GLIDEANGLE

:12:0 Stunningly beautiful weather (esp. after really awful weather for what seemed like an eternity)! I am finally caught up on paying my beer fines... for now! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

My very favorite rainbow was when I was under canopy near a cloud. I was between the sun and the cloud. I could see my shadow on the cloud surrounded by a complete circular rainbow. A moment to remember! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

The previous poster is right on target. Jumpsuits protect us from tearing up other clothes or skin from contact with metal in the aircraft, or from a lously landing on the ground. (Yes, I have torn up skin in the aircraft and on the ground when I didn't wear a jumpsuit.) Just keeping other clothes clean is a good thing too if landing in muddy conditions. Regulation of fall rate is a HUGE issue. It is damn difficult to play with others if your fall rate is much faster or slower than theirs. The reason petite grils wear tight jumpsuits is not to show off their butts... it is to let them fall faster. The reason that big jumpers wear floppy suits is not to hide the extra calories... it is to slow their fall rate. Sometimes a jumpsuit is safer than regular clothes... an exposed belt buckle can be a snag hazard. For freefliers... loose shirts can slip up and cover emergency handles. Of course, the pros and advanced amateurs can use their jumpsuits to advertise for their various sponsors. In FS (RW) having very dark jumpsuits and white gloves is not a fashion statement.... it makes it easier for the judges to score the video. All that said... for Hop & Pops I usually don't wear a jumpsuit. I am wary however of the above issues and plan accordingly (remove belt buckle, tuck shirt into pants or leg straps, etc). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I have jumped both open face and full face. If I am jumping freefall I intend to stick with full face,,, they are SO much more comfortable and peaceful inside. I will use open face for hop & pops. The comments in the posting above about impact resistance are quite relevant. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Pack fast, pull high. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Humps 0 : Jumps 23 : Beer 1 For me it was a 4-day weekend (23 jumps over 4 days). Beer for first flag jump! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

when in the door before exiting the aircraft the student checks with the inside and outside instructors...."check in, check out"...the "hotel" check. Smile, breathe, relax. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Petition to get those AA degrees awarded!! Congrats. (If you don't petition, you will have the courses... but not the degree.) To smooth your transfer, see if the community college can certify that your general ed qualifies to be transferred AS A BLOCK and will automaticly meet lower division GE requirements at any CA state 4 yr school. If this can be done... the 4-yr school has less opportunity to shaft you over GE courses. I don't know what the California language about this process is any more. If you ask your CC advisor, he or she will likely know all about this. This can prevent some transfer screw-ups. Again.... Congrats! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Damn.... You must have a GREAT pharmacist! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[reply True but there is no rosy smell for a S@#tty situation like that I agree that a premature AAD fire and reserve deployment is a highly undesireable situation. However, "JohnDeere" and I both know a jumper who had a premature main deployment last year while freeflying, who is now quadraplegic. If your friend is walking and talking.... good deal! From that perspective.... I do detect a distinct aroma of rose in your story. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

My first jump was to celebrate my 50th B-day. I note that I have to be more attentive to eating and drinking properly during the day when jumping than my younger buddies. I also find that on hot / humid days when my 4-way team is training, that my endurance is ain't what it used to be. On those days I will use a packer to help me maintain my stamina all day. That and, of course, more frequent trips to "water the lillies". The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Slyde has suggested that a DZ.com forum be created for Demos/Exhibitions. I am very interested in this topic and would be delighted to see this suggestion implemented. Respectfully, Jim McGraw The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Some of the drills mentioned above can be flown WITHOUT contact. By flying without contact you focus on flying the slot... not focusing on the grips. Also flying non-contact keeps you from using the grips to keep you in place. Even if you choose to fly the drills as "contact", break each grip into at least three phases... fly into the position... pause for a moment... then take the grip. Doing so will help prevent you from REACHING or using the grips to pull yourself into position (doing so often pulls the other jumper out of position). Lucky that you have a tunnel close enough to use monthly! Most of us are NOT so lucky. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Hope you have your landings nailed before you attempt a naked jump. Just imagine what your ass could look like if you were to slide in. Even a nice PLF could tear you up a bit (depending on the landing surface). Hope you have your accuracy nailed before your naked jump too. It could be a problem if you landed out. Have fun.. get photos. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Device for measurement of chamber pressure when working up hand loads? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Why I jump a Spectre (7-cell): Easy to do informal CReW. Opens slow/soft. Docile... it behaves well when I don't. Don't forget that you see LOTS of 7-cell canopies .... in reserve containers. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Narrow your choices a bit and then start demoing the canopies. I bet that the big canopy manufacturers will rent you a demo canopy (rigged as a main) to demo in your rig. Here is what PD has to say about demos of reserve canopies. Don’t forget about your Reserve!! We offer all available sizes of the PD Reserve and the Optimum Reserve, set up as mains with an attachment point for your d-bag and pilot chute. This is a great opportunity to become familiar with your reserve canopy without being in a stressful emergency situation and to decide what size you are comfortable with in every situation. Demoing the canopies will keep you from having to rely on other people's opinion.... you can make your own. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

try this: http://www.chutingstar.com/archives/00000128.html The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

These specs describe how the line lengths vary across the chord.... don't the lines vary by location on the span as well? In other words, are all A lines (or all B lines, or C lines) the same length on a given canopy? I just checked for a Spectre and it appears that they vary accross BOTH the chord and the span. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Mr. Smith: "I don't understand the question." Mr. & Mrs. Smith The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Hook velcro and suspension lines don't get along well. Will your placement be likely to snag lines during a jump, the walk back to the hangar, or during packing? Even if you attach the loop side to the rig and the hook to the patch... the corners of the patch can lift up and snag lines. A snag might not cause a mal, it might just damage the suspension / control lines. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Generally you are right, but there are some nuances to this. 1. Pure equipment failure.... relatively rare. I have friend who is only alive today due to her AAD saving her from a double hard pull... both main and reserve. 2. Mixed equipment failure with user issues ... fairly common. An example would be spinning main canopy cut away with a delayed reserve deployment. 3. User issues harming user very common as you cited above. Poor canopy selection, low turns, etc. 4. User issues harming other there have been a series of canopy collisons in recent years where jumpers who did nothing wrong got killed when they got struck from above and behind (from their blind spot). While generally your personal limits make some sense... I think that some might not be such good ideas: Limiting wingloading too much can really limit your options on a windy day.... I would rather be going forward on a conservatively loaded canopy than to be going backwards on a super floaty canopy. Because I took the time to do some CReW jumps with a VERY experienced CReW dog, I now know what a downplane looks and feels like. Even if I never get to do another CReW jump (damn tennis elbow), that experience makes me a safer jumper in case of a 2-out downplane. As mentioned previously, while 3000 ft is a fine deployment altitude... I would gladly give up a bit of altitude to avoid a deployment time collision. Of course my comments are not about student activities, but are about experienced jumpers. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Q: Why did the CReW dog carry only six hook knives? A: 'Cuz he couldn't figure out where to put the seventh one! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I cannot come up with a fitting movie TITLE. However the following line from the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith is perfect: "I don't understand the question." -- Mr. Smith The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Let's assume, for purposes of discussion,: 1. There is appropriate gear which is within TSO limits and provides appropriate wing loading. 2. Jumper is fit and VERY muscular. He is flexible, and strong. 3. There is a school which can safely train him. Given the above... After training, who on earth is he going to jump with? Unless he has no interest in anything other than Swooping, Accuacy, and classic Style.... Who will be able to keep up with him in freefall? I would imagine that CReW would be complicated too (even with similar wing loading). In other words.... What is the point of this endeavor? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!