DcloudZ

I can play soccer with a sandwich in my hand. Exactly. You only need one ball to play soccer; skydiving takes both "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

How refreshing...disagreement without bashing. OK..zp is zp. IMO, the "roughing up" of the canopy material and it's effects on airflow over it would be so minimal it would be noticeable only to somebody like Brian Germaine. Maybe the physicists in here could shoot that down but I don't think so. . So over the life of a canopy, the zero-perosity fabric remains zero-perosity? Why is it then that if a canopy gets wet and doesn't dry properly that it can affect it's flight characteristics. If the ZP canopy could change it's flight characteristics based on it getting wet then should that mean that it is not entirely un-alterable ZP? Keep in mind that the definition of ZP fabric means that the fabric is 100% air and water resistant. "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Why in the fuck do whuffos not consider skydiving a "real" sport? Apparently in their mind all we do is fall from the sky until our parachute opens and then it places us gently on the ground. I'm fed up of coming across this stupid attitude. /End rant "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Don't worry, you just haven't met a real man yet... Jokes aside, good on you to not give up! Keep with it and you won't regret it. When you look back on your life 50 years from now you're not going to remember that time you went shopping for new clothes but you'll damn sure remember all the times you jumped out of an airplane. Keep us updated on your progression

I know you have TONS more experience than I, but I don't think I quite agree with that. Why is it that a brand new canopy is really slick and opaque but an older one is more smooth and see-through? Does this not have an effect on the way this canopy interacts with the air around it? Please correct me if I have any misconceptions! Thanks "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

You wouldn't noticed it if you put the 500 jumps on it yourself since it is a gradual decrease in flare power but if you do a back-to-back jump with a canopy that is brand new and then another one right after with the same brand that has 1000 jumps you would likely notice a difference. There could be a couple reasons for this: 1) The fabric could have degraded over time, providing a less solid surface for the air to deflect 2) The lines could be out of trim 3) The brake lines could be out of trim/it's length could have changed (stretched) I'm sure there are a couple more possibilities but that's what I've got! Hope it helps

Business case: As a fun jumper, I've provided my DZ with more direct profit than a 1 time tandem. Done. "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Dude if you want to fly backwards just hook up your canopy backwards... "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Don't jump to conclusions! I learned that you make silly assumptions and give bad advice

I understand. It takes years of education and ton of free healthcare to learn how to speak it properly 'Murica! "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

LiquidSky, wihtout hesitation. THE best looking suits on the market. I absolutely love my Speed Lunar - so comfortable and great looking. But best of all was their customer service. If I had any questions at all, I would send an e-mail and get a reply within 2 minutes! (No joke). You can also customize the hell out of those suits. Draw up your own design and such. Really great company in my opinion! The only downside to LiquidSky is the lead-time (although I ordered mine during the off-season so it wasn't too bad). HOWEVER, they have now reduced their lead-time by almost half! Another reason to buy from the best

Are you ok...? Mentally. Did you get a check-up after that first botched swoop? "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

If you're doing quite a bit of reading may I suggest the following books: "The Parachute and its Pilot - A guide to Ram-air Aviation" by Brian Germain and "Above All Else" by Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld Both are great books; the first one is technical and the second one is motivational.

I'm going to agree that the distraction of losing the bolt would be worrisome, but disagree strongly that having to turn off the AAD increases the risk. If you need the AAD to manage risk, then this isn't the sport for you. If you have made a personal commitment not to jump without one, that's different, and just fine. But if you honestly think that an AAD is necessary to be safe enough, I don't think you're relying on yourself enough, and that's far more worrisome. Wendy P. I jump at a place where having an AAD is mandatory which I fully condone. Personally, I would not jump without one and I find your comment regarding my opinion on AADs rude and unwarranted. I did not indicate that I am not relying on myself enough and you have no basis to make a statement like that. I want to have an AAD in my rig for the POSSIBILITY that I get incapacitated in freefall. I hope I never have to use it and it's just a precautionary measure. I turn it on and ignore it. "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

If you were too high on the last run, add a 360 Swoopers always have the right of way Never give up the gates What's the point if you don't look good? "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

You would think that after over 100,000 jumps you should be able to jump without a helmet? You asked obatzda to fill in his profile, perhaps you should do the same? My opinion is that once you made the decision to not to jump and switched off the AAD you should have stuck with it. Jumping with an increased snag risk is less of a problem IMHO but the combination of snag + no AAD is slightly worrisome. Especially since you had an issue in the plane that probably commanded most of your attention on the ride to altitude that could have culminated in forgetting or neglecting certain safety checks! The process of an accident starts long before they actually happen. Be careful!

"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Just shut up already "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Personally, I think that once you finish your AFF you hit a crossroad. The left turn is for those that consider skydiving a sport. The right turn[pun intended] is for those that consider skydiving a way of life. The former doesn't last very long... "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Do you mind telling me where you jump? I really don't want to be anywhere near someone who thinks like this. It's one thing to be super aggressive to the point where just one fuck-up will kill yourself, but it's another if you are doing things that could take out another. Seems like he jump at Deland "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

What are you trying to achieve by posting a date? 1. Humour? 2. To scare Ledballoon into buying a Sabre2 170? 3. To let everyone know you're a cool skydiver with knowledge about a secret game? Fail x 3. Bounce bingo is not big and it's not clever. It's a douchey affectation like spelling skills with a "z". That's cool bro ETA: In case it wasn't clear, I dgaf what you think

July 6, 2013 "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Wow... "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Skydiving incidents only; www.basejumper.com for Base incidents "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts

Slightly off-topic but that can be attributed to the fact that there are quite a few less wingsuit jumps made in comparison to non-wingsuit jumps. Just sayin' "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way." -Alan Watts