jbscout2002

$105 - Z1 EVO Helmet $130 - GoPro $120 - Motorcycle Helmet Bluetooth Kit $0 - The AltiTrack I already use records my flight data = $355 For a smart helmet. Assuming you don't already have a good helmet and/or a GoPro.

This is why I still have low jump numbers. I've been spending all of my money on gear, rigging classes, and tools. After reading the BPA confidential incident reports, I can't trust anyone I don't know to assemble, adjust, alter, repair, or repack my gear, and I definitely don't trust rental gear.

Page 6-6, hand tools: T-handle bodkin- used primarily for closing container systems that have external pilot chutes, such as the Jump Shack Racer. A minimum of two is needed for the tool kit.

I haven't seen previous versions of the Riggers Handbook, but I downloaded the August 2015 version and read it cover to cover. I was then going through the Senior Rigger study guide and noticed a couple small contradictions. The one I can remember off the top of my head is cleaning petroleum based stains off of a container. The handbook says to use mild soap and water, whereas the right answer on the study guide is to apply an approved solvent. On that same question, the mild soap and water answer is one of the choices, but is not the correct answer.

Enta, I'm on board with you bro. I was jumping a Silhouette 230, and my exit weight was 275. The max weight on a Silhouette 230 is 276. I did some looking around and found that the Valkyrie 103 has a max weight of 288. So if I go to that, I can go fast, and it gives me an additional 12 pounds of safety margin, right? Now, I'm sure there will be doubters, but what they don't understand is that I usually jump in Canada. They are on the metric system there, so that translates in my favor, plus they have free health care. On the surface, it looks like I'm downsizing too rapido, but the numbers don't lie my man.

Hm, I'm curious, did his cutaway do anything to fix his position? In my situation, definitely not. It would have only given me a second opertunity to bite threw my tongue when the chest strap popped me in the chin again. That and ditch a fully functional canopy (a sure thing by this point) in hopes that the reserve opens with no problems.

Pretty much the same thing happened to me on jump number 9 or 10. I grabbed a student canopy that had adjustable main lift webs. They were normally set at a specific length and the excess was tacked, but I didn't realize a more experienced, and taller, jumper had snipped the tacking and loosened them. I put the rig on and tightened it up and it felt right. The leg straps were tight, chest strap snug, everything felt good. When I deployed, the chest strap ended up jamed under my chin. My helmet was caught between that and the yoke and my neck was stretched out a little. Couldn't look up or down, and could barely look side to side. Luckily there was a canopy course going on at my DZ that weekend and I had been eavesdropping on their ground classes, so I had the wherewithal to undo the chest strap completely to free up my head, and check my stall point. The stall point was a good check because hanging low in the saddle, I was stalling out by 3/4 brakes, so if I had tried my normal full flare, I would have come in pretty hard. So all of this because the main lift web had been adjusted by about 2 inches. So based off my limited expirience, I'd say you were in a similar harness that was not adjusted properly to you, or you are on the short end of the spectrum for that harness size and maybe leg strap tightness as well.

I can't find the thread now, but just a couple days ago I was browsing the forums hoping to learn from other peoples' questions, advice, or mistakes, and I saw a posting by Skymama, if memory serves correctly, about this very topic. It was a list of recurring phrases uttered from the mouths of newbies at various DZs throught the years. It was about how so many people are coming into the sport believing that they are the exception, the cream of the crop, the 1 in 1000 gifted athletes. People with 20 jumps and a Go Pro on their bran new helmet, or the ones that say their instructors told them that compared to the other students, they are unique little snowflakes. It's funny to read that, and then just days later, actually watch it unfold.

During your down time, you may be able to benefit from a couple of Brian Germain's books- "The Parachute and its Pilot" and "Transcending Fear". The first one gave me much better understanding of how to control my canopy, and it was only $8 for the Kindle version. I haven't read the second one, but that same concept is taught in military leadership courses, and by recognizing what your body goes through under stress, you can train yourself to react the way you need to through muscle memory.

35 years ago, if you wanted more speed, you just cut a couple small holes in your T-10

So the way I'm reading this, you are tempted to downsize to a canopy that you know you aren't ready for yet because you are worried about outgrowing your new rig too soon. Why not get that shiny new rig that you want, sized for that 135 with room to go down one size in the future, but in the mean time, get yourself a 150 Pulse, Silhouette, or Pilot ZPX to work on until you know you are ready for the 135? I had the same mindset, and I went for it. I've only put 10 jumps on my new rig, and they have all been good landings (in perfect conditions) but if I have to land downwind in a tight spot, I might just aim for the trees to break my fall. 10 jumps on a brand new canopy and I've been scouring the classifieds for a good used one the next size up.

*** http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0381562P/wd-40-3-in-1-professional-silicon-lubricant-reviews/reviews.htm This is the answer, a 3 in 1 food grade silicone spray.

Yeah, they usually have more important issues, like outlawing soda

Word. The most likely scenario is Mr. Jonny Paranoia buys this thing and throws it in his closet. He eventually forgets about it and several years down the road, without ever having been serviced or re packed, it ends up at a yard sale. Then little Jonny Stuntman and his friends buy it, knowing nothing about the sport, and decide to jump off something for a YouTube video. They clean little Jonny off the street with a squeegee, and the skydiving community suffers the consequences. More negativity, more restrictions, more BS.

Figures..... It's The Peoples Republic of New York, where all politicians above the law and the Constitution of the Free Union is null and void. As soon as they figure out a way to collect a tax on each parachute landing, it will be legal again, provided of course that you pay your annual fees for the NYC parachuting permit.

Hi, I'm Ricky Bobby, and if you don't double stow your lines, then F*ck you.

Stop wearing dudes on your back and start jumping with your own rig. Start putting that money towards AFF. Take control of your jumps.

Honestly, with people our size, used rigs are harder to find, so when it is time to sell it you won't have any trouble. Don't buy for resell, buy what you want to jump. A hook knife, collapsible PC, and RSL would be on my list of needs. For us bigger guys, foam leg pads are worth their weight in gold. Articulation will add comfort, make future repairs and harness resizing cheaper, and add strength by removing binding points in the webbing. In the long run stainless steal is a good investment. I've heard the cut in laterals on the latter harnesses make it uncomfortable, but the one I tried didn't have them so I don't know. To save money and help with resell, stick to a moderate coloring scheme and don't add a bunch of extra pin stripes and custom embroidery.

This morning I read a thread about re-lining a main and whether a Senior Rigger could do it or a Master Rigger had to do it. A lot of Master Riggers were quoting the same FARs but offering different interpretations of them. Everything from "must be a master" to "Seniors are qualified" to "since it is a main, no certification is required as long as the person who does it is the next person jumping it". I would say, if someone hasn't shown you how to do it, don't try to do it yourself.

In regard to RSL or no RSL, there is a good article on the bottom of the DZ.com home page about RSL myths. RSL vs SkyHook is out of my league. There are good arguments going both ways on that one. As for line stows, PD recommends using large rubber bands and double wrapping them (on all stows, to include locking). Everyone does it differently though. Some use a combo of large and small and some use tube stows, and everybody's is the " best" way. Whatever way you go with, it should take 8-12 pounds of force to release the lines. You can experiment with a fish scale to see which method gives you the desired results. A new PC with hacky handle and full kill line bridle should be able to be purchased and changed out for about $200 or less. It would be routine work for your local rigger.

Ah, I never attempted to contact Icarus. For me it came down to them and Aerodyne, and I liked the color coded line attachments so I emailed Aerodyne and they squared me away with no problems. I did everything through Chutingstar and Laura was definitely a five star person.

And my math is crap. I found a couple apps for Android that I've found helpful (I'm sure Apple has the same ones). 1. Wing Load Calculator. 2. Spot Assist. 3. USPA SIM. and if you are interested in taking a Senior Rigger Course there is an app by Ground School Acadamy for test prep, but it is $35.

Might be a good idea to just wait and see if someone with real experience on a Firebolt can weigh in before you pull the trigger on something in haste. You can talk to the rep at Jumpshack about your experience level and near term goals. If they offered you that discount, I don't see why they wouldn't be flexible on timing with you. Also just an FYI, Icarus offers 10% discount to vets on mains, and I don't know if they still do, but were offering a 15% discount to vets who bought an Icarus main and Nano reserve together.

If you still weigh in at 220, your exit weight is going to be about 245-250, putting you at a wing loading of 1.12-1.15 on a 218. On the Jumpshack website, they describe the Firebolt as being suitable for students at a .5-.6, and at .85-1.6, they compare it to the Stilleto, Spectre, and Crossfire. Like I said though, none of this come from actual experience with the Firebolt, I'm just sharing with you data that I've read while conducting hours upon hours of my own research when I was putting my stuff together.

That sounds good for the container/harness, and the AAD is a good deal if in fact you are talking about a Vigil 2+ as opposed to the original Vigil. For the canopies, a couple things to take into consideration. The maximum legal exit weight on a PR 218 is 254 pounds, and you are likely pretty close to that now. If you eat well over the holidays, you could end up at a DZ that requires you to do a weigh in and you end up with a shiny new $6500 rig that you aren't allowed to jump. I'm a bigger guy, so I just spent the extra cash on an Optimum to give me a little more wiggle room. I have no experience with the Firebolt, but I am pretty sure it is fully elliptical, which at your current wing loading is going to be pretty zippy. You would be going from the student style square, skipping the mid range semi elliptical, and going straight for the higher performance. I was rocking it on a Silhouette 230, so when I bought my rig I downsized to a 210 Pilot. I'm jumping at 300 feet above sea level in cool weather with steady 10 mph wind, and I'm hoping I grow into it before I screw up. If I had a do-over, I would get my rig, sized for the normal ZP 210, but start with a 230 Silhouette, Pulse, or Pilot ZPX. They will all pack about the same size as a 210 and they all pack easier than a fully ZP. But that's just my two cents.