FLJB

True. I don't want to get wrapped up in RSL vs Skyhook battles, but have not regular RSL's also had saves that opened on heading from spinning-on-your-back mals as well? i know mine regular RSL did. Perhaps that is more related to body position and rigger skill than the RSL itself, but it is important to note that spinning on your back with a regular RSL does not mean a death sentence. One VERY important non-safety fact about skyhooks - you are less likely to lose a bridle and freebag upon cutaway. I have seen many skyhook cutaways where everything was together in one pile on landing. turning a potentially $300 cutaway to a $50 -$60 cutaway. Freebags and bridles are expensive and may not be on hand at the DZ, depending where you are jumping, so it may mean the difference between the end of a boogie or not. just something to consider...

I'm with you. I thought when i demoed the crossfire i would get longer turf-surfs ( i wouldn't call what i do a swoop..) and suprisingly the Safire has a longer "swoop" for me. Don't get me wrong, in no winds I can scoot across the ground pretty nicely on the Safire and i love that... I probably didn't load the Crossfire heavy enough even with it being a size or two smaller than my Safires. It does dive easier and has a longer recovery arc so it would be a better transition canopy for serious swooping, but i guess it depends on what you are after (and can actually handle). My opinion is that the Safire is fine for the majority of jumpers. loaded lightly it is docile and loaded heavier it is a monster. The guy i bought the first Safire from was heavier than me and he could swoop that thing with the best of them - i think he is on a Velo now after a stop on a Katana so take that for what its worth...

I have always flown safires, i have a safire II and Safire 1, both are awesome canopies, soft on heading openings, versitile flight characteristics and a great flare. just jumped a crossfire 2 recently and frankly i am going to stick with the safire, you cannot go wrong with it.

I actually bought a regular $70 - $75 Singer Wal-Mart sewing machine that i decided would be for pre-rigger sewing practice and at the cost i figured if i could make a couple of things before i trashed it it would be worth it. I know, everyone says they suck and won't work... But it handles E thread and has a straight lock stitch and Zig-Zag functions and after practicing for about 6 months it is still rolling along. And get you experience using a sewing machine - that way when you use a real machine you wont break it.... ZP is some slippery stuff to sew, so the experience helps.

Spinning line twists, on my back. good times, good times. Something i heard about and was true for me - you know when it doesn't open correctly, right away. As soon as it opens you can tell if it can be worked out or not. I also was trained two hands each handle and did a one hand on each handle cutaway... it was so fast i didn't have time to think about it. And i don't think i packed it, but i also don't think that matters any. It can happen on any jump.

You could also split the lines with your head before flaking and after sticking the tail between your legs. After counting out the cells of the nose and putting them between my legs, i lift the slider and grab the left side lines of the canopy and duck my head under the left side lines and then have the left side lines on my left shoulder and right side lines on my right shoulder. i put the middle of the slider behind my head so it does not go sliding back down the lines. I started doing it when i first started packing because i was trying to pack 230's and i am not that tall. It helped to reduce some of the clutter from all the lines in one place and it works just as well on small canopies too. i have seen others doing it as well so it works. just remember to put both sides back together and place the slider correctly after you are done flaking and before you wrap the tail.

I have about 200 jumps on a Safire 1 149. That thing is a monster!! Very nice canopy, but a couple of cautionary notes are in order. A Safire 1 149 is equivalent to a 139 in other models and against a Safire 2 149. They cut them differently and it is approximately 10 square feet smaller than comparable 150s. I just got a Safire 2 149 and indeed it is a bit larger and much more tame than my Safire 1. The openings are brisker than a Safire 2. Not spankers, but brisk. Perhaps because the Safire 1 is older and has more jumps, perhaps because of the line trim lengths. Also, my Safire 1 has a much larger slider than my Safire 2. The snivel on my Safire 2 is long enough for me to give thought to my opening height. Never had that with my Safire 1. The Safire 1 was more like a sub-terminal reserve. The steering lines on my Safire 1 are shorter than my Safire 2, so much so that front risers would "buck" on the Safire 1, so i did not use them much. Even after i relined it it would still feel much less stable on front risers than the Safire 2. For a 150, it does not lose a lot of altitude in a toggle turn and has a short recovery arc. ie does not want to stay in a dive but levels out rather quickly. You should definitely play with it up high to see how it works for you. The Safire 1 i have was bought used and the former owner would swoop the shit out of that thing. All in all, a Safire 1 is a bad-ass canopy. If you don't like it, email me and I would be interested in buying from you (if it is not real ugly)...

That was a cool boogie. Skydive Chicago is a kick-ass dropzone. The people are super cool, the facilities are first-rate, and the skydives are top-shelf. Honestly, the people there made the event. The film festival was awesome. I cannot wait to see what they have in store for next year. Do not miss Summerfest is all i have to say...

I have purchased a few things from Mike and can vouch that he is the man!! He has outstanding customer service and very competitive prices. More than that, he is good people and for certain purchases that matters more to me than anything else. No doubt, all my future gear purchases will be from him.

I have read the incident and related threads and here are my two questions: 1. how do tension knots occur from unstowing the brakes? Is it because people don't stow the excess in the keepers but rather use the "wrap around the toggle or slink" method? I always thought tension knots occurred on opening because of sloppy line stowage and a line half-hitched around another line or the slider. in fact i think the FJC pictures everyone uses show a tension knot involving the slider and other lines and not the brake line (but don't hold me to that i could be mistaken). 2. When "popping" my brakes on opening, i have, except on student gear, had the toggles go right up to the keeper on the riser, not have them flying around behind me in the wind. is it a common occurrence for them to be able to get caught in the lines and cause a malfunction. I admit i take my hands out of the toggles to loosen my chest strap & stow slider, but i am confident in my rear-riser manuevers and never had a question about where the brakes are or their ability to get caught in the lines. that only takes a few seconds and i am in clear airspace when it is conducted so i never gave it a second thought that it could cause a problem. Could it? I am curious now after reading these threads.

No, it is not taxable. I believe it is designed as a reduction to the increase in social security taxes, like the one a couple of years ago, because they raised the level of income that falls under the Social security wage base, but i might be wrong. From the IRS website: What is it? It's an economic stimulus payment that more than 130 million households will receive starting in May. It's not taxable, and it won't reduce your 2007 or 2008 refund or increase the amount you owe when you file your 2008 return. Are you eligible? The vast majority of people who file a 2007 income tax return qualify, and many who don't regularly file a tax return may qualify as well. You're eligible if you have a valid Social Security Number (SSN), can't be claimed as a dependent on a tax return and have either an income tax liability or "qualifying income" of at least $3,000. Qualifying income includes any combination of earned income and certain benefits from Social Security, Veterans Affairs or Railroad Retirement. Additional information is below, and a full legal description is available in Revenue Procedure 2008-21. Both people listed on a "married filing jointly" return must have valid SSNs to qualify for the payment — if only one has a valid SSN, neither can receive the payment. Not eligible at the current time? If you're not eligible this year but you become eligible next year, you can claim the economic stimulus payment next year on your 2008 tax return. How do you get it? Just file a a federal tax return for 2007, even if you normally don't have to because your income usually doesn't meet the filing threshhold. You can't get it if you don't file.

Dude: Not to be a dick, but i am pretty sure it is Pull. Pull at the correct altitude. pull while stable. You may understand this, but what about someone who does not know any better...

My Galaxy altimeter has served me well. It is a simple, well-made product that always works. I have never had any concerns regarding my altitude on a skydive. I recently had the opportunity to have my Galaxy serviced. I sent it in for service and got it back within 2 weeks!!! Alti-2's return process and customer support are top notch. I received E-mails throughout the process and was notified when it was ready. They even replaced my lens cover for me!! You cannot beat a great product that has superior customer service to boot!!

I had the same question. Check the Galaxy online manual for detailed explanation of technical info. Below is a link to the FAQ page. http://www.alti-2.com/customer%20support/faq.htm.[url]

That is absolutely horrible news. Wyat was as awesome a person as he was a skydiver and I am sorry to hear that. I saw his picture was in the latest parachutist and wondered how he and Diana were doing. He was a true ambassador of the sport and will be missed. I am fortunate and grateful to have learned from him. My condolences to Diana. I do know that the peeps at SDSD will take care of her.

I had the opportunity to visit Chicagoland while in the area earlier this month. I was unsure how I would be treated as a low-time non-local, experienced jumper. Turns out, I had nothing to fear. Everyone I met from the staff to experienced jumpers to the teams practicing there treated me well and made me feel welcome. The planes are awesome and there was never a shortage of loads. The staff were very friendly and helpful. It appeared to me that everyone there liked what they were doing and wanted to make sure everyone had a safe and enjoyable visit. Whenever I am in the area again, i will make it a point to jump there again and I recommend this DZ to anyone. Thanks Chicagoland!

I ordered a "Tetris" Michigan Suit earlier this month upon recommendation from a trusted source and I am very pleased. This suit is well worth it! The suit was delivered within the promised (a very short) timeframe which was more than can be expected. Thank you Mike! The suit is high quality and assembled well. Every stitch is in place and there was no stray stings hanging out as is common on new clothing. The construction and assembly of Michigan Suits are priority and it shows in the final product. High quality. My suit has booties as i have short legs and it has helped tremendously. I am able to fly to my potential now thanks to the Michigan Suit. The rubber on the bottom of the booties and the extra strap across the bottom of the foot are excellent design components which I have not seen on other suits. I would recommend a Michagan Suit to anyone without hesitation and will give them my business again in the future.

The Jumping Place is a really cool DZ. Packing Cathy goes out of her way for the jumpers, and makes sure everyone gets to jump and have a good time. All the jumpers are very friendly and go out of their way to have good jumps with everyone who comes out for a day of jumping. Every weekend there are FJC students, lots of coaching available, and visiting jumpers who stop in to check the place out. I learn something (sometimes many somethings) every time I am out there and enjoy getting to jump with many different jumpers. While the current plane is small, it is actually quite quick and many times loads turn ensuring lots of jumps for all. The DZ has a couple of Huge landing areas and the proximity to the beach makes for nice views on the ride to altitude. Also, with fewer jumpers in the air at one time, there are fewer people to worry about at landing time. Overall this is a great DZ, if you are in the area, come on out and jump.

I zip-tied the pro-trac to the inside of my protec without any problems and can hear it fine. Insert zip-ties in holes of pro-trac holder with the free ends facing the back of the holder - ie the pro-trac can be inserted and removed from the holder without the zip ties interfering. insert pro-trac in holder. insert prorac &holder in inside of earhole of protec so zip tie ends stick out of outside of either ear hole, zip tie protec and cut off excess, place cool sticker over earhole so no one can tell. i used the provided rubber bands to secure pro-trac to pro-trac holder after inserting zip ties and can turn on and off the protrack easily while it is secured in the helmet.

Cool. I must be doing something right

I'll bite, what is the TUG/TUB speech??