Tolgak

And you know this because you've used both? Heaven forbid your batteries go out in a skydive(or for that matter your analog dial sticks)...I guess you'll just have to "go in". Have a plan, stick to it in the off chance your alti(digital or analog) goes out, and you'll be fine...It all comes down to what is easier for the individual to read, and that is it. For the OP, don't rule out digis right off the bat because you think they are too advanced for you, its an altimeter, it tells you your height, just like any analog, but it happens to log altitude, speed, ff duration and opening height too. -Evo Aren't I the evil one for not liking to manage batteries? I've had to use Alti-2s a few times and they have stuck on me, so the issue is not unique to any type of altimeter. I just like to use durable mechanical devices when I can (this goes for paintball too). They're less susceptible to water, can still be read if the lens breaks, they're cheaper to replace when broken, and my brand spankin' new Galaxy feels good to wear. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting an electronic altimeter one day and would prefer a number on an LCD over a needle on a dial. But when I get an electronic one, it's going in my helmet. There's no need to explode because I don't want one on my wrist. Goosfraba. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I've been using the Galaxy since after AFF. I wouldn't want anything else on my wrist (not a big fan of batteries) Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

MOAR!!! Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I still have a few others in progress Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

Will you accept multiple entries, and how do you want them sent? Does every colour you listed have to be included? Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I said I'm not going to suggest helmet/earphone combinations. I didn't. There are ways to minimize risk while jumping with music. Instead of attacking the people that are trying to minimize that risk, why don't you further help in doing so. There are people that are going to jump with music no matter how many people tell them not to. So what's wrong with providing guidelines? Here's an other way to look at it. People tell kids not to have sex all the the time. They do it anyway and get pregnant. We tell them to use condoms, the rate of sex may increase slightly, but the amount of babies produced is significantly reduced. We can have the same discussion about BASE jumping or swooping or SCUBA diving into caves and shipwrecks, or even listening to music in the car. All are pretty bad ideas, and even the people involved in such activities agree, but we have ways to reduce the risk for the people that want to get involved. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

This is sound advice?? Wow!!! You don't think it's better to be able to hear other jumpers / warning shouts when under canopy? Have you ever heard of near misses under canopy? Seen any canopy collisions? Seen any near misses on landings? Been in cloud after opening where shouting under canopy is seen by many as a good idea to let other people know where you are (lots of people on this site jump outside the US where being in cloud after opening can and does happen)? Each to their own but I would like to give myself every opportunity to detect someone close to me when under canopy. And I don't want un-necessary distractions in freefall either. So no music for me. On busy days and especially busy landing areas, I'll cut everything off. I'm curious, would you jump or condone someone jumping with good earplugs and a helmet? It has the same effect, you don't hear a damn thing under canopy. Is that selfish too? Should we allow deaf skydivers? EDIT: In any case, I've never had success warning another jumper of my proximity to him . Case in point: One time I went jumping, another guy under canopy turned final in such a way that he was forcing me towards an active runway, with an aircraft close to landing on it. I yelled at him at the top of my lungs and he didn't bother to do anything. My vertical speed was greater than his so I ended up passing him and landing first at the edge of the runway, and he almost flew into my collapsing canopy. He had an open face helmet, no earplugs or earphones, stowed slider. Didn't hear a damn thing in the air but heard me clearly when I talked to him after collecting my canopy. That was my closest call but I've both had and seen some similar issues before, where a careless person lands with complete disregard for other traffic. People generally don't hear shit, and they keep their heads straight forward. I have seen all of them coming and have done my best to avoid collision courses, but sometimes people just don't hear you. Keeping your head and eyes moving and flying with regard to others is the only thing that will guarantee safety. No amount of yelling I've heard (I haven't been around too long, maybe I need to see more) has ever changed anyone's mind, and some people are lucky that their courses weren't a few degrees off to the side. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

Hey... who has time. Think of... Speedskydiving to THIS With good editing... AWSUM. just keep it SHORT to 40 sec 300 MPH+ WHAT A RUSH I've never had the desire to listen to exciting music on a jump. It's always been songs from Viva la Vida, the more relaxed Infected Mushroom pieces, and some other chill music. If you're going to try jumping to music, I strongly suggest Strawberry Swing the first time. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I don't know if you have ever heard ATC chatter, but I can tell you that often times it's almost completely dead for the level you're at. Other times it's very busy, and it makes it very tempting to just turn down the volume knob to super low and wait for your tail number (in this case, their flight number) to be called. When it is busy, conversation between pilots can make it very easy to tune out the chatter. First of all, autopilots that do land planes are only used when the plane has certain special equipment and the pilots are qualified to do the approaches that require them. Normally, autopilots only take the plane down to a few hundred feet above minimums or when the runway is in sight. The plane in question is likely not certified for such approaches, which can be done in as low as no visibility. They require an extreme amount of redundancy in equipment, which is extraordinarily expensive to install. Also, since you are never sure what runway you will get until you are close to arriving, you don't program the landing into your autopilot until an approach is assigned. Even if you do run an autopilot to landing, you monitor the aircraft's status the entire way down. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I've begun to jump regularly with music. A good headphone/helmet combination will allow you to hear the music clearly, however I know I'll be pounced on by the whole of the forum if I suggest anything; so I'm going to keep my mouth shut. It hasn't been a distraction to me but I definitely see how it could be to some people. I don't use it my MP3 player when jumping with more than one person, but I've seen no harm with using one on solo and 2-way jumps. If you do end up using one, set up a playlist before going to the DZ, and don't touch it from the period of final gear checks 'til you're clear of the landing area. I cut off the music (by pulling the cable out of the jack) as soon as I land. If for any reason you get distracted, don't cut off the MP3 player until you're under a functioning canopy. And before anybody gets all grumpy and ready to attack, it's better to give sound advice than a "no" and no advice at all. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

To have a day of relaxation, that's why. The week is hectic. I'm running around getting my heart-rate up with exercise, doing a bunch of school work and flight training, and worrying about my future. All my negative emotions leave me when I leave the plane. Plus, with a 0% success rate in getting sex, I don't know any better Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

Commit my body to science, give the ashes to family or closest friends if I don't have a family by the time I die, let them decide what to do with it. Hopefully they honor me by ash diving it, but I wouldn't be conscious to appreciate it so it don't matter. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I'm just curious, and maybe this is one of the annoying questions some of you have experienced, but is it really that bad in freefall? Call me out for lack of experience if you'd like, but I don't see where you're coming from with this. One thing I'm very tired of explaining is the idea that being higher is somehow worse. I've had to say plenty of times that the more altitude you have, the more time you have to do things, the safer you generally are. Nobody has ever been like "13,500? That's low." It's often been "13,500? Isn't it dangerous to be so high?" to which I reply, a facepalm... And then I steer the guy in the right direction in that subject area of jumping. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

Why would anyone jump out of a perfectly good plane? The question isn't as annoying as the frequency with which it is asked. People need to think of more clever ways to ask the question so I can think of more clever answers. My current answers to that are: "Have you seen the planes we jump out of? Who wouldn't?," "To escape from crying babies," and my favorite "Because there aren't any perfectly good cliffs in Florida." Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

A DZ liking you doesn't make you a skydiver. A DZ that doesn't like you doesn't mean you are not a skydiver. A skydiver is somebody who can look anybody else straight in the eye and with the greatest confidence and honesty say: "I'm a skydiver." It took me about 40 jumps before I transitioned from "I go skydiving on weekends." to "I'm a skydiver." I think there is a basic level of proficiency that one should attain and a clear personal benefit realized in jumping. I think that if the designation requires an outside person, it would be the point when a friend or good acquaintance finds it appropriate to refer to you as a skydiver (not a student or one-time tandem jumper) in a skydiving discussion. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I think it's both sad and funny that people raise a big stink over the idea of marriage. People are under the ridiculous assumption that a ceremony and a few documents are necessary to show exclusive devotion to someone. This idea is why marriage has so many issues. I see only two reasons to get married. The first and most obvious, because it's likely that a future girlfriend of mine will believe this way, and it would make her happy to go through with it. The other is, of course, the government benefits. If we get government benefits for committing to another person on paper, we should all get those same benefits for that action. There should be no religious test for that commitment. Opponents of gay marriage argue that marriage is a religious institution. Great, so leave the damn government out of it. It not only prevents government intrusion on your religious beliefs, it prevents religious intrusion on the beliefs of others. It's a win-win scenario. Keep the government out of the church, don't force them to marry gay people, don't disallow them from marrying gay people, the gay people will find churches that will accommodate them. Marriage solely through a church wont change a damn thing about your interaction with the law. As others have said before, the only government option should be the civil union. No requirement for a religious marriage to obtain, equal rights across the board. I think the opponents of gay marriage are extremely hypocritical. They bitch about how the government tramples on their religious rights, when the laws they vote for trample on the religious rights of other religions. Let's be honest here: You don't want religious freedom in this country, you want evangelical supremacy. Regarding the vet in the video at the start of this thread: I think he knows the true meaning of fighting for one's country. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I'll be going to Turkey in December and I'm looking into the dropzones that I'll have access to. I'll have a 9 hour layover in Madrid and will be spending much of December until Jan 5th in Istanbul. I have e-mailed both DZs and received responses from Efes so far. I'd like to know if I should have any reservations about jumping at the DZs. I'm speaking in terms of equipment quality, load frequency, attitude towards foreign jumpers, etc. I'd also like to know if there are any other dropzones in Turkey that I can consider besides Efes, as it is very far from Istabul and I'm having a ton of trouble finding information on the other DZs. A third question is regarding Madrid. Is it a realistic goal to reach the DZ, jump once, head back to the city, see a sight, east some food, and arrive in time for my flight? I arrive in Madrid at around 9 AM and my flight departs at 6 PM. Thanks. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

I think they have accommodations, but I'm not sure. Just a forewarning, the Qatari military is here and they dominate many of the loads. I think there will be more planes running on the weekends but it has been slow due to high winds. The weather here will be pretty consistent like that for the next few months. Ever since the cold front came through it's been gusts of greater than 20 kts. Don't forget about the wind tunnel in Orlando. It'll serve you well if the weather is crappy. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

You're all getting it wrong. The ONLY key to a successful DZ is free beer. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

While skydiving is great for the temporary joy it brings, it doesn't solve the problem. The circumstances that cause depression cannot be reduced by performing unrelated activities. As I've found on many a weekend, I can still feel like absolute crap in between jump loads, even after some of my most enjoyable jumps. I don't know if I can relate to your situation, but here is mine: With the exception of one event (that turned out worse for me in the long run), I don't remember a full day without feeling some sort of extreme sorrow since elementary school. It only takes one thought to trigger my issue and it lingers with me for a long time. I'd love to vent and go in to why I feel this way, but peoples' responses are no help, and the reason for my issues is not pertinent. The point is, the best success I've had with reducing my depression happens when I make progress towards fulfilling the desires I have in life. There is also a flaw in this method, as my failures towards that goal set me back more than equivalent successes would bring me forward. I cannot suggest much else because I do not pursue those solutions. The best advice I can provide is to use skydiving (and other activities) only as a boost to your psychological health, not as the solution. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

The question in this thread seems not to be about healthcare but about the perception of the service member as a higher citizen. To put the healthcare issues to rest, I believe it's up to the employer to determine how much the cover their employees. Considering government workers are quite valuable assests in terms of money put in to training, it is in the interest of the government (and the people) that we are keeping those employees in the best condition we can afford. I do not view soldiers as higher citizens. Many of them are NOT selfless individuals who desire to "defend the country" as many of them would say. Some people I've met have a profound desire to kill another human. Others have religious desires and many just want the experience of the job, being the only way they can get their dream jobs after discharge (this is especially true for pilots). Some want to relinquish the responsibilities of their life to the government, thinking the job will make life simpler for them. Considering the mentalities of people before and after joining the military, I would say that much of the "patriotism" exhibited by service members is a result of indoctrination and culture, not from their beliefs prior to joining. Aside from the threatening nature of some of military jobs, most of their roles are not much more dangerous or demanding than those of civilians. Their roles are useless if there were no civilians to defend. They wouldn't be anything different than the mercs of blackwater. A country is not defined by its military, it's defined by its populace. To say that a soldier is anything more special than the people he serves simply because he has that title is an insult to those who really are exceptional members of society. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

One word. Pull! I ain't talkin' the parachute. The instructors have handles and a harness and grippers that you can use to make their ride a real mess! Kidding. Do as they trained you to do and smile, and you'll be alright. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

Ask your boss if you can do some administrative work or teach ground school (if it's ok with the other instructors). Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

It's about time I throw in my preference. Unless I'm doing something where my nether-regions can be exposed to dirty things (paintball), I will never wear it. It just feels so much more free. Where is the vote for "every now and then?" I used to wear it because underwear can be so fun and I am addicted to Victorias Secret, but I was actually told by a doc that it's actually good for chicks to kinda air out and go commando as long as the pants are clean. So... yea. You fall under a "Nay." The point is, you have experienced freedom and take advantage of that every once in a while. Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?

Kind of inspired by the braless thread. Do you wear it regularly or not? Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling?