airdrew20012001

I am at work now, actually in trial. Fun stuff, involves allegations of sex abuse of a 4 and 8 year old. Drewfus McDoofus

I think starting out with your own gear is a great idea. There has been a lot posted about the ins and outs of starting out in camera flying. Ask questions is the key. If you are thinking about doing something wierd (filming openings is a great example) ask first. Ask here if no where else. I agree with what was said above: show your gear to someone before jumping it. Tandem masters are great information sources as well for new videographers. If you are pretty sure you are going to get into it, get a good helmet. I have a batrak and love it, cheaping out on helmets, while not fatal or too bad, can cost you when you upgrade in a year or less. Drewfus McDoofus

Tim the Enchanter. I am going to put that on my resume. Drewfus McDoofus

Why not? Drewfus McDoofus

Hmm......nice you could voice your opinion while ignoring the opinions of others. You must be a manager. Drewfus McDoofus

Bah! That Lisa chick doesn't know her ass from a hot rock. Go small and eliptical! In all seriouseness, take your sweet time. The smaller the canopy the harder they bite, ask anyone who has had broken femers in this sport, I bet more than half will say they were flying over their heads. Had it not been for my docile triathalon 160 I would probably dead right now and I was loading it at about 1.1 to 1. Drewfus McDoofus

Yup, big canopy big riser pressure. It also depends on how the canopy is trimmed, whether the weight is more on the front (diving) or rear (sinking) is in the formula as well. Some small canopies still have fairly stiff riser pressure. My stilletto 135 is pretty high, I jumped an alpha 104 and it was super light, same with an alpha 119, I have heard the crossfire 109 falls somewhere in between. Regardless, I would imagine a 288 would be pretty stout with or without taking into consideration how the canopy is trimmed. It would've been pretty cool if you could've whipped the manta around into a hard swoop. Drewfus McDoofus

My opinion on flite suit is not as good as others. Here's my thing: I have had to send baclk every suit I have had them make. The sleeves are chronically too short as are the booties. I won't order any more from them after the last one. I have heard similar complaints from others. Plus, personally, I think they nickle and dime you to death on the options that others include as standard. I agree with what others have said: don't go cheap, you may regret it. You might try used if you wanna go cheap. Drewfus McDoofus

Oh pleeeeeeeezzzzeeeeeee! PLease please please please! Drewfus McDoofus

I have jumped both the Javelin and Infinity. I like my javelin better but it is also a much newer and smaller rig and fits me better. I have jumped a friends infinity a bunch and like it quite a bit. I like the lines better on the javelin and find the infinity a little boxy. They are both great rigs though. Drewfus McDoofus

I recently converted my closing pin necklace ( have 400+ jumps) to a bracelet and put the closing pin on the laces of the my tennie shoes. I did this out of protest because, though not always, most of the people who sport them are annoying. I personally think that if you want to meet the most annoying people announce over the PA that you want to make an all closing pin necklace skydive. It's sort of like when you road a skateboard, only the real posers had matching vans and a vans t-shirt. The rest spent their money on their board, cigarettes, dime bags, and bad hair dye. Ok.....I'm ready..bring forth the derision. Drewfus McDoofus

I had the same sort of problem with a robo Z, opening real fast. I tried cradling my chin in my palms during opening. I agree with what aggie dave said. You can also have a person work your neck. You go down on all fours, they kneel in front of you and provide a lot of resistance on your neck, yo both sides and up and down. It sounds dirty but is not. I switched canopies and my neck problems have gone away. Drewfus McDoofus

IYE YI YI! Don't say the "B" word here! That's like making jesus jokes while packing your parachute. Drewfus McDoofus

Pisser that they are going to upcharge you for a reserve larger than a tempo 120, which is small depending on your weight. My principal concern is that I have looked at Dolphin containers and they seem cheap to me. I'd go with what others have said and say to get a used javelin, for example, with a PDR 190 (very few subterminal opneings or none preferred), and a used main that is absolutely the largest thing you can get in the rig. That way you can downsize at least one time without getting a new rig. But hey, that's just what I think... Drewfus McDoofus

You say that like it's a bad thing. Drewfus McDoofus

Two quick points: a) No waiver ever excuses negligence. Accidents aren't actionable because they are no fault occurances. Negligence and especially recklessness always are. Think of it this way: if your wife/firned/sister went to a DZ to get a tandem and the instructor wasn't rated, was drunk, had been drunk in the past, and forgot to hook up all but one of the laterals, would you sue when the passenger died? b) I agree that people sue all the damn time when they shouldn't. We see it every day here at the courthouse. Bad suits brought by stupid people who end up getting nothing and wasting a lot of time and energy. Oh well, the idea is equal access for those who feel wronged. It does get abused but I think it's still a pretty damn good system. Drewfus McDoofus

Interesting discussion. For those of you new to the sport I would say always wear an altimeter regardless of what others are doing. If you find some day that they are without use, get rid of them. For those of you who choose not to wear them, I am fine with that. Skydiving is a sport that requires self regulation and an understanding of one's limits. If you are within them continue as you were. The person I was speaking of wanted one but didn't have one because he felt emberassed having to ask for one. He only had around 100 jumps. When he heard the warning on his Time Out he chopped not because his eyes told him he was low, not because his visual failed, but because he didn't know. Further, I think the more important moral to the story is to try to stay calm. The problem was one that could have been fixed and landed by what I could see. Unfortunately, this skydiver fixated on the unstowed break instead of releasing the stowed one then freaked when his dytter went off while he was still in a spin under a fast moving eliptical canopy. Interesting discussion. For what it is worth, I am pushing 500 jumps and have never had a visual malfunction. Nore have I ever been on a load where one has, talked to a skydiver who has one that has, or been on the DZ when one had. Drewfus McDoofus

Here's what I do on everyskydive to clear my head and get into that place that leaves me free to perform well: Find someone, preferably everyone, on the dive. Start by very lightly putting your fingers together in an open hand grip kind of like launching a flower. Close the grip and your eyes. Breath in through your nose and let your hands raise up, pause, exhale slowely through your mouth and let your grip come down. Repeat this three times. On the third one, everybody starts rotating the grip as it lowers and loosens it until it falls apart naturally. This should clear your mind. Drewfus McDoofus

22-55 is an interesting choice of lens. I shoot with a 35 85 and prefer it in case I land and get set up then the tandem instructor decides to land in Timbuktoo. Drewfus McDoofus

Here's my why I wear an altimiter story: I had a slow mal, it was a broken line to the stabalizers. It could fly but when I tried flaring it it dove like a rat bastard, lost about 750 feet and quick. I checked my altimeter and was at 2,000 feet. I chopped it and landed on. The moral to this story: how do you make the decision to hack or not to hack on a canopy that can fly but not land if you don't KNOW your altitude? What if you are spinning? Dizzy? Drewfus McDoofus

I wanted to get new risers for my rig to get rid of the last of the velcro, I was asked if I wanted 19 or 22 inch risers. What difference could it have on the flight characteristics of my cnaopy or is it just for ease of grabbing? Drewfus McDoofus

I had a buddy who chopped this weekend and though his story might provide useful to others. I noticed in the plane that he wasn't wearing an altimiter and asked what up with that. He said he had left it in his locker at our home DZ and felt wierd asking for another. Besides, both he and I had dytters. This made me uncomfortable. The dive went according to plan. At opening he noticed one of his brakes was unstowed and wrapped in his lines. He tried to fart around and clear it but then heard his dytter go off without knowing which alarm it was. He chopped, got stable, and activated his reserve. His landing was uneventful. Lessons to be learned: Always wear an altimeter. He was around 3,500 when his second warning, not decision time warning went off so he actually had more time than he thought. If this happens to you, release the other break. He left it stowed and was diving and spinning making him delay his reserve pull until he got stable. He probably could've fixed it had he done so. I checked his rig afterward and guess what? No togle stows. We switched his risers out for a set that I had spare that did have togle stows. Make sure you have them on yours. Wierd, huh? Drewfus McDoofus

The first annual Baby Shower boogie was a screaming success with around 13 unregistered jumpers enjoying about 120 jumps in two days. The boogie, celebrating the 2nd child due to Jim and Amber Renfro, was held impromtu at Lodi. T-shirts were made under the watchful eye of Jesse Thecameradude. All had a good time with special thanks to Jesse for opening his home to all participants, a mistake he'll probably repeat in the coming year. Discussions now ongoing to decide how to figure who'll get pregnant to allow the 2nd annual Baby Shower Boogie to happen. Good times Drewfus McDoofus

My understanding from talking to one of the Icarus dealers is that searching, twichty openings are part of the loaded eliptical canopy experience. A friend of mine just got the same canopy (demo, returned, retrimed) and has the same sort of report on the opening. My stilletto does the same thing, so does the Alpha I jumped, so does a friends velocity. Ask around. Drewfus McDoofus

I have a stilletto 135 loaded at 1.40 and I don't have a problem with it. The oversteer takes a bit to get used to. The openings I have had on it are as wild as the Alpha 120 and 104 I have jumped. I jumped a crossfire 109 and it searches and twists around for air as well. I'm not sure what people mean by "twitchy". I think it's a pretty mellow canopy if the inputs aren't too wild. The 104 I mentioned turned faster and had more oversteer than the Stilletto. In answer to the question being posed I knew in three jumps that it was the canopy for me and knew in 1 jump that the safire wasn't. I think it's like anything else, go with your gut. If you have no gut reaction jump it a few more times. Drewfus McDoofus