slotperfect

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Everything posted by slotperfect

  1. slotperfect
    Tandem Instructors: when you board the aircraft, how is your student's harness adjusted? For the sake of this poll, let's assume that all Tandem Instructors make small final adjustments prior to hookup. It's not those minor adjustments that I am asking about. Thanks. Arrive Safely John
  2. slotperfect
    Tandem Instructors: at what point on the climb to altitude do you have your student remove their seatbelt? Arrive Safely John
  3. slotperfect
    I got "Five People" before Christmas on audio . . . it was excellent. Right now I'm reading "Trojan Odyssey" by Clive Cussler. It's a series of novels with a recurring character that I have been reading since I was 14. I just finished "Bleachers" by John Grisham which was just OK. Over the holidays I read "Under The Banner Of Heaven" by Jon Krackauer - excellent. Arrive Safely John
  4. slotperfect
    On the rare occasion I do use packers, I will cock the P/C and set my brakes myself. I find this to be very common. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Arrive Safely John
  5. slotperfect
    How many US DZ's do y'all know of that have an AAD requirement? Air Adventures Skydiving in San Diego is the only one I personally know of (but I'm far from being an authority on the subject). Raeford does not require them for the general skydiving population, but requires them for their instructional and video staff. Of course, all tandem rigs and student rigs are AAD equipped as well. I don't believe that individual businesses (DZO's) choosing to make AADs mandatory will start a trend. Anyone with a 100% AAD end state in mind would be more successful petitioning USPA members and presenting their case to the USPA BOD. Question for the DZOs who have made them mandatory: was your choice because of a desire for increased safety in the sport, or to fend off the litigative legal environment in your state?? Arrive Safely John
  6. slotperfect
    Great post, Dave! Rear riser skills doing tandems are very valuable. For me, it has made the difference between landing on the DZ and landing out (extra long spots due to students freezing in the door). Arrive Safely John
  7. slotperfect
    I will occasionally get a tip, as will the camera flyer who filmed the jump. I am not in the habit of tipping the pilot or packer(s) as part of the equation, but we on the Staff take care of them in other ways. Arrive Safely John
  8. slotperfect
    Kudos to Parasport Italia for their great customer service. My similar story: I bought a used Pro-Dytter on eBay last year, sent the Seller the eighty-something dollars by money order as requested, and received an email saying "your package will ship today." One week - nothing. Ten days - nothing . . . I sent another email (no reply). Two weeks - nothing. Three weeks - nothing still . . . sent another email. Shortly after that I got a very apologetic email from the same guy using a different email address, explaining that he was on the way to mail my package and caught his girlfriend messing around with another guy. The reason for the communication lapse was that he got pissed and drove his truck into the guy's house, and had been sitting in jail. He was out on bail, using a friend's computer. I got my Pro-Dytter and a great story. True or not, the story was worth leaving him positive feedback regardless. Arrive Safely John
  9. slotperfect
    When I put my rig on, I put it on left arm first, to ensure I don't accidentally knock my reserve ripcord handle out of the pocket. Next, I point my right elbow through the right side of the harness and sneak my forearm through behind it. I do that specifically so my arm doesn't cause the cutaway pillow to turn under the harness. A pillow that turns itself under without being pushed there by donning the harness should be replaced, IMHO. First, have your Rigger check to ensure it has been installed correctly. Lastly, I believe that a harness that is too small for the user increases the likelihood of the cutaway pillow being turned under, as there is less room for the arms and shoulders to move easily under the main flit webs and yoke. Great post, BTW. Arrive Safely John
  10. slotperfect
    I will be there for Safety Day at Raeford . . . save me a seat! Arrive Safely John
  11. slotperfect
    IMHO, for a skydiving instructor's card, nothing can beat a blue sky freefall picture. I am having some made shortly with just such a pic. Missing y'all, Arrive Safely John
  12. slotperfect
    Well done!! Miss you guys . . . hope y'all are well and getting plenty of "skyjumping ac-tion." Arrive Safely John
  13. slotperfect
    HUUUUGE congratulations! I wish you many happy years together . . . Arrive Safely John
  14. slotperfect
    I leave some folded canopy sticking out of the mouth of the bag intentionally, rather than working all of the folds into the free bag, which fills the corners of the container nicely. Arrive Safely John
  15. slotperfect
    As soon there is an opening for a Greeter at the Wal Mart in Spring Lake, he plans on dropping his retirement papers. Arrive Safely John
  16. slotperfect
    I have not, but a friend of mine's Dad has run it for years. It's a well established DZ. Arrive Safely John
  17. slotperfect
    Skydive El Paso is a short drive across the border into New Mexico. Arrive Safely John
  18. slotperfect
    -My largest completed as planned: 60-way -My largest incomplete: 73 of a planned 74-way (I won't tell you who was low!) I like big ways, and would love to do more. I have enough beef to be valuable in the base, so it may come to pass one day! Arrive Safely John
  19. slotperfect
    1) The wind tunnel at Ft. Bragg is almost a non-entity with regard to this conversation . . . a. It is only available to Military folks. b. Within the military, it is only available to Military Free Fall qualified folks, or MFF Basic Course Students (the letter of the law). c. As previously stated, it is VERY difficult to schedule tunnel time. 2) A wind tunnel open to anyone, including military overflow, in the vicinity of both drop zones in the immediate area, and several within a few hours' drive, opens up a lot of opportunity not only for skydivers but for the DZ's as well. a. Individual tunnel training will increase our student retention (less students dropping off the map). b. Tunnel camps will grow teams, teams will grow more competitions, both of which are just plain good for local business and good for the sport. Arrive Safely John
  20. slotperfect
    I own one. 2977 jumps. I'm an S&TA (so I get mine for free), but I will always own a current one. I have an up-to-date SIM because I give a LOT of license exams and hope to begin teaching Coach Courses this year. Arrive Safely John
  21. slotperfect
    HERE is a link to a pic of my J-4K Odyssey. Arrive Safely John
  22. slotperfect
    When I was a Golden Knights Demonstrator, I worked on my target accuracy a lot. On a couple of consecutive training days at Raeford I brought my video camera and set it up on a tripod, asking our accuracy coach to film my approaches. At the end of the week I edited the video so that all it showed was dead-centers. I watched that tape over and over, learning from what was obviously working for me on those approaches. Later in my Demonstrator life, when I would get into a bit of an accuracy slump, I would dig out that tape and watch it again. The point here is that focusing on what went well is much more forwarding than focusing on what did not go so well. Of course, there are benefits to looking at what went wrong and learning from it, but moving on and shifting focus from it makes all the difference. Arrive Safely John
  23. slotperfect
    Method A is my preference. I believe that the more you practice it on the ground, the more likely the planned dive is to succeed. Arrive Safely John
  24. slotperfect
    1) Make sure you have the right shoes. You can educate yourself here: Shoes 101 2) Train for it. You will increase your likelihood for success in finishing the race and decrease the likelihood of injury. Here is a great Half-Marathon training plan: Training Plan 3) Experiment during your training with hydration, energy gels, clothing layers, etc. So you know what works. Don't try anything new on race day. Good luck! Arrive Safely John
  25. slotperfect
    1969 Buick LeSabre Arrive Safely John