SkymonkeyONE

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Posts posted by SkymonkeyONE

  1. I've always been a proponent of prioritizing suit over rig. Reason: you want to remove as many variables as possible early on in your jumping career. a Good suit can last you over a decade (assuming you don't bust your ass all the time), but you will likely want to downsize main and or container size much sooner than that.

    Still, these days, the FIRST thing I recommend a young skydiver buy is and altimeter and a three-tone audible.

    Chuck

  2. I jump Storm 120's loaded at 1.6 at work. Yes, the brakes are set very deep, but I've grown accustomed to it. The only time it becomes problematic is when you have a brake-fire. As for the landings: I swoop the hell out of mine! Yes, you have to turn them low, but when you have built up some speed they will almost "auto land".

    Chuck

  3. We are issued Boogieman suits where I work; mostly the "Bionic" model, but a few guys have the classic model or the Indoor Pro model. Boogieman dealers all have a kit which has three standard size "template" suits which you put on, take photos in, and adjust all the measurements from that "base" point. They are very, very through. We all have nylon fronts on our Bionics and they are FAST. I actually have two Bionics; one tight/very-fast, and one baggier, but still pretty fast. We all have cordura lower legs and forearms for range, but I have to jump a slower, poly-cotton-fronted suit for lightweight guys.

    These suits are incredibly well-made, but ours are black and we jump in Arizona so we all call them "sweat bags".

    Good luck,

    Chuck

  4. Trunk at Hypoxic wrote a program for our facility that automatically downloads our files, allows us to label them by student roster, configuration, and jump number, then deletes them off the camera before saving them to our server. It's awesome. In the absence of that, I have never had a problem viewing files straight off the camera with the mini USB cable that comes with the camera straight onto my laptop or I-pad. I make 800 work jumps a year with my Contour Roam. We have been using them since around 2010. Why not a GoPro? Simple: our contract requires (d) us to wear side-mount and the "slide forward: I'm recording", and "slide rearward: it's off" simplicity make them a no-brainer when we jump back-to-back-to-back-to-back then debrief four jumps.

    Chuck

  6. I think about this once in a while. Here's my guess as far as the USA goes:

    Out of the roughly 33,000 USPA members, I doubt half of them still jump at all so that's 16,000
    Out that roughly 16,000 I bet there are not 5000 who make over 200 jumps in a year (and I think that number is VERY high).
    I don't think there are 1000 people in the entire usa who make 500 jumps a year and I don't think there are more than 500 people in the USA who make 1000 jumps in a year.

  9. I was sad to hear this. Bob was a tremendous character. I saw him many, many times over the past decade. I'd heard all his stories and seen his photo albumns a hundred times, but it was always great to introduce young jumpers to him.


    He NEVER wore goggles; did you guys know that?

  11. Let me start out by stating that I am a huge proponent of the four-page ISP program and was lucky enough to to be working at a dropzone which implimented it the day USPA adopted it (Raeford Parachute Center, under Tony Thacker). I grew up on a SL progression, Cessna DZ in Alabama.

    I've been at this instructing thing a very-long time (over 33 years) and I agree that the terminology needs to be updated or at least better defined to the student. I prefer the term "cleared to Coaching" when passing students from Cat E3 onward.

    What's more important to me, though, is sitting them down after that E3 and discussing the next, logical steps. This, very-often, includes one or two solos as confidence builders prior to jumping into Cat F, G,. and H tasks. Again: if you are using the four-page card this alleviates a lot of the "what do I do next?" questions.

    It gripes my ass to no end how many dropzones still do seven level AFF and proudly announce over the intercom that "so and so has just graduated AFF!" then they leave them to their own devices with no clear path toward gaining their A license. EVERY dropzone whicjh trains students should have a start-to-finish 25 jump program and the staffing and desire to get those students ALL THE WAY THROUGH that program.

    Chuck Blue, D-12501
    AFF/SL/TM-I, PRO, S&TA, FAA Senior Rigger
    Coolidge, AZ

  12. Quote

    I will probably wear a camera before 200 jumps and I will do it safely.



    No you won't. Not at most major dropzones anyway. We (S&TA's) will not allow you to do it. You'd be surprised to find out how many dropzones have written policies prohibiting it.

    Chuck Blue
    D-12501
    AFF/TM/SL-I, PRO, S&TA (among other things)

  14. drudchen

    ***I have a Sabre2 97 in my Wings W1-2 wingsuit rig and a Xaos 27 80 in my other identically sized container.



    I can confirm. Although, I have a Spectre 97 in Wings W1-2, and Velo 79. Both are pretty tight in there. (My Katana 89 packs softer than either of those two).

    I originally had a Velo 84 in my rig and it fit fine. I downsized to a Velo 79 and it was a tad less tight. My Xaos 27 80 fits fine.

  15. If your buddy found a P2 for $350 that's a steal!! There are subtle differences in a 2 and three, but the main benefit of the three is the "zip on" attachment as opposed to the "lace up" found on the older P2. I still have a P2 that I will never, ever get rid of.

  17. KatieCat

    At most busy dropzones and boogies, anyone with an A license can easily manifest on a load and then walk out to the loading area with the newest biggest ws without any question. We don't have gear police checking licenses and jump numbers before someone boards the plane.



    Not true at most major dropzones. Positively not true at any of the last four I've worked/jumped at. If this DOES happen at your dropzone then you might ought to establish procedures to prevent it.

  19. Yeah, this is fucked up news. I started competing with Eldon back in either 2000 or 2001 at the Pond Swoop Nationals then saw him at every PPPB/PST meet meet after that till I stopped competing in 2005. Eldon personified the "Go big or go home" motto when he swooped. I saw him swoop his ass off and I saw him hit the ground and/or chow so hard I thought his head would fly off. He gave it 100% on every run.

    I lost contact with him for a few years then reconnected through the magic of Facebook. He looked to be having the time of his life travelling the world (particularly Central/South America). I was jealous!

    Anyway, all of us old-school competitors are particularly going to miss him.

    Condolences to his wife.

    Chuck

  22. I've never let my ratings lapse in all that time. I did take a "sort of" break for a couple of years and only made like 25 jumps a year. I've made at least 600 jumps a year since I retired from the army in 2003. I still skydive for a living and make ~800 jumps a year jumping monday thru friday. I'll keep this pace till my body won't let me, then I'll move back to FL and cut the grass or gas planes in Z-hills. :ph34r: