paco1975

A skygod is a jumper who thinks he is better then others, and belittles others. Its not an elite skydiver- And yes that is my definition. Very well put. I guess the definitive part is the 'belittles others'. This can be done w/ and w/o worsd.

thanks remster I do understand Hypoxia and that is why we carry O2 on board. Getting light headed and silly is for on the ground with a little hops. :) and yes i did switch msl and agl. oops Also the air we breath at 0 agl is the same if you were in new orleans jumping from 5600 msl or roughly. that is why when folks first more out here they get alt. sickness. Personally I live at 9400 msl, there is a difference in performance athletically with this . When at sea level seems like i can run forever! But we still all have O2 And yes I agree with what you are saying. It seems to happen more at the bigger dz's which draws that type their more often as well as those who are professional

THere really isn't a proposal to remove elitism. Back in the early 90's there was an issue debate regarding comments that charles barkley made regarding his not being a role model or someone to look up to. I haven't experienced many if any 'skygods' at the dropzones i have gone to. Elsinore, Oahu, Denver, AZ, Utah, NM. If their were something that I would suggest is that in this small community of a fun sport that we all have a responsiblity to hold each other accountable in htis fashion, as well as safety (ie. as you said about the dreopping canopy sizes and trying things outside our abilities after seeing great swoops), awareness, and fun. I think that sometimes people with years of experience are the ones that younger jumpers who have attitudes will listen to. 'THose we respect ultimately respect someone else." On local teams... I AGREE COMPLETELY! It is nice to have a place to throw a thought out there and have people think and discuss. I guess ultimately this is where awareness begins. Withthose who are avid almost rabid about the sport, and not forgetting what it was like the first time.

we have O2 on board as required however for those of us who have lived here for some time the thin O2 is something that we are used to and we arent exposed for very long. Pilot always has O2 as well. It is the upjumpers that climb that high. THe rest drop at lower altitudes. Keep in mind we are already 5600 agl

very well put NWFlyer! I agree... I am intriducing this as you said for SKy Gods at all levels and want to see what others have to say about it. I appreciate your input. I maybe should have put is elitism good for the sport?

Well some folks at our DZ were out at our bonfire reliving our experiences and comparing small medium and mega dropzone. An interesting topic came about in the form of the attitudes of some 'professional' skydivers. Recently we took some of our new A licensee's to a mega dropzone for some fun. Our dz operates a static line progression course, tandem (on request), coaching, and has a master rigger/instructor on sight. We fly a Cessna 205 with an IO 550 3blade prop. In colorado we are already at 5600 ft. AGL we climb to 17-17.5 regularly taking about 20-25 minutes. Averaging 5-10 students a weekend in the winter and 20 in the summer. Point being this is a smaller dz where fun. safety and family enviroment is predominant. While at this mega dz the new jumpers were excited to watch some very highly skilled people. Far more experienced and advanced than anyone at our dz. What are your thoughts on the elite skydiviers and their attitude towards those who are new to the sport?

POGO ITS PACO THE STICKER BANDITO. NOW THAT YOU HAVE A FEW MORE JUMPS UNDER YOUR BELT. kEEP IN MIND THAT YOU WEIGH PROBABLY BETWEEN 120-135 (ON THANKSGIVING). YOU HAVE BEEN JUMPING THE SMALLEST F-111 CANOPY THAT IS AVAILABLE PD-210 NINE CELL. HERE IN COLORADO WE ARE ALREADY AT ALTITUDE AND AIR DENSITY IS THIN, WE ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO MORE FREQUENT WINDS (10-20). THIS BEING SAID THERE IS ALSO A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ZP (ZERO POROCITY) AND F-111 CANOPIEJS. AS I HAVE EXPLAIN TO UPJUMPERS FROM OUT OF STATE FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS ARE DIFFERENT. I SUGGEST A ZP CANOPY FOR THIS REASON (FLARE POWER). NEXT CANOPY SIZE I WOULD SAY THAT DURING YOUR A LICENSE PROCESS YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DROP TO A 170. THE MAIN THING IS TO MAKE SLOW PROGRESSIONS. I HAVE SEEN TOO MANY PEOPLE GET ADRENALINE HAPPY AND GO FROM A 220 TO A 135. IT IS BETTER TO BE IN A POSITION TO BE PUSHING YOURSELF TO YOUR EXPERIENCE LIMITS TO GET MAXIMUMPERFORMANCE OUT OF A CANOPY. I MEAN YOU DONT GIVE THE KEY'S TO AN INDY CAR LET ALONE A FERRARI TO A 16 YEAR OLD. ANYWAY... BY THE TIME YOU ARE AT LICENSE STATUS WHICH WILL BE VERY SOON I WOULD THEN THINK ABOUT WHAT IS IT ABOUT SKYDIVING YOU ARE MOST INTERESTED IN. RW WORK (2,3,4...WAYS), accuracy (canopy control), swooping, etc... first main is best as a "cross trainer". I would suggest something like a zp 150 pilot, sabre 2 or something comparable. you can get a lot out of a rough 1:1 wing load (canopy size / yourweight). THIS will allow you to grow in your abilities while maintaining good canopy control and landing. I agree with the previous posts. A suggestion would be to buy a new to newer container that fits well and is designed to hold a 150 main. I know wings gives a 50% discount for active duty military. Also an articulated harness make the comfort level better on rigs as well as making entry and exit easier from a C205. You are already profficeint in packing however zp is slippery snot as you have seen from some of us at the dropzone. If you downsize you should be able to go to a 125-130 main (depending on manufacturer) and this will make packing new slipery snot (zp) more easily. PLEASE KEEP YOUR RESERVE AROUND YOUR WEIGHT! SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY. For your first main I suggest looking at dropzone.com classifieds. You can generally get a used main (which will make pro-packing easier on a zp main) between $350 - $900. here is a link to one that would suit you well enough and is reasonable. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=59666;d=1 HERE IS THE BREAKDOWN IF YOU GO STRAIGHT UP NEW: WINGS CONTAINER $1050 W/ DISCOUNT VIGIL AAD $1200 PILOT MAIN $1200 W/ DISCOUNT RESERVE $1000 TOTAL $4450

I have demo jumped a used icarus omega 209 (200+ jumps).The first time I jumped this canopy I almost cut it away.I have been jumping pd-210's to 288's. I am just shy of my c license. first time I tested this canopy I snivelled it a lot like I would the pd.Threw pilot at at 4000 to be safe. Man that is the softest opening i have ever experienced!! A little too soft. I finally had a full canopy at about 1900 feet. Flies great and very responsive at 1.2 ratio. It almost wants to swoop on its own. Great canopy but do not snivel!!! There is no need. With a normal pro pack opens in about 900-1400 feet. Good penetration in high wind days (15+). This is a good canopy for learning to swoop. Greater stopping power at higher speeds.

I first went there in the summer on a birthday weekend with a group of 8 or so people. When we got there friday night,Skip and Darlene (The Owners) had a bonfire going,as the other jump students had already taken the class.We went through the class about 2 hours class and 1 hour practical.Then Darlene had made us hotdogs,brats and hamburgers with the fixins,and we hung out at the bonfire They have facilities there for people to spend the night,bed and all.Talk about a great night!Saturday we got up early and made our first jump after what seemed like 5 checks of our gear.Doing a static line course is the way to go. I decided to get my license there and have been jumping around since.The teach amazing canopy control,in fact when I was jumping in Hawaii the staff there gave me a hard time about not making hook turns for landing,the funny thing is in Hawaii I was the only one who landed in the pit. The folks down there are like a big extended family, Skip and Darlene would do anything to help you out (In fact I was stuck out of town and they came and gave me a ride) Kirk is really helpful in giving advice and helping you relax,Jeff gets you laughing.All the upjumpers are willing to give you support and advice as well as helping you with your packing.Also there is an SR rigger at the dropzone