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Lisa, Kate is a PT; PM her or call her for a possible answer to your questions. Arrive Safely John

I visited The Blue Sky Ranch in New York in 1991. On my first skydive there, we took off on an otter load, and at about 500 feet or so, someone yelled "SHAWANGA!" The rest of the plane responded by yelling "FLY BABY, FLY!" I never found out what it was about . . . maybe it has something to do with the mountain the aircraft has to clear a couple of minutes into the climbout. The other one was the "Grand Opening" sign hanging by the volleyball net. It had signaures all over it. I asked what it was for, and was told "If you open at a grand, you get to sign it." Arrive Safely John

Back when I was jumping an original Dytter (one tone), I would set it for 500 feet above breakoff altitude, to let me know it was coming. Now I do mostly tandems and AFF, and jump a Pro Dytter. I set the tones as follows: First Tone: 6000 FT -500 feet above wave-off for early AFF students -500 feet above wave-off for tandems Second tone: 4500 FT -if my AFF student has not pulled by now, it's about time to assist -minimum pull altitude for tandems Third tone: 3500 feet -AFF student hard deck -500 feet above emergency procedures altitude for tandems These altitudes seem to fit into my RW jumps as well. I just mentally factor the tones into the dirtdive so I will know what they will indicate. Hope this helps!

ROFLMAO You need to rig a chin strap to it and go make a skydive. Do an Amish trick! Arrive Safely John

[page] "Bill Booth to Gear and Rigging please . . . Bill Booth to Gear and Rigging" [/page] Arrive Safely John

I used to buy "Flash" and "Spiderman" My college roommate liked an underground comic about an aardvark named "Cerebus." He had a hundred or so saved in the collector's plasitc sleeves. They're probably worth a ton by nw. Arrive Safely John

Happy burfday!!

I have never gotten nausea myself as a result of skydiving, but I see students that way now and again. I think it's the nerves mostly, coupled with some spatial disorientation. Just my humble opinion. For you I think it will go away once you become more accustomed to your environment. Hang in there! Arrive Safely John

3*:6:0 *3 days battling the clouds and rain. The weather has been "Isolated Thunderstorms" around here for a month. Lots of flash flooding too. Arrive Safely John

Great job! Welcome to the forums! What a weekend you had - 5 jumps and 5 levels! You are obviously a "fast tracker." Keep us posted on your progress! Arrive Safely John

Mike, 400 feet may be out of manufacturer's tolerance for that altitude. I have an FT-50 calibration chart at work . . . I'll get back to you. Meanwhile, you can check with the authorized dealer in the US, PEC Because I train AFF and tandem students, the accuracy of my altimeters is critical. I have access to a chamber and calibrate mine every 90 days. Arrive Safely John

Here's a different spin . . . let's look at it from a common sense and general responsibility perspective. Tandems carry a higher level of assumed risk than a skydive with one jumper using a sport rig. That level of risk is reduced significantly by the features of the Sigma, including the Sigma RSL. As a registered RWS Sigma Owner, or FAA Certificated Rigger, why would one sacrifice any part of that reduced level of assumed risk by "making do" with an improper component? IMHO the "I will be sure always" mentality is critical in tandem jumping. The "F*** it, it'll work" mentality will get somebody killed. I would definitely not have packed or sealed that rig until he replaced the RSL with the correct one. I would have also made sure he didn't take the rig to someone else. There are many ways of doing this; hopefully the individual would see the light through some honest conversation. A Sigma RSL costs $62. Most people have a set amount factored in to the price they charge for overhead to go back into the rig (component replacement, wear and tear). A very experienced and successful always puts $40 from each jump into a "kitty" to handle rig maintenance and upgrades. He is easily able to comply with the manufacturer's recommended maintenance and component replacement schedule. Good catch, BTW! Arrive Safely John

Well done. As amazing and incredible as it is, this sport is not for everybody. It is inherently dangerous, although our highly advanced gear and training make it safer than many normal day-to-day activities on the ground. The big thing with students on jump run is the quetion: "Are you ready to skydive?" Even though you've coached them positively on the ground to say "Yes, I am," some may decide they don't have it in them at the moment of truth. I will never physically exit a student or be overbearing with them to get them to go if their answer is "No." I will never exit a tandem student who is holding on to the airplane. Injury and litigation are the possible results. Liability is a part of the world we live in now, unfortunately, and we get to be tuned in to that. Arrive Safely John

Hi Chad! Welcome to the forums! You will have to some down to Raeford soon. It's a bit of a drive for you, but worth it!

SWEET! Congratulations in a BIG way!

High = the reaction I got from my last tandem student of the day Low = fighting the friggin' thunder storms - AGAIN Arrive Safely John

There was a suggestion that I chimed in on a while back about having a separate tandem forum. Please jump in and lend your support if you think the idea has merit! The link is [url "http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view&post=605734"]HERE[url] Arrive Safely John

This suggestion was brought up in another thread. I thought I'd bump it to the top and rally more support for the cause! Arrive Safely John

I've been deliberating over this one for a while now . . . Tom Hanks will play me in the movie. He's the perfect choice. Arrive Safely John

Dude, those pictures are AWESOME! The first one of the both of you together is a framer for sure! What a great looking boy he is! Arrive Safely John

Peace, patience, and quick healing, brother. Keep us informed about your health as things develop, OK? Arrive Safely John

I was really saddened to hear Lewmonst was hurt. Heal quickly, girl, we'll be here pulling for ya! Arrive Safely John

I had an awesome tandem student yeaterday named Scott. The whole skydive was awesome, but it was what he said after the canopy opened that made my day. After a string of joyous explatives he turned his head around and said "Thank you, thank you . . . I will remember this for the rest of my life." That is why I love tandems so much! Arrive Safely John

Doggone! What a day! I reckon you'll just have to drop your rig in the loft, borrow someone's pickup truck, and go fill up the bed with cases of cold ones! Murphy has a baffling way of working himself into situations. You beat him this time! Arrive Safely John

Welcome! Skydiving has been described in so many powerful ways. That's because it is such an incredible experience. Enjoy it! Glad to have you here with us! Arrive Safely John