jsreznor

No worries. I think we've veered off-topic anyway. Chalko - any student progression course to get a USPA A license requires 25 jumps at the minimum. There is a skillset you must learn and demonstrate in terms of proper exit, landing accuracy, equipment knowledge, and air maneuvering. All of these things can be found on the proficiency card off the USPA website. As to after AFF....you make the decision to continue and start jumping with other people.

That is incorrect. Those under Student status have to jump within 30 days to remain current. A License holders have 60 days for currency. At least under USPA rules.

My whole life...I've been living a lie!

Got hooked into doing a day of static jumps at Ricks in 2000. Thought it was awesome but I was poor and in college and spent all my money on my trad rack. Fast forward 8 years later and I get hooked again to do a tandem. After that, I wasn't going to let the opportunity pass me again.

you have a pd 196 reserve? did you have to custom order it to get that size? Well aren't you clever? Way to add in a positive and constructive way.

It's not about needing new gear. It's about the weeks and months of searching for appropriate gear - the right sized main, something that I'm comfortable with, and sized for my height and body type. For me, it was about the time and money. How much would I pay for rental gear while I continued to search for a used rig? After how long would the price of rentals and a used rig equal the price of new gear? How much money is worth my peace of mind? At no point did I mention how much I expected to sell my rig for. I'm quite aware that I'm not going to get 90% of the original price. But unless I put 2000 jumps on it, I'm going to get something back which will be put towards the next rig, even if it's 50% of what I paid originally. And here's another thing I was grappling with - why would I spend $800 on an AAD that has 5 years left and then have to purchase another one when I can spend $1200 on a new model and get 12 years from it? I totally understand the idea of buying used. Things like used AADs and lack of appropriate gear for me influenced me to buy new.

I just bought my first rig, new. I found it rather hard to find exactly what I wanted in terms of a main fitting the containers that I could find. Even the classifieds here didn't have the "complete system" setup that would work best for me, unless I wanted to fly a 280 or 150 main. I got to the point a few weeks ago that piecemealing my rig wasn't going to make me happy. It would take too long and what I got probably won't be what I want. Plus, any money that I spent on rental rigs is basically wasted money. So I took the plunge, found a brand new Spectre 210 on the cheap, and ordered a Mirage G4 with a PD196 and a new Vigil. It's what I want, fits me perfectly, and I know the complete history of every piece of equipment. Plus the container will fit a main down a size, so the container and reserve will last me for a while. And then I have the re-sale value. Buying used became too annoying, but PM me in a year or two and I might have a used beginner's rig to sell.

There's an obvious social gap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg89ZnNJ_KQ&feature=related

Skinner?

10 jumps, eh?

it's so far! south of philly? really? its not that bad, about 3 hours i own no car. not since 2002. i'm waiting to see what stephan is planning, and maybe we can have another saturday night 4am drunken conversation, in person

it's so far! south of philly? really?

i think there are more non-US residents then citizens at my DZ damn ruskies!

www.tunnelcoach.com we did 15 minute blocks at the zhills christmas boogie with martin and sally and they were great. i highly recommend as an end user

after 30 days, a student must repeat their last level (AFF, static, etc.) with an instructor. my DZ makes students also go through a 6-hour safety class with harness training.

there's a 45 minutes "how to pro pack" video on PD's website

shameless (but totally true) plug

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_fraud ah...i see how it reads. the correction is better

i'm amazed how many people don't know the difference between fraud and theft. the OP has fraudulently procured items, not stolen items. anyone who disagrees should do some research on legal terms.

Back when I was climbing hardcore, I used a piton as a keyring. Kinda like this: http://media.rei.com/media/471094Lrg.jpg

You watch where the main comes down and then you go and get it, or hope you have understanding neighbors.

being a beneficiary on their will so you can inherit their rig but if they die from a double malfunction, don't take the rig. that's in poor taste

I guess I should have explained more thoroughly. The instructor jumps go through the core skills of stability, heading, turns in both directions, barrel rolls, tracking, poised exits, etc.. A student has to show proficiency in these areas before being cleared for solos. The three coach jumps emphasize some of the other requirements on the proficiency card, like two group jumps where docking is required. If I remember correctly, there are front float, rear float, and diving exits, relative upward and downward movements with a coach, plus the check dive. I think there are some other things but they escape me right now. All the sky skills are spelled out for the student, but things like landing patterns, spotting, safety stuff, packing...the student has to be proactive and learn for themselves from instructors, coaches, packers, etc. And from my experience, the only thing my coaches signed off on were my log book entries for the umps I did with them. The instructors were the ones to sign off on the card.

Every place does it differently. My progression was titled "IAF" that entailed 3 tandems, 7 instructor jumps, 3 coached jumps, a hop and pop and then solos up to 25. I managed to combine two of the instructor jumps and only did two of the coached jumps and got my check dive in on one of them. I don't think my progression was overbearing nor negligent. I had to take it into my own hands to go over the BSRs, learn to pack, get someone to watch my landings, etc. I'm not sure how I'd react if I was AFF'ed and jumped out of a plane on my own rig on my first jump. Concerning money, one of the head instructors flat out said that the school will not hold anyone back to make more money.

Word. The Ranch is open on the weekends in the cold season. Joe has already switched the operating hours but I'm not sure what they are at the moment since it's been rather mild this week.