jim_32766

I am sure you can find some boobies somewhere in the forums if you look hard enough.. It's been my experience that the reverse can be true too. If you look hard enough, sometimes boobies will find you. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Congrats on the new rig! I got mine recently too. It's nice to have a good fitting rig, and double nice to jump your own gear. We are all eagerly awaiting pics. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

The packing videos on YouTube made by Nick Grillet from PD show using long bands and making double wraps. The AFFI that taught me to pack said the same thing. I follow their advice. However, as you can see from the answers thus far there are several approaches taken that apparently have good success. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Congrats on the new rig! I did that too in 2010. Mine is a Vector3. It's such a nice feeling to have your own gear and to stop renting. From what I've heard, taken care of properly, that new rig should last a very long time. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Congrats and go for it if you can. Learning to fly is a great experience. The landings are the most challenging part but, like the rest of us, you'll learn to like that too. As one of the posters said, bring plenty of cash. Flying is much more expensive than skydiving, especially if you do a lot of private flying. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

I am in FL too but my answer is leather. I enjoyed the beautiful day on motorcycle. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Congrats on getting to the tunnel and doing some flying. Sounds like you did quite well. Addicting, isn't it? If you really want to increase the learning experience get a coach for your next session. It's amazing how much that helps. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Make a helicopter jump and a balloon jump. Visit more DZs. Attend a boogie or two. Learn and participate in 4-way RW. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Congrats to your dad on beating the cancer. What a great holiday present. Thanks for sharing the positive news! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

I was just in Philly a few days ago, left just before you got hit with the snow. That wind was cold enough to freeze the nuts off a brass monkey. What ever (or who ever) you find to do, stay warm. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

What kind of dog is that? The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Nik, one of the metrics I looked at prior to getting started was how many people have achieved thousands of skydives and many hours of accumulated freefall. Serious injuries and fatalities, if they occurred too frequently, would limit those high numbers. This is an extreme sport and you can get hurt. You have to always remember that. You can also manage risk and avoid becoming complacent so that you avoid the pitfalls and become one of those high number people. Let us know how your AFF proceeds and how your view of the sport develops. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

So you started BASE jumping in the 3rd grade . . . and that was sans parachute! Glad to see you are taking the proper course this time and best of luck with the rest of the training. It just keeps getting better! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

I didn't really get a dumb one this year, and oddly enough my best present was from my mother-in-law. Go figure! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Good on ya, TriGirl. Nothing say independence like a little determination and success! Guys that are not intimidated will like that a bunch. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Congrats on getting it all done, and thanks for sharing. I've wandered around part of Nice on foot. It's a pretty nice city. Where do you skydive near there? The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Sorry to hear the news of the divorce and home sale. It's in times like these that the true value of friends and family shines. Keep that wonderful positive attidude and smile going and I'm sure the future will brighten quickly. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

If you have not seen videos of nude women skydiving just look around the web a bit. Boobies look pretty strange in that much wind. Regarding the OP's question, I think it's a great idea for the BP. Use some of the suggestions regarding time and the mix of activities and go for it! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

I used to own and fly a plane of similar configuration and can tell you that type of plane is not skydiving friendly. Several are not certified to fly without the door and on many models the door opens against the air stream. On others the door would not withstand a fully open position in full flight. The wing is only designed to carry passenger weight on the part right next to the fuselage and there is a rigid step just aft of that part of the wing to aid in climbing up and down from the wing - this definitely needs to be avoided on your exit. On many you would be crawling across or sliding across a flight surface (flap) to complete the exit. Those surfaces are not meant to carry your weight. Lastly, the distance to the tail is not great, increasing the risk of a tail strike on exit. One positive note is the plane can fly slower than the usual jump planes and you will drop quickly in that slower air stream, helping to avoid the tail. Good luck! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Most reserve canopies are one solid color. Most main canopies are not. Given the nature of the commercial they probably used a reserve to show the guy was totally unaware of altitude, due to his phone, and saved by an AAD. Just my guess. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

It took me several tries, with breaks in between, to get my new ZP canopy packed the first time. Like you, my difficulty was controlling the s-folded canopy and getting it in the bag. My only suggestion is to watch Nick Grillet's packing video from PD and try to follow his example. Good luck! The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

These two packing videos from PD helped me with my new Sabre2 190. Good luck! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhEHdKemr1M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JiAegc8EOw The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Something else you might add in your research is the input from your local riggers and packers. They see all kinds of gear and can provide their opinions regarding how they would rank the various products. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

Snow never bothered me too much, but the 30 degrees F below zero crud - that drove me insane. Must be why I live in FL. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

I don't think people will much care. I've seen purple/pink combinations that (to me) are not too attractive, but nobody seems to pay much attention to them or give the owner grief. That rainbow may get complimented as often as not. The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.