Gato

My reply: (Enthusiastically)"That's weird, you know that's the first time anybody's ever asked me that. No wait - now that I think about it, I have been asked that one hundred and forty seven times. You're 148. Congratulations!" (Under my breath): "Go fuck yourself, Uncle Rex." True story. T.I.N.S.

Please forgive my noobishness, but.... Isn't this one of those questions (like wingsuiting) in which some people with less than 500 jumps are likely to say, "Sure, go ahead whenever you're ready." And the important question seems to be, "Is your rig FF friendly?" Also, I don't recall seeing any discussion about the corresponding higher horizontal speeds during FF dives. (Incidentally, my rig is NOT FF friendly, so I won't be trying any freeflying for a little while.) T.I.N.S.

I agree - I downloaded the SIM the day I decided I was going to jump for the first time. What I do not understand (and some of the I's can back me up on this) is why the SIM is free but if you decide you're going to be a coach you MUST buy a copy of the IRM for $34 plus shipping (Instructor's Rating Manual) - there is no IRM for download. There's probably a good reason for that though, right? T.I.N.S.

I'm surprised none of you recognized the newest member of the PD factory swoop team - there's no slider because she has an RDS! I think the heels are a clear indication that this seasoned swooper knows exactly where she's going to land/hit/swoop/biff. T.I.N.S.

Here's how I'm going about it: A-license last October @ 32 jumps (After 2 yrs. around the DZ!) Sr. Rigger's ticket this past January B-license next week! Coach rating sometime in August or September, hopefully. After that, I'd like to try the wingsuit, once I'm into the 200's - provided I'm ready for it. Then I'll most likely go after an SLI rating. Who knows? T.I.N.S.

I have one - they are good suits, but the price is actually $175. I'm 5'9" and 204 pounds, and I can consistently stay @ around 120mph. Here you go: http://www.square1.com/manufacturers/square1/p1536.asp I will say that the suit helped me initially by making my fallrate more consistent, and made it easier to stay with my instructors and my friends - BUT, in my opinion, it's more about being able to adjust your fallrate by adjusting your body position than what (or how much) fabric you have on. I have the black suit with grey stripes - sorry I'm kind of obscured in the photo, but it does look nice in the air. (Especially if you add sci-fi patches.) T.I.N.S.

Raven III (3) is 249 square feet, Raven IV is 282, if I'm not mistaken. Also, the lines are a HUGE factor - Dacron takes up a lot of room, Spectra does not. T.I.N.S.

How about any newer container that will hold a 170 main and reserve? You weigh 135 - your rig and other accessories will come to at least 20 pounds, if not more. Figure an exit weight of 155 - 160 pounds. And if you're planning on sticking to freeflying, you might want to consider dacron lines on your canopies - opening in a sit or head down can have adverse effects on your structural integrity. Not that you'll be doing that. Be safe - the sky isn't going anywhere. T.I.N.S.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cobalt+skydiving&search_type=&aq=f There ya go. (I think he's referring to the second video on the list - that's some ugly shit.) T.I.N.S.

Caption: "Jeb has finally settled on a new wingsuit - and a bold new look." (Just kidding, Jeb!) T.I.N.S.

Mine came from the factory with Spectra - I think most of them do. T.I.N.S.

Hey - So my wife bought me a pair of Converters from Baddog Services back on my birthday in December. I love them - very comfortable, and I also dig the lenses that I got with them: classic gray, and gradient blue (my favorite). A few weeks ago, I realize that it might be a good idea to have lenses that let people see my eyes, so I ordered a pair of Action Blue lenses for them at ActiveSportSunglasses.com. About 2 weeks later, my new lenses arrive, and when I go to put them in, they do go in, but as soon as I tried polishing the fingerprints off of them, one of them popped right out - something my other 2 sets NEVER do. So I call Gatorz and send an email to customer service. Two days ago, I spoke to a guy in the warranty department, and he tells me to send in the lenses with my info, etc., so they can figure out if anything is cut incorrectly. I'm thinking that's ok, I can do that. A half hour ago, a woman called (won't mention her name here) saying I should send in my lenses and my frames, because I might have the "old" style Converter, and the new lenses won't work with them if that's the case. And if they are the old style, what they usually recommend is that people upgrade to the newer style for $50 - essentially a rebuild fee. But she couldn't promise anything until she sees the frames. While I don't like the idea of not being able to get extra replacement lenses for my Gatorz, I kind of feel like my specs would be held hostage or something. If it's a matter of paying $50 for a new frame, when I just got these and dropped $35 for the pop-out lenses.....shit, I don't know. What would you do? (Besides be a wiseass and tell me to get a pair of Flex-Z or Sorz - I have them already.) T.I.N.S.

You needn't worry about the butterflies - trust me, they will return.

From one guitar-playing and skydiving Chris to another: As a guitar and music theory instructor (GMTI!!), I will give you the same mini-speech I give all of my students (or at least the ones who act as if they give a shit): There are sounds in our minds and hearts. There are physical abilities within our bodies, in our arms and hands. Your job, as a practicing musician, is to remove as many barriers that exist between your mind and body as you can - you must train, just as an athlete trains, so that you can bring those sounds to life. Being great on your instrument centers around one word: Maintenance. Just as you'd want to remain current in skydiving, you'll need to maintain your skills on a daily basis - remember, 30 minutes every day is better than 4 hours on sunday afternoon. If you were training to become a plumber, you'd be doing some very specific things on a daily basis to help prepare you for that job; take your future job as a pro musician seriously enough to put in the time it takes to become great. It can be done! Learn music/chord theory if you don't know or understand it yet - there is no excuse for us not to know those things just because we play the coolest fuckin' instrument on the planet. Don't just be a great guitarist - BE A GREAT MUSICIAN!!! (Tabs are ok in the beginning, but you MUST know how to read a "lead sheet." (PM me for more details on that, if you want.) Having said all of that, remember that the sky will always be there, and so will we.

This is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. I soooo get the frustration of not being able to jump. However, it sounds like you're not willing to go out to the DZ unless you can jump a lot. In my opinion, you would be better off just getting in 1 jump every week or two to keep current, just so the environment won't be so foreign to you when you do get to jump regularly. Having gone through this same thing, I would rather get 1 jump every week, than getting 4 jumps every 4 weeks. Practicing a musical instrument efficiently requires the same type of thing - it's better for you to practice 10 minutes every day than it is to play nothing for 6 days and practice 3 hours on sunday. It's important to maintain your packing skills and keep them current, as well. Do what you can, jump whenever you can! T.I.N.S.

Just about anything under $20 from here: www.paragear.com or here: www.square1.com but I got mine here: www.skydivestore.com Can't really go wrong with any of these - a (good) pair of goggles shouldn't cost more than the average jump ticket! When I'm doing a solo, I'll wear my Gatorz Converters, but when I jump with others, I usually wear a pair of clear Sorz (or switch-out the dark lenses on the Converters to "Action Blue" lenses) so people can read my eyes - very very important. It is absolutely not necessary to buy expensive goggles - my wife gave me the Gatorz for my birthday, so I didn't really have to buy them! T.I.N.S.

I have just been ordained - and I feel.....different, somehow.....like I need to abide, or something. There, but by the grace of the Dude, go I. #230 T.I.N.S.

Here's how my first gear budget breaks down: $100 - Aviator helmet from Square1 via ebay sale $90 - Used Altimaster Galaxy altimeter $60 - To have Alti-2 refurbish said altimeter (Just fucking buy a new one.) $15 - Sorz clear goggles $125 - New freefly suit from SQ1 (plus $20 for sci-fi patches! ) $20 - Ops gloves from army-navy store Total Accessories: $410.00 Rig: $250 - Talon container (already updated Service Bulletins, from 1990) $140 - New BOC, velcro replacement, inspection of container+reserve $350 - Super Raven 3 - 249 sq. ft. $450 - PD230 9-cell with 28 jumps (not using an AAD right now.) Total for Rig: $1130.00 Total: $1540.00 Getting my rigger's ticket in time to pack my own reserve: Priceless. T.I.N.S.

Most important is being able to walk to the hangar afterward. Canopy flight errors kill. Sometimes they even kill other jumpers who did nothing wrong. Turning points is cool.... Landing safely is essential. Very well said! I'm glad I came up through S/L - it's not easy, but you know you've got it when you've got it. Having to "earn" freefall was a very humbling but enlightening experience for me - as soon as I was on 10-second delays, this sport became VERY personal to me. Maybe it's just the sheer speed that you don't experience in the beginning of the progression, when your decisions and actions need to adapt to that faster reality - where half a second really means something. The Static Line progression is not a dying discipline - it's just not for everyone. And that's ok. T.I.N.S.

You've just made solo status - how many jumps do you have at the moment? Just curious. For me, there were two things that allowed me to relax in the plane: - I found out what the maintenance schedule for the plane was, and met the mechanic (DZO!!), and got to know the pilots that fly us. - Exposure to the environment; staying current is so overlooked, but for me, it's the number one contributor to being relaxed and confident while skydiving. Packing is even a currency issue! After even a two or three week layoff, I have a bit of nervousness on the way to altitude, so I go through a set routine of breathing and relaxing my entire body (except my bladder!!!). By the time the door opens, I'm feeling good and can't wait for that rush of air through the cabin. Have fun and be safe!! T.I.N.S.

Got it. Sorry for the confusion. Forgot about the tracking part - and that people in the bigway aren't just pulling in place. I will now slink back into my noob-hole. T.I.N.S.

Yes. It's a safety issue. Opening too high can be just as bad or even worse than opening too low - especially when there are 100 other canopies opening all around you. Yes, I understand that. I was just surprised that on a bigway the first wave pulls at 2500 - that implies that some subsequent wave would be opening possibly below 2000'. Is that common? I ask only because even D license holders in the US aren't supposed to open any lower than 2000'. Remind me never to have a low-pull contest with a Canadian!! T.I.N.S.

Wow! No higher than 2500 feet? T.I.N.S.

This is the rigger in me talking, not the noob skydiver: A stiff nylon brush, like the kind you'd use on your bathtub, is what we use first at my home DZ. If the spot is dry, this will eliminate almost everything except discoloration. Check with your local rigger. Congrats on the Jav! T.I.N.S.

This is in direct reply to no one, and being the low-timer I am, I hope I'm not out of line. Isn't most of this (Skyhook) debate really about personal decision altitudes? Or, just personal decisions? By that, I mean that in the beginning, aren't most people's "hard decks" based on a number of factors, least of which is whether that person has an RSL? Now that people have seen the footage of the 2 BASE jumpers cutting away, it might lead some people to change their personal hard decks. Maybe your decision altitude was 1800, but now you can make it 1000, or 800, or wherever you feel confident that little piece of metal will do its job. (I was told both of those reserves were packed slider-down, by the way!) When I was going through the rigger's course this year I had a jumper (500+ jumps) who had a V3 on order ask me if I would cut away at 500 feet under a spinning main if I had a Skyhook. All I could do was look at him funny and ask, "Why am I under a spinning main at 500 feet?" (He does fly a sub-150 Stiletto.) He didn't really have an answer, but personally, I think the Skyhook might give some people a false sense of security. Maybe. I wouldn't mind having one, though. Nothing wrong with having an extra bit of time on my side. (And just to clarify, I think the V3 is a damn fine rig, Skyhook or no.) T.I.N.S.