upndownshop

12-23-84 first jump. 17 years old. Unless you count the 24 jumps my mother made with me in 1967 before I was born. Why, grew up on a DZ, in a way had no choice, but ultimately, waited 17 years wanting to jump! Packed T10's for .50 while waiting to be old enough. Would not trade growing up on a DZ for anything during that time!

Just hit 71 last weekend. 35 states 3 countries 31 years

Here are some of the new features: http://www.flyaerodyne.com/download/AERODYNE_NEWSLETTER02_nxgn.pdf Hope that helps! J

Definitely! I started on round canopies at 6 years old for $.50 and moved onto the delta's and squares as they progressed. By the time I was 16 I probably had over 3000 pack jobs. As a result, the last time I packed was about 1500 jumps ago, and still no chops! I always joked that the only reason my parents had kids is so they would have packers! You can pack for me anytime!

My first bounce proofed logbook was signed 12-23-1984, the day of my first jump! Yes in Texas. All logbooks since are also bounce proofed, its working so far. :)

You can add UpNDownShop :) Robby Rob, Brian Moffett, not sure of the DZ names, that's not gail in the right. Damn, that's one of my favorite shots from SF years! Thanks for posting Andy! But let's not forget the bartenders!!!

Sounds exciting, I will be there with a few Pilot's to demo. Will offer organizing for some newbies who want to have some free coaching and fun jumps! Will also bring a certificate for discounted gear from Aerodyne! Looking forward to it. Will be nice to be on the "going to a boogie" side for a change... C ya there! J

Average empty rig is about 8 pounds, not sure what that has to do with a purchasing decision. An average loaded rig is 22-28 until you get up to the big boy ones which can be 35ish. Canopies are about 8 pounds as well. I think one would be more apt to notice comfort over the weight difference. Good luck!

Hey all Mike and I are in communication on this and things are starting to sort themselves out. Prior to this morning I had no idea who Spike is. But when I originally read the PM's, two thoughts came to mind. 1. Nice, good to see folks passionate about what they do. 2. in reply to : "then yes it would be pretty easy to maintain a 100% success rate. Interesting philosophy". Ha, one should have been dealing with Michelin tires in the 80's and 90's, that was their attitude, meaning they claimed they do not manufacturer a defective product. Ever! However, it may not have been the proper place for a discussion, especially since facts were still being gathered to sort this out for everyone involved so it may have been a bit premature. Mike, I have your email and will respond next, felt I needed a quick response in here. I think we are at a point that it makes sense to put our energy sorting this out offline. Blue skies! J

J So THAT's where ya have been! Congrats on the new gig. Any feedback from the stuff I posted upthread? http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4311339;search_string=icon;#4311339 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4446079#4446079 Show much for hiding out! Straight to the fire pit. LOL I have sent the info off to engineering to let them do some investigating. Of course there is a process that needs to be followed and that may take time. But it will get looked into. As are all the manufacturers in this industry, we are always looking for ways to improve the product. Can get tricky with that wonderful "human" element that finds ways to break it. :) Which is good, but can lead to "misinformation" when trying to determine the exact cause of any situation. Nothing new for any manufacturer. Thats why I like the sales side of the industry

Mike Sorry you are having issues with the container or contacting anyone here. I joined the Aerodyne team officially in October and part of my responsibility is customer service, which includes the [email protected] email. I have checked with others here and filtered thru all junk folders and noone seems to be aware of this situation, not recent nor in the past. I pride myself on customer service and I am sure there are many here on DZ that have dealt with me in the past and would confirm that it is very important to me. Please drop me a line and lets see what we can do to take care of this. Please email me at my direct address at [email protected] Thank you J Schrimsher

Not sure where you received your information but Aerodyne does offer a military discount on all sport equipment they manufacture. The gear would need to be purchased thru you're favorite dealer, so contact them for a price.

Thus resulting in a "Dirty Ole Man" If you get lucky!

I agree Jerry, just saw the photo of him in the 73 Parachutist of dad giving him his Gold Wings. "Grandpa Bob" as Stan and I called him. Not sure if he ever appreciated us calling him that, but we really did not have a grandpa and he was a perfect candidate I guess. :)

I've seen a photo of the TI truck. Jim West at Green County in Ohio said the same thing when I pulled up in SunPath's white RV back in 2005. Guessing that was the early 60's when Jerry made the rounds. Thanks for the info, wonder if I can track down where he went those couple of years?

I know Jerry took this photo, not sure when, thinking the 60's. Anyone know the location of the DZ? Its been a mystery. Just wish I was old enough to jump when those prices were that low. Sure Twardo took advantage of them!

Sandy is correct, yes I said it. :) Brad is the best, he will take care of you guaranteed! Enjoy!

I was just a teenager when that record was done, mom was the judge for almost all of the OK nationals so we were forced to go every year as kids. If I remember right the saying for those two years while trying to get it was, "99 again". :) They got it on their "extra" last attempt early morning before Nationals started, if I remember correctly.

I've seen a tandem student get her SCR before.Quote If I am thinking of the same one you are, I believe it was a 2 pt 20 way! A certain DZO's wife with members of Airspeed and manufacturer reps? That was a fun jump! Cant speak for others during the event but I personally did one with 17 jumps. She ended up on a 20 way by the end of the week!

On November 19, 2012, Aerodyne was notified of an instance where the reserve pilot chute didn’t clear the reserve container side flaps when the pin was pulled in preparation for a routine repack on an Icon. We requested the Icon be sent to us immediately for evaluation and the Swedish Parachute Association issued an immediate grounding of all Icon harness/container systems as a “safety first” measure. A video was provided to us at that time showing the reserve deployment activation, from which the following were noted: 1. The Icon was not being worn during activation 2. The activation was not initiated by pulling the reserve handle The rig arrived at Aerodyne on November 29, 2012 with the reserve packed and closed. The rig was then test pulled exactly as it arrived, using the reserve handle, with no hesitation from the reserve pilot chute. Subsequently, a total of 15 more test pulls were conducted in 3 different orientations of the rig (worn in upright position, worn in belly-to-earth position, on the floor not being worn) to see if any problems with the equipment could be detected. All 15 test pulls resulted in clear, unimpeded deployment of the reserve pilot chute from the reserve container. The results of the tests and our observations from the customer’s video are as follows: 1. Pulling the cable next to the pin to release it from the loop as seen in the video interfered with the system’s normal activation 2. The reserve closing loop was too long, reducing the compression on the reserve pilot chute spring We have determined that these two factors combined with the fact that the rig was not worn contributed to the irregular deployment. 3.We have concluded that the equipment is working correctly and no corrective actions are needed. Swedish officials agree with our conclusions and have lifted the grounding. Please see the attached announcement from the Swedish Parachute Association. For more details on the test results please go to http://www.flyaerodyne.com/download/ReserveActivationEvaluation1112.pdf

16 years! Would have been shorter but Dad made us wait till we were 16 yo. LOL

I am 6'1"ish and have a 33" inseam, with a C18 with a 3" split. If you are about the same then the 16 will be uncomfortable and probably difficult to arch. One would need an inseam of around 36" to have a torso of 16" at 6' tall. Height less, inseam, less 20" should give you a good idea on your torso length. If its not 16-17, move on to another container. And of course one would want to know the weight of the original owner to make sure the laterals were inline as well. good luck

The thread about "did you tell your parents" made me think. Hey wait a minute, I never had a choice, they just took me, well at least my mother did? Should I be upset? Always wondered if being an "adrenalin" baby had an affect?

what does it mean then ? I was taught that the green light means the pilot has cleared you for exit, and if conditions are right you can go. To me, the green light gives you the "right" to go, does not mean you have to.

...which wwould be a good thing. Thats cause you have the answers.