skybytch

Today MonoUno turns 25 years old. Congrats, ya old fart!

Don't buy a rig until after you're off student status. The gear you'll use as a student is significantly different than the gear you'll want once you're licensed. It's cheaper to do static line progression student jumps than AFF student jumps - that means less hours of working for each skydive. Being able to jump more often is a good thing, especially when you're trying to do it on a limited budget. Have you talked to your parents about skydiving? Have you talked to them about the possibility of you skydiving before you turn 18? If you have, what do they think? If you haven't talked to them about it, do so before making any plans or even getting your hopes up too high. If there'd been a dropzone close by that would have let my son jump at 16, I'd have signed for him no problem - BUT - he'd been around skydiving for 10 years at that point, knew a few people who'd died doing it and knew a few more that had been injured. Don't give up on jumping if your parents say no and DO NOT go do it behind their back. Skydiving will still be here when you turn 18... and you may even have more money to do it with then too.

Me too. When I stop being a student of the sport it'll be time to sell my gear and find something else to do. rsmn - wanna really irritate your "friend"? Agree with everything he says to his face then go do what you want to do.

Yes. My rig's current resale value is more than what I could get for my car and motorcycle combined.

Which is why I said "most" containers, not "all." I wouldn't want to put a canopy two sizes smaller in a Voodoo, but I'd have no problem doing so in my Infinity. Regarding the poster who said to get a container built for a 170 and stuff a 190 in it - imho that's not a good idea, especially for someone who is not already a good packer. Learning to put 190 square feet of slippery snot into a space designed for 190 square feet of slippery snot is hard enough; putting 190 square feet of slippery snot into a space designed for 170 square feet of slippery snot is asking for frustration. In addition, overstuffed containers look like shit, overstuffing stresses closing flaps and grommets, and an overstuffed container is going to feel like a brick on your back - not comfortable.

Why would they have to stay on the ground from the time jumpers exit until they land? Helicopters can take off and depart in any direction they choose AFAIK. As long as the helicopter doesn't fly through the skydiver's pattern or landing area while parachutes are using it (when canopies are at or below 1000 feet) it shouldn't be an issue. I used to jump at a dz located on an airport that had an active helicopter pilot training school. Even better, the student pilots were Japanese and spoke very limited English. Our landing area was next to the primary taxiway and across the tarmac from the helicopter school's hangar. Can't count the number of times there was a helicopter taxiing, taking off or landing beneath me while I was under canopy. They were always out of my way before I entered the landing pattern. There shouldn't be any conflict between helicopter operations and skydiving operations as long as both the jumpers and the helicopter pilots remain aware of each other.

Yup. Pretty much every container on the US market built after about 1996 is at least mostly freefly safe. Key areas to look at include BOC deployment, minimal to no velcro and secure main and reserve flap and riser cover closure. One thing to remember is that it's not always required that you get a new container and reserve when you decide to downsize your main. Most containers will safely hold a main up to two sizes smaller than what it was built for. So if you start with a container built for a 190 you can likely put a main as small as a 150 in it.

No, I don't. My comment was not meant to defend Flite Suit, but to point out that every company out there has disappointed or upset somebody at some point.

For every manufacturer out there, there's at least one someone who has a horror story about dealing with them and at least one someone else who won't buy from any other manufacturer...

What options are on the container - ie harness rings, stainless hardware, RSL, kill line main p/c, hacky? Assuming it has rings and a kill line p/c w/hacky, I'd figure the container to be worth around $1000-1100. Tempo 150 w/no jumps - $400-500. Sabre 150 w/ 250 jumps - $600-700. Cypres - d.o.m. 1998 and it's been in storage for two years = it probably needs an 8 year and batteries ($300+). It's worth about $500 if the work hasn't been done, about $800 if it has. So I'd figure around $2500-$2800 for the complete rig to be fair pricing. The Vector 3 is very freefly friendly.

Definitely insist that she pay rent and her portion of the bills in cash. If you haven't already, I'd suggest calling your landlord immediately and letting her know the situation. She's likely to be much less upset if she finds out the check's going to bounce from you instead of from her bank.

I'd do either Puerto Rico or DC if it was me. My brother was stationed on an island off PR when he was in the Navy, and a friend lived in San Juan for a couple of years. Both of them told me it's beautiful and they'd go back in a heartbeat if they had the chance. Totally different culture than the US but they use the same money. From what I've heard there plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventure - hiking, biking and ocean sports priimarily. DC in the summer will be hot and humid but there's loads of cool historical stuff to see. The Smithsonian museums alone can occupy you for days on end. I also enjoyed visiting Arlington, touring the White House (not sure if that's still a possiblility post-9/11), the US Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Mint and the various monuments.

Didn't know that, thanks. How does a rigger go about getting approved by Airtec to do the retrofit? Since the setup comes standard on all rigs, is it still considered an alteration?

BioFreeze is good stuff.

Byron or Davis, imho. Both dz's have great people and excellent instructors. Byron is closest to SF. Davis tends to be a bit less windy than Byron. Lodi is another option; it's a longer drive but could end up being less expensive. Hollister or Monterey are other choices. I don't know enough about any of these three dz's training programs to make a recommendation. I'd suggest he visit each of them, ask questions and make his own decision.

All containers built in the US starting in 1993 came Cypres ready. Ask the seller if your "new" one is or not. You don't have to send it back to the manufacturer for the retrofit if it isn't. Any rigger handy with a sewing machine can do it; most lofts have at least one or two retrofit kits laying around. Shouldn't be very expensive to have it done (less than US$100).

Which is why I haven't been to a doctor about mine. Yet. Spine surgery sucks; mine's gonna have to get a whole lot worse before I go that route... again. I figure as long as it doesn't hurt in freefall, I'm still alright. I'm curious. Those who have neck issues - where is your pain? Mine is mostly in my right shoulder with a little at the base of the neck on the right side. I get the tingles in both arms and hands and occasionally up the back of my head too.

What Terry said. You can approach the higher ends of those numbers if you make a point of keeping it out of the sun when you aren't jumping it. Sunlight is nylon's biggest enemy. Pack as soon after jumping as possible.

You guys are awesome. My problem has been solved. Thanks.

Waffles and togas. Sounds like a party. When?

I wasn't at all jealous of your announcement until you said that. Now I hate you even more than I did before. I hope they burn your waffles. Bitch.

They have waffles there? Damn, I learn something new every day.

Why?

That's a personal choice. I didn't get one until I had over 800 jumps and my primary motivation then was because it made my mom feel better about me doing 100+ ways. Mine becomes a doorstop in two more years. I haven't decided yet whether I'll replace it then or not.

Changed my life. When I did my first jump I was overweight, unhappy, stuck in a stupid job in the same stupid small town I'd grown up in and scared of change. The things I've done since then - being published in a magazine and on the internet, moving 300 miles away from my family to take a job in gear sales, moving across the country to take a chance on my own business, recovering from the failure of that business and the loss of most of my possessions to a hurricane, being part of a world record skydive, going back to school at age 40... none of that would have happened had I not made that first jump. It's not just the skydiving. It's the people too. Through skydiving I've met some of the smartest, most accomplished, most daring, most loving and most giving people. Each of them have contributed to who I am today, and I expect that those I meet and get to know in the future will do the same. I think my mom summed it up best. After she came to the dz for the first time (about 2 years after I'd started jumping) she told me that it was the first place she'd seen where I really fit in. Skydiving isn't part of my life. It is my life.