mr2mk1g

If it were set up, how about having the script automatically add a short text in red to the bottom of each post - something like "Talk to your instructors and don't take my advice, this is just how I coped". Greenies and anyone who was specified as one of the "watchers" wouldn't have this on their posts. Sure it would be ignored a lot but it would be a constant reminder that you're taking advice from someone with only a few more jumps than you.

Because you aren't.... you're just not good enough to know it yet!

As the map says 6 miles North of Swindon. Went over there on Sunday. Nice place and technically the closest DZ to home for me. Very quite with only just enough people to keep the let running. Loads of tandems and some freeflyers and that’s about it. Nice carpeted packing area, café type thing for toasties and snacks. Chill out room. Toilets are there but a bit of a treck. There’s no bunk house but there’s free camping although the big let down for me is no showers. (It’s an army barracks – how do they not have showers?). This is a DZ where you can easily do loads and loads of jumps per day if you really wanted to as there’s no one filling up the loads in front of you. Go somewhere more popular, even with more planes and you’ll always find there’s a few loads manifested in front of you. Here you can just rock up and jump on a load.

1) Andy Ford 2) Weston 3) 5000+ 4) nope 5) yep 6) Ford1fly(AT)metronet(DOT)co(DOT)uk 7) Er... you'll have to ask him. Last time I think it was £15 + both slots 8) Yep 9) PD at least 1) Mike Carpenter et al 2) Netheravon 3) About 1500 ish last time I spoke to him about it - going on a 1000 in the last year I think 4) Yep - Freefly Euphoria 5) Someone most weekends unless training elsewhere or competing 6) http://www.20squid.co.uk/euphoria/contact-us.asp 7) 65EU / jump (inc both slots and fee) 8) Usually AFAIK 9) Wings, Headshield, L+B, Firefly suits...

It's gay. I've done a couple of dozen of these. The UK Parachute Regiment uses exactly the same set up to simulate landing a round during their parachute training. You're not falling - you’re essentially being lowered on a rope. There's no free fall before being slowed for landing; as you fall you simply turn a fan which creates air resistance - this happens all the way down and thus slows your descent. It's gay and it’s about as far from BASE jumping as sliding down a really long banister.

Or a pud... I went for pud which stays attached to the rig exactly where I put it.

If you decide you just have to remove the flap you can pop the silver cover off of the grey plastic that actually forms the hinge and keep it safe somewhere. Then butcher the HALF of the grey plastic to allow access to the lanc port. If there comes a time when you want to make the camera look respectable you can just glue the silver cover back onto the remaining half of the grey plastic. No one would be any the wiser unless they look really hard. That said, I just bend mine all the way up and it works fine like that.

A rigger once told me he did not recommend monkey's fists and wouldn't sell them at his loft. His point was the ball would oscillate in the airflow and the extra weight combined with a lose BOC pocket could pull the pilot chute out and cause a premature. Apparently he’d seen it before and wanted to warn people of the problem. That said; no one else seems to agree that it’s a problem and whilst I see exactly what he’s on about, another answer to the problem would be to properly maintain your BOC.

Someone successfully sued in the UK for RSI from masturbating while working on a phone sex line. She was told by her employer to do anything to keep them on the line. A bad wrist and some very sore genitalia later and she had the guy in court.

That's what I did. Plan was we would be able to race them. For a while we would bet on them play fighting - was a lot like Pokemon... "SunTzu I choose you! SunTzu tackle attack!" Ah the fun we had....

If it only impacted on the jumpers then sure, let them do what ever they want. Let them go kill themselves in every new way and every old way they can come up with. Problem is it doesn’t just involve them: it also impacts on the DZ in a big way. If two newbs take it upon themselves to jump together and thus increase their risk (do we all at least agree that the risk is increased to some degree?) and one frapps in because of that call, who do you think has to: Fill in all the paperwork? Deal with the FAA? Deal with the media? Deal with their parents? Deal with the adverse publicity? Attempt first aid on their mangled body? Fill in the damn hole? It’s a hell of a lot to do with the DZ as well as the two jumpers who made that call. That’s one of the reasons why DZ’s are reluctant to let people do something which, in their consideration, carries too much risk. It’s not just the jumper’s call. Now who is better informed to make that call? Two newbies who have 25 jumps each? Nope. Me with a poxy 200+ jumps? Hell no! It’s going to be the people who own and run the DZ and have 20 years and thousands of jumps exp. If they say “no, it’s too risky” then there’s not a great deal to complain about – it’s their show and they have a hell of a right to make the calls about what goes on in it. IIRC Perris says you must have 100 jumps between you. That seems sensible - one of them should be able to get out of the way of the other by then.

Funny - but I know you're gonna get a link to Snopes soon enough. edit: (re lighthouse vs. carrier)

I've heard the same joke except the cabbie takes him back to his hotel and clues up the staff who plant a tortoise in his room and tell him it's a cockroach. Similar joke but I guess not exactly directed at Americans – American on holiday in UK. Goes to Westminster Cathedral, in the corner of the Cathedral is a phone booth with a red phone and a sign saying “Telephone call direct to God, £1000”. Cool thinks the American, but I’m not paying a grand for a phone call, not even to God. He goes on to Lincoln Cathedral and sees the same booth in the corner. This time the sign reads “Telephone call direct to God, £800”. Well at least it’s come down… but I’m still not paying that much. On goes the tourist to York Minster where he sees the now familiar phone booth. This time the sign reads “Telephone call direct to God, 10p”. Shocked by the difference he pulls over the verger and tells him he’s been to both Westminster and they charged £1000. He’s been to Lincoln and they wanted £800…. Why does York Minster only want 10p? “Well” says the Verger in a thick Yorkshire accent…”God’s own county ain’t it. Local call!” (FYI – Yorkshire is traditionally referred to as “God’s own county” in the UK).

Ok, so this involves quite a few countries not just America... but I thought it would go quite well here:

Best bet is to check out the "gear" section at the top of the page. Virtually all canopies are listed there and you should be able to quickly research any you find and moreover this includes a few reviews too. Also google the name + "canopy" and you will more than likely come out with the manufactureres website. Pay attention to their recomended loadings. More indepth research on a cnopy you have specific interest in would include searching these forums for people talking about them. See what they gripe about and what they commend. Talk to your instructors before wasting your money or risking your life.

I had a company do exactly the same to me re a set of alloy wheels they had on sale a couple of years back. I offered payment in full, a deposit – whatever they wanted. No, they said – just pay when you get them fitted, they’re yours and we’ll take them off sale now. Fine – I’ll be in Saturday morning to have them fitted. Saturday morning at 10:30 I turn up to find them literally being fitted to another person’s car. I was far from being a happy bunny and let them know. I made them sell me another set costing 50% more for the same price as we had agreed the other day. To be fair someone simply screwed up and had forgotten to take them off sale. But it's their mistake – they paid for it. You’re not even the victim of a mistake, but simple money grabbing. I hope they’re going to be throwing in a D-box or Cameye at the very least.

there's a couple of other threads about this kicking arround at the moment. Last post indicated that the FAI is currently trying to get it in and has been for some years. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1198687#1198687

Just scanned the thread without reading the posts.... why no attachments... a thread like this needs attachements. Attached piccies before anyone get's smart.

If you want to do something that is illegal, complain that it's illegal, not that people take steps to catch you.

He did - they showed the footage on local news last night.

Which of the two changed when you moved your hand? Did the Digitude come down to the Alti2 or did the Alti2 come up? i.e. which of them was wrong?

The cypres does not depreciate like most other products. Because it has a finite life span and quantifiable running costs it's second hand value is quantifiable almost to the penny. It therefore does not depreciate simply because it's had 1/2/3 owners. It does not get damaged or it's rendered un-airworthy. Find the online cypres calculator - google will provide and fill in the figures on any used cypres you find. So long as the price is right it doesn't matter if it's new or used you will still be able to calculate exactly how much it is going to cost you over it's whole/remaining life. In short - it doesn't matter, so long as it's not over priced relative to it's age, be it 11 or 0.

Grab an instructor and go over your body pos on the ground. It sounds like your focusing too much on arching/grabbing the hacky and end up going un stable when it really matters. You don't have to bend double in the middle when you arch. You should relax when you go to pull. If you can get it sorted so you're confident you'll be able to find you handle in freefall go out and jump holding your deployment position all the way down the tube. Have your right hand on your hacky and your left arm over your head and just stay like that the whole dive. Make sure you stay stable and just concentrate on not moving in any plane. If you can do that you'll probably never have another problem with pull time.

1) why not a 149? Or a 150 for that matter, they make them whatever size you want. 2) seach for: sabre safire - there's loads and loads of threads on these two canopies and comparisons between them. 3) add in the Pilot from Arodyne to your deliberations - it's the equal of either and depending on who you talk to, better. (Additionally I think it has the best glide of the three if I remember rightly). 4) from my exp of flying both canopies they're very similar except that the safire has better opeinings and the power band is slightly further into the flare. 5) I'm surprised you think the sabre 2 sinks - many people shout about how good it's glide is in 1/2-3/4 breaks. 6) demo demo demo - both manufactureres offer great demo programs. You could have both canopies for a weekend each for a few bucks.

So if that's a "first"... who buys the beer?