jrodrod

Forgot to add, turning the Viso off is like entering cheat codes back in the days of 7-Eleven arcades, except with the addition of delays in the middle. The manual says to turn it off before going on a flight. Good luck doing it while in a hurry without crushing the thing. I could go on but I think the picture is painted. Yes, I was basically asking why he didn't wear plugs. I use the EP-5 or 7 at the range, good stuff. Will probably just use a disposable (should be renamed reusable) to combat the audible and leave the other ear free.

Can't say old fashioned to that, I bet old school guys realize that material makes a difference. Perhaps something was lost in translation but surely you know that materials aren't all the same, I hope.

I'm good buddies with ear plugs, will get some for jumpin. Mind if I ask what happened with the unprotected tunnel flying?

Recently got a Viso and Quattro. I'll share the shopping and noob user experience for those who might also be shopping around. My other consideration was the N3/Atlas for the purposes of a wrist and audible. They seemed better spec'ed, larger screen, USB charging instead of batteries, more data with export capability to PC's, but cost ~$100 more. Main factors when I bought were price, general consensus on support and reliability. Regarding the UI: when searching around I saw a mix of comments ranging from "L&B is hard to use" opposed by "it's not that bad". While I now agree more with the former comment, I'll try to add some reference points: I don't know how long L&B has been around but the UI feels like an 80's to early 90's alarm clock. The type that has you holding down 1 button to cycle through an entire 365 days to select date. Ditto with time, one button to run up the minutes to reach 24 hours instead of selecting minute and hour separately. The "Access" sequence is like a password to prevent accidental changes so no issues with that. I spent over an hour going through the manual (that I had to print myself) to understand the UI and I will need to consult it again to tweak. Haven't actually messed with an Atlas but I'm told that you can figure it out without a manual. In the age of smartphones, that's expected of UI's, especially on the Viso, where you might be using the UI after every trip to see the log. Sure, UI is a relatively trivial topic compared to the function it serves of altimetering but it may be the biggest surprise for people who's used to smartphone/smartwatches or who never played with VCR's. In other words, the biggest room for improvement. As altis, they get the job done. I have a personal preference for new vs used electronics but in this case, 2 used N3/Atlases are worth considering. The ability to upload your own sounds would be nice so you can hear the actual altitude or a command instead of beeps. If money is not a factor, perhaps 2 new Atlases. Someone needs to come out with a Bluetooth version so you can change settings and see data from a phone though. And earbuds with full volume control. I have several layers of duct tape over the Quattro's speaker to prolong my time without hearing aids.

IOW, baseballs go farther at Mile High Stadium than elsewhere. 7% was the estimate, IIRC. Probably less for parachutes because baseballs are more aerodynamic. Less than the effect of downsizing a step.

Why not rent? Guessing you'll rack up some extra baggage fees at the very least.

Random suggestion: edit and update the list in the OP, instead of having ever longer posts with lists.

How many are you doing on a typical Sat, Sun, and weekday? Do you still enjoy it?

Did anyone here attend? Any numbers or tips for our OP? From his about page: http://dropzone.marketing/about/staff/james-la-barrie/ I dunno about shortchanging advertising. World class branding and company culture... not sure if that refers to DZs or USPA. Probably neither in practice. Plenty of room for improvement, if they want help they'd need to pay me though.

Guess those meetings must be top secret hush hush.

Still waiting for a good movie but not holding my breath. My standards aren't that high, 7.0+ on IMDB.

Hey baller, what do you need 2 helmets for? How can internal audible pocket be easier to use than external? Too bad the external is unprotected though.

Get your coach rating or wait till 500 and straight to AFFI rating?

How do they blow up without a completed website? Or maybe just the English version not complete. What'd you think between the Aero and G3?

That's a good pace, did you cut away a job/school to jump full time?

Nice. Shame on the mfgers for not putting volume control in there.

At first, it sounded strange that I would feel more comfortable packing my own rather than using rental gear, because those rigs are packed by experienced packers while I was a noob struggling to pack. I understand it now, mostly. Even though my pack jobs are still (and maybe will always be) slower and sloppier, it's at least consistent and I get less surprises. I still love it when you have a packer used to your rig and needs some cash so he packs for you all day. It's just a whole different experience not having to get drenched packing and just kick it between jumps. ------------ I also had my 1st cutaway before #100. It was a rush of reactions but I did feel more confident knowing that there's one less surprise out there for me. I'm just glad it didn't happen on a hop & pop or long spot.

People still pay to send a text message (check out its origins for the inside perspective). The customer has a different perspective from the insider. We all get mocked by many an industry that we don't have time to be well-versed in.

USPA has DZO meetings right? What are the topics of those meetings? Do they have stats on overall number of tandems? Do they discuss marketing?

Would've been cool to see another option but I went with L&B. The last post I saw from Elemental was something like "we'll have an update in a few weeks!"... from a year ago. That by itself is sufficient to rule'em out, imho.

^BS, "all the pressure is on your tailbone and spine". That's landing on the back, which is not a sliding landing. Even bouncing landings on a slide attempt might not touch the spine to the ground. Don't know about you but my back is padded by a container, usually with a reserve, which is usually softer than the ground. So even if you land on your back somehow, it would be near the slowest rate of descent and it's the most well protected part of your body after maybe the helmeted head. I've seen lots of students and landing on the back, as unlikely as it is, (I've seen 0) is more likely when trying a stand-up landing than a sliding landing, which requires getting closer to the ground with better visibility even if looking straight down. Which the student wouldn't be doing anyway because preparing for a slide forces the eyes forward. In any case, sometimes a TA or peer (someone who recently learned something) is better than the professor (someone who learned something decades ago) at helping along particular tasks because the professor no longer has a clue what it was like in the beginning. Yes I said it, experience can be a detriment at times when teaching the basics. Instructors don't want to teach something and then tweak it later. But injury prevention should take priority.

Way to make a straw man argument. Sliding landing is not landing on your back. Tandems do sliding landings often. Yea it's not possible to PLF with 2 people but mainly it's less injury prone and easier. OP has already gotten hurt, like many others, trying feet first and PLF. Spouting the dated official line is what got him hurt. Good feet first landings early on are luck. Beware internet advice that tells you to ignore something that the poster doesn't understand in the first place.

I've seen people land barefoot so I'll agree to forget special shoes. There are "jump boots" but they're for round chutes that make you land vertically instead of in a glide. When starting out, I would suggest the sliding landing. It allows you to get closer to the ground before flaring all the way. After some jumps and you get more comfortable judging distances, then you can go for standup landings. Students will suck at judging height in the beginning and the sliding landing is more forgiving during that time. It's not "proper" and probably no AFFI would teach it but looking back, I consider it irresponsible to tell a student to try to land on 2 feet. Landing-related injuries are unfortunately common for AFF students and the sliding landing could've prevented many if not most of them.

Thanks. Sounds like it's safe from those twists. But I still sometimes take a tumble in the mud when winds get tricky. I'm guessing you can't put the audible cover back on after mounting?

Is the audible completely exposed when mounted outside the Kiss? Or is there some clear protection over it? Not sure what it's called but I've had openings in which the risers twist violently, knocking the side of my helmet. Another one gave me a blister on a finger. I can see that slaying the audible if it's uncovered.