riddler

I have 2.4 Gig phone (B&O - 3 of 'em

I was required to *purchase* the 2003 SIM for a coach course prior to when they made it downloadable. I should get some sort of discount on renewal And while I'm dreaming, I'm gonna wish for a new Pro-Track too Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Pardon me for forgetting, and I couldn't find the info on the UPSA site. My girlfriend got her annual renewal in the mail and it's close to $50 ($49 or something). Seems like I paid $40 or $45 last time I renewed. What was the reason for the increase again? Was it the higher insurance costs? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

testing - Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Hookit - how smart is it to have a round canopy for jumping off buildings? Seems like you would want to actually be able to steer to avoid other buildings, find a half-way decent landing area, etc. Don't know much about this subject, but heard about your recent adventure in SF. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I've heard that Eloy has a "junk day" once a year where they let you drop whateever you want and will fit into the plane over the desert. Any truth to that? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

I think their wisdom exceeds all of ours The single finger for "pull" comes from "Pull-My-Finger", which is the most obvious use of that signal if you had a dirty old man for a grandfather Otherwise, it's not too obvious - you just have to commit it to memory I guess. But that also means we have to be careful with other signals. I was warned in the coaching class not to point to the altimeter to tell a student to check altitude, as this could lead to a misinterpretation to pull. Can't point at anything else either.

Thnaks for the link. Why does the SIM have a signal for both Arch and Pelvis down? I only learned the Pelvic Thrust (thumb down). Doesn't make sense to have two? Plus the flat arch signal seems like it would be hard to use and easy to misinterpret.

If you have an RSL, cutting away could be more dangerous. If you forget to disconnect it, it will open the reserve chamber and the reserve will fall out. This will get wet and help drag you down. Here is what I was taught. Prepare by loosening chest strap. Flare and PLF into water. Once in the water, remove chest strap and loosen leg straps and swim down and away from the rig, avoiding lines. You will have one or two minutes before the water seeps into the reserve container and adds significantly to your weight. Don't try to save the rig. If you have friends with a boat, they will come by later and use the anchor (or something else) to drag your rig back to the surface. Your cypress is probably toast. If it's salt water, your rig is probably toast. This is only what I was taught. It's never happened to me.

How many jumps do you have?? Your profile says two. Recommend you learn to fly with no booties before you start wearing them. A small leg symmetry problem could turn into a violent flat spin with them.

Wow, did he qualify for a D license on birth? That would certainly be something to brag about to your school chums.

April Parachutist has the annual fatalities for 2002 listed at 33. Check it out on page 30 - the opinions may be a tad skewed, but the numbers are interesting. I don't think it's a bad comparison at all, considering the average media-saturated whuffo seems to think that someone dies on about 1 in 10 skydives. It helps put skydiving risk in more of a perspective, even if it's not the best use of statistics. BTW Dave - congrats on the coach rating. I'm still tweaking my flying skills, but hope to get mine finished up within the next few weeks. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

2:6:1 6 jumps, including *first* balloon jump! Woohoo. Love balloons! And I just bought a case of Avalanche for jumping my new rig two weekends ago! Now I owe another ... 1 coach jump with Mustard. 2 coach jumps with skr. I guess at 145 jumps, it's time I finally learn to fly on my belly One 2-way sit with a good friend. Nice weekend

I'm thinking you would hafta strap on some serious weights to jump with Rodman. Give me Madonna any day.

MAO (Monoamine Oxidase) is a brain chemical that breaks down Sertonin and Dopamine, which are chemicals that make you feel good. MAO doesn't fluctuate in total volume that much, but there are commercial Inhibitors (prescription drugs), which block MAO effectiveness, preventing the breakdown of those feel-good chemicals. These are MAO Inhibitors (MAOIs) which are antidepressants. Anything that somehow boosted MAO (if that was possible) would make you feel worse, since it would break down more of the dopamine and serotonin. MAOIs are starting to lose popularity compared to SSRIs, which are another way to keep you feeling good, as antidepressants. Skydiving, as well as other "adrenaline" sports deplete serotonin and dopamine and can make you depressed. Alcohol and some drugs have the same effect. Makes you feel good while you are doing it, but depletes the chemicals so you can easily become depressed the next day or two days later. If you typically feel depressed the day or two after skydiving (Monday blues ), you can replenish the "feel-good" chemicals by taking L-Tryptophan or 5-HTP (both oral pills that are non-prescription - buy at any health food store or GNC). Feel good and share the love

A lady would never touch herself in such a manner Which is why I never really talk to ladies. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

"If a girl has a pierced tongue, she will probably suck your dick. If a guy has a pierced tongue, he will probably suck your dick." - Chris Rock Not exactly accurate, but kind of funny. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Opinions aside, last I heard what that about 85% of skydivers wear an AAD. I can't confirm that statistic right now - anyone have a link? Sometimes, it IS safer to follow the herd.

Out of curiosity, how many coach jumps have you done? And are you planning on more coach jumps before you finish your A? Just curious, 'cause I am trying to become a coach now ... Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

What I really want to know is if it would cause a horseshoe if your pilot chute got stuck in there. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Go with the bike. I miss my BMW And don't carry your gear on your back I have nightmares about wearing a rig on a motorcycle and having the pilot chute deploy

1.3 on my Lotus 150, and I wouldn't have wanted anything larger! I barely made it back as it was. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Never thought I was going to die. Not even in the situations that I later realized were dangerous. My guess is that most skydivers have never thought this, but I could be wrong. Make it a poll and find out. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

Could be a new trend. But would it come out when I scream "yahoo" after my canopy opens? And would I never be able to kiss-pass again? Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

It was a little scary watching those tandems come in, but you guys seem to have a good group of catchers. Tell Anthony not to let those calm ocean breezes blow him to the north side of the fence again I should have done Santa Rosa on Saturday and Monterey on Sunday. The weather seemed to be good both places on those days. Next time!