skybytch

Folks with such depth and breadth of experience in the sport as you have would of course know far more about such things than I...

That would be all AAD's currently on the market, wouldn't it?

You're right. It's about people. The people who made the boogie happen in the first place, not the ones who fucked them out of it so they can make money.

First, go to uspa.org and do some reading. Download the Skydivers Information Manual for some additional reading. Then get in your car and drive to each dz you are considering jumping at. Watch. Ask questions. Find out how much the training will cost, how many jumps are included, what aircraft you are likely to be jumping out of, who does the teaching, what is the dz's safety record (including aircraft safety). Find out if all the instructors are properly and currently rated by USPA for the type of instructional jump they are doing (to be a current rating holder, one must be a current member of USPA). All that said, there's a lot to be said for training at the dropzone that is closest to you geographically, as that will likely be where you will end up doing most of your jumping.

Real happy with that trade. Heater hasn't done much for the Sharks considering how much he was getting paid.

They should have the knowledge to land safely off dz without assistance, shouldn't they? Isn't that taught in the FJC?

"Once you move 400 miles away, don't call him again. Even if he was a really good lay."

"He's a grown up. He can make his own decisions. I'm not going to hold him back"

I estimated low. Cost will depend on how badly you break it. I broke tib/fib playing hockey - no surgery required since the shin guard kept them straight. I'm already pushing $6k and the cast hasn't even come off yet. That's with no insurance and care from a non-profit community clinic - it'd be way more if I was having to pay specialist prices for seeing the ortho. Most skydiving tib/fib breaks require surgery.

Ummm... you do remember who it is you're talking to, right?

Flying a 1.3 wingloading at 75 jumps makes for a steep learning curve. You might get a break and make it through unscathed.... or you might get broke. New Pulse - less than $2000. Broken ankle - $10k+ Badly broken leg - $30k+ Weeks off of work - $???? Bottles of pain meds - priceless! Your choice.

I got what I wanted last week when the Sharks signed Seto to three more years. And then I woke up this morning to find they traded him. It's going to be hard to not root for Seto to beat that new defensemen repeatedly when the Sharks play the Wild next year. Really hard. Stupid fucking Sharks.

Heh. My s/o got to be woken up at 2 am by a loud "thump" and a scream as I fell onto the bathroom floor a few weeks ago. And that was without alcohol.

I'm off pain meds but still non weight bearing and casted for the next two weeks. No pain meds means I can drink. It's boogie time at the local dz. You can guess where I'm going with this. Yes, I can admit it. My drunken crutch handling skills need work. They are adequate to keep my from falling over, but I have no style, no flair, no "hold my beer and watch this" worthy maneuvers. So, those of you that have mastered the art of drunken crutch handling (and I know you are out there), Help a broken person have a safe and fun day of being drunk at the dropzone by posting your best drunken crutch handling tips and techniques. Thanks.

I'm really sad that I'm not going to be one of them. Burn down the LP Lounge on Survivor Sunday!!!!!

Comfort, confidence and experience flying the canopy without benefit of toggles. Should he ever lose a toggle. he's more likely to land what he has instead of chopping it because flying the canopy solely on rears is one of the tools in his toolbox. Shawn - Just caught that you don't plan to jump until the course. Highly recommend that you abandon that plan and get your butt out to the dz. The reasons I suggest this - Considering your experience level, the canopies you are flying and where you are supposed to land, you are at less risk under canopy than someone with 100 jumps on a 1.0+ loaded canopy landing in the main landing area. Novices are required to land in the student field at Davis so you don't have to deal with the additional canopy traffic (chaos) in the main landing area. The people you need to be worried about under canopy won't be landing in the student field, and they are generally on the ground long before you are on your downwind. Another reason is currency. If you wait until August, you won't be current. If you aren't current, you'll have to do a recurrency jump before you can do the course. And then there's the amount you can learn while standing on the ground talking to people and watching loads land... There's a boogie going on this weekend. You should be there, even if you don't plan to jump. You will learn far more about skydiving than you will sitting in front of the computer, and you'll meet a lot of people that you may be jumping with in the future.

Your analogy doesn't work. Try, try again. PLF"s are a survival skill. Since Scott Miller thought they were important enough to put in his course, and he's got lots more canopy related experience than you or I combined will ever have, we practice PLF's in the course. The standard PLF probably isn't the best choice when someone flying a highly loaded canopy fucks up, but they still work great for keeping bones intact for those who fly more conservative loadings - ie most novice jumpers, at whom the course is aimed. Since many of them are still learning proper flare technique, the ability to do a good PLF can keep them jumping instead of crutching. They are also for not dying when everything goes completely to shit. A good PLF could reduce the number of injuries you sustain in a two out landing, or even at impact after a canopy collision. You are, of course, free to scoff. You'd be providing more to the world if you told us what is better than a PLF and why instead..

Another great Bach book is Illusions. I try to always keep an extra copy on hand to give away.

I voted no. I raised my personal minimum deployment altitude to 2500 feet (from 2k) when I got a Cypres because I do not want to fly both my canopies at the same time. Bump the activation altitude another 500 feet and my personal minimum deployment altitude will have to go to 3k. Which doesn't leave a whole lot of freefall time if I'm jumping a Cessna, does it? But it would be way cheaper for certain manufacturers than having to redesign and then test to the latest TSO (instead of the one from 30 years ago) a container that works like containers are supposed to. Maximize profit, even if it comprises safety, that's the American way.

If anybody gives you shit about doing a PLF on a jump because you want to practice them, tell them to shut the fuck up. That's one of the smartest things you can do, imho, for the very reasons you stated. I know the canopy course you'll be taking, since I put it together and help teach it. You will be practicing PLF's in the canopy course. You will also do a jump in which you leave the plane 2 miles out and have to work to make it back, choosing your outs along the way and landing out if you can't make it back (so far, everybody has made it back). You'll be amazed at how much confidence doing that jump will give you when faced with a long spot in the future. The primary out landing areas at Davis (the barn and the field just to the east of the gun club and main landing area) are easily walked, and that is a REALLY good idea. You can also choose to land at the barn if you leave the plane north of the dz. It's a perfect field to practice an "off" landing on, since it was used as the student landing area for many years. And usually someone sees you landing over there and will send the van to come get you.

A severe lack of trust in my fellow jumpers to not kill or injure me under canopy and a serious lack of respect for those tasked with keeping the sky and landing area relatively safe. Since I can't/won't sue a fellow jumper, USPA won't do a damn thing about canopy control issues and nobody cares what I think, I've remedied the situation by not jumping,

Serious question prompted by curiosity, not an actual event. Assume the canopy isn't returned to the manufacturer until after the deceased's credit cards have been canceled - I have no idea how long it generally takes for that to happen. And you bring up another good question - what would a manufacturer do with a blood covered demo canopy?

Do NGO's make high profits?

If someone dies after hooking themselves in under a demo canopy and said canopy is returned to the manufacturer covered in blood, who pays for it to be cleaned?

Do you have enough cash to cover the bills while you are away? Will you have internet and phone access where you are volunteering so you could continue your job search? Could the volunteer position lead into a paid position with that or another NGO? There's no guarantee you'll find a suitable job if you don't go. By going, you'll widen your network, which could very well lead into the job you are dreaming about. Go.