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A few comments: 1) Yes, it can be hard to get an advanced license with a small aircraft. I started skydiving at a small DZ with one, then two, then one C182's. We were lucky to get in one "fun" jump (i.e. an actual 4-way) a weekend, and that's only if we showed up at 7am and made sure a pilot was there, too. This is not a bad thing - it means that if you don't get experience you can't get an advanced license. Because you don't have enough experience. Which is how licenses work. Licenses aren't "you've been in the sport for two years and you deserve some recognition" - they are both indications that you've reached a level of experience (based on jump numbers and types of jumps you've done) and that you are ready to learn something new (like getting an AFF rating or learning to do demos.) 2) It sounds like you are saying that it's hard to get experience/freefall time from a C206 that only goes to 10K. Keep in mind that many DZ's only have C182's that go to 8500 - so you have some benefits there. 3) There have been hundreds of thousands of 4-ways launched from 182's and 206's without much increase in risk. If your pilot is uncomfortable with them, then by all means don't do them - but learning to do 4-way is a pretty basic skill. Once you get a new pilot and/or go to different DZ's you'll have that opportunity. 4) There has been no time, ever, when DZ's haven't "been experiencing tough times." And right now we are in the middle of a booming economy. DZ's make money on students, not upjumpers - so losing a few upjumpers to other DZ's doesn't hurt DZ's financially very much. It does hurt them in the long run because those jumpers tend not to stick around. But that's because they have one C206 and a conservative pilot, rather than "USPA makes them leave." As another data point, when I started at that aforementioned one-182 DZ, we'd often go to the Ranch on Mondays (when our DZ was closed) to take advantage of their "$13 to 13,500" deals during the week. We had to, to get enough jumps to get licenses and ratings. And going to a different DZ taught me a whole lot more than just getting some extra high altitude jumps did. It meant I met new people, had new coaches, saw new gear, learned about new aircraft, had to learn new outs - and all of that is critical to someone who wants to be considered an "expert" skydiver (which I believe is what the C license used to be called.) Finally: 5) "Turning even one successful point in a four-way from a Cessna at 10K is a beer-worthy feat!" - Nonsense! Why, one year at Lost Prairie we turned 7 points from 4K! They even wrote a song about it. Although come to think of it that might not be a good feat to try to duplicate . . .

I'm guessing that you are jumping a U206. I've never jumped or flown one of those. But launching a 4 way chunk from a 182 is simple. One hanging from the strut, toe on the step. One 'in the crotch', sitting on the strut facing backwards. One on the step, hands on the strut, one in the door. Flying a 182 with those three on the outside is also not difficult. I gave a cut, so power was back some. I would have to drop the nose just a touch to keep speed up. The drag on one side was a bit odd, but not a big problem.

HER DIARY: Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn't flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk.. He agreed, but he didn't say much. I asked him what was wrong; He said, 'Nothing.' I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset.. He said he wasn't upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior I don't know why he didn't say, 'I love you, too.' When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent. Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. To my surprise, he responded to my caress, and we made love. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster. HIS DIARY: Harley wouldn't start today, I just can't figure it out, but at least I got laid..

I spent some time on the all AW FT 30 this weekend. I was able to get ten jumps on the AW, and I was having some much fun I didn't want to jump the VK. I noticed that I am on version P4, and I am not sure what changes have been made. The harness sensitivity is very intuitive and does not feel detuned as the version that Daniel jumped. Yesterday there was zero wind so I got a chance to do some 90 harness turns, and the airwolf was very responsive. I have to come back to the openings, because they are so nice. I was using the snaps on the sliders, and I was getting really consistent perfect openings every time. Such a pleasure, and during the opening sequence if it did start to turn all I had to do was load the other side of my harness a little bit and it would open strait every time. The FT 30 material is so impressive. The drive I get out of this wing is so impressive. I got a chance to fly with a HK similar wing loading, both at 2.7, and I was holding half brakes! This is a great wing!

World Meet Z-Hills 1981..... the boogie between competition jumps I got grounded for a low pull (gee seemed normal to me) and Dave noticed that scene. Grinning and on the sly, he pulled off his boogie wristband and gave it to me. "Keep jumping, I'll get another." One of a kind, ol' Dave. Miss him. R.I.P to a good man. In pic, he's on far right in younger days.

Preface with the fact that I am not a rigger. You should know how to lube your cut-away cables and exercise your 3-rings, know how your rsl/mard system should be routed, know how to disconnect and reconnect risers and know how to do a complete line check . Any more is useful, but not necessary for the average sport jumper.

Thanks for your thoughts! Nice to see a single jumper wing comparison with same size canopies. As wings get smaller its ever too often to read a comparison between wings with sizes that are close, but not the same. If you don't mind a follow up with a comparison of the all FT-30 AW96 and H1 AW96 when you get it, that would be awesome! Thanks! Did you buy that all black AW96 on FB? The one with the full moon? :-p

After some digging...for anyone looking for this summer's board meeting summary: https://uspa.org/Information/News/uspa-summer-board-meeting-concludes-1 Gotta agree with you folks. I wonder if any of the BOD members are carrying water for any of the larger DZs. The B and C license formation requirements will be tough to fulfill at smaller locations. I also feel that the BOD didn't think through the 2nd and 3rd order effects through on this one. The law of unintended consequences suggests that this is a tough financial line for small DZ owners to toe. These requirements could mean lost business and revenues. As if starting and operating a small business in this country wasn't difficult enough already. The USPA also sold out its US members by choosing to conform to the standards of an international body with no legal right to exercise its influence in the US. I don't like the idea of an organization based in Paris calling the shots across the planet - they're not obliged to represent jumpers in the US or anywhere else and possess little to no incentive to field our concerns. -JD-