skybytch
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Everything posted by skybytch
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Depends on the aircraft and the dz. I know one dz that does a line exit for two instructor AFF jumps - both instructors and the student are outside the plane prior to launch.
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How many tandem passengers know better? None. How many AFF students know better? Few to none. They all choose that dz based on price. You are correct. I don't have a big issue with my experienced jumper friends going to Lodi. I don't want to go to their funerals (and I am disappointed in some people with ratings who continue to jump there even after seeing BSR's being violated with students there) but they are capable of making their own risk assessment decisions. That generally isn't true of tandumb passengers and students.
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Ooohhh, look, it's the pink elephant in the California living room! Why would anyone boycott a dz that offers the cheapest lift tickets anywhere? Yeah, the FAA says the aircraft weren't maintained, but what the hell do they know? USPA gave the DZO a safety award, how could it possibly be unsafe to jump there? Not to mention the awesome AFF program they run with non-rated "instructors" (despite the claim on the website that their instructors have USPA ratings) that turns out jumpers who are still having to pull out of spins. In this case it's not simply a regional issue, as jumpers come from around the world to "save money" jumping there. The bottom line is that very few people care enough to boycott anything if doing so will cost them more money. Most skydivers think about safety when they choose a dz to jump at like teenagers think about unwanted pregnancy when they decide to bump uglies - it won't happen to me...
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You funny. I've gotten the same tone from the electric company and the cell provider. The electric company is a monopoly, kinda like USPA - pay the money or you don't get power/don't get to skydive. That's real obvious when you try to contact them. Of course not. They have bosses above them who are worried that if they don't toe the line, people will stop sending them checks - both advertisers and subscribers. That's what is refreshing about BSM. They aren't going to censor themselves (or you, for that matter) simply because it might make somebody decide not to send them a check. They know that they can't please everybody and they aren't going to try. Why is that a bad thing?
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Personally, I find that tone quite refreshing. They're not going to be politically correct to get your money. Good on 'em.
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Thirty days. Take some money and go to the dropzone. Do whatever it is they want you to do to get yourself in the air. Repeat as needed.
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Poor guy. Us womminfolk don't have that problem. Skydiving gets us laid more often, not less.
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I have a recurring daydream. It involves me, a group of young people, a football and an assault weapon. Some days it's a good thing I don't own any assault weapons.
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You went in for a tune up and ended up with new valves and a ring job. Nice! :D Heal fast and well, and don't harass your nurses too much,
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Nooooo!! Little Bob flew the Cessna at Paso for awhile. Absolutely my favorite jump pilot ever. He was awesome. I swear he saw more of what my s/l students did than my freshly rated ass ever could. He'd tell me about them as we climbed another 1000 feet after I tossed the last one out. I feel lucky to have gotten to fly with him. BSBD and fly free now, Bob. Say hi to Al for me.
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I have two 2 year degrees, one in History and the other in Social Sciences. Are you surprised that I'm unemployed?
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Hope it all goes well, Keith. Enjoy the pain meds and don't give your nurses too much crap. Give him a big hug from me if you make it there today Steve.
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Surgery was the only thing worked for me, but mine was due to two destroyed discs. I knew it was time to do something when it started to hurt in freefall. PT is your friend. Talk to your doctor and have him/her order up a few appointments. At a minimum, you'll get some knowledge of what exercises will help and what might make it worse.
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What, no IAD rating? No master rigger ticket? No I/E? You don't know shit. STFU!
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Living with a master rigger/AFF IE makes it kind of hard to completely eliminate skydiving from my life. Sorry. I'll shut up now.
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7 Cell vs 9 Cell for Beginner
skybytch replied to jcolborn48's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
I've jumped both and I prefer 7 cells. Does that make me a bad person? -
Well obviously I didn't do my homework before I posted this one. My bad and apologies to RI for any unintended slight. The book is available free online and it's a fabulous resource for anybody interested in rigging. I'm glad that what I was told was wrong; it belongs on every rigger's bookshelf.
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Curious if anybody out there knows how to go about getting a hard copy of FAA publication FAA-H-8083-17 - "Parachute Rigger Handbook". I've been told the only source for a hard copy is RI. This seems strange to me since by all appearances this is an official FAA publication. Shouldn't something put out by the government - ie paid for in part by taxpayer money - be available to any retailer to buy and resell? It's easy to see that RI put a lot of work into this book. Were they paid by the FAA for this work? Anybody know if there is a way to find out?
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I really really hate the use of the word "fail" when it comes to making a skydive. Are you alive? Uninjured? Then you didn't fail. You may not have completed all the objectives for that jump, but you didn't fail. Your instructor may have had to pull for you, but hey, that's why you have instructors with you at this point. You jumped out of a perfectly good airplane even though your brain and body told you not to. You may not realize it just yet, but that's a HUGE accomplishment. Be proud of yourself for breaking through that fear barrier and doing it. The next jump will be better. Quit beating yourself up.
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Who the fuck are you and what have you done with Kevin?
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City of Hope - the charity that JFTC supported. They treat everyone regardless of ability to pay.
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Is Beating Somebody In Girls Basketball 108-3 Unsportsmanlike Conduct?
skybytch replied to ridestrong's topic in The Bonfire
It completely matters. No coach of a team of guys would have allowed his team to be brutalized like that. It might hurt their self esteem. -
An OK by a rigger doesn't mean much - you can get a rigger's ticket in a week if you have the money to throw at it. Takes more than a week to learn the finer points of gear sizing; having a piece of paper that says you know something doesn't mean you actually know shit... If the size of the main is larger than the manufacturer recommends, it's not OK. Overstuffing containers leads to stretched out flaps and grommets pulling out - not to mention how much fun they are to pack. If a PD210 is too big, a "cheap" used 190 zp is going to be too big as well - pack volumes are basically the same. And it'll be way less fun to stuff into that bag, especially if all your packing experience is with F111. If it were me, I'd go with option b and then find someone who knows something about gear to help me find a rig that will actually work for me. Might cost a bit more, but if you'd done so in the first place you wouldn't be stuck with a rig that isn't going to work for you.
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Talk to someone who knows you - preferably someone who has jumped with you - before you make a decision. Based on your height and weight, the people you jump with will probably be happiest with you in a tighter suit, but you could be one of those who can fall like a bowling ball even though you aren't built like one. Remember, jumpsuits aren't just to make you look good or to keep your clothes clean when you fall down. They are tools that you can use to improve your flying. The right suit makes learning new skills easier; the wrong one makes it frustrating.
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Nice. Gotta love it when the factory rep talks down to people...