sundevil777

More agressively tapered/elliptical canopies will be more responsive, or twitchy. The Sabre2 is not tapered so much. Many people will get a more tapered and smaller canopy at the same time, which can be extra dangerous. See ya in the spring! People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Putting out students in high winds on round reserves: I agree it is a really bad idea, but I don't know that the USPA BSRs were any different for the wind limits back when every student used a round reserve - does anybody know for sure? I also don't remember experienced jumpers considering a reserve ride when deciding if it was too windy. What is really amazing to me about your story is that the 'instructors' actually admitted that they didn't have ratings! You have to be really stupid to admit that to a stranger. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I think this is advise is a bit too general. For very large canopies where the toggle stroke for a particular person does not allow them to actually stall the canopy, it is good advise. As students move to smaller canopies, I think they must learn to ease up just slightly before then getting that last bit of flare out if needed (a deep flare that is too high). It has saved me a few times. Of course you don't want early students trying it, but the ability to sink a canopy into a tight area depends on this type of skill which is not so well known anymore. Also, when flaring from a high performance approach, the novice might find themselves getting much more response than anticipated, and the ability to nurse it back to the ground gracefully depends on this skill. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I think it is almost impossible to not have the pilot chute get severely entangled - in and out of the slots. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

And why is it that we so often refer our newbies to their instructors for help with buying their gear? When it comes to training/procedure questions when a newb, ask your instructors. When it comes to gear selection, there is little reason to think that instructors should be your source of wisdom. By the time you have enough jumps to use your own gear, you should have a pretty good idea of those on the DZ (besides instructors) that have the experience and wisdom to help you spend your money wisely. The good news is that there are many good containers out there, and it all depends on how heavily you weigh the different factors. New gear is fun, don't let one person's bias push you too much. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Why would it include reaction time? If I were trying to demonstrate how quickly a reserve could open, I would have no delay at all between cutting away and pulling reserve - pull the handles simultaneously. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

So balloons would not register? I would think ATC would be interested in them. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

It does not matter where it is made, just whether it is TSO'd. The letter of the law may require a repack by an FAA certified rigger, but my strong suspicion is that nobody at a DZ/boogie cares about that detail. If you don't have the lead seal on (as some/many countries don't require) that would probably raise unwanted attention, so get somebody to put one on for you if you don't already. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Don't let that be your most important criteria for choice of DZ. It is not that hard to switch. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Without unpacking my rig, I don't have any to measure, but the diameter is just like the tube stows. I've only seen a couple different sizes (the other was obviously larger than tube stows), so you won't have a problem choosing. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

They don't always break when you want them to: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1938376#1938376 And they are much more likely to break when you don't want them to. I will take a bag lock over an explosive opening caused by broken locking stows anyday. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

The workers in Honduras may have the best jobs of their lives, and be very dedicated. A worker in Florida may feel the opposite. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Thanks. I know that the Infinity does not use the coating. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

My previous rig had the coating on the freebag, and it also 'stuck' to the canopy. It had been a closet queen for about 3 years, and never subjected to unusual heat. The coating on the inside of the container was also flaking badly. The container was about 20 years old, but the freebag was only about 10. Are there any rigs that still use the coating on the freebag? With no apparent benefit, and the increased bulk and risk of sticking, this design should be discouraged within the industry in a strong way, I think. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Making that conclusion is not justified from a comparison of 2 canopies, and many would probably not agree that the Sabre2 performs better than the Pilot. There are some key factors that contribute to the opening characteristics that have nothing at all to do with the performance when open, such as the brake setting, slider size/shape. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Even if you only use the audible to give you the last, siren pitch warning, I think it is worth putting it in your helmet. Of course you shouldn't need the thing to remind you of your hard deck, but you've already got the device, why not put it somewhere that it can remind you to save your life. No glory in not being device dependant if you're dead. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Wings do not respond well to a sudden change in angle of attack. A large canopy will be more tolerant of this. If the alternative technique, sometimes called a 'two-stage' flare, is done with sudden/quick yanks and a substantial pause between the stages, the results can also be poor. Think about being smooth and dynamic. Watch others land and then emulate. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

Silibands should have the same plus/minus arguments as tube stows. Try this thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1781301#1781301 It should not affect the opening shock. Even the old guy with the beard that invented some of our equipment advises their use for the locking stows. I make my own tube stows really cheap, and make them the length that I need from the bulk silicone tubing you can find in the fishing/sporting goods section of any department store (really cheap per foot). Use a pair of needlenose pliers to turn one end over about 5mm. Insert the closed pliers into the other end and open the pliers to expand the tubing. Now take a pair of hemostats (sp?) or similar instrument used for other purposes to grab the turned over end of the tubing and insert it into the opened end. Carefully slide the tubing off the pliers and you're done. No need to glue anything. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I remember reading in a previous thread that all of the reserves are made there. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

You can still hear the very loud noises, they just don't hurt. Same with your audible. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I hear mine better when I wear earplugs. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

The amount of tension is what matters, not whether you get it with a double or single stow. I say balogna. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

I think this is very bad advise. The stows should hold with an appropriate force. That level of force is what matters, not whether it was achieved with a double or single wrap of the stow band. It is better to use a shorter band than double stow to achieve that force. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

This was from Coolidge, there is a rope ladder hanging down from the door, and a rope from the door to the tail. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

This is nice. People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am