Baksteen

I have learned how to rescue a conversation that is in danger of stalling into awkward silence. My friends know that all they need to do is ask: "So, made any jumps lately?" "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

You what? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

For me, it's all the muscle that turns me off.. Some of them look like nothing more than a guy with boobs "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

From the OP's introduction thread: Give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they are really looking for alternative views to discuss with their instructor.... "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

**caution: rant below** What utter BS. Of course kids are leery of strangers, they always have been, and always will be. If they are really frightened of the clowns they see in the circus (for instance), then I blame the parents for not paying enough attention to what movies their kids are watching. Furthermore, I am always leery of any news article containing the phrase "a survey suggests". What survey? Who performed it? Where did they perform it? How many participants were there? Was the questionnaire completely objective? Are there other surveys indicating the same thing? And, not unimportantly in this case, what was the exact purpose of the survey? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I know who bruce is, but who's Lee? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Good luck, dude! Keep us posted. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

And there's another one.. I have developed a skill to get incriminating videos/pics about anyone who doesn't skydive (and therefore isn't constantly watching against it) "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

* My perspective of heights changed radically. The 5m diving board is "low" rather than "damn high" now. * Once you can stuff a relatively new and huge chute with a spring loaded pilot chute first in a too small bag and next in an only just fitting container, packing for the holidays becomes a cakewalk. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Awrite you two.. Kiss and make up! "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

No specific brand to recommend, but make sure you get one which is powered by a lithium battery. Ask the sales person if it's not clear from the box. I didn't and regret it. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

This allegedly happened on april 20 2007, according to the article a local newspaper wrote about our DZ. Little boy: "Why does that man jump, grampaw?" Grandfather: "Because he likes to. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

They're back! Couldn't log on to any forum until just now. "Reason: Document contains no data" "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Incidentally, and completely off topic, your thread is in the top-5 of the most replied to in this forum. Congrats On topic, yes packing is a "female canine" at first, but as you keep at it, you'll find that it becomes progressively less bad. And I can't speak for anyone else, but I derived a lot of satisfaction from jumping my fir.. pre-second, completely unsupervised pack job. Well, once it was open anyway. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Fixed it for ya But do tell us the entire story about the matchmaking three year old? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Happy birthday Any chance of seeing the pics or video? "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

It's not the chinese food in itself that makes me sleepy, it's the quantities consumed that do me in

My uncle had a drinking problem. Everyone knew this, except himself. It was my then four year old brother wo made him finally seek therapy: Said uncle arrived at my parents house to help them redecorate the place. He hasn't even closed the front door behind him, or my brother storms into the kitchen and promptly returns with a bottle of beer. "Here you are, uncle!" "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

83.. But I think they deducted half my points when I accidently clicked Canada instead of the US.. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Not really. But the KnVVL regulates the canopies available for a skill level very strictly. They put up a table on their website correlating jumpnumbers (sprongen) to wingload and min. canopy size. Being conservative () I looked mainly at category two; the beginner canopies. The fusion is category three, so i simply never looked at it. Well, so is the Safire2, but that was highly recommended to me by the same instructor who'd been right about upsizing from the falcon 215 to the Nav 240 - I did love the canopy, even though it was a rental. FWIW, here's the link - it's in Dutch, but you'll get the gist. http://parachute.nl/fileadmin/knvvlpa_upload/pdf/BVR_bijlage_B_versie_10-2007.pdf "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

God, I'm sorry for what you've been through, you guys! "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Does volunteerswork count? If not, I have to say dishwasher in an Italian restaurant. Between keeping a nice stock of clean cutlery, plates and kitchen utensils, I also substituted as a bar-person, kitchen assistant, dessert maker and psychologhist for the waitressses. (They'd come and vent at me whenever a customer was being rude or whatever. My job was to listen and console, cheer up or any of that stuff.) Benefits: An equal share in the tips, based on how many hours everyone worked each month, a free pizza or lasagna after work, and (this is important) which we could make ourselves, AND free beer after work. Need I go on? Almost a shame to get a real job, really "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

Thanks for the responses: * Not that it matters very much, but 190 would put my WL at around 1.1. * Swooping? Hell no! It's great to watch, but at the same time it scares me to death. It's not something I plan on getting involved in - within the next few hundred jumps, anyway. that's not it then. I'm looking for a canopy which is basically "fun to fly". As to the silhouette, yes I have heard all that. Butit seems to score "average" on all scales: average responsiveness, glide, etc. I'd have to try it to see whether it's not too ..sedate. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

I have finally advanced far enough that I think it worthwhile to look at gear. I've looked at the different manufacturers websites, based on what second-hand mains I can get my hands on as well as what I think I'll like in a canopy. Thus I narrowed my choices to Spectre 190 Safire2 190 Silhouette 190 Pilot 190 Electra 190 Have you ever jumped one or more of these canopies at that size? What did you like and dislike about each of them? NB. I'm not looking for a 7 vs 9 cell argument, or canopy X is better than Y. I simply want your personal opinions on each of these canopies. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom

No. I was suffering from a bad case of being the Worse for Drink. "That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport." ~mom