bqmassey

Absolutely. I love my GSG 1911. It doesn't feel like a BB gun like a lot of the other .22 handguns do. Great gun. I highly recommend it.

I'm not a swooper, so I can't comment on that application, but... I love my N3. Screen is very easy to read, easier than the other digitals, imho. The menus are easier to work through as well (if you're looking to use some of the additional features). It has an LZ offset that allows you to set the difference between the runway altitude and the LZ if you're at a dropzone where that difference is notable. Very handy feature. (Other alti's might have that feature, not sure). I play around with my canopy a lot at altitude, and I like the descent rate reading that's on the screen when you're in the saddle. What I don't like about the N3 is the mounting options. The soft rubber case protects it well, but I've seen them get pretty destroyed with lots of use. The gloves and wristbands for the Viso are pretty cool, and seem more robust.

Perfect, thanks! Looking forward to it. Planning on driving in from Savannah tomorrow.

Is there anything official information about this boogie available online, something more than the date and location, without reading through 24 pages of forum posts?

Hey Nigel! I wear a Forerunner 610 when I jump now. I like it for a few different reasons. For instance, it picks up the GPS signal when I'm in the Otter. I have the center of the DZ set as a waypoint and can tell what the spot is before I get to the door. Of course, I always double-check visually, but on high-wind days where the spot is pretty far away and under the aircraft, I know exactly where to look for the DZ once I get to the door. At an off-airport LZ, like The Farm, which can blend in to the surroundings, that's pretty helpful. I also like knowing that I have some sort of backup plan in the case that I lose sight of the ground. In about five seconds I can have a display that gives me a distance and direction to the LZ. Helpful if low cloud rolls over or on cross-country high-pulls. (Obviously this isn't my primary navigation instrument, just a backup I like to have). Like you, I was pretty interested in my speeds. I wanted to figure out roughly what my glide ratio is in different configurations (by combining GPS and altimeter data) and how much cleaning up the wing (bringing slider down, loosening chest strap) affects glide. Also, Peter and I were curious what kind of glide ratio we were getting when we were tracking. (He came up with a number once based on geographical landmarks and altitudes, and I wanted to see if GPS data said the same thing). None of it is really vital information, it's just purely curiosity. My intent was to record it and analyze it on the ground. It worked for the most part, but my GPSr, being a running-oriented device, does some weird averaging/smoothing things sometimes. Obviously, don't get too wrapped up in watching it when you're under canopy, I know that you know that. I don't think that you need to keep it in your jumpsuit the whole time, though. As long as your focus is flying your parachute, an occasional glance at your GPSr is not going to make you crash and burn any more than an occasional glance at your altimeter.

Assuming that we're talking about publicly-owned land, as long as they want. Private land is different. If they want to set up in the Walmart parking lot, and Walmart doesn't them there, warn em once, then cuff em.

I'm listening. Prove me a socialist. Fill my empty jar with the knowledge of yours.

Yes. Yes.

Nothing is wrong with socialism or communism, if it's voluntary. Check out Amish or Menonite communities, a Catholic convent with nuns, etc. Those are very socialistic communities, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. You have every right to go join or start your OWN commune if you want to live in that way. It becomes wrong when you force people into it. Making it the policy of the government, backed law enforcement, is plain. fucking. wrong.

It's a cool show. I see no reason a student shouldn't listen to it. While they are segments (such as Safety First) that might discuss in-air procedures, there is a LOT more to the show than that.

See y'all tomorrow!

Ha!!

1. Whats your name? Brandon 2. How old are you? 25 3. Why did you decide to start jumping out of airplanes? I've always (I can remember watching jets when I was four) wanted to be in the sky. I've tried a lot of methods to get there. Joined the Civil Air Patrol when I was a bit younger to try to get some flight time. Eventually started working on my pilot's license. Strongly considered buying/building an autogyro. Getting out of the vehicle entirely seemed like a logical step! 4. Are you single or taken? Single 5. Do you have kids? Negative. 6. What do you drive? Hyundai Elantra 7. Have you ever done a kisspass? A what? 8. Where do you live? Georgia 9. Do you have any pets? Not that live with me. I consider the dogs that live with my parents (and me when I was in high school) to be at least partially mine. 10. How many jumps do you have? 66 11. What color eyes do you have? Green 12. What is your nationality? American 13. Have you ever dated someone you met off the internet? Never more than one or two dates, fortunately. 14. Favorite Movie? Just one? Can't do it. 15. What do you do when you aren't skydiving? Reading about skydiving. I own several guns and shoot a lot as well. 16. Have you ever BASE jumped? No 17. If not... do you want to? Yes 18. Do you have siblings? Yes, one biological, two step-. 19. Where do you want to travel to the most? New Zealand perhaps. 20. What's your favorite color? Dunno 21. Where was the last place you flew to (not skydiving?) Afghanistan.

That's interesting to know. Do the Suunto's do grid coords?

I'm considering the purchase of a GPS watch. I need help with some models to research. Right now I'm looking at the Garmin 405 or 610, but I haven't been able to find much about what products might compete with the Garmin line up. Here's what I'm looking for. Requirements: High-Sensitivity GPS I want something that will be accurate and get fixes quickly. I'd like it to be able to maintain the fix while in the airplane, but that's not a requirement. I know you're only going to get so much out of a GPS watch with no external antenna, but I think it's possible with some of the newer chipsets. Navigation Functionality Must be able to store waypoints and provide an easy-to-read navigation display. Storing/Downloading Tracks Must be able to store tracks and be able to transfer them to computer. Extra points if they're GPX tracks or easily converted into KML. Heart Rate Monitor. I plan on using this for running as well. Must have good HR training functionality. Rechargeable Don't want to constantly change batteries. Speed/pace readout. Must be able to show me an accurate speed and/or pace readout. Would-like-to-haves: Barometer I'd really like to have track logs with accurate elevation data. (it'd be cool to see my skydive in 3D on Google Earth.) Backup Altimeter Kind of goes along with the one above. I'd like it to have a prominent altitude readout. Should be either barometric based or have a GPS margin-of-error that would allow it to still be useful in freefall. Virtual Race I'd like to be able to set up a route and pace, and have it tell me how far ahead of or behind the pace I am. Garmin calls this "Virtual Partner" but I thought that sounded kind of sleezy. Extra points if I can race recorded tracks. Compass It'd be cool if it had an internal (non-GPS) compass, but it's not that important. Anyone have any experience with GPS watches?