DrDom

They want to talk to you before you go to lunch, duh! :) You are not the contents of your wallet.

2 full time jobs (Im a barista for 40 hrs a week, and Im a robotics programmer for 40 hrs a week) and another part time barista job. That leaves me no time to spend my money.... I currently have no life...... Still live with dad for the next year so I am doing nothing but saving. I like my coffee, but thats a rig, gear, and a lot of jumps. I'd live in a tent and drink brewed coffee to have more life experiences.. and I frickkin love my coffee and espresso. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Well, someone beat me to this If you want kids and aren't married... consider adopting. If you're willing to have kids with "A friend".... maybe you and your friend should explore options of making a family TOGETHER? Call me old fashioned, but I think kids should have every opportunity to have a functional family arrangement ideally with 2 parents when possible. It takes a village to raise a child as it is. But what do I know, my wife and I do not want kids. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Well... I'll just say I chimed in on this on the other forum and I just do not "get it". Maybe because I'm new, still scared, and more intent on longevity than making more dangerous a sport that already is dangerous but... this is lifesaving equipment that someone relies on that you're messing with. What if you do something stupid dumping a friend and you snag the bridle on them? What if they panic and lose control on open? IMHO pranks are for the ground, safety and predictability is for the sky. If you want to see how "normal" people react, grab someone's E-brake on the highway or cut the fuel in a small plane. Its not funny, its unplanned (even with all your prep its still not known by the primary person who NEEDS to know), and if something bad happened it would be nobody's fault but yours. Endanger your own life if you want... not mine. So, in short... don't screw with me or my gear unless you're my AFFI ;) You are not the contents of your wallet.

IIRC: Pull, Pull at correct altitude, Pull stable You are not the contents of your wallet.

Thorazine would probably work better. Thorazone, olanzapine, haloperidol, lithium... I have a whole list of meds that would be helpful for her. Hell, she is in CO. In 5 weeks, she can legally get what she needs to chill out. Or it will make her paranoid, psychotic, and fat. A bad mix. Maybe when pot gets legalized we can open a shop next door to her. At the least it will distract her from airplane noise since she'll have to open a "citizens for pot-free streets" or something.. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Friend, you're not alone. As humans we do good changing 1-2 variables at a time. You have changed: new sport, new people, leaving the "safety" of an airplane, knowing how to fall, knowing how to CONTROL the fall, giving control over to instructors, opening and checking a canopy, driving that canopy, understanding gear, landing the canopy... and all the other knowledge they dump on you in a short day. The fact that you were able to get through the jump and understand where you are on the learning curve is a good sign you're on the right track. Just remember how intellectually and psychologically difficult what you are doing truly is. I was worried about the possibility of repeating levels as well. My AFFI gave great advice: You have your whole life to rack up jumps and get expert licenses... you have a relatively short time to be a student and learn the basics. Take it slow and don't think about numbers as much as skills. With some students they stopped calling them "levels" and just started talking about "dive flows". As intelligent beings we tend to want to organize everything into little compartments to see progress. I say throw the concept out and rely on your instructors to help get you there. That, or stop thinking of it as "repeating a level" and think of it as honing your skillset for future jumps, practice, or just a skydive that did not go AS PERFECT (instead of "so badly") as you hoped. You'll get there. Its a lot to take in. Just don't be too hard on yourself. Besides, nobody will ever stop you in the street and say "What you do you MEAN you repeated Level 3?"... most people will just look at you and say "holy crap, you jump out of airplanes?" You are not the contents of your wallet.

Now THAT is pretty funny You are not the contents of your wallet.

Does this cost less than just bundling them together? I have such a high risk from health that bundling it ended up cheaper since USPA is a "bulk buy" insurance instead of going it solo... I guess if I could buy through an employer it may be easier. Anyhow, I had not thought of accident insurance, I assumed it did not cover sports... You are not the contents of your wallet.

Thorazine would probably work better. Thorazone, olanzapine, haloperidol, lithium... I have a whole list of meds that would be helpful for her. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Did it not occur to cutaway because it passed "There, Square, Landable" or because you feel you just didnt consider it? It seems if you had the wherewithal to conduct a controllability check and determine you werent in a spin and practiced rear riser flares before your hard deck... uh... I guess I'd say it sounds like you considered it more than you're letting on and determined you did not need to. Sounds like you kept a cool head and followed your training. Maybe the internal discussion was subconscious. I cant speak as an experienced skydiver, but in terms of the psychological processes taking place I'd call your decisions "informed" at the least :) I'm interested in hearing why there was not a spin as well, it seems intuitive to my uneducated mind that it would turn... Curious indeed. You are not the contents of your wallet.

This is a brilliant post. Thank you for so eloquently saying what I could not. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I dont think that was how she was instructed... just sayin'. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Pranks are a no-go in aviation? Huh? Not anywhere I've ever worked! I've seen and heard about some absolutely awesome ones- probably more than I've seen/heard of in skydiving. I guess the difference is I work with other professionals who know the limits of what is safe and what's not. To that end, if an AFF instructor (who is obviously trained to do it safely) dumped me out as a prank, I'd probably think it was pretty funny. Anyone else, not so much... although I don't think I'd have too much heartburn over it. Maybe just a discussion over a beer as to why it isn't such a good idea. The only aviation pranks I have ever seen were pre-takeoff before any risk of death occurs. I have never been privvied to an intentional joke in flight (yes, someone accidentally cut my fuel once, and more than a few people gotten us near stall). Would I defriend someone? No, But I may think twice about jumping with them again. I would definitely pull them aside over a beer and let them know it was not OK. If they had my jump solo on a count and left me out flying alone... well... I'd probably laugh because that is kind of funny and doesn't put anyone at risk if the spot is good. I'm in it for longevity and a calculated risk with appropriate mitigation. People know I'm rather serious about safety, so my guess would be pranking me wouldn't be a lot of fun for any parties. I'm not saying people shouldn't do it, I just am not into it and see the concerns with adding more variables to an existing risky sport. The question of "pranks on a jump" is one that can not be answered for the masses, it can only be answered by the individual. My opinion is mine alone, your mileage WILL vary. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Welcome to the board. Quick questions to clarify (I can not help you with much as a student to the sport). You need to define "opening" for accurate numbers. Do you require time from pilot-chute deployment to full canopy inflation or do you mean time from line-stretch to full opening? A quick and dirty way would be to try and use video to measure the times (theres a LOT on youtube). My videos on a PD-Navigator260 are not useful since the video loses me after pull. But as an engineer you need to define your parameters. I can not speak for an "average 150lb" person deploying, it may be better to actually use the MODE altitude since data collection on a large enough sample would yield outliers from "cross country" flights which may deploy up or over 10,000 to low pull altitudes. Airspeed in MSL? Under terminal "boxman" student freefall conditions your non-scientific-average is around 120mph or roughly 200ft/s (1000ft/5.5s). Some folks probably have altimeters that calculate fall rates that may be useful. Under canopy I believe its roughly 1000ft/minute IIRC. Your ground speed would depend on canopy type and wind conditions. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Well, realize that there are a few points here: First, it is unlikely that "noise damage", "Fuel dumping", jet fuel smell, etc could ever be adequately proved in a court of law. However, it requires the expense of the DZ to acquire experts on behalf of them, which can be pricey (If I can help as an ER doc, let me know, but they may suspect bias with an interest in diving and aviation). Second, this is not about as much as winning a legal case as it is causing the DZ to be unable to afford legal costs. I doubt this would ever arrive in court and if it did proving the damages would be difficult. Smells could be from autos spilling gas, smog, atmospheric problems, non-skydive aviation. BUt like I said, its NOT about winning the case, its about the financial onslaught of the DZ. You are not the contents of your wallet.

When you do your PP, ask them to take you up in a piper cub, leave the door open (yes, its very nice to fly door open on them... its like a motorcycle) and remove your headset. Stick your head into the airstream. Its about 70MPH plus the prop stream. Its loud. Or head to the wind tunnel even WITH ear plugs in you'll know it is loud. 3.5deg/10,000ft is what I've heard. Youre only there for a second so its a lot like reaching into the freezer to grab a bottle of vodka and taking your hand out. You warm up about 3.5degF/10seconds on the way down. From experience, as a new jumper... you're not shaking because of the cold, and your toes arent numb because of the wind chill. Adrenaline has a numbing quality on temperature perception. You'll sweat anyway ;) Crater? Depends on the ground but I have seen people fall off small buildings and leave a small "dent" in soft earth. In blacktop or concrete this may vary depending on the nature of the material. Hell.. I landed pretty hard after a high flare and there was a dent where I made my PLF (with no injuries by the way, other than my pride). It was fairly soft dirt the day after a rain with the exception of the big granite rock I rolled over (which, in fact, did not dent or even move at all) You are not the contents of your wallet.

I got denied as a solo applicant FOUR times because I've had heart surgery at age 27 (now 35). When I found one they charged me $200/month. I took up skydiving AND aviation and applied through USPA and I pay $200/month with all the extras included (where my old insurance SPECIFICALLY said it does not cover sporting related injuries or aviation/underwater activities). But I also have enough bills that I needed $500k so when I do something stupid my wife isnt left footing the bill. As for Suicide, I was told by both companies that it does not cover suicide for the first 6 months but legally they actually need to cover it now at least in the US. I have to thank the USPA for having a good insurance programme. As for disability... still waiting on that. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Maybe I'm old but as a new jumper the idea of even getting out the door scares me. The fact that someday I could deal with someone playing a joke on me actually now terrifies me and makes me not want to continue. Maybe its my lack of experience or my current anxieties that already exist, but I am not afraid to admit I personally would not be comfortable or take kindly to someone pranking me. If you want to risk your life, thats fine. I'll be damned if I leave my family without a provider because someone thought it funny to flip me around and pull my PS as a joke. I'll get killed by my own stupidity not anyone else's Now, having someone leave on a count when nobody else does: potentially funny. The "extras" on a 1000th jump may even be funny. But I do not get some of the others. It is fun, until its not. I'm sure not everyone else feels this way, but I think pies after milestones: good. I think beer rules are good. I think shenanigans at the DZ on the ground are generally good. But to a new jumper, this just makes me more nervous in the sky. Feel free to say its my lack of experience, because that I have. But what I lack in diving numbers I make up with aviation experience, and pranks are a no-go... which is why there are relatively few aircraft issues. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I can't weigh in on the helmet debate but have you considered a drying agent like Scopolamine? You can put a patch on and the anticholinergic effect of the medication will dry your sinuses right out. I think fear tends to dry mine, but in your case I recommend giving it a shot. Wear it on the ground for a few days to make sure you can tolerate it. You are not the contents of your wallet.

I think they actually set this to be ten days. Starting on Friday for ground school and possibly a jump then you have a weekend plus a week. This is more than enough time fro training, jumping, and debriefing. But, everything that goes into an A-license and the jumping is not for everyone to complete in that time frame. Some people need a little more time for personal emotional reflection between jumps or to work through issues that develop in flying. heh, I've taken almost 2 months between levels 6 and 7 for "reflection". Doing it all at once may have made me more comfortable by now... So there could be some merit to it You are not the contents of your wallet.

Yes, 240v at 30A is a ton of juice. I used to run 8000W amplifiers off those kinds of circuits for concerts (Would run 10-12 at a time). I can tell you that solar will not be able to handle that load and your coffee will taste terrible because you wont get steam. I have a Capresso S9 and it makes a wonderful espresso. I'm a total coffee snob (even use a vacuum pot for my brewed coffee) and this gives you store quality in a smaller machine. If you need to make a lot of espresso or froth all week get the Z9, its store grade. But I digress, you can get a great espresso from 120v, hands down. Most units can generate the heat, it just takes a bit longer. NOW... can you run a fridge from solar? You bet, we do it all the time. A stove? hmm... I think my kitchen stove takes 50A at 120v, thats a lot of juice. My generator can run it but not the large amount of solar we have. The ROI on solar is still on the order of 10 years or so... which means if you are paying for hookups at the DZ it may be cheaper in the long run especially if you are paying by meter and not a flat cost. If its a flat cost, you should try and get 240v and have your espresso, bigger stove, etc. You are not the contents of your wallet.

Those kinds of Monday-morning quarterbacks get people killed. You should NEVER second guess a cutaway. If the parachute does not make you comfortable that it is THERE, SQUARE, and LANDABLE... what the hell other questions do you need answered other than "what sucks less"... a cutaway or a potentially dangerous canopy? Tell him when he is under the canopy its his call, but until then you made the best decision with the information you had at that moment. Making you question your decisions causes hesitation. Hesitation is not a lifesaving maneuver in the world of skydiving. I see this in aviation, medicine, and now skydiving. If you want to have a conversation about a cutaway its great, but leading in with "I heard you cutaway a perfectly good parachute"... i can't tell if its rude, obnoxious, or completely ignorant. sorry for the rant. You are not the contents of your wallet.

the 90W units are just to maintain the batteries during storage, not for use. You are not the contents of your wallet.

This will be VERY pricey if you want it available all the time to drive your 220v espresso machine. The way to do this would be to have your panels feed a battery bank (panels usually produce DC current, which will eventually have to be changed into AC, more on this later). In my house, the panels feed a bank of batteries which are then used to provide current. The batteries feed into an inverter which can then supply power. If you need a 220v its not so much a question of VOLTAGE its a question of AMPS. How many Amps do you need to supply that espresso machine? Under normal circumstances you could probably power a small fridge with a few panels, a stove is a HUGE power hog if it is electric, and an espresso machine really you need to figure out how many amps it will draw. If you want to run 120v and 240v (or 110v/220v, they are for the most part the same) you will just need 2 inverters, one for each (unless you have one you can switch) It seems it would be easier to get a 120v espresso maker, no? Solar power lacks efficiency, and a couple cloudy days will make it so you cant run a fridge or make coffee which is a problem. I'd at least use propane for the stove. Do you have a solar store near you? They love projects like this and can get you better panels than "hobby panels" you get at DIY stores, they can also calculate your loads out and get you prices on batteries and inverters. With a battery system, you may find that the batteries are prohibitively expensive as they were in my home (we have street electric, backed up by solar, backed up by generator... and the batteries for the solar were the single most expensive part). OK, sorry for the long reply. You are not the contents of your wallet.