skybytch

Open face and goggles. I like the wind in my face. And kiss passes are difficult to deliver when wearing a full face. I jump a Bonehead Guner, which is really quiet for an open face helmet.

Whenever considering gear advice, remember who will be taking time off work to recover if it's too small/fast/aggressive for your skill level. It won't be your JM's or your rigger. Besides. by the time you think you're ready for a 150 (IF you ever do; there's no rule that says you have to downsize and many of us choose not to), you're going to want another container. There will be some new option available that isn't available now, or you'll decide you need two rigs so you can dedicate one to a wingsuit, etc, etc, etc...

Ever jump a 176 sq ft 7 cell? Didn't think so. Want your first jump on one to be your first reserve ride? Bet you don't. Over 1.2 on your first reserve is a good way to have the rig sitting in the closet while your ankle/leg/pelvis heals. A better choice would be a container that fits a reserve that you can safely land in less than ideal conditions today. Not at some mythical date in the future.

So when can we expect you to begin producing and selling them? Think of the lives you'll save! Not to mention the big bucks you'll make,

Don't new mains come with links? A used canopy should include everything that a new one does. Not including the links is just rude.

Not a stupid question! It's canopy and jumper dependent. Only way to figure out what works best for you and your canopy is to go play with it. In the canopy course we teach, we have jumpers do a hop and pop exiting about 2 miles upwind of the spot. They then try both sitting in deep brakes and using rears and decide for themselves which gets them further back. You can leave the brakes stowed if you're using rears, but don't forget to unstow them long before your hard deck (imho, easier to unstow them),

You have enough money to buy everything. Remove the word "used" from your vocabulary. You NEED a second and third NEW rig. Where do you think used gear comes from anyway? That's right, it comes from people with too much money.

It's always been more about who has the money. If you don't have the money, you aren't likely to be able to afford to develop your skills to the point where you'd even get an invite. With the big way camps and smaller events that the organizers want you to have done, you can easily drop $5k just to get to the point of maybe being invited to spend a whole lot more. There's no way I could have afforded to do my only big way event (JFTC '02) out of pocket; I couldn't really afford the jumps and camps needed to earn my slot. It was only because I could raise the money to cover my slot that I even considered trying.

Did HH send you some giraffe steaks?

Congrats!! Now the real fun can start!

I hear ya. It was only a year or so ago that I had a home machine and a nice room to sew in. And now the room has two home machines, a serger, a zigzag and a harness machine - and no room to sew. And I hear another machine may be in my future.

Patrick was a skydiver. So is his brother, Don.

Ah, but if you know that Bill invented it - and you know what he looks like - when you run into him at a skydiving event, you can ask him any question you might have about it. Can't do that if you don't know who he is, can ya? Other names to know - Kate Cooper Tony Domenico Al Frisby Carol Clay Purusha (Patty) Crocitto Deanna Kent Bill Newell Ray Cottingham Soss

I'm married to someone you did CRW with.

Not looking at charts, but I'd guess the XRS is smaller. The RSK used to be the RS (for Ridiculously Small); the XRS was Xtra Ridiculously Small. The RSK may be smaller than the RS was, dunno about that.

Goggles - get something with a clear lens. Non sunglass style for starters - FlexZ, Flexvision, Brand X Soft. Your instructors shouldn't have an issue with any of those. Helmet - Benny or Protec will work great. Even if they won't let you use the helmet on jumps where you need radio, you'll be able to once you are off radio. Does the dz you will be jumping at have a gear store (or even just a cabinet of stuff for sale)? I'd suggest buying there, even if it costs an extra few bucks. Get to know and support the folks who will be there for you later!

Before you buy, jump a 135 and then a 120. Only you are going to know which you will prefer (and you may decide you don't want a Stiletto of any size after jumping them).

The internet is amazing. You can find out so much about people and quickly share it with so many other people! I found out that your real last name is Bettman, and I let every RedWings fan out there know your fake name and current address. Have a nice day!

They make sense to you (and me). They don't make sense to others. Just like the proposed wingsuit stuff doesn't make sense to you (or me, for that matter, but I wouldn't ignore it if it becomes a BSR). As a DZO, slavishly following the BSR's and FAR's with your students and experienced jumpers on your dz could be a good defense against a lawsuit. The BSR's are the "blueprint" for safety in the sport - the "industry standard" so to speak. Abiding by one section while blatantly refusing to abide by another would make that potential defense unusable. And it sends the wrong message to the new skydivers you are growing - the message that what USPA says can be ignored if you don't agree with it. Anyone can share whatever "knowledge" they have with whoever they would like. I can talk to people with two jumps about AFF even though my rating is expired. I just can't go jump with them. If I do, I'm in the wrong. If the dzo asks me to knowing that I don't have a rating, they are in the wrong as well. The student likely doesn't know enough to ask - and if the dz advertises "USPA rated instructors" that is what they are expecting. The way I read what you are saying, it's the student's fault if s/he is jumping with an unrated instructor.

Uh huh. Puppies are so cute.

Assuming that training by a rated instructor is included in the BSR's (no need to create a program if it isn't going to be "mandatory"), the dzo would be in violation of that BSR by doing so. This is the attitude that is the problem - yeah it's a rule but I'm special so I'm not going to follow it. Add in the fact that USPA doesn't do a damn thing about BSR or FAR violations and we get the FAA stepping in to do the job that we are obviously incapable of doing.

Isn't self-regulation what USPA is supposed to have been doing all these years? Perhaps if USPA enforced the FAR's and BSR's instead of just suggesting it might be a good idea to follow them, the FAA wouldn't have felt it necessary to regulate the sport for us. Hmmm..... If DZOs would enforce them with their staff and then not push the safety standards to turn another load, then the USPA could continue to be a paper tiger with out much issue. If jumpers would take the time to stand up for what is right, then DZOs wouldn't get away with doing stupid things. If the jump pilots would stand up to both the jumpers and the DZO, then it would be a non-issue. It's obvious that the USPA gave up on the jumpers a long time ago, the pet project demo-team is a prime example of that, but it is up to the jumpers to not give up on the sport by doing what is right. Here's a big part of the problem... The following was posted on a different thread -

Passing on group membership means you can ignore the FAR's and BSR's? Sweet!!!!!

Isn't self-regulation what USPA is supposed to have been doing all these years? Perhaps if USPA enforced the FAR's and BSR's instead of just suggesting it might be a good idea to follow them, the FAA wouldn't have felt it necessary to regulate the sport for us. Hmmm.....

We're going to Stockton Thunder and SF Bulls games this year. Even if there is an NHL "season".