rhys

New Zealand. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

and who would evaluate the SKILLZ ? the DZO (or other "responsible" person) or the jumper himself ? you can see where I'm going.... Not really, there are people with 50 jumps in 13 years that think they are gods gift to skydiving, and there are people that smash out jumps and gain valuable experience in a short period of time. No amount of bullshitting around the bonfire being fed crap from 100 jump wonders will give you experience. jumping will give you experience. Even some guys with many thousands of jumps are complacent and forget how difficult or strange something can be to a newer jumper, and give bade advice. we have DZSO's (S&TA's) Coaches, instructors, I/e's... They should be the judge as always! The best idea is to have prerequesates of skills, like starcrest etc. but for each type of dicipline. Once someone has qualified to try, and complete the skill they can move on. There are people with over a decade in the sport that don't have a clue, and there are people with a year or two that have 1000 jumps, a professional attitude and more right to be doing things than someone that has been lingering around for a decade, post whoring on dz.com and not jumping. It's not that difficult to see when sombody is able to do something or not in skydiving, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

That depends on if you are purely talking about the service that is provided or the total effect that the business/Govt. department, has on the community. A compamy might get the job done quicker and cheaper but less people are likely to benifit from the process as a whole, including the profit that is generated. Once the profit goes in the billion dollar bank accounts, it is gone from the street and into the affluent sector of society. Socialism is sharing and capitalism is hording, We need something in between! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

The voodoo riser covers and boc designs are crap! The micron with the new style magnetic covers are bullet proof as well as their type of boc design. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Hi there, Considering New Zealand aerosports have contributed a great deal to the advancements of modern parachutes, i.e. laser cutting technology, modern cross braced airfoils, semi closed noses for great openings and so much more. Isn't it about time they get to have a category as a parachute manufacturer, as well as the JVX being available as a choice when selling or looking for a parachute in the classifieds. I just advertised my JVX and could not put the manufacturer or model in the details section. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

I am an deist/agnostic. I belive is something, but I refrain from using the word God, as it suggests a chistian background, in which i am totally against. Most claimed Atheists(as I was) will probably be agnostic/deist themselves without realising. Nature and existance itself are the ones we should respect and worship, we can use but we should not abuse. There is plenty for all, just not all for plenty, as we unfortunately seem to wish for these days. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Good call! Plenty of that type of guru 'up in here'. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

14 jumps, on Monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday, no clouds all summer? finished by 4pm. Where are these places? They were lucky, on a really quiet day (tuesday or wednedsay) we might only do 10 loads. For the OP, If you want to smash out 200 jumps, and you have your head screwed on well. Come out to Lodi, you'll be surprised how fun and easy it will be, to do so safely! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

He was not Christian, he was deist, along the same lines as my thinking! source "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

You are beginning to see the holes in your establishment, please be fair to yourself when you judge the people that feed you the multi millenia lie. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

I voted skill level. There should always be prerequesates of skill level and understanding, but time alone casts no real shadow of what has been learned by someone. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Now let me straighten this out, Bill will kick you off the DZ, if you are and idiot, being unsafe/stupid, do not do what he says, or he simply doesn't like you. It will always be for a fuck up that you do, and most of the time you would have to be working for him. It is not hard and there are not that many rules. If you are a fun jumper smashing out jumps, he will love you and will probably convince you to come back once you are finished. He is fun with a great sence of humor, but he can be angry and short tempered. It is easy to know when that is (usualy saturday at about 1pm) so just keep your distance. last year my wife and I smashed out 130 jumps (each) in 3 weeks here. We liked it so much we came to stay for a summer. We still love it and will come back again. It is less expensive for us to fly here from New Zealand, do 100 jumps, and fly back again. Than it is to just do the jumps in New Zealand. Everybody says The Parachute Centre (Lodi) is the cheapest dropzone, that is an incorrect statement! It is in fact the 'least expensive' dropzone, In the World! He has 60 sigmas, all in great condition, (not cheap) and he needs them! His rental equipment is made up of 'new' condition rigs with great canopies eg. Javelin Odysseys with skyhooks etc!! sabre 2's and safire2's + others. 4 twin turbines, many loads, onsite engineers and a fully equipped hangar. all = not cheap! Lodi is truly the mecca for smashing out jumps. No bells, no wistles, just great equipment, lots of experience and lots and lots of loads. The Skywalkers were training here a few weeks back with 2 rigs each, they smashed out 14 training jumps each day including the weekdays! High turnaround and 45 years experience is how it manages to be the way it is, don't question it, just jump your ass off or go home! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

They do cut! And there is a sign in the plane on the door pionting out the risk. The 99 is the best workhorse plane out there for a high turn around DZ. Not idiot proof, but what is? "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

I take it you are saying that you had a hilux and didn't get good milage with it? You probably had a petrol (gas) model. 1st point is that the gas in the USA has a very low octane rating, in NZ the lowest grade is 91 octane and the premium is 98 octane. you guys have shitty watered down shit. 2nd point is that that my post was referring to turbo diesel hilux's, probably 90% of hilux's are diesel and turbo diesel. So not only do you get more, kpl (mpg) you pay less per litre (gallon). "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Arguable, But i'm not going down that road. CO2 is not the only pollutant billowed out by human beings into the atmosphere for the sake of making money. This (co2 is not a pollutant) argument will be used by selfish non caring neo cons like you, to continue driving behemouth vehicles, throw away plastic and polystyrene containers, pour you paint waste down the drain and go and fill the ground with lead at the skeet range... Little by little (or alot by alot) we are destroying our fragile environment, that has taken millions of years to find a reasonably balanced existantance. We could fuck it all up in a matter of a coupe of hundred years if we wish, or we could give a shit and move towards a sustainable and resectful co-existance. You choose the former, and unfortunately it is the easy option, so therefore the majority does also. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Our atmoshphere is not very thick, as skydivers we should be some of the first to realise how little atmosphere we have to breath. As a reminder, listen to Kittengers words as he decribes his descent through earths atmosphere. Then ask yourself; Is billowing toxins into our atmosphere without thought a good idea in the long term? For most of you the answer will probably be along the lines of, 'who cares', but plenty of people do! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Read above, I have, for the most part of my career, been given the winds at various altitudes from the very beginning of my skydivng career. Once I travelled abroad I was shocked to find that not only did the dropzones I went to not obtain the winds aloft, but they couldn't have cared less about them! After a while I realised that unless you live at or around 45 degrees, the chances of very_strong_uppers are much much less. I have however experienced 60 knot uppers at around 3 degrees South in Tanzania, and 16 degrees south in Australia, never above 60 knots in my experience though, and not very often. These type of winds are commonplace where I learned and began my career. We would continue to jump with up to 80 knot uppers as long as the ground wind is clean and not above 23 knots! So to answer your question, I advocate listening to your DZSO, (or S&TA in america), if you don't feel comfortable with thier decision... ...Don't jump! Never take advice from these forums and take it literally. Just because something works somwhere for someone else, does not mean it works for everyone, everywhere. Local knowledge and experience will never be rivaled by hearsay on the internet. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

No i don't think the 45 degree rule is exactly correct, but I do think that looking out and making sure horizontal separation is being achieved is the best thing to do. This '7 seconds is adequate for everything' hypothesis is asking for real trouble in a situation with 'very _strong_uppers'. I don't believe either rule is correct but i believe the 45 degree rule is at least some way close to seeing if horizontal separtaion is achieved. Counting 7 seconds and bailing out with 80 knot uppers is plain old stupid! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Toyata Hilux, or tacoma as they are called in America. source These vehicles, have been available for over 20 years in lill'ol New Zealand. Your problem is that what is considered full size, in USA, is considered Behemouth in the rest of the world. The attitudes of the US consumers have to change first, which, (using the metric system as an egample) will take a very long time. Just put the gas prices to over $4 a gallon like everone else pays and then it might be a little faster! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

You failed to see the point Bill, in the scenario I described above, you would remain stationary in your opening position and using your (7 second) model, would be hit by the next guy in 7 seconds and potentially will be in a quadrupal tandem fatality scenario. The idea is to leave adequte separation, not 'just enough' separation. If the cool guys are booting you in you rig to get out, so they can do their 430degree swoop, but you are still not sure. Check you pins again and fuck em, they can go around. It is not a race and we shouldn't be pushed into doing things that don't make sence just because they do in someone elses mind. If there is not much wind at all there is no problem, but when there is alot we should be on the more consevative side than, taking the 'ahh 7 seconds is enough' attitude. This website is well known for bad advice from under experienced post whores, when you explain such scenarios, you should allow for the fact that not everyone has the same level of understanding than you and they may just take some sarcastuc comment seriously. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Not at all, we are saying 'explosives were needed' to make them fall as they did, we don't assume an amount as the official story will try to; They have contradicting stories, one saying that the bulidings did not need explosives to collapse, as in the NIST and Fema hypothesies. but then they say "hundreds of pounds of therimate would be needed to make the same result? You had better make up your mind people. e in tact flors above the onset zone. I won't assume numbers, ill just look at the facts. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

or another way to look at it is to compare to controlled demolitions that did not work properly; like this one or this one or this one then watch the WTC 1 an 2 falling down and ask why the top sections of both of these building turned to dust with large sections of steel columns being fired laterally out of them. the buliding in these links will not have been made to anywhere near the standards of the WTC complex. Also ask yourself, If i am so sure that the buildings could fall down on thier own accord, after the plane impacts, then why should such a large amount on explosives be needed using the same rationale? "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

And linetwists on a icarus main(open in full drive) flying up jumprun at the same airspeed as the windstrength? An unlikely scenario, yes, but I have seen it a few times. "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

Check out the attachment, i scored this yesterday at a concert, so perfect! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

You wouldn't be the first to think so! never trust a hippie! "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix