Zeppo

I know the answer to that varies with everyone, and I know there are newbies out there that think what I'm talking about is blasphemy. However, I've been skydiving for nearly 10 years (started when I was 25) have 1,100 jumps, TM, AFF, etc. There feels to be to be two major factors. The first one is that I'm just not enjoying hanging around the DZ any more. The 2nd, a little closer to home, is that I'm tired of losing so many friends. I do acknowledge that they understood their choices and I don't want to hold that against them personally, but I feel that at any time, a simple mistake, judgement error, or maybe even some other factor out of your control. As someone who's looking to start a family now, I don't know if I'm willing to take that risk any longer. It's probably not something that anyone can explain one way or the other, but I imagine that there are people on here that either have left the sport, or those that know people that have left, but still maintain friendship. What was your story? What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

Hey all, I was seeking some advise. I think that it's time for me to upsize. I'm currently jumping a crossfire 2-109. I at about a 2.1 wing loading with roughly 1,100 skydives. i'm realizing that this canopy just isn't suitable for demos (unless it's a very large field) wingsuiting, big ways (landing off with it isn't really that fun). I find it's great for AFF, coaching, or simple day to day jumps, but I'm looking to be able to explore other avenues. I don't really want to have two completely different rigs, as for demo's I want to make sure that I can always land dead centre, and I think that can only happen with currency, and familiarity with a canopy. What I'm asking is this. What canopy do you think would be best for all of the following. Fun jumps coaching AFF hop & pops (some swooping potential, so still some fun to fly) demos CRW (without being a full on CRW canopy) glide to get back from long spots. Good openings (for those times that I chase students down to 2k.) I've seen too many of my friends get hurt flying small canopies, despite their currency and experience, so I think I'm just looking to take a step towards satefy. I've considered a Pilot as I've heard good things about it. I've also considered a Lotus, as the air locks would be good on those windy and turbulent days. What do you think would be the best overall canopy that would give me the best flexibility to handle everything that I could get into, while still being fun to fly. I would appreciate any advice you can provide. Thanks. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

Mike was a friend of mine for many years, and I will certainly remember all the goods times we had together. Blue Skies Mike. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

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Between the Cookie G2 and the phantom, which do you prefer, and why? How do these compare with previous full face helmets? What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

People seem to be pretty specific. Either they love their Katana, and it opens perfectly for them, or they quickly dispose of it because of the stupid openings. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

I never had any issues with the container, or the openings prior to my losing weight. That seems to be the only difference over the last 7 weeks. When the canopy opens, it is progressing smoothly, and on heading, then as the slider is mid way down the lines, the canopy can take a radical dive and begin spinning up (sometimes, I am able to stop it quickly, sometimes, it takes a little longer) Unfortunatley, I can't remember if it was one direction or not. The situation I'm describing it not about the main fitting in the container, it's the container fitting me. I have about 8 - 12" of give on the container sliding up and down, meaning that I can lift up the back of the container about a foot. It sits very loose around my shoulders, and can slide side to side along my hips. I am curious that with this sort of freedom of movement with the container against my body, could this lead to inadvertant pressure on different parts of the canopy, causing this issue. Would it be worth while buying a new, better fitting container to help prevent this from happening again, or is it not the container, but in fact, my body position (which I really don't think so) The container itself is brand new, purchased in Jan, with about 100 jumps on it, so I highly doubt that there is anything wrong with the container, and I don't think it's my packing, because it never did it before, it's once been since I've lost weight. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

It does concern me, which is why right now, I'm looking at buying a new container. It is mostly about knowing if a new container will actually fix the problem (if it was the source of the problem) if it isn't the container causing the problems, then it's something else with my body position that I have to figure out. Step 1 - get new container Step 2 - see if it still spins up Step 2a - if it does, get my body position fixed (somehow) I'm curious to actually know if it could be the container causing the issues. I think it makes sense, but I have a biased opinion, so I'm looking for others advise. Also, no one at my DZ jumps the same size canopy, so it would be a big job of changing canopies for one jump. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

Hello All I am seeking feedback and potential insights into a problem I may have (a good one in a sense, but please, read on) Last year, I put about 200 jumps on a Katana 135. Over the winter I ordered a brand new wings container sized perfectly for me, and it fit great. I had no issues with it at all. I started off the season as normal jumping as normal. THis year however, meant more tandems than sport jumps... During the season, I made the decision (partially for health reasons, but also to improve my skydiving) to lose weight. I did weigh 225 (plus gear) and now I am just over 190 pounds. During this weight loss, I also decided to get a Katana 107. The problem that I have noticed overall though, is that my container harness doesn't fit me properly any more (at all) I can tighten the leg straps as much as possible, but it still isn't as tight as I like it. (but tight enough that it won't cause pinching) When I started jumping the Katana 107, I noticed that 9 out of 10 jumps were causing wild spinning line twists, which always scared the crap out of me (and one nearly caused a cutaway - luckily I pulled higher and had time to kick out of it) I spoke with many locals about it, including the previous owner, who claimed there were no problems with it. I was wondering if it was my body position, but each jump I was particularly consious of my body position, leg symmetry, etc, but to no avail. I set the Katana aside and tried jumping the Vengeance. This didn't seem to give me the same problems...at first (I only did two jumps on it) The last two jumps however, were similar to the katana, however, as it is less aggressive than the katana, I was able to deal with it and land safely. My question, considering the relatively significant weight loss (35 lbs) is it possible that the incredible loose harness could be causing an asymmetrical opening on smaller canopies. For this discussion - please assume that my body position is OK, I am only interested in the potential results of wearing a container that is quite loose around the hips, waist and shoulders, and what that impact might have on opening. If this has been discussed before - please feel free to direct me there (I didn't find anything) Thanks for your valued input. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

I know lots of questions have always popped up regarding the wings options, but I have a few others that I couldn't seem to find in the search, and I'm hoping some people out there can help enlighten me. Swoop Riser Option - What are swoop risers vs regular risers? I'm not quite certain of the difference. Main Container bottom flap closing loop retainer. Is this just like it sounds, the closing loop is attached to the bottom flap (like a mirage) instead of up near the reserve? Stainless Steel - on the wings, this is a very expensive option, and I really seem to be having a hard time justifying the expense. Is there something I'm missing. I've heard that stainless helps the rig keep it's value for resale? Any insights that anyone could provide would be helpful. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

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Hey DSE Does the Go Pro handle vibrations well? My helmet is just a strap on and I would suspect that it might vibrate a fair bit during freefall, so I'm interested in hearing your input on how it might handle the vibration of terminal velocity. Thanks. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

Hey All I'm looking at getting my tandem rating. I know all of the requirements, but my questions aren't just about that. My questions are about what to expect. Tandems can be alot of fun, but they can also be very scary - if things go wrong. To those new tandem masters out there, how do you know that your ready to handle things that you don't know about, and have never experienced? I had similar thoughts when I first became an instructor, but I went through it anyway, and am now much more comfortable acting as an instructor. Is it similar with doing tandems? I couldn't imagine anyone feeling comfortable doing tandem jumps for the first little while. Can anyone share their experiences from when they first became a tandem instructor. Thanks. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

Hey I'm going to be in New York at the beginning of May, and I was hoping to get the chance to do a bunch of jumping...but - I need a ride. Officially, I'm flying in for business on Monday and Tuesday to Stamford, but they were willing to change my flights in order for me to fly in on Friday night. It would be great if there was some kind soul out there that might be willing to pick me up at Newark International Airport - there'll be some beer and jumps in it for ya :) I plan on jumping all weekend - but at the end of that weekend, I would also need a lift to Stamford. I've never been to the area, so I'm not sure of distances, etc, or alternatives to getting there, so hopefully people can chime in and inform an ignorant skydiver. Thanks a bunch. What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

I just had mine finished up by Julio...unfortunately, I haven't seen it yet. I hear it's on the way. Can't wait! What goes up, must come DOWN!!!