darkwing

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Everything posted by darkwing

  1. darkwing
    Here's one that won 4-way at the Nationals in 1978 and 79... Wanna do some 4-way in that? -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  2. darkwing
    I think the missing ingredient in the postings on this subject is the confusion factor in the airplane. I bet if I asked 100 jumpers what they would do if the engine was engulfed in flames that 50 of them would say "I run to the door and jump out". The other 50 (mostly older/more experienced) jumpers would say "I'd sit still, check my handles and buckles, and wait until the pilot said to get out." -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  3. darkwing
    That's funny, giving yanks a conversion from stone to kg. That's no help. 63 kg = 139 lbs. So you can expect to be maybe 165 out the door. Generic advice would be to get a canopy about 170-sized. There will be a noticeable transition from most student 200s to a 170 though, so get with your instructors, get some advice from them, which will be better than from any of us. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  4. darkwing
    get some uncolored diagrams of the rig, pass them out at your DZ, and offer the person who comes up with the winning color scheme a free jump. Only $20 to save yourself all of that anxiety. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  5. darkwing
    I'd say unless you have a reason to think that there is a deficiency where you were at, then you should stay there. I'm certainly not aware of any problems at Chester, nor is anyone else here that I have ever heard. Going to other DZs is easier and more fun, once you have your license. As said above though, there are several fine DZ's in NC/SC. Come to mine when you get a chance. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  6. darkwing
    I've taken groups there a couple of times, although it has been a while. We stay at Rodeway Inn International 6327 International Dr. Phone (407) 996-4444 And were pleased enough that anyone from here pretty much stays there. It is a couple of blocks away. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  7. darkwing
    get a used cypres, get a used rig, get a used main, get a used reserve. Judicious shopping should get you into suitable gear for a reasonable price. There is a good buyers market out there. As said above, used does not mean that safety is compromised. Also, as said above, you will probably put 100-200 jumps on the main and want something different anyway. Get a new jumpsuit. Get a used altimeter &/or audible. Get a used helmet (and paint it your colors). -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  8. darkwing
    Reserve risers should not be "tight". Have your rigger look at them, and perhaps adjust things a bit. This is one of those things that is especially difficult to address on a forum, and relatively easy to deal with in person. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  9. darkwing
    I have seen film showing otherwise. As Nitro says above, Paraflite certainly showed it worked, until manufacturers started making it harder to extract the bag from the reserve container. It does raise an interesting question. Why bother with a configuration that was designed for a case (loose containers) that no longer exists? I still bet a bag deployed canopy has a lower malfunction rate than one not bag deployed--but then I (like the rest ofthe world) don't have data to support my belief. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  10. darkwing
    For those who are curious, here are a couple of photos of a 401 and a 402 photo -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  11. darkwing
    Aha! changing the extension worked. I have been a long time user of MPlayer, and VLC, but neither worked until I changed it to .wmv. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  12. darkwing
    Skydown Skydiving in Idaho has a 402 (according to USPA and DZ.com DZ listings). I have no idea how similar they are to a 401. Hopefully more similar than a cessna 207 and 208. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  13. darkwing

    be aware

    darkwing replied to skything's topic in Gear and Rigging

    This is a well known (at least by many people) scam. Sorry you learned the hard way. Scam artists are everywhere. There are several threads dealing with the standard ways to sell gear via the internet, and other threads that mention this scam. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  14. darkwing
    I'm a Mac/Unix guy and I can't find a codec that will play it. bummer. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  15. darkwing
    Just don't make the mistake of trying too hard to avoid the tarmac! Plenty of people have been hurt when they should have just landed on the tarmac with a good flare, rather than doing crazy stuff avoiding the tarmac. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  16. darkwing
    I second the view that most manufacturers can hook you up just fine. Don't make this an agonizing decision. Contact some dealers and manufacturers. It isn't very usefull for an unusual size person to try rigs on and make decisions based on a rig that was built for someone else, so you need to consider features that are attractive to you. Still, having said that, most rigs could be fine for you. I jump an Infinity, and am (regretably) only a few pounds lighter than you, but also a few inches shorter. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  17. darkwing
    That reminds me of a tragic skydiving accident involving a real toilet, impact, shrapnel, and stitches. You may have heard of an airshow event known as "flour bombing," well skydivers may have tried the same thing with toilets. Not that it is anything other than an absurd rumor of course. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  18. darkwing
    The vast majority of the jumpers I know would answer "never". -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  19. darkwing
    Care to tell us why you did that? I have a couple of ideas, but would rather not speculate. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  20. darkwing
    I think there is a joke buried in there somewhere. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  21. darkwing
    dont you think this one is better? -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  22. darkwing
    I have been married to a very accomplished woman skydiver, and am now married to a whuffo. I don't see any real underlying biases either way. If anything, the problem for a person who has a lifestyle that is consumed by an interest is less likely to connect to others outside that interest. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  23. darkwing
    You have to be careful about the word "stronger". Among other issues, tensile strength is VERY different from tear strength. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  24. darkwing
    rice paper? cotton candy fabric? All kidding aside, I am certain that the solution exists without having to invent it. It would seem that weight and bulk of the canopy are not major issues, which simplifies the process of selecting a suitable material considerably. -- Jeff My Skydiving History
  25. darkwing
    I know nothing about it, but would need to know a LOT more before I made a canopy out of it. What is its tear strength? Can you sew it by conventional means? How sensitive is it to being crammed into a tiny bag and compressed? ... Edit to add: I'm concerned about the 7 year shelf life, which seems to be not very long. Still, I am certain that we are technologically capable of significant improvements in our fabric and suspension lines. Mostly it is an issue of being a small market in the vastly bigger world of textiles. -- Jeff My Skydiving History