gale

Funny thing, I didn't notice the warning until you said that. Ah well...hopefully other people are more observent. (And yes, I think telling HH what usernames are doing it is probably pretty pointless because they'll just make another one. Got contacted by another scammer today. Man, those guys are everywhere. I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

Ah, of course you are correct, but it may be new to some. If people insist on clicking on anything with Anna Kornakova's name on it and spreading viruses all over the Internet, then I'm guessing some people are going to fall for this. I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

I just wanted to let anyone who doesn't know about this scam because I'm selling my gear here and I got emailed by a scam artist. Someone emailed me saying that their "client" wanted a set of gear and they were prepared to pay what I was asking right away and I should send my information. I email back asking if there are questions or if they would like pictures, and I get back an email asking for my details again so they can send payment. Only this time they tell me that they will send more than I'm asking as long as I return the difference. And therein lies the scam. Let's say I ask for $2500 but they send a cheque for $10,000. Honest me wants to return the difference, and I do. Well, ages later their cheque bounces, or their bank doesn't accept it, and I've lost my gear and $7500. There is also the possibility that the cheque will not bounce and they are just laundering money. (I might not be out any money, but I really don't want to be a part of that.) So, watch out. Never accept more money that your item is worth. (Oh, and foreign cheques can take a very long time to bounce, or a very long time for the bank to realize they are forgeries. Ask for bank drafts, they are much safer.) I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

My favorite thing about reading opinions online is that there are lots of them. If I ask a question here, 5, 10, or even 30 people may respond, but there might be only one or two people available at the drop zone. This gives me a much better information base with which to make a decision. It's also a big advantage to talk to people who are very current on training techniques and up to the minute procedures. That information may take a while to filter down to the smaller drop zones. Personally, I have learned lots of things through reading online that I may never have learned in person, but that's just me. I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

Um, I don't know what happened the jumper you mention but I will say that at my drop zone we only have student 288 Mantas, one Call Ralph 210, and one Hornet 190 for rental. And the Hornet is the only one with a square reserve. People are all pushed onto that rig as soon as possible so they have a square reserve. I wouldn't want to land one of the smaller round reserves that are in our student gear either. Personally, I haven't jumped either one of them. I downsized from the Manta to my own Tri220. That way I pick the size and I have a square reserve. But not everyone has money to buy gear. Plus, I hear people all the time telling people to jump the 190, and these are very experienced skydivers giving their advice. Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

Hi, I don't usually post, and I'm not an instructor in any way but I wanted to share something with you. Yes, practice pulls can be tough - heck when I was doing mine I never did get them right and switched over to PFF (like AFF). (Always an option by the way, if your instructors agree.) So here's my suggestion: relax. Your instructors aren't going to be having you pull your own chute until they're confident you can do it. You've got lots of time, and if it takes you 10 practice pulls to feel confident, then so be it. Take your instructors advice, and what you find useful here, and relax. You'll get it. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself, it can make things worse. Good luck. Have fun. Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

But are you allowed to take up paying customer's with the Tandem Examiner there? Or do you need the actual rating for that. (That's the question, sorry if it wasn't clear.) Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

Well, I just took the coach 1 course (limited coaching allowed once your have this rating) and let me tell you, if you're getting everything they teach us to give you, it's worth a little money. That being said, whenever I've been coached, it's never been the way they taught us. So I guess the answer to your question is, it really depends on the quality of coaching. Some of it's worth money plus a slot, some is worth only a slot, and some really isn't coaching at all - it's just someone jumping with you. A coach jump should contain: - Goal setting before the dive. - Standards of success for the dive. (IE, if I do two clean backloops in a row, that is a success) - Teaching of the skill(s) to be learnt - Dirt diving - Possibly work in the plane - The actual dive - Observation under canopy - Debrief on all parts of the dive - Goal setting for next dive (and that's just what is right off the top of my head) Whew! I think that's worth something! Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

I was just wondering... What could happen if an unrated person takes up a tandem and something goes wrong? Be it a twisted ankle on landing, or worse... (I'm in Canada if that matters.) Lawsuits, CSPA stuff, dz responsibility... Seems like tandem ratings are complex (issued by the manuafacturer IIRC) so I'm just curious if anyone knows. Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

I think you might be a little hard on this person. I mean, I know what 120 miles an hour of wind feels like and so do you, but she may not have realized (or thought about) it's effects on her clothes. Plus, if the TM didn't say anything about it, she probably thought she'd be fine. Now personally, I am large-breasted and I wouldn't go anywhere without a bra on, and I agree that it's uncomfortable or even painful! But, different strokes for different folks I guess. Wearing a small top with a bra might be confortable (not to mention cooler in the heat) to some. And one other thing, most people consider their jumpsuits quite the fashion statement, and will pay extra to have it look the way they want. We all try to look a certain way - even when grubby. Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

I have stayed out of this whole debate, but read everything, and I think this statement is really interesting. Of course! People with bad judgment are going to make bad decisions about wing loading. Kind of like people with bad judgment are going to make bad decisions about driving, or parenting, or any other behaviour. But you can't make rules about judgments. You just can't. You can't say, well that 13 year old has great judgment so THEY should be able to drive, whereas that 17 year old with bad judgment shouldn't. It's not possible. Yup, they have a test. But you have to meet the minimums to take it. Kind of like what's being proposed in some of these thread. Dumb people will make dumb decisions. We, as a society still TRY to protect them from themselves - even if it doesn't always work. Making rules about someones actions is all you CAN do. Just a thought. Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

Actually, I just went on a skydiving trip with my company last week. Everyone was so sick of hearing me talk about it that they all signed up. Basically, I just took the money my boss alotted for a staff party and split it between everyone. Each person paid the rest. I will say that it's important not to pressure people though. Obviously, this isn't for everyone. (Observer rides can be fun for those not crazy enough to actually jump out of the plane.) I was actually really worried someone would get hurt - but everything worked out fine, and I can attest to the fact that it bonded us. Plus, now we have cool pictures to put on our walls at work! Oh, and I'm sure there's some way to work around the libility worries - but there's really no convincing your boss it's a good idea if he really hates it though. Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

My 2 cents... I bruise easily and even though I have my own gear it's used and it doesn't fit well. So I use Arnika gel on my bruises. It's a naturopathic solution you may wish to try. I got mine at a drug store, but you could probably find it anywhere herbs are sold. The only warning listed on it is not to put it on broken skin - it burns. I really find it causes the bruises to fade faster and they hurt less. (Disclaimer: consulting a doctor is never a bad idea before slathering on unknown goo.) Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

I find this coach discussion interesting. We have a different way of thinking about caoches in Canada. For example, all you need is a B license (minimum 50 jumps) and you can take the coach 1 course. Coach 1's of course can't do all that much. They can gear up students, and work with lower time jumpers. They basically help with skill development for lower time jumpers, although not students. I, for example, will be taking the coach 1 course in July. Obviously, this doesn't mean I can coach someone on how to go head down, or hook turn, but I can assist with basic skill development like loops, rolls, and the like. Coach 1 is also a mandatory first rating if you want to be an instructor. And coaching isn't just being able to do the skills, it's also knowing how to teach someone else how to do them. I can do the quickest, cleanest backloop in the world but if I can't explain to someone else how to do it, I'm not of any use to them. If you have hundreds of jumps and want to help up-jumpers, (which is really great) I think you should probably take the time to take the course. I don't think it's too much to ask, (obviously you should be able to pass it easily) and you may learn about how to coach people. We also have coach 2 and coach 3 and they can do progressively more, with less experienced people. I guess I like the idea that people at almost every level of the sport have something to give back to others. (But yes, taking the course is still a good idea.) Gale I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind

Yes, I've noticed this too. I'm drowning...so come inside Welcome to my...dirty mind