ChrisD

Educational screw up! It's all good! You bring a smile to this otherwise dull and drab persons face!!! C :) But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

What I can't see from your pictures is how much tension is on your line stows? Can't tell from the pictures but it looks as though you need to start double wraping. Do you have 7 - 8 9- Lbs of force when you pull on your lines? Remember the goal is to have all of your lines in the center... Have someone near you dissect their pack jobs to see what it should look like...Ask around learn what o good job looks like! C And what is up with the fabric? That dosen't look like any Spectre I have ever seen before? Did you have to wait 6 monthes for that ? can you post a full flight picture?

And what studies would those be? We are speaking about "habitation" and this generally can take place in 3 to 7 nights....Same to extinguish same behavior. If yo can get this on vid, frequently seeing what you are doing can be a big help. I would say just concentrate on your opening, I mean the whole dive dedicated to just one thing. Not having a RW jump / and at the end start to try to change stuff.... One jump one learning! And or start jumping and putting your hands to the small of your back or grab the bottom of your container. Both hands and arms! You can fly reasonably well with just your legs and watch what happens to your arch as well

I love you man,...err in a non gay way.... Why is it that when we see some kind of jackass driver, cut across two lanes with the directional blinking in the opposite direction,...they are inevitably smooking? C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Guy's your missing the point of it is not up to you... It is up to those on the other end! This is what sucks about this issue! It is up to them! This is the danger of political correctness, you have to be a high social monitor, or a politico to survive in this day and age, this is the real offensive nature of this modern bullshit! C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

I can get a good idea by watching someone pack whether they know what they're doing. I will say the overwhelming majority of my packers are also jumpers, with the notable exception of JohnMitchell's son back when he was still a teenager (he's since gone on to get his license, but back then he wasn't a jumper). Still, he'd been around the DZ packing for years when I met him, and had a good reputation as a packer and did good work. Really, that's what I usually do when I go to a new DZ - I ask around, and figure out who are the packers who've been around a bit, and talk to them first. At this point in my life I'm mostly going back to the same places, so I know the regulars, many of whom have been packing (and packing for me) for several years. I also know who to avoid - bad reputations are pretty easy to discover, too. Thanks Krisanne for the well thought out reply. I want to harp on this a little more because I have a concern for the amount of information that may be missed if others give your post a too quick read... That being that your the one making this determinatiion! As you point out: "I can get a good idea by watching someone..." But what about all of those out there that don't have your wealth of experience and judgment? This is my point. And I have a concern for those that don't know what they don't know? More than once I have seen posts on other topics where individuals proporting to have over 250 jumps don't know how their gear works! How then do we expect them to make these kinds of judgment calls? Im telling ya on a nationwide scale skydivers have and are not as knowledgeble as they once were! If yo take a moment and read the popular literature and even including the SIM and IRM the emphasis on gear and the relationship to safety has taken a back seat. Look at some of the old books and you can see by the second chapter the authors are talking gear because of the great dependency on gear, basically this sport is gear dependent! Look at Ray Darby's book. He makes the case frequently and early about this relation ship! Now in this day and age, we talk about performance and wing loading, and which canopy should I buy. The basics are being forgotten and I see this pro-packing issue just another nail in some poor kids coffin? Learning is something that needs to be taught and my frequent cross country trips of late point out that this issue exsists and needs to be addresssed. Not everyone has your perspective and your discerning sense of justice and great common sense. Perhaps we need a simple packers sign off card with a minimul level of demonstrated knowledge before we turn over something as important as packing another human beings rig to a complete stranger? And we certianly need to train our A and B lic kids better than we are currently doing! And especially before they pack their first rig and / or purchase same! C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Agreed, but we are not the ones on the receiving end! Our motivations and thoughts are not the same as those on the other end. Of course we don't mean what the reciver receves... This is the issue and is at the heart of what well meaning and intellegent people like yourself sometimes forget?

Whatever you do you want to avoid the botched slide in, by this I mean you don't want to land on your tail bone! My other point is that some of the excellent observations and reccomondations above don't indicate the time commitment required to get your back in the best possible shape. For me every other day at the club, min. of 3 hours and then one full hour of stretching/ yoga is required on an ongoing basis. This is the tough part! It is not a light commitment, nor is this an easy task to keep up! I can't stess enough: Good packing, proper body position on opening, plan your openinings so that you never open out of position down low! I actually grab my risers each and every time to lessen the opening shock, I'm pulling like some kind of nut and using my arms as shock absorbers...seems to help! And most times I am tucking my knees, but not on a regular basis... Can't speak for those that like the Dracula approach, (hanging upside down,) but I have been warned not to do this by so many MD's that I had to look at their advice very seriously. Many of them pointed out that the time spent hanging was of dubious value at best and at worst it takes away from more productive PT. and many pointed out that the bone benders and hanging upside down was downright wrong and led to a continuing worsenning downward spiral. With irreversable consequenses. I say those devices illustrate the power of advertising over the power of common sense! Canopy size? I found that some larger canopies, student, rentals, etc. to have a large opening force, so I downsized, but within reason. I was jumping a 170 because for me, and I don't fully understand why, the opening was lighter! But with the 170 I was concerned about what would happen if I botched a flare! Any flare, at any time! So I upsized to a 190, botched a few flares on purpose to actually see how bad a botched landing would be and have stuck with the 190, but I do wish it opened more like my old stilletto 160, or my 170. The point being is that canopies with loong snivils (Spectre, proper nose bending Sabre 2, etc...) can help and size seems to matter as well! You have some control over this and I suggest you find out as soon a possible which size works best. Beware the "hard opening." Many consider the hard opening to be an act of fate, I belive that the hard opening is a botched pack job. (Period.) Good luck, skydivers are not known for their physical phitness, so yo have to buck the trend if your going to be sucessfull at this! C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_(pejorative) Water'd down explaination... Don't think it comes close to the oppression those poor people felt? C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Got into an interesting conversation with some smokers the other day about second hand smoke. They instantly turned the conversation into something about rights and personall freedom. What I noticed is that when I pointed out that their smoke was causing me to cough, on an airplane no less, somehow this was my problem. I tried to tell them akin to having a bonefire or spreading anthrax, or plain old their actions were like firing a gun into the air without a care in the world where the round landed, thier actions do infact have a consequence that I can not control. That profoundly affect my health. The fact that so many raise the freedom argument and loose sight of the second hand smoke does affect others raised an interesting point inside smokers mentality. And that being: Smokers don't seem to care about other people! The fact that they value their "freedom" over the negative effects of second hand smoke is a very telling phenomenon. It's kind of like some sort of justification for their actions. Charlie manson, when questioned about the Tate murders was heard to say: "I just thought they were rotten people." In other words for Mr. Manson, his freedom and rights were more important than any others life or happyness. While this is an extreem example it does illustrate the held belifes of the smoker that raises the issue of freedom. Smookers belive that they have the right to pass second hand smoke, they justify their actions by saying that the smoke dosen't cause problems, or the smell is the problem of the recipient smellee. Never the less the ability to put yourself in anothers shoes or express any concern for another human being is lost on these people. They just don't care, they are incabable of careing and for the most part they lack empathy and as a consequence for most of us that don't like getting Cancer we are wasting our time speaking with these people! This is why we passed laws, not to limit anothers personal freedom. But to protect ourselves. Something to consideer when dealing with a smoker that starts to point out how their "rights" are more important than the consequences of smoke. They don't give a shit about themselves, why do you expect them to care about others???? C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Non-jumper does not necessarily mean "no training whatsoever." Because your entire argument seems to rest on that premise, I'm perfectly comfortable dismissing it and carrying on about my business in ways that I'm comfortable with.

I have a Gath with the red pull down visor if any one wants it. Nice movie... Protecks in lots of other movies... G3's should be appearing at a theateer near you soon.... C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

So do I. The key point is: "it actually had to warm up to snow..." The ice cores prove this again and again.... The real concern is the effect that this is having on the Globe as we speak and the negative effects on the affected people in the world as we speak. I really don't understand how so many can turn a blind eye to reality that exsists today? C I joke and point out that Idots rule and monkeys abound in a light hearted way... But to consistantly ignore, with a certian amount of malice and intent on a global scale the current evedence and trends,... Well It dosen't really surprize me that some fats cats with billions to spend can influence soo many, it's the lack of understanding and the fact that like little parrots so many spead ignorance with the voracity that they do that is the concerning trend! "I don't know how the ocean would prevent mixing - especially since the ocean around Anarctica isn't known for being placid." This statement is like holding up a sign. But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Have you seen the latest incarnation of sweet little Mylie Cyrus, tell me her parents like Lindssay Lohaen arn't pimpin her out??? Disney is going to do with Bibier what they do with all of their rogue porn stars...and that is about the time they realize that their cash can't purchase every lawyer and judge in the country...(err I take that one back...) Just wait a bit, after these wannabe Michael Jackson pedofiles take a few innocent lives, they will self distruct in some bizzaro fashion

And vortexer1 How many screen names does it take to screw in a JVX? I bet if I ever met you in real life I would be impressed and like you, on this forum you and most others that need it to breath daily, you're all judgmental dicks. Don't take offense, you know this to be true. This web site sucks for all but about 60 people. The same people that have been here for the past ten years. As the sport grows worldwide this website/forum declines in user contributions. Why? Because of the dicks that need it to breath daily. dropzone.com to me is the ugly-side of skydiving. Several instructors told me 10 years ago, don't listen, don't know, don't read what is on dropzone.com best advice I never followed. Real curious how many skydivers this website/forum has driven away from the sport. Some people should'nt be jumping in the first place. Look at it this way: You need to performe in an adverse situation, this is almost the very definition of skydiving! If you can't handle something you read on the internet THEN YOU SHOULDN'T BE JUMPING. (In real life.) Just my two cents... C But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Sorry to hear about your "crash" ... Perhaps you should have packed your own rig??? How about a canopy course before you do it again? Just looking out for your best interests??? If your in Hawaii I suggest you wait till the winds drop below 14, that should help??? I can understand your "nervous[ness]" what with about 2 jumpes peer day, each and every day according to your profile, that 8 month layoff must have been a bitch??? C

You would have to wear their biggist balloon suit to even get airborne on a day that hot....

Apparently, for some of you it's ok that someone with no training whatsoever can pack for you? Let's look at this another way: Someone that dosent know what they are looking at can pack your rig. This is past "direct sepervision" and I know more than a few DZ's that have a rigger nearby so they can pull this particular stunt. And that's what it is cause what I saw is more than a few non-jumping packers that don't have a clue as to what they are looking at! you can literally reverse your riseers or have a defective closing loop, and or your rapid links can be undone...They don't know what they are looking at! And your response is: Well anything wrong is "your responsibility" in the first place. Then we have those that as you hand over 7 bucks or whatever...lets be nice and: stow the toggle lines and handles, collpse the slideer, cock the pilot chute, untwist lines,.... Why don't you just pack the thing for them and then hand over the cash, being nice to the service people and all??? So why then give them a tip??? I can only imagine the number of malfunctions that have taken place by untrained packers that have gone unreported! Let a non-jumper pack my rig...NOT going to happen.... C And a special note to JVX: Why don't you go get drunk and pack a few of your friends rigs? But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

""In the huge area of East Antartica, the ice is mostly above sea level. The air temperature is also much lower, and the experts do not expect the ice to melt on account of rising temperatures. In this part of Antarctica, the ice sheet is actually growing as a consequence of increased snowfall. This has led some critics to question the global warming theory." " When confronted with the facts and evidence, he runs...or just ignores the science and changes the subject...this has and is apparent from the 500+ posts this has posted on the subject.... This is why your wasting your time, once again.... C He picks and choeses his arguments, you literally could say night and he is going to say day... Just another fat fuckin idiot....don't waste your time... Never mind the fact that for the last 20,000 years this area has been considered a deseret... It actually had to warm up to snow... Wrap your scarma sucking lips around that one.... By the way if you want a full flush toilet you can run up to Canada and purchase one there, Kohler makes em in the USA and ships the full flush ones to CA, go figure! O'h you can purchase 1 under the customes rules, for personal use! I know your a cheep bastard, you said so yourself...

Why would you want to sing along with rap? It is a form of expression that justifies the exsistance of the KKK, Rap is the poor peoples answere to just plain old takein a gun and putting a cap in any white persons head. Kramer resurfaces..... This is Americka, white folks can't use the N word. Just accept it. Dave Chappell can't use the N word and he has one heck of a tan... Dave tried to point out that revisionist morality and trying to hide this issue DON'T WORK. Hiding the issue and reacting this way only "keep the Gorrilla in the room." As humans, evolution has made us excellent detectors of differences, this has not served us well.... Once again the 's of the world think they know better than the educated.... What you people call raceism is on the rise, afermative action law suits everywhere, glass ceiling issues, entire neighberhoods destroyed because of rewnewed redlining, entire neigberhoods destroyed because of the efforts of the ignorant to combat red-lining, (Can't win.) Boston and other cities in the 70s' instituted forced bussing, it worked so well, that they stopped the bussing... Well guess fucking what, the crime, and neighberhood issues are rising again.... There was this theory that using certian words in certian contexts perpetuated stereotypes and fostered bigotry and raceism. By using revisionist history and changing textbooks we made gender neutral prose dirigure in our little perfect world. We have flight attendants now. I personally ascribe the the anti-raceism DNA theory. There is no such thing as race. And any time you see the word used to ascribe attributes or decriptions to any one of any particular skin shade , yo pretty much know your dealing with a bigot! Race is a word that is appropraiate for describing different species. Not for describing people. DNA shows us that the difference betweeen me and my Sir Lankian girl feind (and that last one is not a spelling boo boo.) I'm a white cracker BTW, raised in FL by a very loving black as night skinned Seminole Native American who taught me more about life than my "tell me why your summer vacation is like a bowel of cherries" teachers. ( Now there is an obscure movie reference.) Anyways using the word race to describe people considering DNA is stupid. People with different skin color don't differ in their DNA. People differ in their DNA with Monkeys by less than 2 percent! There is no such thing a race when applied to humans. Still White folks can't use the N word. We need a white word that Black skinned people can't use!!! Perhaps we all white folks can use words like: "employed," or even: "Safe Neighberhood," when refering to our cribs? Etc..? Paula Dean is just the latest victim to fall from grace having been shot in the head by the Political Correctness demografic of our market drivein morality. Sometimes I just don't get it????? My other TV personality cook, white cracker mistress: Martha Stewart, can whore around with her other white cracker bretheerein and actually get caught with her pudgy wine soaked fingers in our cookie jar, gets convicted of stealing the publics cash, teaches cooking lessons in her all white Federally subsidised condo in Conneticut AND comes out even ritcher with a tv show that surpasses even Opra's cash flow! So Paula Dean for a white chick on TV, take a lesson from the grate one, (Opra) youshould have been more politically correct, it's worth a lot of bling and cash to play on the publics misguided sense of 21st Century Morality, or lack of... C Do you know why White folks, and I'd imagin any one that that group dosen't approve of using the N word feels the way that they do? It's because of what we call the individuals (self) held beliefs. It's a social construct to be on the reciving end and feel the way that you do when these kinds of activities happen to the affected individual. (This is the short version.) So our societies response has the opposite affect! Be carefull what you ask for all of you that actually have been offended by Paula Dean, cause your getting what your asking for and Ya Know what... IT IS JUST GOING TO PERPETUATE THE ISSUE AND ASSOCIATED SOCIAL PROBLEMS. But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Different places. The salty ocean can be well below 32F and still liquid. Runoff comes from the continent which heats and cools more rapidly. No contradiction there. Same would be true of last year's big melt in Greenland. I already posted the phase diagram. I think He's speaking about this fact: "In the huge area of East Antartica, the ice is mostly above sea level. The air temperature is also much lower, and the experts do not expect the ice to melt on account of rising temperatures. In this part of Antarctica, the ice sheet is actually growing as a consequence of increased snowfall. This has led some critics to question the global warming theory." We curently have an documented, historic 11mm sea rise, we have new "Trade Routes" in the Northern Hemisphere, billions of cubic feet of ice have dissapeared, the latest core samples show ice melting at an increddible rate;from the bottom, which wasen't anticipated, and we have some child akin to a "Austin Powers movie" that when consistantly faced with the facts,...it simply says it aint so... consistantly.... This is a person that is dangerous because if it was day he would say "Night." Trouble is, like spam...there are even stupider people in large numbers that for their own psych issues belive in this, Hey i'm just reading from my religious book, It's my right after all, this is americka I do have freedom of religion don't I? Been to Mt Kilimanjarroo lately? Seen any glaiciers? No matter what you put before these people they are going to deny it. Your dealing with a bunch of 's It is sort of fun in a way, kind of a reminder of the global level of ignorance and how it takes shape. I do agree with one of his points however. That being that low flow toilets are a pain... I'm sure it's a more sailent issue for the ones that are full of it! C At this point you don't really need data, all you have to do is look out the window.... But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."

Many of you who watch PBS Stations may have noticed that some of your popular shows are being funded of late by the Koch Conglomerate. The mechanisim for this: They have littereally billions of dollars to use as they see fit. If they fund shows on the subject of the "Whales." or "the History of Science." or any of the other hundered shows that are in the pipeline, PBS is more than happy to take their money. This leaves funding for ecology minded shows at a bit of a disatvantage. Yes they have enough cash to steer and influence PBS by funding shows and thus "diluting" what yo watch. If the schedule is full of shows other than what they don't want yo to see... This is just another form of manipulation,... Slick Hu? C And they get to walk away looking like the good guys???? Just another of my rants on the subject, for your consideration... This particular point is something that hasen't gotten a lot , if any, press... Thanks to Noam C... and Shut Jhally for pointing this one out! Sorry about my spelling, No not really.... But what do I know, "I only have one tandem jump."