really pay attention. I have an office in a rather busy, commercial corridor that invites a lot of foot traffic. We have a probation office and an adult safety center (DUI classes, traffic school, etc) in the building. I have had more than one package left outside my office door on a Friday evening after we are gone, and the driver sent my a nice picture of it sitting there! Those packages were gone probably before I opened the message. I have reminded them that packages, some containing medical supplies, cannot be left without a signature, cannot be left outside the office, cannot be left next door. Still happens. All the time. The delivery people have been so overwhelmed with packages with Amazon and such, that they are just practically flinging them off the trucks. top Jump more, post less!

Too bad you can't send one item with a tracking device on it and see where it ends up. Has to be someone close by that can watch for the deliveries. top Jump more, post less!

USPA's website has zero info on judge courses. (and the BOD wonders why they have trouble getting new judges!) Try emailing the head of the competition committee, Kirk Verner. This is the contact info from the USPA website: [email protected] He may not know, but he will direct you to someone who does. Top Jump more, post less!

That's not true at all. Bill is very friendly to people who are there to jump, and he has an odd sense of humor so he can be off-putting. But Kathy is up there and is super nice and amazing at remembering people's names and jump numbers. Also, you have to be able to get yourself to the right plane at the right time, like an adult. The planes don't wait for people who can't listen to the calls, which upsets some delicate flowers. Like any business, you stand around doing nothing (and spending nothing) long enough and someone is going to tell you to move along. top Jump more, post less!

Haha, I highly doubt that a disguised person can hang in Lodi and pass unnoticed. Bill even charges "hang out" tickets if someone is hanging there and is not jumping. If people refuse he tells them to fuck off the area. Really? So tandem students aren't allowed to have family and friends come watch? Or are they required to leave after the jump is done? Or are simple spectators who want to watch the jumping charged? We get folks parking along the road, watching (maybe 50 yards from tandem landings). We get locals coming in and watching from the spectator area (not a lot, but some). Every once in a while, one decides to make a jump. They often buy stuff from the vending machines. The DZO thinks it's good 'neighbor relations' to be nice to them. I think Bill has amended the hang out ticket purchase agreement. Tandems/rando spectators seem to get a bit of a pass on them, but up jumpers are told to jump or find somewhere else to hang out. Probably because up jumpers tend to cause trouble when bored and tandems/spectators tend to just sit and stare. top Jump more, post less!

Hah. I remember when the first news of DB Cooper's amazing skyjack came out. I was jumping at Livermore back then. Many Nor Cal jumpers were convinced Bill Dause did the job but then the witness descriptions and FBI drawing came out and that myth died fast. 377 BD is DB backwards....... Coincidence? I think not.... Dan Cooper smoked and drank. Bill does neither. Dan Cooper was reported to above average height. Bill is not. Dan Cooper jumped out of the plane. Bill would have ordered everyone else to jump and flown the plane himself! top Jump more, post less!

I just read a news article at recordnet.com. Can't easily cut and paste the link since I'm on my mobile device right now. But according to that article the answer to your question is 'yes': Bill was very much open for business today. http://www.recordnet.com/news/20180131/business-as-usual-day-after-search-at-lodi-parachute-center top Jump more, post less!

Not me, but I do know who has EFS4EVR plate! top Jump more, post less!

Standard disclaimer: medical advice on the internet is lame. As a practicing dentist and jumper for 30 plus years each, people generally can do what they feel like doing. If the area is sore or slightly swollen, they may not want to be going up and down all day, dealing with pressure changes. On the other hand, if the area feels good, have at it. It not near as traumatic to the body as an extraction or other surgery. Hopefully, anyway! Bottom line, ask the dentist, he/she will know exactly how traumatic the work was. top Jump more, post less!

Don't just show big ways! The smaller ways are way fun too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jSLQ4aVszo top Jump more, post less!

I will throw my name in the hat for this. I have represented before and know what is expected. I believe there is only one year left in the term and getting someone with experience will keep it from being a learning year for the person and a dead year for region. Craig Stapleton Jump more, post less!

Fixed the link, you just underlined it Yeah, not my best work. top Jump more, post less!

https://youtu.be/hg5EoCDwhnk Because its a lot easier to say than to do. You may not have a hook knife. You may not be able to tell which lines to cut? top Jump more, post less!

Yes! top Jump more, post less!

Honestly, having been in a few wraps in my life, having one more line to deal with while you are hacking away at lines and nylon is not what you want. The best knives have open handles that you can put your hand or a finger into and are single piece metal construction. Hard to drop and impossible to break. My choice: http://www.benchmade.com/8-hook-family.html top ETA: and practice getting it out of the sheath on the ground and in the air (clearing your airspace first). It's not as easy as you think when you are under canopy. Jump more, post less!

So, I'm thinking you can still learn a lot using your Sabre deuce without suffering all the problems of the microline and trailing pilot chute. Do tons of proxy flying! Learn to turn and get near another canopy without hitting it or being a mile away. Adjust the rate of your turn and altitude so that you end up next to and on the same level without having to sashay a thousand times or sit in rear risers for an hour. Learn what affects front risers, rear risers, toggles, combinations of the front ant toggles have, feel the body burble, feel the canopy burble, and how changing your body position affects your canopy. Having another canopy next to you gives you real feedback as to what is happening. You don't need to dock to learn how to fly well, in fact it is harder to proxy fly than dock. CF is not about slamming docks together but flying in very close proximity so that a line can be kicked into with as minimal affect on the formation and the docker as possible. Yeah, you and your friend can pick up a triathlon or similar canopy super cheap (although the cost of new risers, toggles, maybe a deployment bag and new pilot chute has to be factored in) and have some fun. But in the meantime you can be laying the base of skills you will need to me a good canopy flyer with the equipment you have. Save the microline CF for crazy experts, while you are learning you should stick to Dacron and good socks. top Jump more, post less!

The price of my first rig! top Jump more, post less!

And check out the wheel strut.. that will be a great place for the camera person to sit and video exits! top Jump more, post less!

This is what I use and recommend to jumpers. http://www.benchmade.com/rescue-knives/8-hook-family.html It is a tad long, but sometimes what you want to cut is just out of reach. top Jump more, post less!