Jimbo

Brian Germain of Big Air Sportz (Jedei, Samurai, and Lotus) sells kites like this through Big Air Kites. If you haven't flown one yet these things are a ton of fun on those days when the winds don't allow for jumping. Check 'em out. - Jim

So are you saying that the warranty is void if I do this in my Infinity? J/K. - Jim

Sweet! I know what's next. Heheee. That's gonna be cool. - Jim

200 square foot? That doesn't sound right. 200 square feet is 100 feet long x 2ft wide or 200 ft x 1 ft, etc... Are you sure it isn't 200 feet long? - Jim

He'll never get a sponsor if he doesn't compete. - Jim

Let someone else (A professional packer or maybe a rigger) pack it a few times and see if you're still getting slammed. There's a good chance you've developed a few bad habits that are causing this. Of course it's also possible that something really is wrong. However, here's some things to check: * Slider all the way up against the bumpers? It should be. You can get slammed if it's not. * Are you really rolling the tail? A lot? * Line stows. Are they tight? They should be. Good luck. - Jim

Yep.

As Rantoul is getting closer and closer every day I'm curious who's going. So, who's going? - Jim

Unfortunately it probably is another one of those "Belly Flying" threads. But since it is Stacy, I'm with Clay - KICK ASS!

That would be pretty cool to link off of this site somewhere. I wonder why skydiving isn't considered an air sport to these folks. - Jim

Christ! That sounds like something I would say. This will not do!

They did build new showers. Much nicer than last years.... - Jim

You're right, my mistake. The point though was that I don't think it would be feasible to support a 'Country Club' DZ on upfront payments only. I wouldn't be willing to do that. - Jim

I don't think you could get enough people together who would be willing to pay the price (upfront) to support such an operation. That said, take a look at Perris or Eloy. Those DZs seem to have every amenity available, but are supported primarly by a large following paying a little bit each week. My $0.02 USD - Jim

T R O L L Don't feed the trolls.

Maybe he should have, but he didn't. It would be nice to think that we all knew everything about our gear, but honestly, do you expect a sub-100 jump student to know the difference between a correctly hooked up pilot chute and one that was assembled incorrectly? There comes a point where we _have_ to rely on the skills and judgement of others. Most people here probably don't know how to correctly assemble a rig (pilot chute included) and most probably never will, they have to accept that the person hired to do the work did a complete and correct job. - Jim

This can be done, quite easily in fact. There's a guy at my DZ who's had at least one of his rigs altered this way because of the situation you describe. Good luck, Jim

The Beer Scooter How many times have you woken up in the morning after a hard night of drinking and thought 'How did I get home?' As hard as you try, you cannot piece together your return journey from the bar to your home. The answer to this puzzle is that you used a "beer scooter". The beer scooter is a mythical form of transport, owned and leased out to the drunk by Bacchus the Roman god of wine. Bacchus has branched out since the decrease in the worship of the Roman pantheon and bought a large batch of these magical devices. The beer scooter works in the following fashion: The passenger reaches a certain level of drunkenness and the "slurring gland" begins to give off a pheromone. Bacchus or one o his many sub-contractors detects the pheromone and sends down a winged beer scooter. The scooter scoops up the passenger and deposits them in their bedroom via a trans-dimensional portal. It is not cheap to run a beer scooter franchise, so a large portion of the passenger's in-pocket cash is taken as payment. This generates the second question after a night out 'How did I spend so much money?' Beer scooters have a poor safety record and are thought to be responsible for 90% of all UDI (Unidentified Drinking Injuries). An undocumented feature of the beer scooter is the destruction of time segments during the trip. The nature of trans-dimensional portals dictates that time will be lost, seemingly unaccounted for. This generates the third question after a night out 'What happened?' With good intentions, Bacchus opted for the EMIT (Embarrassing Moments In Time) add on, that automatically removes, in descending order, those parts in time regretted most. Unfortunately one person's EMIT is not necessarily the EMIT of another and quite often lost time is regained over a suitable period. Independent studies have also shown that Beer Goggles cause the scooter's navigation system to malfunction thus sending the passenger to the wrong bedroom often with horrific consequences. With recent models including a GPS, Bacchus made an investment in a scooter drive-thru chain specialising in half eaten kebabs and pizza crusts. Another question answered!! For the family man, beer scooters come equipped with flowers picked from other people's garden and Thump-A- Lot Boots. These boots are designed in such a way that n matter how quietly you tip-toe, you are sure to wake up your other half. Special anti-gravity springs ensure that you bump into every wall and the CTSGS (Coffee Table Seeking Guidance System) explains the ring barked shins. The final add-in Bacchus saw fit to invest in for some scooters is TAS (Tobacco Absorption System). This explains how one person can apparently get through 260 Marlboro Lights in a single night. PS: Don't forget the on-board heater which allows you to get home from the bar in sub-zero temperatures wearing just a t-shirt.

Bah. Tell them to fuck off. - Jim

Aint that the truth. Get over it dude. - Jim

2 hours of flying Big Air Kites:4:1 The Big Air Kites Kick Ass! I had a 35 sq/ft kite drag me on my ass halfway across the landing area. So fun! Four jumps because it was rained most of Saturday and windy on Sunday. One case of 'good karma' beer. No excuses needed to pick up a case for you and your friends. Hope everyone else had a good weekend. - Jim

Go and read this: http://www.zct.co.uk/skydivemag/pages/articles/aug96/unnecessaryrisk.htm Good reading I think. - Jim

Yes she does. There were plenty of extra smiles at the DZ when those jumps were going on. - Jim

Does anyone even buy Racers anymore? I see fewer and fewer of them as time goes on..... - Jim

You wouldn't. Disconnecting the RSL after the reserve is out is only wasting precious seconds in an already dangerous situation. I'm guessing he got this after reading the SIM and not fully understanding it. The point is, it takes more than reading the SIM to survive in this sport. - Jim