sraja

The US economy is in a turmoil in 2008 and the predictions are that the effects are going to last well into 2009. My question - are you observing a slowdown or any other impact at your dropzone or on your skydiving habits because of this and how long do you think this effect will last? If you are not from the US - also please feel free to comment ofcourse along with an outline of how economy is faring in your country. I jump at a chicago dropzone where the season has just started so its too early to make a prediction but I am guessing by the unemployment / mortgage crisis in the chicago area - its not going to be too good this season.

IMHO - Female version of Taxi Driver - coincidentally Jodie Foster was in the original as well

I saw this on NBC Morning show Friday 2/29/08 and heard the hostess mention something to the effect of "this is why I would never skydive!!".

I know some folks who were indeed able to hold their sit by the 3rd sit fly exit. Or atleast let me put it this way - they were ass flying - hey! it took me 20 solo sit fly jumps before I was even ass flying.

As Kallend mentioned - sit flying exits are part of the course at SDC. If you can hold the sit - the instructor will be glad to sit fly along with you. Or if you are like me - they'll have you flip back on the belly in about 5 seconds. Unlike other AFF programs out there - the SDC AFP has 18 levels to clear before you are off student status HP is a definition for the type of canopy. You wont find yourself flying a F1-11 288 sqft canopy. Instead you will be under a ZP semi-elliptical (please correct me if Sabre 2 is not a semi-elliptical) canopy although lightly loaded (0.8 - 0.9) range. Like Kallend I started under a Sabre 2 230(0.8 loading) and finished the course with a Sabre 2 210 (1.0 loading) My graduation jump was a 3 way tracking dive. The other 5 guys are mostly experienced jumpers - coaches, instructors etc. Well if you could hold your sit flying during the AFP course there is no reason why you shouldnt want your graduation jump to be a 2 or 3 way free fly jump.

I vouch for that - reach out to Ari

I would suggest that regardless of whichever course you decided to pursue - spend atleast 5 mins in a tunnel if you can find one nearby and afford it. It will help you enjoy solo freefall and hopefully avoid repeating levels due to common mistakes.

A few positives about SDC's AFP that most other programs at other DZs dont offer 1. All your jumps are on video as a part of the course - you dont pay anything extra for a video debrief of your jumps 2. Free flying is part of the course - you lean sit flying through the 3 sit fly jumps 3. You get a detailed canopy control course on DVD - you can keep this for future reference at any time 4. I dont know how many other DZs do this but you will learn to fly a relatively high performance (compared to a Manta) canopy (Sabre 2) right from day 1 5. Your graduation jump is whatever you want it to be - 4 way, 5 way, free fly, hybrid, tracking....

The gear shop at Deland is very unique (or atleast I have only seen such a policy there) in that they offer you new gear for 100 bucks a month. The catch is that they will rent your gear out when you are not using it and you can only jump it at Deland. Very good for those who call Deland their home DZ but not so good for those living in Kansas I suppose

Couple of suggestions 1. Wear a tighter jumpsuit (mine is almost skin tight) 2. I put my hands on my butt and arch - but putting your hand on chest could be equally effective 3. I dont know what kind of canopy you fly and how you fly it but you may want to talk to an instructor at your drop zone about wearing a weight belt 4. Are the others you are jumping with also in the 50 jump range? If yes, then they are also probably contributing to the problem - jump with some experienced folks and see if you still have a problem matching fall rate 5. Tracking steep towards a formation is an accepted way of approaching a formation - but this could be tricky and risky. I would suggest you practice it with some experienced folks and then go out with your group

Thanks a lot - I've been wanting one of these for a long time. Now I can impress you in the spring with my cool dancing coca cola can

I remember seeing a toy coca cola can in the late 80s / early 90s that was whistle activated. It would shrink and swivel around - it looked kinda like a coca cola can with sunglasses on it. Anyone know where I can get one of these?

that music is actually from a bollywood (Indian) movie soundtrack

Hey Ari Thanks so much for the fantastic coaching. Those 10 minutes with you now have me flying so much better on my belly. I even got that mantis crap down much better than I had before. Will see you again in Feb during Presidents day. Next time - burble flying :)

If you are referring to Marc - I think he is a great guy. I spent 35 mins in Orlando last week and it was great. The new folks working there are not bad ass fliers but they are immensely helpful. I got free coaching on back flying and I paid for some of the best RW coaching from a kickass staff member called Ari. Marc was extremely friendly and I do know he has his own reasons for making the changes he did. Some of us may not agree but he has to run a business. As for my experience, it was fantastic and I will return soon P.S - about the tunnel being broken - it broke right after my group finished our sessions. Apparently a CPU fan controller broke - and each of these controllers cost about 20000 USD.

Get the Bonehead Havok http://www.boneheadcomposites.com/havok.htm Advantages 1. You can flip the entire face open - so I can wear the full face in the loading area and just flip the face shut before exiting. Also I can flip it open under canopy and it feels the same as an open face helmet 2. On a rainy day I can flip the face open and it acts as a sort of a wind shield (under canopy of course) 3. It used to fog up at first but after applying an anti-fog solution it very rarely fogs up now 4. 2 dytter pockets with secure straps 5. Detachable interior padding in case the interior gets soggy and dirty with age 6. Most important for me - allows me to wear my prescription glasses under the full face helmet. I dont think any other full face is this roomy and secure Disadvantages 1. Does restrict a bit of peripheral vision when the face is closed (as compared to an open face) 2. Big and bulky

Sure Spence - I can see your point and you've been around longer than I so I respect your opinion. However I could guess an answer to your question above but I'll reserve that for another thread so that we dont hijack this one.

Actually, I think you are reading more into my post that I meant but regardless you countered your own post with the above quote from the same...

Umm.. educate me here since you have been around in this sport longer - didnt WFFC actually fill the void that SDC started with Freak Brother convention when Roger had to leave inbetween??? SummerFest is only FB convention reborn - no?

WFFC + Summerfest = Grand daddy of all boogies "Freak Brother Convention" Anyone???

I understand why Deland functions the way it does but having said that - you wont find me going back there unless I truly have no other choice. I am a fun jumper and I'd like to just go and goof off in the sky with my friends - there isnt much room for that at Deland. 2 hour waits between loads and lack of attention to fun jumpers didnt make it very exciting. However, if you are looking for top notch RW instruction and team facilities or just any facility in general this is place to be. There is a reason why PD, UPT and a host of several RW teams train here every year. If you are looking for fun and a great time with friends - go to Sebastian

Dont quote me on this but my research also indicates that you would have pay a fixed fee to Skyventure based on the demographics of the region in which you setup the tunnel. This is their "technology licensing" cost which will assure them annuity revenue - so you would have to budget for 1. Land 2. Infrastructure 3. Staff 4. Marketing 5. Capital for 5 years (atleast - thats what it will take to break even)

Been tried before - I am told that Roger Nelson disagreed with USPA and started the WSA (World Skydiving Association)

The western viewpoint of conserving / co-existing with the environment doesnt apply that well in developing nations. Development and especially economic development have greater importance over the environment. This is not to say that the viewpoint is correct but that is reality in India As greater economic growth is achieved with education and population control the same principles of co-existence and conserving environment will gain importance - until then, people will want comfort and money over conservation.

Certainly more economic growth - a car for 4 people mean more people can actually go out and eat with their families as compared to before. More people can go shopping together as compared to squeezing into an overcrowded bus earlier. People might employ more chauffeurs but the downside is that fake drivers licenses are going to pop up and people who dont have the required training or licenses are going to be on the road creating more accidents. More mechanics are going to find work and on the other side, two wheeler manufacturers are going to push their prices down to remain attractive. Meaning people who are currently using bicycles or public transport to commute will now find motorcycles affordable There is adequate infrastructure in terms of fueling stations etc. but I expect a growth to meet the increased vehicle ownership. Also, where mechanics are trained to repair and fix two wheelers there will be an increase in people increasing their skill sets to include 4 wheelers. Other leading manufacturers in India like Suzuki and Chevy have also announced plans to introduce a low cost car so all this is going to add up in the long term. The main problem as I see it is going to be traffic congestion. Most major Indian cities are choking under current traffic - example what used to be a 15 minute commute for me in 2000 is now a 1.5 hour commute - so I dont know how the government is going to address this problem. Possibly through a "congestion tax" or by seizing private property and breaking them down to expand roads. A lot of my friends back in India are already planning to purchase such a car as a second car but one has to understand the Indian consumer mindset. They are a cautious lot - will wait for the first few 1000 "scapegoats" and see how the car performs in terms of fuel mileage and reliability. If the car is able to get through 1-2 years with low complaints this is going to be the #1 car in India. Also, the Indian people are very indigenous in creativity. They'll find ways to make the car run on non-manufacture approved fuel alternatives. Back when I was in college it was routine to find people replacing petrol based engines with LPG or Natural Gas based engines and thus making transport cheaper. I used to have a calibration device that would allow me to precisely mix kerosene with petrol so that I could lower my fuel bill without excessively lowering the life of my engine.