mofo554

Definitely, definitely "DOOOOOOR!!!" Hearing that used to make my stomach churn.

A recent post made me wonder: why do people leave the sport? Often, when looking at used gear in the classifieds, it will mention that the seller is leaving the sport. Why do people stop skydiving? Injuries, age, money? These are all factors...just curious to hear reasons you've heard...

please explain to me what KAP3 is. I have seen it on the Skydive Tecumseh 2002 DVD, but there is never an explanation of what is taking place....

Dude...32 MB for a 6 minute video is pretty damn good. Anything lower than that and you're seriously sacrificing quality. Where are you posting your videos?

You will lose so much money by selling a car you just bought. Simply driving that car off the lot, it probably lost at least $3000 in value. If you're willing to take such a significant financial hit....go for it. If I were in your situation, I'd find another way to finance my way into the sport.... Just my 2

Why did the girl require the use of the FXC?

Uhh....thanks for that little ditty. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with my original post. But, again, thanks anyways.

Is there anywhere with statistics regarding instances where an AAD has saved a life? If not, any stories you know of that you'd kindly share? If so, why did the AAD fire? (i.e. jumper pulled too low and had two out, simply forgot to pull, got knocked unconscious, etc.)

Buy The Skydiver's Handbook by Dan Poynter and Mike Turoff. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1568600453/qid=1065401537/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-7464326-4058335?v=glance&s=books Then, go to the DZ as often as possible. Take some form of training. Typically, this will either be static line or accelerated free fall (AFF). If you do a search in these forums, you can find more than enough info on both programs, or you could just ask instructors at your DZ. If I were you, I wouldn't even consider purchasing a rig until I had completed a training program. There are many reasons behind this. First and foremost, you could decide that the sport just isn't for you. Also, if you go through a training program first, it will allow both you and your instructors to gauge your abilities. Plus, I don't believe there are any DZs that will allow you to jump your own gear during training...so even more incentive to wait until after.... Most importantly, browse dropzone.com all day....you'll learn just about all you need to know...and tons of stuff you don't

If you're expecting the nerves to go down on your 3rd jump....well, don't. In my very limited experience, I have found that first timers (myself included) typically have the fewest reservations about jumping out of an airplane, simply because of sheer ignorance of the gravity (no pun intended) of the situation. After your first jump, you realize all the things that could go wrong, the procedures to solve problems, etc. Needless to say, it's a lot to take in! However, the good news is that if everyone else here can do it, so can you. So, remind yourself you're in this sport to have fun, and go out and have a lot of it...you shouldn't regret it.

The principles behind the cause of the "roller coaster" feeling are unknown to me. However, I don't believe that it is likely (read possible) that you'll experience that feeling. If you've ever jumped out of a tree, off a house, or something similar, you should know the feeling. Not scary at all....

I've heard some AFF instructors at my DZ say that they don't want to get their tandem rating, simply because tandem jumps really wear down the body. They mentioned something about openings, and supporting weight, as well as landings...which obviously are much more complicated. So the question goes out to all TMs: Do tandems wear down your body more than normal solo skydives?

I plan on purchasing a rig soon. I read somewhere in these forums that purchasing through a dealer can save you money. Is this true? Where do I find a good/reputable dealer? What are the main differences between buying a complete rig through a dealer and contacting each company (PD, Mirage, etc.) to purchase on my own?

I have done both S/L and AFF. I switched to AFF after becoming dissatisfied with the freefall training S/L provided. My suggestion, once you get off the rope, and into true freefall, see how you develop. If you make many jumps and have trouble maintaining or gaining stability, make an AFF jump. However, if you can get stable out the door, S/L is definitely the more cost-effective option...which means more jumps later!

Does everybody these days jump with a helmet? I have seen some that don't, as well as people who jump with frap hats, but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule. I realize why helmets are highly recommended for freeflyers and those who fly high performance canopies, however... In the hypothetical situation in which you're an experienced jumper making a solo with a docile canopy, would you wear a helmet? Would you ever jump without one? In which situations would you/do you not wear one?

What format is this? I see that it has a .mpg extenstion, but it won't play on any player I have (Real Player, Windows Media, Winamp3) and all are completely up to date.

I've never been in a C182 with windows on top....

No offense or anything, but one thing that irks me about DZ.com sometimes is that people put words into other peoples' mouths, or, for that matter, posts. I NEVER once said or implied that my JM was the ever-knowing authority regarding containers. If I had, why would I have bothered asking for advice here? Maybe nothing was intended by that small comment, but I see those types of remarks here far too often.

Although the discussion was brief, my AFF JM said unequivocally that I should purchase a Mirage container if I could afford it. He is a very down to earth guy, professional skydiver, and not sponsored by anyone, thus I have no reason to believe he has ulterior motives in his recommendation. His reasons, in essence, amounted to superior quality, comfort, customer service, and safety. Obviously, these are aspects people look for in all rigs. Anyways, I went to the Mirage website and checked out their selection (G3 and G4). I am looking for advice here strictly from current or past owners of Mirage rigs. Please provide me with your evaluations of the quality, comfort, etc. of the rig. Also, if you have one with the Unisyn harness, how comfortable is it? Is it worth the price? Thoughts and comments are appreciated. Thanks

Wasn't it a $350 donation only a year ago?

What, specifically, was the demo for?

Actually, I did my S/L at Tecumseh, and 3 tandems as well. I had heard from Mike Reed and Ron that they were trying to bring in AFF pretty soon...who are the AFF instructors, and is Tecumseh now officially offering AFF training?

Would they be willing to accomodate a student just off of AFF?

Do tandem jumps count as a skydive?