guitar_nut

Thanks for the info; I was worried I had overlooked something critical on my canopy. Mine had about 50 jumps on it when I picked it up so I've got plenty of lifespan left. -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

Does the ZP fabric wear out more quickly? -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

Check out the PD Silhouette which fits your 9 cell requirement. Demo one if you get the chance. It's not as well known, so you might have to look around. I like it for its glide and consistent openings. -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I'm jumping a J5 with a PD-218 (not an Optimum) and a Silhouette 230. The reserve is pretty tight and is the largest size allowed according to the sizing chart. The main fits without any trouble, and I'm not exactly great at packing. My fiance jumps a Silhouette 190 and I can tell just by looking at the d-bag that it would have room to wiggle in my J5. -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

Depending on your work ethic and self-motivation, you can get the first batch of ratings for a lot less if you find a private instructor or small school. Your private and instrument, if you're flying 3-4 days a week (which you can with that size loan) can be done in a 152 or 172 and will cost you about 12K, including books, examiner's fees, gear, etc. While you're working on these, you keep a part time job to pay down the loan interest and buy twinkies. You'll then have to build the minimum hours for your commercial rating. Then comes the CFI rating. Doing these on your own will leave a large chunk of the loan untouched, which you can then apply towards your multi ratings and ATP time requirements. I'd do up to your CFI, and maybe the multi initial, on your own before you hit the flight school. The other thing is, you might not like it. I know a few pilots that went the career route. A few love it, a few don't. Better to come out of it 25k in debt with a few ratings and decide you're not into the lifestyle, than 75k in debt with a job you decided you don't like. And good luck, because I totally would do what you're doing if I could turn back the clock -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I'm the same weight and had about 60 jumps when I bought my rig. I've got about 12 jumps on my gear so far. I bought a 230 loaded at 1:1 and swapped out my rig's reserve for a larger one. Personally, I'm glad I went with a bigger main, even though I had to wait longer to find one. I have more time to think while in the pattern, my approach speed is slower, downwind landings are do-able, and it recovers very quickly from any sort of abrupt turn. I'm not planning on doing anything stupid, but if I do, I've got a little more room for error. -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I bought my first rig this year and it's got a Silhouette 230. I'm loaded at just under 1:1; I weigh about 195. The openings have been soft and on heading. I found it simply by luck; somebody brought it to our DZ to sell it and I grabbed it immediately. It only had about 50 jumps on it. One difference I noticed is that the flare is not as powerful. I was jumping a Navigator at a similar wing loading and was getting great flares, even on no wind days. The Silhouette comes in hotter on landing and I have to be more aggressive with my flare. It's got a great glide ratio and you can perform really quick turns with the toggles. I recommend doing a demo jump on one if you can. Hope this helps and happy hunting. It's GREAT having your own gear! -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I bought this as my first canopy after about 60 jumps. My very first opening had line twists and I entered a dive; the canopy quickly returned to normal flight, allowing me time to kick out of the twists. All other openings have been soft and on heading. It responds quickly to toggle inputs and is a blast to fly. Front risers inputs are what you'd expect from a big canopy. The glide ratio is great if you have to cover a lot of ground. I fly in Denver and even on hot, no wind days I'm able to get enough flare to land nicely. I'm loaded at 1:1.

It's not hard to find people to jump with on the weekend. A lot of the funjumpers do freefly; a few groups that do belly. When it's busy, they put the tandems on the King Air and the fun jumpers/AFF on the Otter, so you should be able to manifest 4-5 loads. It's not uncommon for the winds to pick up to 15-25 MPH in the afternoon, so check the weather before you go and try to get most of your loads in before noon. Here's a link to the METAR for their airport, if you're into that sort of thing: http://aviationweather.gov/adds/metars/?station_ids=klmo&std_trans=standard&chk_metars=on&hoursStr=most+recent+only&submitmet=Submit -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I've been jumping for almost a year and just bought my first parachute. I can't possibly tell you what is 'the best,' but this is what I did to make my decision: 1. Try out a bunch of different canopies. I tried a Navigator, Spectre, Sabre 2, Silohuette, etc. They all had their own unique characteristics. Talk to your instructors about the different models and ask what they recommend for a beginner. 2. I bought a used parachute. New ones are apparently a lot harder to pack, as the fabric is slick. I talked to a rigger and he recommended buying something more 'broken in' if I wanted to start packing right away. 3. Talk with an instructor about the differences between 9 and 7 cell chutes, elliptical and square chutes, etc. 4. Talk with an instructor about an appropriate wing loading for your first chute. 5. When you've made your decision, do a few demo jumps on the chute you want to buy. Try some terminal openings and some hop and pop openings. 6. Watch a few people eat sh_t as they come in to land. Feel the impact in your shoes as someone digs a hole to China with their knees ten feet away from you. Item number six had a profound influence on my decision to buy a larger, docile canopy for my first chute :) Good luck, and save them pennies! -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

Hi Sjaak. I've been kiting for years; the chute feels a lot like a Flysurfer or other large foil. You'll be fine, especially if you've been doing 4000 foot high jumps. -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

You can think of density altitude as "performance altitude." Note: I'm a brand new skydiver, but I've been a pilot for years, which is where this information is coming from. Think of density altitude as the altitude your wing "thinks" it's flying at. For example, if you're jumping in Denver and the DZ elevation is at 5000 feet above sea level, but the density altitude is 8000 feet, your parachute will perform as if you were landing at a DZ that sits 8000 feet above sea level. You're going to come in faster than normal. For pilots, density altitude means longer takeoff rolls and slower climbs. Things that increase density altitude include heat and moisture. On really hot days, the density altitude is going to increase. Think about it: the air you're flying through is heating up and expanding, making it less dense. Less dense, or thinner, air means your chute has less to work with as you fly through the air. Moisture also increases density altitude, to a lesser effect. A molecule of water, H20, weighs less than a molecule of oxygen. So more water molecules in the air reduce the density of the air you're flying through. As temperature drops, so does density altitude. In Denver on a cold day, the density altitude can get as low as 3500 feet. Now your wing performs more like it would at sea level. Hope that helps! -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I'm a new jumper and had the same issues in AFF. The wind tunnel was a huge help in improving my body position in free fall. I highly recommend it if there's one near you! -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

So I finished up my last coach jump last weekend, and I have to say that I really dug the coaching experience. I know I paid more than a "traditional" DZ where a mentor would have taken me through a similar program. For me, I don't mind paying more if I'm getting good training (even if someone, somewhere else in the country, is getting that same training for free). $2-300 spread out over a lifetime of skydiving is chump change. I, of course, reserve the right to change my opinion as I gain more experience :) -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

Yeah, I'm bummed about the no solo rule. I've got a list of stuff I'd like to practice before my A license test! Wind tunnel time :) -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I'm currently a student at Mile-Hi working through their program. The coach jumps have been really helpful and follow a logical progression. They start out with maneuvers, fall rate, progress to swoop and docks, exits with another jumper, and finally let you jump a few four ways. The canopy course was awesome; I would have taken it even if it wasn't required. The instructors Stu and Justin give a lot of feedback on every jump and are very clear about what they expect from a safe canopy pilot. The coaches have ranged from AFF instructors to 200 jump skydivers, and all of them have done a good job of teaching the skills for their particular jump. I can only afford one coach jump a weekend, and I feel lucky I've got a job that lets me do that much. The big caveat is that you cannot do a solo jump once you've done the three solos they give you after AFF. So if I'm strapped for cash and want to do one jump just to stay "fresh", I can't. I have to jump with a coach until I have my A license. I'd recommend that if you're going to be a student at Mile-Hi, you save up enough so you can jump every week. I had to take a few weeks off and I felt pretty rusty my first jump back. On a side note, they got me into the Skyvan they had out last weekend for my latest coach jump. THAT was fun. -------------------------- That which can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.

I'm currently working on my A license at Mile-Hi. The AFF instructors were great and the coaches have been fantastic. The canopy course is especially helpful. The experienced jumpers I've met will take time to help or answer questions. It gets VERY busy on the weekends, so I recommend getting there as soon as they open if you want to get in more than one jump. During peak hours, it can be tough to get a rental rig. I would guess owning your own chute makes more jumps possible. The view during free fall can't be beat!