Bob_Church

Acole6357

Thanks for all of the great reply's all helpful info,im going to end up calling skydive Cross keys and talking to them about getting certified and the next steps in doing so.but indeed i hear skyding can get very expensive so im trying to save up as much funds as i can.but i really want to learn to solo as yhe rush of tandem was not enough lol.

I would strongly recommend against calling. Make the time, go over, and spend some time with them. It will make all the difference in your results.

gary0302

I know the chances may be very slim, but is there anyone out there that has a copy of the competition RW video from the 1979 USPA Nationals that was held in Richmond, IN? I am specifically looking for 4-way Sequential, but 10-way Speed would also be good too.

Damn, I was there but no video. I'll try to contact some of the others who were there with us and see if they have it, but as you said, it's slim.

There's advice that they used to give to student pilots that I think applies to becoming a skydiver now.
A layoff, even a short one, can be expensive. If you have to wait a couple of weeks or more between jumps because you're broke it can set you back because then when you do get paid it will rain for the next couple of weekends. You don't want to have to do jumps over, it's expensive and a good way to get out of the mood and quit.
Talk to the DZ and come up with a reasonable estimate of what it will cost to get off student status then, even if it means taking out a personal loan, get that amount and bank it for the jumps.

"Allen Silver is the one you can thank for the extended repack cycle"

Thanks for that. In this internet age it's hard to remember how difficult it was to get information at a small dz in 1978.

To any Bidwell Oh, Ravenswood Wv, Chesapeake or well, anyone else interested. We're having another reunion this year, it will be October 8th 2016.
I'm trying to get in gear and update the web page, I'll post a link soon. We've been having some great lunches too. We've been doing this since 2008 and just this past Sunday we had someone show up that I haven't seen since 1979.
Let me know if you're interested.

PS I really hope this is the ok place to post this. Please let me know if I should move it. Since we're not jumping during the get together (well, maybe) I didn't think it fit in the upcoming events forum, but let me know if I'm wrong.

Thanks Bob Church [email protected]

I've been trying to remember what the pack cycle was when I started, in 1978, and when it went up to 120. I found an old PIA document that says 60 days but I think it may be about something else, because I really remember it as 90 days and more importantly a couple of other people that were jumping then said they thought 90 days too.
If I remember correctly, and I wouldn't put money on that, when the cycle was increased to 120 days it made trouble for people with the custom built leather Vectors because having any natural materials meant that you had to go by the older cycle. So that would put it in the early 80s rather than late 70s.
It's not important, it's just bugging me that I can't quite remember.

fencebuster

A little math, my friend: 180 days is approximately six months. 120 days is approximately 3 months, which equals FOUR repacks per year in the old days, not 6.

Also, 120 days is approximately four months. We moved numbers around a lot in calculus class but never managed that much delta.

pchapman

I bet he means that it used to be 120 days and now is 180, so that for a year round skydiver, what he saves in repacks roughly pays for membership.
And the FAA wouldn't have changed to 180 without USPA prodding. (Although the PIA was in there too -- I'll have to let someone else better clarify their respective roles.)

The pack cycle wasn't 120 days when I started jumping. It was lengthened to that at least a year later.

fencebuster

A little math, my friend: 180 days is approximately six months. 120 days is approximately 3 months, which equals FOUR repacks per year in the old days, not 6.

As I said. When I started jumping the pack cycle was 60 days. (I remember it as 90, but the citations say 60). Either way, it was not 120 days when I started so I don't see what your point is.

pchapman

I bet he means that it used to be 120 days and now is 180, so that for a year round skydiver, what he saves in repacks roughly pays for membership.
And the FAA wouldn't have changed to 180 without USPA prodding. (Although the PIA was in there too -- I'll have to let someone else better clarify their respective roles.)

PIA filed the petitions but I remember USPA encouraging the move. Oh, and it wasn't for any old rig. Those people with expensive custom made leather rigs were SOL and stuck at 60 days.

The year after I started jumping the cycle went from 60 days to 120. Now it's at 180 so I have to pay for an i/r twice a year rather than six times. Except for times like last July when I had to use it ahead of schedule, but was very glad it was there.

It it's really cold there are some tips that can help. One, don't wear your gloves in the plane. Wiggle your fingers a lot for blood flow then put your gloves on just before exit so your hands don't get warm and sweaty in the plane then freeze on exit. Do lots of practice pulls, between gloves and cold things feel different. Under canopy can by the worst. By far. When your hands are on your toggles the blood has a hard time getting to them and the wind is blowing through your fingers. I like to get set up on a good direction then lower my hands and hold them behind my back and move my fingers around for circulation.
Every winter it's the same for me. My blood starts boiling and I need a jump. The first one hurts, but now I'm acclimated so I do a second. It hurts just as bad so then I go home to a very hot bath.
I edited to add this. See how good a grip you can get on your throwout with the gloves and know that it will be worse in the cold cold sky. In the summer I tend to just wrap my hand around it and pull it out but in the winter I'll insert my thumb into one side and a finger into the other of the opening that goes through it. This gives me a grip where slipping isn't a problem.
The best part is the hot bath afterwards. It's reminds you that it's good to be alive.

When I look at the frequency of required reserve repacks I save more each year on those, plus the nuisance of it, than I pay on membership. And I personally don't think the FAA would have changed the i/r requirements without USPA's pushing. So I renew even though most of the pilots who take me up don't know what a USPA, or a reserve, for that matter, are.