Hello to all & equipment ??'s from newbie!

[Sirius76 0]

Hi everyone!

I'd like to say hello to the group and give a little introduction about myself. My name is Dragan and I live in Chicago. I'm a newbie to the sport, having only 3 tandems under my belt. I plan on setting out to obtain my class A this spring and become active in the sport. I've been doing nothing but soaking up info off this forum. I'm also in the middle of reading, "Parachuting. The skydivers handbook." I'm a current & active SEL pilot and spend alot of time at airports as well as in the air flying around. I feel its time to step outside and get some fresh air!

My question to you guys is about an opportunity I have. A friend is willing to sell me a used rig as my first. It is:

The container is a Dolphin D-6
Main is a Manta 275 Manufactured in 1996
Reserve is a Sharpchuter 245. Unk year of manuf.

We don't know the amount of jumps on any of them, but they all look to be in absolutely fantastic condition. I haven't had the canopies tested nor inspected professionally. I plan to do that prior to purchase.

What are your opinions of this kind of setup for a newbie? I'm 5'11 and way approx 210lbs. Will I be too light for this? How does the container and main behave normally? If it all checks out ok, the rig would cost me a grand. It sounds like a good deal to me, but would it be worth it for someone my size? I guess I'm just nervous about its age and its handling characteristics, if any.

Any information would be greatly appreciated! I can use all the help I can get.

Thanks in advance!

-Dragan

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a pristine, well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally used up and worn out shouting, "Holy shit!...What a ride!"

[c10edges 0]

would you buy a car before you had a drivers license?
the answer is no

[pilotdave 0]

Start thinking about buying gear when you get your A-license. You'll have a much better understanding of what you're looking for, and you'll know some people that can help you find it.

Dave

[ladydyver 0]

I would wait until you actually get the A license...you may find that this rig is not suitable for you and that you will want to downsize from a 275. Is this someone who is really a friend or someone trying to sell something to someone who doesn't know anything about the sport or the rig that they will need?

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[Sirius76 0]

No. He's actually a friend. In fact he had purchased it to pursue skydiving but never did. When he found out what I was planning to do, he offered to sell it.

Its legit.

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a pristine, well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally used up and worn out shouting, "Holy shit!...What a ride!"

[Isfrael 0]

This web site is a great resource, so look up the rig and the main/reserve in the gear archive. See what other people have to say about the gear. Also, I only have seven jumps, so I'm not to far ahead of you. I guarantee you though that doing tandem is alot different than going solo; how do you know that you really want to keep on going? I've asked myself that before, I've even rode the plane down once already before continuing. be careful have fun, and don't get anxious, take your time. During training, your instructors will get a feel of your skill level and will guide you in the right direction when the time comes for you to buy gear.

[ladydyver 0]

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No. He's actually a friend. In fact he had purchased it to pursue skydiving but never did. When he found out what I was planning to do, he offered to sell it.

Its legit.

the only reason I asked is that the main is 22 yrs old. I guess the best piece of advice is to have a rigger inspect it ...... it is hard to know what kind of deal you are getting as you didn't list the history....has it been jumped a bunch or sitting in a closet....well cared for or you don't know. Those are all things you should ask about. Not trying to be a bitch about it.......just really questioned things as you haven't even taken AFF and don't know what kind of rig will fit you. Don't be in a rush to buy gear ----- some people get their A license and don't jump again...others obviously go on. More than anything I am playing devil's advocate....and really asking people you don't know on line is not the best place in the world to get advice. Take a step back and wait until you finish AFF and get the A license. You may find that the 275 is bigger than you want to be jumping....although it is the instructors who watch you and know your capabilities that will be better to answer these questions than those on line who don't know you, your skill level or anything about where you jump and the different aspects of the area that you jump in that come into play.

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[jakee 1,566]

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No. He's actually a friend. In fact he had purchased it to pursue skydiving but never did. When he found out what I was planning to do, he offered to sell it.

Then he made an expensive mistake. Please don't let him talk you into the same mistake.

Do your AFF, get your license, talk to your instructors about gear, then see if you still want to buy it, or if you'll be better off with something else.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Sirius76 0]

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the only reason I asked is that the main is 22 yrs old.

Its actually 12.

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You may find that the 275 is bigger than you want to be jumping.

From reading old posts on this site, this was actually something I gathered. It seemed that it may be to big. Thats why I asked. Thanks!

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a pristine, well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally used up and worn out shouting, "Holy shit!...What a ride!"

[Sirius76 0]

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Then he made an expensive mistake. Please don't let him talk you into the same mistake.

He's definately not trying to talk me into anything. It was something he thought I might be interested in. He offered. No money has been exchanged. And I came here to ask a couple questions. Its truly as simple as that.

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Do your AFF, get your license, talk to your instructors about gear, then see if you still want to buy it, or if you'll be better off with something else

This was actually my train of thought. From reading different posts here, it seemed as if the 275 might be a little large. Either way, I was just trying to weigh all my options and see what some of your opinions were.

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a pristine, well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways totally used up and worn out shouting, "Holy shit!...What a ride!"

[Megatron 0]

Dolphin sucks what Ive heard, the main is 22 years old as someone said, and 275 will only be good for student status until you can demonstrate that you can fly a canopy without killing yourself of someone else.
On top of that your instructors probably wont allow you to use that rig for AFF since it does not have a PC release handle on other side of the container.
Buying it will be a waste of money. I wait until you get your license and I promise you'll be happy you did.

[likestojump 3]

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Dolphin sucks what Ive heard, the main is 22 years old as someone said, and 275 will only be good for student status until you can demonstrate that you can fly a canopy without killing yourself of someone else.
On top of that your instructors probably wont allow you to use that rig for AFF since it does not have a PC release handle on other side of the container.
Buying it will be a waste of money. I wait until you get your license and I promise you'll be happy you did.

I suggest you reserve giving advice where you have useful information and KNOW what you are talking about.

Dolphin does not "suck". it is in fact a great bang for the buck. Of course if you want to compare a Mirage G4 to a Dolphin, you will NOT be comparing apples to apples. If you want a cheap bellyfly friendly rig - there's absolutely nothing wrong with Dolphin. If you want a container in a hurry, Dolphin will be FAST.

But I agree, this rig is not a good choice.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Dolphin sucks what Ive heard

Perhaps, although if that's the case Javelins suck worse since Mike Furry designed them before he got to the Dolphin and applied what he learned.

Both rigs have been around since non-belly to earth orientations became popular (just barely with the Dolphin), and have updates that make them more likely to stay closed.