airdrew20012001

Do this: a) get your hands on an A license proficiency card 2) look at it c) get the price list for your drop zone iv) find someone who is good in math, have them do some that crazy ass math bidness fer ya E) total it up At our DZ, it'd (ballpark, AFF track as apposed to tandem or static line) be around $1200 to $1400 but that depends on if you are able to pass every level or if you have to repeat one or not. Drewfus McDoofus

Hey, I was told that a D license meant I could do anything. Dern it! lied to again! Frikin' USPA propaganda!! Drewfus McDoofus

Seems maybe you should set your budget and go from there. Avoid JVC, go with Sony. I have a trv-17 and it works great. Want to get a PC eventually for freefly vids. Drewfus McDoofus

How do you like the flair characteristics of the Diablo? The only knock I have ever heard was that they have a really tight flare spot, you miss it and you either get dumped out of the sky or have to run it out like a banshee. Drewfus McDoofus

I don't know. Drewfus McDoofus

I put about 160 jumps on a stiletto 135 then demo'd a crossfire 119 and was sold. It is one of the gentlest opening canopies I have jumped. The small eliptical thing is not to get down faster to set up the landing shot. Hell you can beat a tandem that opens at 5,500 down with just about anything. I open at 3,000 and can get down in plenty of time on the old triathalon 160 I used to use (another great, soft opener). I jump a small eliptical when I shoot because I am super current and love the ride. I did a jump on a borrowed rig the other day when I was shithouse busy (the aformentioned triatholon 160) and thought the canopy ride was just plain boring. Drewfus McDoofus

I guess it depends on your level of involvment in the sport. I know people whose significant other is a golfer, doesn't cause a problem really. My luck with dating skydivers has been pretty bad plus I work at the DZ as a videographer so I really don't need the drama, you dig? Like I always say: don't piss where you play. As long as you make the time to not skydive every damn weekend then it should be ok. If what you want is a relationship that nicely fits with your hobbies you may be asking too much and it sounds like it has been a recurrent problem in the past, balance is always the key. Besides, if you date someone at the DZ you jump at and the relationship goes to shit and the female starts dating another skydiver at the same DZ you gonna wanna jump there? A good friend of mine took about 9 weeks out of the sport for that exact reason. Just a thought, the only one I have had in over a week worth sharing. Drewfus McDoofus

I have a D-box for my trv-17 and can't say enough about it. Has worked like a charm for me. Drewfus McDoofus

If they are dreading it and not having any fun than the whole excersize is pointless. I had a blast on every jump I did through the instructional phase and beyond, still do. If I weren't, I'd get out. It is ok to be tense, anxious, a little nervous but fear? I would think if the person has done more than a T1 and is afraid then you might double think it. It should be a rush, not a fright. Drewfus McDoofus

In looking at pictures and talking to fellow swoop fiends, you notice a lot of guys going to rear risers before toggles on landing. Makes perfect sense, flatten out the whole back of the wing, less drag while moving from the dive to the plane out phase. I assume that it doesn't take much input, am I correct? Obviosely I am going to try it a ton up high, but just curious what the deal is. "hey, how about them downwinders, huh? Goooood times.." Drewfus McDoofus

Probably means the kind that they put on CRW rigs. These pilot chutes have a regular bridle attachment point then one or two other rings more toward the end of the canopy so when the wing is open the pilot chute does not trail behind the canopy. Note that the most of the difference, if not all, is on the canopy not the rig. Was this a complete rig you were looking to buy are an option on a new rig? Drewfus McDoofus

Didja try calling the kind folk at sunpath? Usually gear manufacturers, if they are smart, don't mind talking to you about used gear. Buy one used now, buy one new in a year I guess. The main thing you want to know is the length of the main lift web as it relates to the length of your torso. Drewfus McDoofus

*** She says it is not because of the move or else she would say so, she says she just doesn't feel the same way about me anymore but she still loves and cares for me. It came as a complete shock to me and I'm deffinately not willing to just suddenly give up when this comes out of nowhere. She also says there is no one else that she is interested in. *** I hate that. I think people should be honest: "it's not you, it's me....I don't like you" Drewfus McDoofus

In AFF courses I teach the following instead (mostly to give the students do's and don'ts that require little thinking). If you have anything out (called partial malfunction, even if it is only the pilot shute as here) then you go through full procedure by cutting away and pulling your reserve. If you have nothing out (total malfunction), then go straight to your reserve. For those newer jumpers reading this I would say go with that. Drewfus McDoofus

I have a velbon qra635 quick release for my still and was going to get one for my vid bt decided to go with the bonhead d-box instead. Holds it in securely and still makes it easy to pop off, as it were. Drewfus McDoofus

Feh! Math bad, Drew no like math. Beeeerr goooooood! Drewfus McDoofus

Dude, I think it is totally admirable that you are willing to share your story this way. As one person told me in an email when I posted about my low pull, better to do that so others can learn than to sweep it under the tarmak. If you admit you f***ed up to yourself and others than you will fix the problem, if you deny it you will repeat it. Glad you are ok, trust me, I know the feeling that is a mix of disaapointment in yourself and shock of realizing how bad it almost got. Can make you shudder afterwards, huh? Drewfus McDoofus

Why cut it? The reason I ask is that there may be another solution.. Drewfus McDoofus

Wanting to spice up things a bit, what are some cool exits people have developed over the years? I have tried going long, hanging from the landing gear, fuselage, and other side of the strut. Anything else out there I should try? While I am at it, what do you all do to be more creative with your in the air shots? I go low and steep, close and flat, grab the student's hand and spin 'em, orbit (both level and popping up on the backside), but what am I missing? I have honked their nose, pinched their cheeks, and palmed their noggin. I need more creative fuel, man. Drewfus McDoofus

I had a stiletto 135 for about 160 jumps before I downsized to the crossfire 119, very impressive. While the toggle pressure is about the same as is the front riser, that is about the only similarity. It doesn't oversteer and isn't as twitchy in the turns with the toggles which is nice. It is speedier than heck and likes to come in smoking, the stiletto is a good training ground for this canopy. I would recommend you be current and experienced before you heavily load one of these.

I don't. Not because she isn't right, but more because I am a difficult person. Drewfus McDoofus

Did you ever jump a crossfire? What is the difference between the two of them? Drewfus McDoofus

There are as many options for settings as there are settings to shoot in. When I do tandems and the like I use the TV setting and set the speed at 250 for sunny days or 180 for jumping under high ceiling days. I also set my focus at about 4 feet and tape it down. Auto focus eats the batteries and I can't get the pictures as quick that way. I have also used the sport setting and it worked as well. If you are trying to be more artistic then the sky is really the limit, the rebel G is a great camera that way. You can be creative are let the camera do all the work for you, it is up to you. Drewfus McDoofus

I have a brand new out de box stilleto that now has about 100 jumps on it. I have pro-packed mine from day one and it only got away from me once, the first time I assembled it. I try to take my time and keep constant pressure on it when I go to do the S-folds. I also overlap the tail and that seems to give it a more organized opening, less diving and off heading plus I make sure the nose is perfectly even before I stuff it in. Works for me. Like someone else said, the bottom line is what works for you. Drewfus McDoofus

S'all good, me no flame warior. Drewfus McDoofus