Beachbum

Just curious .. which forum do most of ya'll check first when you get on? Maybe it's cause I'm a lowtimer, but I've been hitting the safety/training first, then the gear/rigging .. then either the r/w or here ...

TOO COOL!!! ... CONGRATS!!! I've been wanting to try it since the first time I saw a downplane done, but have along way to go experience-wise before I'm ready.

Very informative .. to me, at least. Thanks so much for putting yourself at risk for our benefit! It sounds like there was a point where you could have cut away the main cleanly if you hadn't been testing/playing with the combination (while in the initial downplane)?

I'm pretty much a newbie too, so can't make recommendations based too much on personal experience, but after talking to a lot of folks (at a dz that most people seemed to be getting Sabres for their first), I opted for a Triathlon. I was told it was a very stable, fun, yet forgiving canopy. So far, I love it! Being a 7 cell, it also packs smaller than the 9's, so I was able to get a slightly smaller container, so hopefully won't have to get another one when I am ready for a smaller canopy. I still haven't figured out why, but for some reason, I find it (a 160) easier to get soft landings with than the 215 student rig I was jumping. BTW ... I'm only 145 lbs, so am just about at 1:1 on it.

ok ... Live outside of Houston (barely, these days - town is coming to get me) ... did the first jump course and student jumps at Wharton (which no longer exists .. :( ..) ... first level 8 jump at Lost Prairie year before last ... went again this year ... a BLAST!! Jumping at Waller now ... have a HUGE total of 32 jumps after almost 2 years (ear problem that limits me to one every week to 10 days). Rig is a VooDoo .. Triathlon 160/Raven 150. Just starting to learn to jump with weights ... I'm SLOW ... 6'2" and only 145 lbs. I almost got into jumping back in the late 70's, until the wife in the couple I knew who were learning went in ... put a big damper on me wanting to try it for a long time. Couple of years ago met a guy who informed me about the advances in equipment and the fact that I could do AFF (no static or tandem), and I went for it ... DEFINITELY hooked!! As the name says ... I'm a beachbum ... surfing since I was 11 ... love to snowski, fish, whitewater canoe, sail ... just about anything outside actually ... play guitar ... like to fiddle with woodwork ... anything else ... just ask ...

yes ... thanks! ... I guess that even with the errors, they're getting sent ... sure had me wondering tho!

on it's way ... thanks!

is there a way to get back to the screen that lists the ones that I have received?

I got your's ... but when I tried to do a reply, I got the danged errors again ... don't know what the deal is ... LOL ... guess I'm just jinxed on those messages. Does the person you are sending them to have to be online for it to work?

My deepest sympathy ... one of my best friends just lost a 21 yr. old nephew in very similar circumstances. He got a virus they just couldn't get rid of because of the other complications ... so sad to lose one that young.

AggieDave ... best be careful ... liable to get shipped off to Austin for that!!! ... LOL

can sure understand the confusion ... first Brit I worked with ... meaning he wanted to take a break ... says "I think I fancy a fag about now" ... hmmm ... I'm thinking ... guess I should drive him down to the Montrose area and turn him loose .... finally figure this out and are outside for a smoke, and he says something about "chatting up the birds" ... now, I'm starting to think he's really flipped his whig ... but then.. if he wants to talk to the pigeons, who was I to stop him ... LOL ... takes a while to learn their slang, for sure!

Just remember to face the Alamo!!!

Ok ... heard back from Pop ... his take is that it's the coating that has the uv absorbers to inhibit fading of the colors and deterioration of fabric strength because of exposure to uv light. The quality of the fabric itself does play into it, but the coating is the primary enhancement, so as long as the fabric is the same in terms of thread quality/count, quality should be the same with the coating.

I guess I need to start thinking about my turns again! During AFF, the JM's told me that I'd reach a point where I just thought about turning, and I'd do so .. well ... that happened pretty quickly for me, and I haven't thought about the mechanics of the turns since. I can whip them, but to be honest, couldn't tell you exactly how I'm accomplishing them. Gives me something to work on ... thanks!

Hi ... went to your website ... recognize you (and the photo) from Wharton ... which is where I started. I've now got 32 jumps and am just starting to learn to use weights, since I fall S..L..O..W. I'm jumping up at Waller now that Wharton is gone .. :(.

I'm a low timer also, and being rather skinny and JUST starting to learn to use weights, have been doing mainly solos. The suggestion was made for him to work on making his turns in place (the belly button concept). I've had people tell me the same thing, but nobody has been able to tell me ... just how do you judge as to whether or not you are doing so if you don't have someone in the air with you to give you a reference point?

My dad was a DuPont lifer ... now retired ... will see what I can find out from him as to who will control, etc. and get back to you ...

what do I know ... I AM a newbie ...

I sure don't want to be anywhere nearby if one of those suckers goes off ...

Get someone else on the load to wait until you're on the way up ... lean over and say to you .. "Man, I'm sure glad the USPA sent you to check on this ... I can't believe they've gotten away with it for this long" .... Of course ... you might all ride the plane back down ...

I think I'm just doomed to stay skinny ... lol. I'm almost 47 now ... and have always been this way. I've tried the beer route, tried having 2 instant breakfasts with every meal ... tried all sorts of things ... think my metabolism is just to fast or something ...

ROFL ... see my 2nd post in this thread ... I DO eat a lot ... it has just never stuck to me!!!

OK ... all this has sent me scurrying back to the paperwork that came with my DashM ... it IS a B version ... so you're saying that you feel like they are solid? Seems to me like if they felt a need to change the material of one of the components, that it SHOULD be a freebie.

I just know all those female astronauts have been pining for one of these ... lol ... Or is it the males?