sundevil777

I got a new MacBook Pro for my son to use - his college program is Mac based blah blah..looks at empty wallet... Anyway, I want to confirm whether the antivirus/antiwhatever products that are made for Macs are a waste of time or not. What do you think? I'm out of my 'zone' on this one, I know very well you gotta stay really well covered for my PCs, but it seems like everyone with a Mac does nothing, despite there being so many software packages made for Macs - hard to believe it is all developed when there is no need. Thanks! 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

Good point, but it should also be said that one steering line jamming can simply be countered by the other side - no need for it to be spinning. Flaring it for the landing is not going to be the usual method, but it can still be done. 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

Some people put the rig/legstraps all the way on the ground, step into the straps and pull it up. That way seems extremely awkward. Try making the legstraps completely loose (long), letting the rig fall down a little over your shoulders, and while holding onto something (to prevent falling) with one hand to steady yourself use the other hand to help get one leg lifted up and into the strap, then reverse the process for the other leg. I find it quite easy to do, especially if your rig has long legstraps, and can even do it without holding onto something if I want to be daring. Having snaps on the legstraps would avoid that process, but I really wouldn't want to go back to all that hardware. Snap fittings on the chest strap might still be available as a special order option, but it fell out of favor because even us old guys didn't want them anymore. 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

Do you really get a T-shirt? I gotta get me one of those! 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 non-locking stows are quite loose, Pilot 210 at WL of 1.15, no problems at all. Of course the good knowledgeable folks at PD strongly advocate double stowing everything as a path toward soft openings. However, they also say the reputation of the old Sabre had for hard openings was only due to packing errors, so what do they know. 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

Quite right! The owner should be reminded that it has resale value, especially since it looks so new. 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 is wise to have a conservative WL on your reserve with so few jumps. That problem can be solved with the proper application of additional money - get an optimum, the 218 or 235 will likely be similar pack volume to the conventional fabric 193. Don't bother to analyze different pack volume charts, just call UPT and ask them what size optimum would be a good fit. Compliments to you on wanting a properly sized canopy for your skills as they are now, you just need more money to put a proper reserve for you into your container. 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 is great that you are so excited about skydiving that you are looking forward to having your own gear, but it is much too early to be concerned about that yet. I think you should use your strong desire to skydive motivate you to be really serious about losing weight. Many problems you'll face skydiving will disappear when gravity has less influence on you. 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

Is there a type of marker that is acknowledged by the industry as OK to use? PD reserves have to be marked on the warning label, is it because it is on the label and not the fabric that we don't need to be concerned about what is doing the marking? Seems like it could bleed through the label. 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

Your schedule posted on your homepage says Sept. 4 is your last day at the boogie. Are you definitely not there on the 5th? Thanks 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

QuoteI've heard speeds in that range before, but they seem a bit high to me. What is the source? 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

Freeflyers are the most likely to use soft reserve handles because they are more likely to be out of control when they take a grip on whatever they can. 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

Countless? I only remember one, and it only involved the age of the earth question. 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

He has a 176 reserve, at a 1.72 WL per his profile. 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

Here's another current thread on student flare technique, I'm sure there are lots of other flare technique threads. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4160858;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread 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

How much do you weigh? You should not trust what I am about to tell you, you should assume I'm completely wrong, or that you shouldn't even be 'armed' with such knowledge at this early point in your training. A small person/short arms, can be at a disadvantage when it comes to landing a large canopy because it might take a longer total stroke of the toggles to get good results, so getting a wrap or two of the steering lines around your hand can be helpful. Some student canopies will be set up with extra steering line length so that it is very difficult to pull down far enough to stall them, and that can compound a short armed person's struggle to get a deep enough flare. You ought to check out how far you have to pull down the toggles to get nearly all the slack out of the steering lines/start deflecting the tail. If you take too much slack out/start pulling down on the tail, you'll be keeping it from starting the flare at full flight, and you don't want that. You are also able to flare deeper by being purposeful at the bottom of the flare stroke - you can add a few/several inches of stroke. It might help to think of the flare as first smoothly transitioning to level flight with plenty of left over forward speed, let if fly like that for just a small bit, then squeeze that last bit of flare power left over out of it to slow the forward motion. You MUST try this a bunch up high, dedicate a bunch of altitude to getting used to the feeling of what is called a dynamic flare, which is very different from what often happens when students just pull down abruptly without getting a feel for flying the wing. Fortunately student canopies are extra big, so even an abrupt flare can have decent results. A non-abrupt flare/flaring a bit more slowly also allows you to realize that you may have started your flare too early, and allow for adjustments before you pull all the way down. If you get half way through your flare and realize you're too high, then just hold that brake position for a while until you get closer to the ground, and then finish the flare. Do NOT let up on the toggles. That will cause the canopy to surge forward and dive down quickly - requires a lot of altitude for the canopy to stop diving. Finishing the flare from a partially braked condition is actually very useful when it is necessary to land in a very tight area, and is often described as "sinking in" your canopy, or an "accuracy approach". When you "sink in" your canopy, you can correct for going long or coming up short of your intended spot by applying a bit more or less toggle input to adjust your angle of descent. The descent of a large canopy in a half to deep brake condition should be slow enough that you can PLF a landing with no flare at the end, just a steady descent rate with less than normal forward speed. A variation of this technique that is more commonly seen is when someone is going long, they might apply some brakes for a short time, but then smoothly go back to full flight with plenty of altitude to spare so that they don't hit the ground while the canopy surges forward (and it does surge dangerously forward, especially if you let the toggles up quickly). Some tandem instructors use this technique to get extra airspeed from the surge for a more effective flare, but you can also kill yourself. I am only advising you learn more about how this "sinking it in" technique is done and why it is useful - DO NOT just try it out yourself at this stage in your jumping career - it deserves serious discussion with an instructor. I think it is reasonable to do some of this stuff at high altitude (after discussion with your instructor). If you do start your flare too early and get the toggles ALL the way down and realize you're too high, what is important is that you don't allow the canopy to stall, which is when the canopy stops making significant lift and you drop like a rock usually with a leaned back orientation (hard to land on your feet - hitting your butt hard). So, if you make the mistake of flaring fully too high, you should realize that you can land in a full flare condition as long as the canopy isn't stalled. Realizing what that 'stall' feels like takes practice (up high) and the need to hover just a bit before that stall point is the only time you should consider letting up just a bit on the toggles when landing (when you realize you're deep in toggles and the canopy has/is stalling). Managing that stall point only requires small adjustments and again should be practiced up high so you know what if really feels like to do it. You can land your canopy while hovering near the stall point with an acceptable rate of descent, and it is MUCH better than letting up on the toggles (surging), or allowing the canopy to stall. The problem is that you may screw up - so don't (yes, I know, easy to say). Many students are not able to reach stall on their large student canopies without wrapping the brake line around their hand. As you jump smaller canopies, it will definitely be possible to stall. All of this stuff is not natural for a new jumper to have thought about, but I think it is worth discussing so that you and others can gain valuable knowledge. As long as you realize that advice you get from the internet might be simply wrong, misinterpreted or misapplied, and you take responsibility to thoroughly review it with your instructors, then you are going to be accelerating your learning curve (a good thing). Be careful out there. Your instructors should be able to discuss these topics with you, but they may also very rightly conclude that it is too much info to take in and process/execute at this stage for you. I may well get flamed for passing on too much advice too early in your training, and probably deserve such flaming, for you may take this advice and hurt yourself with it - so DON'T. 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 consider a 1.72 WL on the reserve to be conservative? 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 earth being only 10,000 years old is not a point of view, to argue with someone that it is billions of years older is just absurd. You may as well argue current events with Charles Manson. Stating the earth is 10,000 years old is a statement of a personal superstitious belief. I believe that a persons superstitious beliefs have no place in a politics, I wanna know about their views on reality. The fact of the matter is, most Democrats are smarter than Republicans on lots of things. http://www.gallup.com/poll/108226/republicans-democrats-differ-creationism.aspx Still got a lot of Dems that follow along with it, not so remarkably free of the delusion I would say. I am in agreement with you on this item though, really. I don't want a president that thinks the Earth is just a few thousand years old either. I know Huntsman would likely not be so foolish to believe it, but it will be interesting to see the results of what the others think, as I think it will become a test question used against the candidates. Blindly accepting religious dogma isn't a trait I want in a president, so the liberal candidates should face questions regarding how blindly they follow their religion(s) - social and economic justice/environmentalism/etc. 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 might sound ridiculous, but maybe you can just plan on going under the power lines (if they're tall enough) before taking off. If the lines are not tall enough, or are somewhat minor power lines anyway, perhaps paying to have them buried is viable. 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

That would be nice to require voters to be educated. The majority of studies done indicates that Republican voters are less likely to be informed on the facts and are also less educated than Democrats. http://www.watchblog.com/democrats/archives/005153.html That conclusion comes from a study that was designed to come to that conclusion. Flawed questions being asked, etc. I understand that it is frustrating to have people able to see other points of view besides those controlled by liberals, so you must attack them personally rather than have it get down to the details of any particular subject/policy. The liberal media monopoly is over, but I think attacks such as the one you cite are a great way of showing what liberals are all about, so I hope they keep it up. 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 seems that you think masculinity should be demonstrated by driving a manual transmission. I have no such insecurity, so much so that I drive a 1st generation (15 year old) Honda Odyssey. I love that car. It has normal doors (non-sliding), massive amounts of room, extremely road trip/sleep inside friendly, small 4 cyl engine. Basically an elevated, underpowered 3 row seating wagon. I realize that many guys are not satisfied with such a vehicle, but value and utility is much more important to me than feeling the mechanisms of my transmission. I designed instrument panels/consoles for Honda for 10 years, including the development of the 6 speed manual version of the Acura CL (no longer in production). 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

Many people pull up visors on full face helmets without tearing being a problem, especially for large, slow parachutes. I used to pull my goggles down below my chin when I used an open face helmet. You have to just work a bit to get the strap below your ears. 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

Upshift without a clutch by backiing off a bit with the throttle while shifting. Downshifting without a clutch by adding a bit of throttle while shifting (fairly harsh feeling to the tranny). That is how the motorcycles I've had worked. I don't think F1 cars are just "crash box" trannys. They have launch control - their clutches are being controlled 'automatically' - they are in a sense automatics. There are some tranny mfgs that have put forward prototypes of fully manual boxes that do anything from full auto mode to full manual mode. That would be 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

@sundevil777 - thanks - so you just made a cutout that roughly held the audible, and then with your head in it can't fall out, correct? Hadn't thought of plugs, so I'm guessing you think they're worth it during freefall then? (noted paragear can't ship this product internationally unfortunately) Yes, the audible fit into the somewhat rigid foam very securely on its own. Earplugs are definitely worth it, both freefall and noise in the airplane will damage your hearing. You can probably find an international dealer: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main.pl?pgm=co_ddlookup&func=search&mode=dealer&strfnbr=6 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

Modern auto trannies are much less "slushy" than in decades past. I seem to remember the best and fastest dragsters in the world having auto trans. 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