skybytch

Okay, you're right, that's a bug that bugs me. I'm gonna find out wtf is up with that....

Not yet. It is a bit buggy, but that seems to go in spurts and it's not so bad that I can't deal. About the only thing I really don't like is when people I don't know at all (ie never met in person or online or at least have heard of) want to be my "friend." Guess I'm gonna have to get mean and deny their requests.

That was some good sushi! And I got pretty drunk! And the waitress was hot!

How many of those openings were packed according to the manufacturer's instructions? How many of those canopies that opened hard had line sets that were out of trim? How many of those canopies had pocket sliders installed? How many of those hard openings could have been caused by line dump? How many of those hard openings could have been caused by pitching in a steep track? How many of those hard openings could have been caused by sloppy packing? I could go on, but since you've already made up your mind and I've already made up my mind there's no point.

Counterpoint from someone who took Scott's basic skills course at 950+ jumps... At the end of the day how many of us remembered even half of what we were taught in the FJC? Even as brief as the standard FJC is there is too much information being presented for the average person to retain all of it. While some instructors make a point of repeating some of this information before each successive student jump, it doesn't always happen. Time constraints exist and an instructor must pick and choose what they feel is most important to emphasize prior to the next jump; sometimes things like basic canopy control topics are passed over in favor of things like emergency procedures - hey, this student landed fine last time, didn't he? I think what a basic skills course like Scott's does best is reinforce what we "should" already know and force us to go up and practice it. It's valuable for those with fresh ink on their A licenses; it's also valuable for those of us who've been jumping awhile and perhaps become a bit complacent. That's a failure on the part of the individual who thinks that taking any course will magically make them that good. These individuals exist in every sport... I recall Scott giving us several methods of performing braked turns and then telling us to try them all so we could find out what works best for us. I strongly feel that the $75 I paid for that course was the best money I have ever spent in skydiving (except for what I spent on my first jump, of course). I went from standing up less than half my landings to standing up nearly every one. I went from being happy when I landed in the right field to not being happy if I didn't hit the peas. I learned the importance of flying a pattern, both for accuracy and for predictability under canopy. I learned how to space myself in the traffic pattern to avoid collisions. While some of this may have been covered in the FJC I took, it wasn't information that I retained long term. I'd like to take the basic course again; I'm sure I'd pick up on things I missed the first time.

That sucks, JP. Would it help if I sent you a PM saying "you're an asshole and I hate you"?

Done. Dropzone.com Post Whores

Any canopy can open hard. I've been whacked twice by Spectres (two different ones). I know others who have as well. Does that make the Spectre a bad canopy? Not according to it's reputation. I've also been whacked by a Sabre 150 and a Safire 149. I repeat, any canopy can open hard. Some people just don't have a couple hundred extra bucks to spend on a main. Why should they stay on the ground until they can save up for something "newer" when by adding a pocket slider and paying attention to packing they can get a zp canopy that will serve them well? The original Sabre flies well, lands easy and can be an excellent platform for a wanna be swooper to learn on. Don't be a gear snob. Just because something is an older design does not make it unsafe. If the original Sabre is such a horrible main, wouldn't all those people who put hundreds and thousands of jumps on them be saying the same thing you are?

Yup. Happily for the owner of the pokey thing, generally I don't mind obliging.

Generally I wake up to something poking me in the back.

Yeah, give Meeker one or two ass smackin's from me too. Hope you get it today!

Work out - upper body strength and overall endurance are good things even if you never jump again. Add to reading - Parachuting The Skydiver's Handbook (Poynter/Turoff, ParaPublishing), Jump! Skydiving made fun and easy (Buchanan, I forget the publisher), Brian Germain's The Parachute and it's Pilot, the articles in the Safety section of this website. Enjoy China while you are there! A friend of mine taught English there for a couple years and absolutely loved it.

For some people buying a "modern" canopy is not an option. An original Sabre is a good choice for those who can't afford a newer design used zp canopy but don't want to buy a much older design F111 canopy.

Check out this article on PD's website for some tips. Might also have a rigger check the line trim. You can find specs here.

Go on and on about all the fossil fuels you're wasting by jumping out of airplanes Tell them you're considering getting some cattle so your steaks won't cost as much.

Depends on the rigger. Some won't charge anything, I've heard of others charging up to $20.

How do you think I got my kid to stop logging in here?

No, he prefers that I pay.

I'd go Dutch, but I think Keith might have a problem with that...

So one black is okay? I hear once you go black...

Here's a few of Billy Sharman playing superman.

He made it.

Here's a few more. These are Pete Galli (aka blazetailman) swooping the puddle at sunset.

Not sure about Rantoul, but some friends and I put on a small boogie at an off-dz location a few years ago. We contacted the USPA regional director for that area, gave him some information about the landing area (which was not on an airport) and he "blessed" it as a dz for the weekend. We also had to file a NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) with the FAA, which is supposed to let pilots know that there will be parachuting operations in the area during that time frame.

Well at least now we know there won't be any dandruff in the swoop ponds at Eloy.