haleyes

You're fortunate to be jumping at CMS. Let Des and Maryanne know about your situation. They will probably work something out with you so you can finish your training this year. They like to get students through the program while the information in fresh. At the very least, they will advise you as to your best next move. larry

silly question, but... do they sell bags of ice at the boogie?

Where exactly should a bungee cord be placed on the leg straps to keep them from sliding? I'm looking for a measurment. I have a Javelin J-5, and I can cinch the straps to a little overlapping. Instead of tying them, I'll tack a little sleeve on both leg straps (on the binding tape) then use them to secure a tied bungee cord. thx

The DOM on the canopy is 1999. It has 210 jumps on the lineset. The lines look old, but not frayed. An interesting thing I've noticed on opening, the left front side is always folded under a bit before fully inflating. I've jumped it 5 times, and this always happens. Another thing: it takes twice as long to inflate than the F-111 canopy I'm used to jumping (5-6 sec instead of 2-3). Someone suggested that a ZP canopy takes longer to inflate the heavier the person. I'm around 225. any truth to that? I'm not building any delays into the pack job. larry

I'm interested in how much it's worth as opposed to how much it would sell for. When you say"..sell it for about $1000.00", what is your markup? You think it needs a new re-line as well? I thought Vectran lines were good for much longer than that. thx larry

Riggers, and others who know: Can you give me a dollar amount value for a Safire 189 canopy with a collapsible slider, Vectran lines and around 500 jumps on the canopy and lines? The canopy has been jumped in Michigan. A friend is selling, and I want to give him a fair offer. Thanks. larry

Why don't rig manufacturers make the closing flaps for their containers (reserve and main pin covers) see-through? You could see these important pins easily, especially in the plane, without having to "pop" them to inspect. Is it aesthetics, or is there a practical reason? larry

The website is under a bit of re-construction at the moment. Why not just call them directly? The number is 989 773 8858. Ask for Maryanne. You've have chosen wisely in the Mt. Pleasant dropzone (Central Michigan Skydivers). They have a very helpful and friendly staff, as well as the experienced jumpers. I went through the student program there, and it's still my home DZ even thought I live 100 miles away. There is something nice about the atmosphere they've created there. Hope this helps. larry

Can anyone direct me to some skydive pics? I'm looking for some freefly, bellyfly, etc. pics as well as some pics of malfunctions, line twist, line over, bag lock, etc. I need them for a presentation. Thanks. larry

Because there are so many rigs "out there" that people are trying to sell, I find those who are willing to send it to my dropzone for inspection before any money is exchanged. The seller pays to ship it here, and if I decide to return it, I pay the shipping to send it back. It's all about trust. Sending the rig to a dropzone helps take the "mistrust" (well, some of it) out of sending their rig. I give them the name and phone number of the DZO so the seller can make a decision about sending it. The DZO agrees to keep the rig in their possession while the buyer looks it over, jumps it, etc. Hopefully the risk of sending gear is mitigated by the DZO's desire to maintain their good name and the integrity of their dropzone within the skydiving community. I have found this to be the best (and cheapest) way to have your own rigger inspect the rig while giving the seller a feeling of security that their equipment is being treated carefully and with respect. I've had four rigs sent (from different states) to two different dropzone and three of them have been purchased.

Thanks for your answers. I appreciate your thoughtful responses. larry

Someone told me that you can't load an F-111 canopy more that 1:1 because the flare would be mushy or the canopy may collapse. Is this true? Canopy would be PD 170, exit weight is 225. PD 170 has 200-300 jumps on it. This isn't for me by the way (no really :), but a friend who is transitioning from a 245 to a 139 safire2. He has made a few transition jumps on 200, 170 and 150's. He has 215 jumps total. He's a conservative flyer and, of course, he thinks he can handle it. Don't want to start another "rapid downsizing" discussion... I'm more interested in the F-111 aspect of high windloading. Thanks

Are there any USPA or FAA regulations that prohibit dropzones in northern climates (Michigan) from doing tandems or students progression jumps during the winter months? Just curious... larry

Thanks for all the good input. I appreciate your help. larry

large. I've always double-stowed, and I've never had a problem (only 145 jumps though)

I just had new Dacron lines (from Spectra) installed, and I'm adjusting to the thickness of them. Should I continue to double stow the beginning set of lines (the ones that close the d-bag) or maybe single stow them instead? What problems can come from the stows being difficult to "release"? Too easy to "release"? Also, I noticed that my openings (3) have been different with the new lines. Whereas before, the canopy opened "right now", it now takes 4 to 5 seconds to deploy. I see the slider is square, but the canopy takes its time to inflate. Someone suggested that with the new lines, the gromments may be sticking a bit and that in time the canopy will open as fast as it ever did. True? False? Comments? larry

Skyrose7, Exactly when and where will you be doing your night jumps? I have a friend that needs to get one more night jump for his D license (here in Michigan). Thanks larry

Hey Jesse, I've been ok. How about yourself? I haven't been able to get up there as much. JuliAnne's heal is mending, and she can start putting some weight on it this weekend. Once she is more "mobile", I'll be able to get up there and get a few jumps in. Congrats on the B license, by the way. Later larry

You know what they say here... "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes".

Christina, The weather this summer has been great! Plenty of hot and humid conditions. It is starting to get a little cooler, highs in the mid 80's. Around the time of your visit, it should still be pretty warm, mid-high 70's. Bring some long sleeves with you just in case. Have a safe trip. larry hale

Hi Bob, How have you been? I've been meaning to get out to your new dropzone this summer. John Body said he's had some really nice jumps there. I'm not sure where you are in relation to Midland, so I didn't mention Midwest Freefall. Why don't you enter your DZ here? I hope all has been well with you and Anna. Hope to see you guys this summer. Take care. larry hale

Skyrose7, I just sent you an email with an attachment of a map of the Mt. Pleasant-Midland area. I used the email address listed in your profile. Let me know if I can be of any more help. larry

Christina, Central Michigan Skydivers is my home DZ, and I recommend it highly. They have a friendly and courteous atmosphere, and are both helpful and accomodating to an individual's needs. They have two Cessna 182's and a Cessna 206. They're usually jumping every day of the week, and they jump all day (till dark) as long as there are people who want to jump. If you would like more information, you can contact Maryanne or Mel at 989-773-8858. Hope to see you there. larry

Phreezone, I think you should stop making excuses for Barry. I use to check his site 3-4 times a week, and he reported incidents as they happened, NOT weeks or months later. If the information was sketchy, he said so, but the incident was reported nevertheless. It is silly to think that we should "wait" until Barry gets around to it. Yes, preliminary reports can be misleading... that's why they are called preliminary. But it doesn't need to be a wasteful or negative thing to report it in "real" time. Barry used to do a pretty good job at gathering the information in a timely fashion. For whatever reason, he has not been able to do so lately. So why not start a fatality and incident page here? If Sangrio is willing, and I hope that he is, then why not support his efforts? It can only benefit us all. larry

< Unless you have something better to offer (maybe you could give him access to a Fatatities system here but I don;t think that would speed things up, or get the moderator(s) (Bill Von?) to comment on incidents), or Barry has relinquished his role, I think you'd be doing him a disservice by trying to recreate what he's done. > The bottom line here is that the current fatalities page is NOT being attended to. I don't think having a fatality and incident page here is doing a disservice to anyone. This information is too important to be considered anyone's "private domain". As for lawyers and lawsuits... we will always have them. Are we going to stop doing what needs to be done because someone, somewhere may find it offensive? A properly maintained fatality and incident page would be VERY helpful to those of us who are on the low end of the experience curve. larry