slotperfect

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Everything posted by slotperfect

  1. slotperfect

    MSIE 7

    slotperfect replied to slotperfect's topic in The Bonfire

    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx?mg_ID=10010 Likes/dislikes? Arrive Safely John
  2. slotperfect
    About 1990-1991. Arrive Safely John
  3. slotperfect
    Does anybody here drive one? If so please PM me. I would like to pick your brain. It's time for a new car . . . Arrive Safely John
  4. slotperfect
    Excellent! Thanks for that. Yellow Submarine album, IIRC. Arrive Safely John
  5. slotperfect
    I agree with Rob. Arrive Safely John
  6. slotperfect
    (Body weight + weigh of all gear) - canopy square footage = wing loading. Instructors take into account wing loading (very low for students to begin with), their ability to fly the canopy they are jumping now (assuming they have made a jump or two already), DZ elevation, physical condition. Other factors occasionally show themselves. Frankly, with one jump under your belt, I am surprised your instructor is talking with you about a canopy that would put you over 1.1 wing loading (the Tri 170). You should focus on your student training right now and learning fly to fly the canopy you are jumping currently very well. Out of curiosity, what canopy are you jumping now? Arrive Safely John
  7. slotperfect
    Very well summarized - PERFECT! Thanks for that. Arrive Safely John
  8. slotperfect
    I agree that it is not an area that should pull one's focus away from other important aspects of the sport - such as EPs (which you mentioned). I am just leery of blanket statements like "that's not a concern" or "that's a myth" (which you did not say - that came from another thread). I guard against people who read the forums as their primary source of learning (which is the wrong thing to do) taking such blanket statements as gospel and not doing any more research to make their own informed decision. I could introduce to to an old timer around here that fell out of his harness and survived. I haven't seen him in years, but I know that it happened. I'm not sure what the exact circumstances were. Falling out of a harness remains a possibility - that's my main point. Arrive Safely John
  9. slotperfect
    You know, you have a really good point here. Out of fairness I will preface my comments by saying that I am not a fan of mainstream media, especially newspapers. I don't want to taint the conversation. I think people post whatever's out there because that's all they know, and it validates that something happened, even though it's usually "they pulled all their cords and their shrouds got tangled." I don't know that there is any really good way to report incidents here, and we often settle for what we can get. Patience is hard to muster, especially if you know someone that skydives where the incident took place. Arrive Safely John
  10. slotperfect
    I have been a Peter Gabriel fan since I first heard "Solsbury Hill" on CHOM-FM (Montreal) in about 1979. I bought his "Hit" compilation from 2003 sometime early last year - it's quite good, and brought back all of the tunes I have not listened to in so long from losing them to vinyl and cassette heaven. I also love old Genesis, especially before the "And Then There Were Three . . ." album. Arrive Safely John
  11. slotperfect
    It is possible to fall out of properly fit sport gear. Read this thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1906126;search_string=falling%20harness;#1906126 And this article: http://www.makeithappen.com/spsj/fallout.html I will emphasize your point that an improperly fit tandem student harness is of great concern. Arrive Safely John
  12. slotperfect
    Please PM me your contact info. Arrive Safely John
  13. slotperfect
    I missed this yesterday . . . happy birthday, your H-ness! Arrive Safely John
  14. slotperfect
    You are correct sir! I mis-spoke - pulling the yellow tab would disconnect the RSL, pulling up and out on the crystal ball would deply the reserve. Thanks for clearing that one up. Arrive Safely John
  15. slotperfect
    I agree that .7 is a very common wing loading, and that 260 is a very common student canopy size. I also agree that is is an acceptable wing loading for students - I don't know enough about BASE to comment, and accuracy WL is a good subject for a separate thread. We protect students by enforcing student maximum wind limits, and grounding them when conditions are "squirrelly" despite being within limits (a frequent re-occurring 4-14 MPH gust spread for example). Therefore their chances of encountering the problems due to light WL that I spoke of are hopefully very low. My point was that dismissing a question about a canopy being "too large" as a myth was not quite correct. Notice that PD's minimum weight column for the Navigator student canopy says "VLC" - varies with landing conditions. Wind velocity and turbulence, along with DZ elevation are being referred to here. Arrive Safely John
  16. slotperfect
    Student canopies are very large, very docile, and very forgiving of mistakes. As phxplr said, they are normally loaded well under 1.0:1. Hopefully that will satisfy your curiosity until you get going with your training. The advice to trust and listen to your instructors is very important. You will learn much more from them initially than reading manuals or these forums. See what I mean by reading this thread. Best of success in your training! Arrive Safely John
  17. slotperfect
    Au contraire, mon frere. In mild conditions (the "flat field sunny day" scenario), a very lightly loaded canopy makes little difference at all except it may take the student forever to reach the ground. When it gets windy, and a bit of turbulence (even mild) gets introduced into the equation, landing a very lightly loaded canopy can become problematic. Read "What should I know about flying in turbulence?" and "Is it safer to be under a smaller or larger canopy when flying in turbulence?" on this page. Arrive Safely John
  18. slotperfect
    The crystal ball was the RSL handle on the Vector Tandem and the Sigma. The original one was clear (thus the crystal ball moniker), then they became white, now they are gone - replaced with the yellow tab because of the Skyhook. Arrive Safely John
  19. slotperfect
    I double dog dare ya! Arrive Safely John
  20. slotperfect
    Just for you, my sunny sweetie . . . Arrive Safely John
  21. slotperfect
    More good reading (history) from the Talk Back shut down. Pay special attention to Sangiro's input to this thread: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=1013758;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=50; Arrive Safely John
  22. slotperfect
    That was conversations about politics, relgion, and guns - they got their own forum. It was done to make room for more relaxed non-skydiving conversations, as explained in this thread. An important part of that thread as it applies to this conversation: Arrive Safely John
  23. slotperfect
    TalkBack was the original name for this forum (Bonfire). It degenerated into a pool of repetitious and mindless drivel, in which reasonable non-skydiving content - condolences, good news, etc. disappeared off the front page in a couple of hours. Sound familiar? History lesson - check out the second and third paragraphs. Arrive Safely John
  24. slotperfect
    Ah! That eliminates the confusion! I missed that, somehow . . . Arrive Safely John
  25. slotperfect
    It's "at least as hard as" the student helmet. I've worn one since I've been there. Full face for AFF though . . . Arrive Safely John