Skydivesg

I know Gary. He's been around our DZ for several years. He's on staff as a tandem instructor and just recently got his AFF rating. He's a good guy and has always been a straight up guy. I don't think you'll have any problem with him. He has a regular job in Des Moines, and does not depend on skydiving for his primary source of income. If you are concerned you could have someone at our DZ hold the canopy until the check clears or you could just ask him to send a cashiers check. But if he does that, how does he know that you will actually send the canopy or that the canopy is as you've described? There is risk on both sides and there are ways to mitigate that risk. Let me know if you want to have someone hold the money and canopy in escrow. Sandy Grillet Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I too teach rear riser flight including rear riser stalls. In addition, I teach what I call a CAT maneuver which stands for Collision Avoidance Turn. During opening instead of looking up at the canopy, which can cause asymetrical openings, I have them look out at and scan the horizon. While scanning they grab the rear risers and do an immediate 90 degree turn as if to avoid an oncoming canopy. I have them do this on all openings in the class. Last year one of my students came to me and thanked me for teaching this. They were at a boogie and used the CAT maneuver to avoid what they said would have been a certain collision. They also told me that the other person was looking up at their canopy the whole time and did not even know how close they came to a collision. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I've been conducting canopy courses since '02. My son and I wrote a curicullum after having Scott at our DZ. At the time Scott did not have his in document form so we took the following winter and wrote our own. I'm happy to say it is very thorough. It too invloves 5 jumps with 2 angles of video for a very intense debrief of everyone's landings. In my humble opinion I believe one of the most important jumps is the "stalls". I've discovered most average jumpers are scared to death of stalling their canopy and often won't finish the landing flare because of it. Once they know how their canopy stalls and recovers they realize how to recognize when they are near a stall. I also make them land once while flying in half brakes. I use the fly to survive DVD for excellent examples of all the different landing modes it has some great side shots of finishing and not finishing the flare. I have the exact footage marked in my manual so I don't waste time looking for it during the class. If anyone is interested I can post the time codes. I charge $25.00 per person in advance for the course. It takes all day and into the evening. I can only handle 8 people and charging something helps limit the no shows which I have not had. I always have a waiting list to get into the class. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

So far I've seen some good advice on the responses. I would concur with 190. If you were making more jumps per year (like 100 or more) then a 170 might be ok. The 190 will be more forgiving of mistakes which will be more likely when making 40 jumps a year. Also the average person gains 1.5 lbs each year, which means you will likely weigh 15 lbs more in ten years. Go with the 190. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Hey Chris. As you know we have several organizers for the boogie. I am usually assigned to the more experienced jumpers who want to do smaller jumps with more points, usually 8-16. We try to keep the skillsets in the same range. Some times I have people who have less than 200 jumps who can out fly others with 1000s. So jump numbers don't mean as much to me as ability and coachability. However, I am always in the hangar pretty early. And I often jump with who ever can drag themselves out of bed early enough to make the first load of the day. The bottom line is we try to make the jumps fun and challenging. And Professor, I would love to have you come jump with me. I know you enjoy the big ways and wingsuiting during that boogie. But if you can tear yourself from that for a jump or two that would be cool. I look forward to seeing everyone there. It is such an awesome boogie. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I have several jumps on both canopies, using them as mains (which is what everyone should do). There is a huge difference in the two. The Optimum has been completely redesigned. It's not just a PDR with low bulk material. It's has awesome flight characteristics and a powerful flair. Also, I have first hand knowledge that the Optimums that travel with the PD Tour rep have at least 100 jumps on them and they are holding up just fine. I am in the process of changing out my PDR for the Optimum. After what could be a very high speed main malfunction and possible low reserve opening with a long spot and then landing in some guy's back yard along with the pucker factor...... I know which reserve I want over my head. Regardless of the cost. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

What are the specs on your computer? Is it a laptop? How much? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I'll be there. I'm there every year as a belly organizer. All 10 days. Come jump with me. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Based on my few years in the sport, here is what I would try. Buy a case of good beer. Keep it in a cooler in your car so that it is "ice cold". Do not just bring it in to the packing area. Spend a couple of hours on the ground watching the jumpers and ascertain who you think might be the best jumpers on the DZ (other than instructors) At the end of jumping while people are packing up or sitting around the fire, find two or three of those people. Approach them and say something like "you know I've noticed that you seem to be one of the best jumpers on this DZ and people seem to respect you. Could I ask you a few questions? Oh and BTW would you like a beer?" and hand them a cold one. You can make up the rest from there but I bet you will have plenty of people to jump with after that. If not find a DZ with more people like those on this thread. BTW I have never charged anything to jump with someone. Not even my slot. I also disagree with those who say a solo is a waste. I still make solo jumps to practice body position, side slides and center point turns. If you can only afford solos and you can't find someone with whom to jump, then it beats the hell out of sitting on the ground. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I recieved my 2K Composites helmet four days after it shipped from the UK by Fed Ex. Don't know if it matters that I'm a dealer???? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Hi I would suggest the same as "justchuteme". Go to each DZ and spend the entire weekend. That is the only way to tell. I also jump at Skydive Iowa so I am biased. I know most and have jumped with many of the people at Vinton. And they are great people. Both DZs have some awesome people. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Each person has different priorities. Something important to me may not be to you. Some people want to make a couple of jumps and leave. While others want to go to the DZ on Friday evening and not leave until Sunday night. After one weekend at each DZ the answer to your question will be obvious. BTW: if you have not attended a Safety Day you are welcome to come to ours this Saturday April 11. There is no cost. PM me for more info. Good luck in your process. Sandy Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

A fairly well known philosopher once wrote: "When it's time to die let us not discover that you have never lived." "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Chris, what DZ were you affiliated with when you were in the KC area? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

You need to send an eamil to 2K and ask. I have a 2K with the cover for the PC series cameras. The CX100 fits in it as far as size with no problem. However the L-bracket that the camera screws to is too short. The bracket needs to be about 1.5 to 2 inches taller so the camera comes up to the lens hole in the cover. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Of the 900 jumps this guy has, what type of jumps were they? FS, FF, Sit, any competition jumps? What kind of exits has he mostly done? The reason I ask is that exit timing is a learned skill. Some people take a long time to figure it out. Competiton helps. I exit based on the movement of the TI's hips. I watch the count but what I pay more attention to is the movement of the hips. And of course I want to be below the tandem pair for the best exit framing. I would rather be low than high. And if I mis-time the exit by being too low, my TI's will come down to me. It'a a team effort. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I started packing on my third jump. My son started packing when he was 9 years old. He had over 2500 pack jobs before he made his first jump at age 17. He packed the tandem that was used for his first jump. He felt really uncomfortable when he went through AFF in Deland and they wouldn't let him pack his own rig untill he graduated AFF. It was the only thing that he didn't like about his AFF training. In his words "I can't beleive they won't let me pack my own rig...... this is bullshit". Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I use to do CReW, back in the day, and it was a lot of fun. I only do no contact now because of a highly loaded eliptical with razor sharp lines. I can't afford to have an extra canopy/rig just for CReW. My passion is in 4 way. I put together a team to compete in an NSL league in Missouri that was suppose to kick off in '99 or 2000. the guy who was going to head that league dropped the ball. During some subsequent conversations I was having with Kurt Gabel, I decided to start my own league. In 2001 the NPSL was born. We started with 4 or 5 teams and have grown to a steady 9 or 10 teams consistantly and are still going. We use our registration money to bring in world class coaches for most of the meets to provide dive engineering, dirt dive, creeping and exits. The next day each team sits with the coach to debrief the meet video. Many of the people on those teams have gone on to compete at the nationals and to become big way world record holders. The 4 way skills in our area have improved dramatically. This of course causes an imrovement in all formation skydiving. I strongly believe that if you want to grow CReW, you need to do it at the grass roots level which will then feed the national level. Not the other way around. Chris should become the Kurt Gabel of CReW and start the National Canopy Formation League, the NCFL. Get one or two people from each area with the passion for CF to be league directors. It won't be long before CReW is more popular than ever. Just MHO. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

OK got it. I hope the CX 100 does keep whatever settings you put it on, even after shutting off, so when you power it back up all the previous settings are still there. It does do that doesn't it? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I tried to put my buddy's CX 100 into my 2K FF2. There is plenty of room I just need to add about 1.5 inches to the L-bracket that is inside the cover. The bracket is not tall enough to get the camera all the way up to the lens hole. But there is no problem otherwise. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

What do you mean by "storable profiles"? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I have a friend who has a brand new high end Macbook Pro with Imovie 09 and (delivered today) a CX 100 . Would he be better off getting the Premier CS4 to edit? And will your "Tandems Made Easy" work (or help) on either the Imovie 09 or the Premier CS4? Which would be best? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Thanks for the info. Do you know where to get the best price on a Century? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I thought you would appreciate the word play. Thanks for the quick response. I barely sent you the pm and bam! there it was. So are you saying we may want to wait for the Century news before commiting to a lens? Thanks again for all the advice. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I've never had any success trying to watch video from that site. Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

I bought a Sony DSC w 300. It's only 35 mm wide but I can deal with that. My problem is finding someone who can open it up and wire the shutter relaease for a tongue switch. Any one know who is familiar with Sony and can do that? Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.