mr2mk1g

The Vapor does indeed appear to still be in production. My home DZ sells them:Link to their vapor page I haven't checked with them if they are still available, but their web site was only upgraded the other month so it would be odd if they migrated out of date info.

See this post I just found in the videography forum: Hooknife Used

When I jumped there (international visitor from UK) I had no problems... some elements of the "check in" proceedure are a lot LESS stringent than the checks you will go through if you go to any DZ in the UK. Watch a video with a dual purpose. First its a DZ orientation brief (really should have one wherever you go). Seccond its a word from their friendly lawyer waiving all their liability (ok you don't get this in the UK cos its illegal). They check you're licence and that your log book says the same # of jumps as you do. Next you have to initial every paragraph of a 20 page waiver (again illegal in the UK but hell... you're in California, what do you expect?). You now have to look into camera and state your name and the date and say you've signed and that Perris are'nt liable for shit (again illegal in the UK so doesnt happen here). You then take your rig to Square 1 where they check the reserve is in date and thats it. There's where the UK is more stringent. You're rig is gonna be gone over with a tooth comb in England, and you're likely to be quized on your experiance and how appropriate your choice of cannopy is. All in I found it no more difficult than the normal check in procedure I have done about 20 times in the UK. It takes maybe half an hour and its only a little more paperwork than what you'd have to fill in for next of kin info etc anyway.

Dumb idea =

well you can get the $/lb figure off the web site, so I guess what you're really asking is how much will the container weigh? right??

(peal) we slip our palms across each others (punch) knock fists together (pull) then give the AFF signal to pull See - its a karmic thing representing your reserve drill and giving luck for the dive ahead.

You're hands should still be in the toggles... never let go of your toggles below your hard deck. And I seccond Jimbo's advice - learn flat and breaked turns. These should be an A licence requirement IMO, they are a life saving procedure just like EP's are, everyone should know how to do them and practice them regularly.

do a quick google search for some car maintainance websites. Im sure you will find some very detailed instructions on how to repaint a car (probably best to look for instructions on how to paint a glass fibre car). Painting a helmet involves exactly the same process. The car web site will give you pictures and a step by step guide.

Cheers everyone, but don't send vibes for me - Im fine, just a cough. Its Rebecca thats curled up on the sofa at home. thanks

Im thinking that might just get a little banned by the international community same way that hollow point sniper rounds did. I know the US doesnt always pay much attention (not starting trying to creat thread drift and ok that may have a lot to do with not signing up to the Hague Convention etc) but it may take the wind out of the invention's sails a little. I guess though, you're only prohibited from firing stuff like this at people so you could always be like: "honest capt' I was shootin' at his webbing..."

yeah I saw it. She's wearing a horrid RW suit with no booties, a protec and has a large style three ring circus... defo points to a student (esp with a tree landing). great add. I live with two other skydivers and we all saw it together and just sat stunned for a sec... sort of... "did you just see on TV what I just saw or do I really need to start doing more with my life???"

oh I pass a flower stand on the way home so I'll make sure I pick up a lovely orchid or two for her when I go round to visit.

My Girlfriend has come down with pneumonia. She was in hospital for a day or two last week where they suspected she had a blood clot on her lung but now the tests are back it turns out she has pneumonia and has been signed off sick for 2 weeks. She doesnt post on here but reads the pages regularly so please send vibes. Makes me wonder if I should go to the doc about my chest infection...

Wander round your DZ and look at peoples rigs. Ask to take a closer look. Handle them. Talk to their owners. Learn about each of the major rig makes. The big thing is to go actaully see the thing your thinking of ordering so seek one out at a DZ and find its owner. They are all prety much as safe as one another these days (ok so some variation, but you get my point) - it mostly comes down to personal preference over both the styling and the minor differences in safey features each posess. oh yeah, and price If you reseach research research you'll be happy with whatever you decide upon.

I've made an IBTL post before once or twice. I've always ment it as a comment to the people posting that they are getting out of hand and that they should calm down before the thread gets locked, not simply to start a IBTL war. Im quite happy for my vocabulary (as it were) to be stunted a little to prevent this PWing. I can resort to long hand if I want to post "your getting out of hand guys".

See this thread for stacks of replys.

In the UK its C licence holders or above only (200 jumps + some freefall qualifications). I initially atributed the rule to being a throw back to when people used to strap VHS recorders to their heads and bolt them down... daymn what a snag risk. I looked at moden cameras and camera helmets and compaired them to the protec's with radio's strapped to the side.... "hmm, they look prety similar, in fact, the radio is more of a snag hazard". And I stand by that assessment when comparing some modern camer helmets and some radio talk down set ups. So what can the justification be if its not the snag risk? It has to be because jumping a camera is far more than a normal jump: No matter how much people say they are simply using it as an in-flight recorder, they will soon turn to trying to get "that shot" and then thats when the problems can happen, cos they are no longer concentrating on flying, but on getting "that shot". Untill someone has a certain experince level in this sport, they need to concentrate on flying their body and canopy. Only when a jumper has that muscle memory can start introducing other things to think about such as metal whiring things on the side of their head. I guess theres also the fact that you can justify sticking a snag risk radio on the side of a students head because that is safer than letting them pilot themselves down. Once they can be trusted to pilot themselves that snag risk is removed ASAP. caviat: the above views on camera jumping are those related to me by experianced camera flyers; I have yet to take up this aspect of the sport.

Ok, fair comment, I haven't seen all Wings D-bags, I was under the impression that they were all square on, but I may well be wrong. The other thing you can say about wings containers though is that the bigger sizes tend to be deeper (front to back in the main tray) than other similarly sized rigs. I would point to this as the reason why you are able to face line stows down in a Wings, but not in other rigs. For example, if I were to pack with the line stows down on my Javelin I would distort the shape of the main pack tray as the rectangular D-bag is now in the rectangluar pack tray in the wrong orientaion. This would put stress on the material and distort the closing flaps so they apply the wrong pressure on the closing loop. With a Wings it doesnt matter, as the pack tray is deaper and so can accomodate a rectangular bag in either orientaion. Smaller Wings containers like mine and yours for your 149 have a D-bag thats square end-on, again alowing either orientaion. I was not trying to flame, just pointing out that there is a very valid reason why Wings manuals allow you to pack the D-bag in either orientation. This reason is not applicable to other makes of container so it would be dangerous to give advice to that effect.

shut your mouth on deployment... you wouldnt want a line snag - not unless you have a cutaway on your teath of course

You mean there's someone hotter than vanillaskygirl??? that can't be so!? so much heat concentrated in one place would surely cause the woman to punch through to the earths core. Vanillaskygirl must be one of the hottest skychicks out there. I think Im gonna be taking a little trip over to elsinore when I visit perris at easter.

come on over here and join in the blighty fun if he don't know what he's missing, he aint worth it honney.

My rings sound like Im walking through fresh snow when I walk to the plane... that kinda low creaking that you get when the snow compacts under your boot... I love that sound... it means I'm going to jump.

As far as I know, they're jumping right through. I was there at the weekend (dispite the weather) and will be there again this weekend.

true the Wings manual does say you can pack like that - but thats beacuse the Wings D-bag is square end-on whereas most D-bags are rectangular end-on. Rectangular D-bags should not be packed bridle up, (no matter how many times my house-mate tells me its worked for him on hundreds of jumps).

I deal with whiplash claims all the time. Man I can imagine 70lb of force causing a major whiplash problem. I know we all scoff at this sort of injury, but in reality some can really be quite nasty. Don't underestimate the possible severity of a sudden sideways force on your neck. I guess the best way to sort the problem would be for the bridle to be connected to the cutaway system so that as the pilot chute un-stowed the bridle as it came away from the helmet, it would pull the teflon cable from the cutaway system and the helmet would be free to come off your noggin. Personally though, my life is worth a lot more than a camera, no matter what kind of safety device I put on it. Even if you have the pilot chute inside the helmet so that it only deploys after cutaway, I would rather not have any gubbins flying arround in a cuttaway situation which is not absolutely nessasery.