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You learned without them, so flying with them is going to change stuff. I started with booties around 30ish jumps. It wasnt life changing, but it was different. If you are a confident flyer and want to learn to use them, get them altered and try them out. If your priorities right are on other things, dont throw them into the mix. It will probably take you a few jumps to get used to them, just because youre still new to freefall in general. Someone who has 1000+ jumps isnt going to take long to adjust to booties vs someone with low jumps.

If youre spending $1500+ a month just for rental, get yourself a rig that works asap. You'll outgrow your first rig quickly enough. Then, start planning for a nice rig that fits right, in the colors you want etc... Its going to take some time to make and ship. As said, use ChutingStar as an escrow/inspection service.

I always thought all those coach jumps in Eloy's program were a distinct advantage having gone through the program myself over a decade ago. Completely agree... I was able to work on different exits, tracking, and linking up. Some of the best coaches in the biz. It was money well spent in my opinion. Youre right, it will make you a better skydiver and give you more experience. I did not go through the program myself, but I had heard things like you get briefed by a coach, then go jump by yourself anyway. But like I said, I do not know first hand. I went to a smaller DZ and just made friends with the coaches and just talked to them about my jumps. More than willing to help out and was much cheaper for myself.

My understanding is that there isn't, maybe I've been given bad info. There is. My friend was over there last year as a TI. It may be a small crowd, but theres skydivers.

Eloy has a wind tunnel, and their AFF course comes with 10 minutes with an instructor. They have places to sleep, laundry, pretty much everything you need to stay there. You can jump all year around. Right now planes fly every day. Its a good place, but it will cost you around $4k+ to earn your A license since they want you to do the remaining 14 jumps coached after your AFF until you receive your A.

Not everything scales the same when you go smaller, and things still happen faster. Think of a full size airplane flying, then a model of the same plane. Even with the same scale dimensions and weights, stuff happens a lot faster in the model. Full size plane takes 20+ seconds to take off, while the model takes 5... That's the best analogy I can provide. As far as the rule being 150 sqft, I would say its considered a general consensus that most canopy pilots need to be proficient in their abilities in order to fly such a canopy.

You can call the DZ and verify hes working there. I would out him myself, online and to the DZ he works at. Call his dad, etc. You can try to file a police report, but they're likely just to tell you "take him to court". Other than that, keep harassing him. Since you cant exactly walk on the DZ and take your rig back, gotta get whatever you can somehow.

Fear of long words Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Also, join the Skydiving Gear For Sale and Wanted page on FB. You can find some pretty good deals on there as well.

Dont get in a hurry to downsize. Given your weight, a 190 would be an easy enough transition though. Go with a container sized for a 170. You can stuff a 190 in there, and when you downsize it will fit down to a 150. Make sure it has an RSL. I would look for something made after 2000 (just to keep it relatively new). Any other options are "nice to haves" but not really necessary off student status. You'll have time to plan what you really want for your next container. Look for a non-elliptical main. Nav, Silhouette, and Storms are pretty docile. Spectre, Sabre2, and Pilots wouldnt be bad either at your wingloading. For pricing, usually take off $1 per jump, add or subtract a bit if a reline was recently done if needed (relines are roughly $300-$350). Take off more if it was jumped in the desert. Get an AAD, Cypres 2 or Vigil. Used ones are hard to come by. Cypress has a estimated value calculator here http://www.cypres-usa.com/usedcypres.asp For a reserve, bigger is better. Your container will fit a reserve roughly the size of your main, except you wont want to overstuff it like the main. So if its sized for a 170 reserve, find a 170 reserve. PD reserves are great, Tempos and Ravens are popular. Again, I'd look for 2000+ if possible. Finding a container with a reserve is pretty easy. And youre a pretty common size, so finding a container that fits wont be difficult. And of course, use your resources. Talk to your AFFI, rigger, and other jumpers at your DZ and ask them about their gear. Most are more than happy to hand out advice.

I have some friends at skydive tecumseh and they say hes legit.

the setups they have can easily run into the hundreds of dollars. Some of those transmitters could easily be over $1000 by themselves. The first person camera setups are several hundred bucks each too.

You seriously need to re-examine your definition of "failure". Exactly. Im almost exactly at 1 year and I've got 86 jumps and 30 mins of tunnel, and I can jump year round at Eloy.

http://www.precisionrigging.com.au/info/Airtec_Cypres_AAD_Servicing.aspx

How many miles? Start with the simple/cheap stuff and go from there. Plugs, wires, coils, catalytic converter (just disconnect the exhaust to test before spending a bunch of money on new ones). A possible issue is a blown head gasket. If it is getting water into the cylinder, it would cause misfires. You can test check this by pulling some spark plugs after it has been misfiring and see if they are wet, checking if your oil is a milky white color (presence of water), or starting the engine (cold) without the radiator cap on and watching for air bubbles. Did you power wash the engine bay recently? Drive through deep water?

I like this as well

Make sure you alert the local bike shops. Give them a description and VIN, this way if they call in for a key, or new plastic (in the case of sportbikes), it may tip them off. I used to work at a Suzuki dealer and helped recover several stolen bikes this way. "I need the VIN in order to cut a key". They give you something close, and you arrange for an officer to be around the corner when they show up. Best of luck.

spacer foam is standard now too

Shitty. Sorry I cant offer any advice but I hope everything works out for you.

Sounds odd to me. Sabre 2's are fairly common as a beginner canopy I believe, but I've never actually seen anyone with a pulse. My DZO highly recommended a Silhouette when I starting, I went with a Storm and he was OK with it. But youre right. With 7k jumps he might know something you dont. Also, hes the DZO...

Glad everything went well! Going to a 190 for a few jumps would have been ideal, since you just got your A license, but going elliptical would not be. Your exit weight puts you just over 1:1 wingloading, which isn't too crazy for a beginner. Good call pulling high and practicing your flare. Hope you enjoy your new rig!

First night solo and group jumps! And yes, I bought my beer!

We have UAVs flying almost daily out of Ft Huachuca

Depends who is saying it. Military, drone means UAV. Civilian, drone means UAV as well as quadcopters, hexacoptors, etc... The media likes to use drone because its catchier/easier than specifying what kind of aircraft it actually is.

theres a lot of opinion on the subject, and mine is "bigger is better" after the chaos of a cutaway, you dont want to be struggling to learn a new canopy. get down safely, buy some beer, and get back on the next load you can.