DougH

It isn't over analyzing. Both parachutes can fail and you will die. I hope if I have a double mal I at least die quickly. I hope none of my friends die while I am in the sport, but if I stay in it long enough I know that some of them will. The student in your story made his own risk versus reward analysis and made the right choice for him. Maybe I am inferring too much, but it sounds like you are describing his "looking for a reason to quit" in a negative manner. Personally the rewards I get from skydiving out weigh the chances that I will bounce in some horrible way; it is a personal analysis and it only applies to me. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

10m from the center of the target ten times.

Yes this is true, I did so myself when I was in AFF (not every time since I jumped the same gear and the repack date didn't change). But how exactly does this apply to a thread about a tandem student??!! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Does any one have personal experince with the performance of the HC3 in low light or "no light" conditions? A lot of my more memorable jumps are canopy flight right around sunset? I have been reading that the 3 chips cameras are really poor in low light conditions, the pc1000 for example. I am trying to decide if I should keep waiting for a pc330 or pc350 to finally sell for a reasonable price on ebay, or if I should snatch up one of the hc3's instead. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I have jumped thru ice and rain, but never hail. I am allways thankful for the coverage of my full face and the high neck on my jump suits. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Call it .... Mc Fuzzy Lapflounder. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

You mean it isn't long enough to reach the hard housing inserts in the risers? Most people at my drop zone jump icons, all of there cutaway cables are long enough that the excess goes into the hard housings in the risers, this is true with my Icon as well. I would call aerodyne and verify that the cables are the proper length on both sides. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Wow. I hope he is cooking some cool shit up in the big lab in the sky. Growing up I used to wake up at 6:00 am every morning to watch mr wizard and flipper reruns on the tv. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Awesome. I lucked out on some free yankee tickets when I was younger. I just happened to be David Well's perfect game! I thought that was pretty freaking cool! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

As a non rigger I see the fault with the brake line routing, but what is wrong with the cascade? Should those lines be finger trapped into the brake line and backed up with a bar tack? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I want to go back to the 60's with 2007 skydiving gear, and all my fancy windtunnel time, oh oh and booties too. It will blow every ones mind. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Here? Huh? Where am I? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

You will get over it. I have gotten over the fact that I don't like the way the reply button functions compared to almost every other site on the internet by using it where ever I please. I am sure we can all understand the concept of context, we handle jumping out of planes after all. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Sue the city? Maybe you can force them to buy the property owners out within a certain radius? "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Not every 300 dollar alti has a digital read out. But you make a good point. Rob mentioned the altimaster, I love mine!! For the OP: http://www.paragear.com/templates/parachutes.asp?group=257&level=2&parent=6 The SORZ are good low cost goggles in my opinion. They seal well enough for contacts. What every goggles you get make sure they are clear. Eye contact with your partners and coaches is valuable! Most gear is a personal choice. I like my full face for RW and for winter jumping. It seems to me that most free fliers like open face helmets; but I have done a bunch of sitfly jumps with my fullface with no problem. Some people jump gloves all season long, other people don't. So is your magical money pot going to buy your gear and coaching lessons. Maybe you can get them to skimp on the gear and put it toward instruction and tunnel time. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Every student who completes a FASFA can get an unsubsidized Stafford loan with a decent rate for a couple thousand dollars. It goes straight to the university. If you already met your tuition for the year you get a refund check. If he could get away with paying cash that is the best route, but getting a 3k Stafford loan isn't a bad deal. The rates are way better than any credit card you can find, and unlike most personal debt you can use the interest payments to offset some of your tax liability. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Talk to your instructors about vertical seperation under canopy. With your pilot loaded at just under 1:1 you should be able open at a "normal" altitude and then hang in brakes and wait for the rest of the load to land and clear. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

If that is the case then see the begining of my post, that advice will now apply. Blue skies!! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Sure. You HAVE to get a matching rig, brand new matching jumpsuit, expensive sunglasses, and a 300 dollar altimeter. Seriously though I think a good idea would be to get used analog altimeter in good condition, get a protec to cover your noggin, and a cheap set of flexi goggles. Most dz's have a set of older jumpsuit you can borrow. Use that money you would have spent on all new gear on jumps. Belly jumps, coach jumps, hop and pops. Then down the road when you have more experience and you have a better idea of what part of skydiving you would like to concentrate on (or the many parts) you can start looking for new gear. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Thanks Dave! Oh and way to go on breaking 1000 jumps. The is awesome man!! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Actually it seems like a rather high wingloading for some one with your number of jumps. Don't fawk up! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

So it doesn't have to be in air training? I guess a hop and pop with an I on board in a jumpmaster role would meet that standard then! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Don't they have a phone at manifest? What I was wondering, and it goes along with your question, is what rating is required to do a recurrencey jump? I thought the BSR's called for a rated I, not a coach, but it seems like the industry standard is way more lax then the USPA recommends. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

I paid 3500 for a rig with three year old gear. It included a new reserve, cypress 2, and a pilot with about 100 jumps on it. The canopy was probably border line for me at the time with only 20 jumps but I got lucky with my roll of the dice and didn't get any injuries. I think it helped that I was staying very current and jumping almost every other day, some weeks getting 10+ jumps in. I had included my instructors in the process of buying the rig, and they were confident in my purchase. I could have done it cheaper, and I could have done it safer for sure. In the end I am very happy with the purchase I made. I have flown the same size canopy for 230 jumps and enjoyed every minute of it. My container will fit my next down size perfectly and I will have a good size reserve as long as I keep this container. "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P

Could some one give me a small cliff notes on the accident? This thread caught my eye because the 28th of June is my birthday. I am glad that it sounds like it was a non fatal crash!! "The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall" =P