auskydiver

My 2 cents....The convention has been on a downward spiral since 99. However in 2003 I had an awsome time. One thing the convention always offered was a place for all of the small jump clubs with cessnas a place to jump big planes with all of their friends without having to go to one of the "Big" dzs in Florida, Arizona, California, Illinoise or any of the other "BIG" dzs. I am not saying there are few Cessana dzs. It seems like in the last decade the number of dzs with aircraft bigger & faster than a 182 is the trend and going somewhere relatively close that has a big plane is easier than ever without having to drive a whole day. The convention has had many specialty jumps and then agian...a lot of the big dzs aquire specialty aircraft for their boogies. Hate to see it cancelled for the year and hope it "recharges" to where it was in the mid 90s.

As of right now I am planning to be there. My grandmother has terminal cancer so plans can change at the last minute. I really missed not going last year so all of us need to make up for it!!

Check out http://www.auburnskydiving.com Makes you think there's a DZ in Auburn, AL especially with an Auburn area phone number. It's funny that when you call the number you are talking to people at Atlanta Skydiving Center (Adventure Skydiving Center) west of the Atlanta airport.

There are a limited number of companies that manufacture the various suspension lines that are being used. I have seen black and blue dacron but it was a special request. Something I have noticed on Aerodyne mains such as the pilot is that the attatchment points are colored by groups (i.e. A line attatchments a blue, etc. ect.).

I have a skyhook and I can tell you about a good friend who would still be here if he had a skyhook instead of the old-style RSL. He had a spinning malfunction. The bridle of the free bag and pilot chute tangled with him after cutting away the main. The reserve never had a chance. In my opinion a skyhook would have cleared the bridle from my friend. The Skyhook RSL is another wonderful innnovation from RWS and Bill Booth.

Greg's rigless jump????? Just kidding. He's the one that did that for the Mountain Dew Commercial right?

Well, I was on the main landing area at Rantoul and witnessed this spectacle. Yes, it shocked everyone, particularly the FAA and it was awsome. Yes, the guys who pulled the Mr. Bill without the Bill, as I like to call it, have moved up to the skydiver-rockstar status and are on their way to becomming legends in the sport. The moment I saw this I knew what would happen: the word and video of it gets out and others are going to do it. I fear that within the year we will probably read at least one if not two fatalities as a result of attempting this stunt. It does not take much skill to do a Mr. Bill but keep in mind the extreme stress the canopy and the harness and container system will be subjected to. I am not familiar but is their anything in the FAR or BSR regarding this? And most importantly if shit happens low (below 1000ft) will you have time to recover??

When I first visited this DZ as an up jumper, I did not feel very welcomed. I had to ask to see an aireal photo and it was not easy getting sugestions from fellow jumpers about the small landing area. After making a few more trips there with a part time staff member, I came to know many of the up jumpers and staff which made all the difference in the world. Once you get to know the people and they get to know you, it's a great DZ. The facility is great. The staff is very experienced and the Rigger Loft is top notch. On the other hand, if you go there by yourself and don't know anyone there, you will more than likely be jumping by yourself unless you want to pay a coach. There are some aggressive swoopers who will swoop the observation area which makes myself and others feel very uncomfortable. What really turns me off to this DZ is the way they do business and advertise. Advertising on the internet as Skydive Nashville, Skydive Birmingham, Skydive Montgomery, etc and tampering with other DZs websites is not a good practice. We should, in our community work together because we are brothers and sisters in this sport. I have also witnessed students who were told they were a 2hr drive away and spent 5hrs driving to the DZ, which was on a weather hold, and were not refunded their $75 deposit because they did not want to return to the DZ. It is a place where I feel love and hate and I will jump somewhere else.