darkvapor

Atlanta's DZs: Skydive Atlanta. Twin Otter. Open everyday, year round. Excellent DZ. About 65 miles south of Atlanta. ASC. Believe they run a Caravan and a Twin Otter. About 55 miles west of Atlanta. Skydive Monroe. I think its like 35 miles northeast of Atlanta. Never jumped there, but I hear its decent. (All distances are from Midtown area.) Weather in Atlanta is pretty damn good. Not as good as Florida in the winter, but very comfortable compared to other parts of the US. The worst parts of Atlanta include the horrendous traffic and uncontrolled growth in the suburbs. Stay away from southwest Atlanta. If you want to live in suburbia, North and Northeast areas are the way to go, but be prepared for yuppies in their suburbans.

what about the chutes in ejection seats in military aircraft? Is there any truth in the squares used in the movies? Because I was under the impression that even newer model ejection seats had rounds.

I was just watching 'Behind Enemy Lines' today on HBO. I really didn't want to see this movie, because I knew I would hate it just because of all the technical miss-accuracies..(which I did, isn't it fun watching a SAM missile do 360's chasing a Hornet doing "Mach 3" for 5 minutes?) There was a scene when the pilot/rio ejected and it showed them under square mains. Aside from the fact that I found it funny that they had nicely colored chutes and skydiving sized pilot chutes behind them, it got me thinking: are there any military applications of square mains? Other than properly trained tactical and demonstration teams. Is there a shift to squares from rounds? Oh, and btw, in the scene where the guy comes crashing down through the trees under canopy, it looks like it is a round canopy. I only caught a glimpse of the scene. I love Hollywood.

I'm gonna vote for Wings too. The only thing I wish it had was chest rings, but chest rings offer only marginal advantages, so its almost a non-issue. I love my new Wings. It looks great, has great pin and riser security, and the best part is the cost. You can get a fully loaded Wings container for about the same price as a base Odyssey with no options. Sure I was seriously interested in getting a Mirage G4 or an Odyssey, but since I know this won't be my final rig, I didn't want to pay 2000$ for a container when I could get a Wings for much less. And my rigger liked it as well. I think it is a well thought out rig.

The program begins with an introductory Tandem Skydive. Prior to your first jump you will 15 to 45 minutes of ground briefing and preparation (it is not a First Jump Course). That 45 minutes you are talking about is for just the tandem training and introduction. After you do the tandem jump, you will then go and do the regular ground school, which as you said, is atleast 4-6 hours, but can go for up to 8 (depending on how many students are in the class with you, and how busy the DZ staff are). I highly recommend all people interested in doing AFF to do a tandem jump. Skydiving is not for everyone. This will allow you to experience it first, as well as getting over the first pyschological hurdle of jumping out of an airplane.

white trim sure does look good on a rig.. but it doesn't stay white for long... i know.. :( hehe.. just a suggestion...

Well, falling stable is very important thing to be able to do, but I think it might be a "waste" of a jump. Go up there and fly around, even if its not perfect. Do a tumbling exit (just tuck yourself into a ball)and get stable fast after it. Fly around, practice tracking. Don't worry about how it looks or if everything isn't perfect. Just relax and have fun. That's what its all about isn't it? It's also a great confidence builder after you know you can get stable after tumbling and you know that you can be able to perform simple manuevers on your own. Also, after you get a few solos down, start working on your A license requirements. You pick up some bad habits flying solo right after AFF (things like wide turns, wild fall rates, and constant back slides). Getting a coach jump or two soon after AFF is a great way to learn fast. The faster you can get your A license, the sooner you can jump with experienced (experienced is the key word) jumpers and that's where the real learning takes place. But also be safe. Be altitude aware. Ask questions if you are unsure. Get your gear checks (which won't be as stressed when you are jumping solo, but they are just as important, if not moreso). --Correction: Have you done your hop'n'pop yet? Many DZs make your first jump after AFF be a hop from 4500ft or so. Talk to your jumpmasters. see what they recommend. After all, they know you best. Also, I originally recommended doing a tumbling exit. However, at this point, I think it would be more wise to work on exiting the plane stable as well. However, after you feel confident doing that, do some tumbling exits, not only are they a hell of a lot more fun, but excellent practice getting stable.

>>Question 4: How do you cutaway your reserve, whit a knife ? Yes. This is a good reason to jump with a hook knife. I suppose this situation would be extremely rare, but something like a line over or a serious tension knot on a reserve would mandate the cutting of a line for a good chance of landing uninjured (or minimal injuries).

All right.. big hypothetical situation here... But let's suppose that you had a premature reserve deployment that turned into a big ball of crap, as in this case, and that you are uninjured. We all know that more fabric over your head is better, but would anyone attempt to cut the lines on the reserve and go to your main? Time shouldn't be the biggest factor yet, since you will be at over 10,000ft. Deploying a good main into a streaming reserve might make the situation completely irrecoverable. On the other hand, given time, if you physically cut the reserve away and open your main, you might have a good chance of having a landable canopy. Thoughts?

Heh, I've done pretty much the same. I sat around my dorm room with my fullface boomerang helmet on for about an hour. I love freaking my whuffo roommate out. I think he's starting to get annoyed with my antics though.. :)

you FREAK!

Hhehe.. yea.. I was just bitching about that clip to my whuffo roommate. :)

>>1. Does the helmet has a fixed lens or can you open it when you wear it? (couldn't get it from the pictures/text in the advertising staff) It is a fixed lens. The lens is very secure and made of thick polycarbon (some full-faces use flexible plastic). >>4. Any comments on the quality and durability of this helmet (I know it's quite new on the market but probably >>someone already jump it more than just a few jumps) Well, I have only jumped it for a month or so, so I can't comment on how it will wear over time, but from what I can tell, it is topnotch quality and I doubt it will have problems in that department. I am pretty satisfied with the helmet. One thing I don't like is that there are no vents over the mouth directly to the outside of the helmet. Therefore, if you are breathing hard in colder conditions, you might experience some fogging on the bottom side of the lens (where its hard to use the anti-fog stuff).

I wear contacts and use a boomerang. I have had no problems at all. The face shield is well ventilated, but the air isn't really blowing directly in your eyes, so as long as you don't have problems with contacts falling out in regular day to day activities, I don't think you will have any problems with this helmet.

It's not just about the size, but the lift produced. Sure airliners can heavily load their wings, but they can also keep a high enough lift to support the plane in steady state flight and landing. Only way you can produce enough lift to safely support and land a jumper is to fly fast. If canopy technology can get to a point where it can produce 100 pounds of lift per square foot, then maybe you can fly a 2 square foot parachute.. :)

65 miles one way. Driving in an SUV eats up gas fast..

You know, an even better idea is just to search around for oversized duffles. Personally, instead of paying 100$ or more for a bag, I found a great deal for a great duffle bag for 14.97$ at an outdoor/adventure online store. You can look into military surplus as well. There are lots of cargo bags out there that will get the job done. I even like my duffle better than a real gear bag, because I can fit the rig and a full face helmet in the main compartment with plenty of room to spare... Just a suggestion..

I'm still waiting for my Wings. Should be here within a few weeks. I can't wait!

rather, its 4/63 = 0.063 = 6.3%

Being relaxed is also very important. Back and front loops are amazingly easy. Just stay loose and make smooth motions. Remember, slow is fast. Its better to have a nice easy back loop than jerk all over the sky and start flailing. Have a bit of confidence in your abilities. Same for Hop'n'pops. Sure, its gonna be a bit scary when the door opens and you can see detail on the ground, but you have a LOT more time than you think. Ofcourse, don't assume you can fall for 15 seconds before you dump, but stay loose, relax, present your arch to the relative wind (to the direction of flight of the plane). Also, keep your eyes on the plane the whole time when you leave. It will keep you facing the right way, and it will also keep you from breaking your arch (which will probably happen if you look down). Make sure you have a jumpmaster watch you the whole way, so he/she can give you feedback. Having the plane so close to you under canopy is a really cool sight, its something that I won't forget from my first hopnpop. I suppose S/L students have seen it a lot, but since I did AFF, that was the first time I had ever seen the plane on exit.

atleast they didn't tamper with the reserve...

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-brf-parachute-investigation1002oct01,0,6308553.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines Interesting eh? Marines: 13 Parachute Lines Cut CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Suspension lines on 13 parachutes were cut before a training exercise last month, forcing three jumpers to use their reserve chutes, the Marine Corps said Tuesday. The tampering was discovered Sept. 21 when five Marines jumped from a C-17 aircraft during heavy equipment parachute training at Camp Lejeune. Three parachutes malfunctioned and the jumpers used reserve chutes to land safely, a statement from the Marines said. An inspection showed the lines of the three parachutes had been cut in a way to avoid detection, the statement said. At least nine other chutes still packed and waiting on the shelves in warehouses were found with similar problems. It was unclear where the 13th sabotaged parachute was found. A call to the Camp Lejeune public affairs office was not returned. Marine investigators and agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are looking for a possible saboteur. There have been no arrests. Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press

It took me many many hours.. but I (along with some friends, and annoyed roommate) finally agreed on this design for my new main.

Wings Container Cobalt 170 Main Once those are closer to being shipped, will be waiting on a PD160R and a Cypres.

Just wait until you graduate and have to work an engineering firm. You are going to be sitting in a 8' x 8' cubicle just like everyone else.