skybytch

Cool! That'll mean all the foreign tandem masters and packers that are working here illegally on tourist visas can take some classes while they're here.

Demo, demo, demo. But if you can't, get yourself a PD Spectre 190 or 210. 190 if you have mastered flaring (new school flaring, not what we used to do with big ol' F111 mains), 210 if you're still working on mastering the flare. Resale value will be high on either size when/if you're ready to downsize. Reserves today are a lot like mains from back in the day. All F111, 7 cells. Keep your loading to about 1.0 body weight for now - around 190 sq feet. Any container built after about 1996 is going to be safe for just about any type of jumping you get into in the future. If it fits the canopies you will be using and the harness fits your body, it's fine. Get a jumpsuit for RW and a jumpsuit for freeflying. Don't try to drive a nail with a screwdriver. Protecs are awesome for all skydiving disciplines.

Something did happen. The non-rated person was allowed to get rated. Problem solved, right?

Oceanside Skydivers, perhaps? Good luck, that's gonna be a beautiful place to jump.

While Javelins built after 2001 are built under C23d, I don't remember and can't find anything that says that Vector3's ever went through C23d testing. Couldn't find any TSO information in the most current UPT manual.

You do know that at some point in the future when you make a mistake while skydiving (and you will), someone out there is going to point right back to this post and turn your words against you, right? Just checking.

The pattern and the importance of flying it predictably are part of the basic canopy skills course outlined in the SIM. Teaching it helps a lot - I've seen improvement in the pattern at the dz I used to jump at after teaching 4 courses using the outline in the SIM.

I have quit. I am moving on with my life. I thought I'd let those few folks who give a shit about me know what was up, so they wouldn't wonder why I'm not around anymore. I listed my reasons because people have asked. If what I wrote makes skydiving look bad... grow a skin and get the fuck over it. I'm entitled to my opinion on the sport that I've put 20 years of my life into. If you don't like that, fuck you. You are right. I've only been posting here for ten years. I'm basically a nobody around here. As you noted, I posted this thread solely to make a display and feed my tremendous ego. Have a nice day.

I think we're talking about two different things. I'm talking about the basic canopy skills course in section 6 of the SIM. This is essentially the course taught by Flight 1. I think you're talking about what is in the ISP. A good instructor/student program will cover all of that. I could be wrong though.

The only thing on your list that isn't covered in the basic course outline provided in the SIM is double fronts for landing. There's no need to reinvent the wheel for this.

Pre-A license holders "should" be getting enough basic canopy training from their instructors... if they're using the ISP and working with rated instructors, that is. They also spend more then enough money in those first 25 jumps. The same "basic" course that is outlined in the SIM could be required for a B license. This allows the new jumper some time to financially recover from the A license, and in most cases to downsize from student sized canopies to their own gear. Being on the canopy they're likely to put the next 200 jumps on when they take the course will make what they learn far more valuable to them. In addition, since it's mostly not the 50 jump wonders who are killing themselves and others today, the same course should at some point very soon be required of EVERY SKYDIVER OUT THERE. This could be done by requiring that the year after a canopy coaching program is put together, every jumper renewing their membership (which, technically, is also renewing their license) complete an "approved" basic course, and any jumper renewing an expired membership in the future would have to meet the same requirement. Of course, none of that will stop Johnny Awesome at 200 jumps from flying his 1.6 loaded whatever into you... only enforcable limits on what canopies Johnny Awesome can fly until he has a D license will do that...

I'm more likely to give it to a newbie than I am to sell it to anyone. Most likely to a broke young female who loves to skydive but can't afford to put together a rig. Kinda like the person I was 20 years ago.

If every jumper of every experience level took a canopy course structured like the one in the SIM, I might put my rig back on. Too bad it'll never happen.

Good luck, Dave. That's the path I tried to take for a few years. Hope you have better luck with it than I did. Thanks for the love, y'all. My USPA renewal is sitting on the table. Haven't decided if I'm going to throw it away or send it back with a letter explaining why I'm not renewing. The big question is - what am I going to spend that $55 a year on instead?

After 20 years, a few ratings, a world record, several logbooks and lots of alcohol, I've decided it's time to hang up the rig. This explains why. It's been fun. But so is hiking, backpacking, golf...

Reflex's were jumped by several top freefly teams. It was one of the first containers with ANY "freefly safe" features. But I'm sure you knew that, you're just being "funny"...

Of course he does. Guys who jump crossbraced canopies get laid more than guys who jump Spectres. Duh. To the OP - Go for it. What's the worst thing that could happen?

Congrats! What a huge achievement! Thanks for keeping up the journal, it was fun to follow your adventure. PCT in '12?

There isn't? What about flying the parachute? Poor canopy control is more likely to injure or kill you than is an inability to dock with someone else in freefall. It's more likely to injure or kill someone else too. Do solos, pull high and work on all those canopy related things in Cats A-H, especially those that you didn't do on your AFF jumps.

I wonder if they would approve of your situation? They don't care. Neither do gear dealers, who will gladly sell whatever a person can pay for and hope that the waiver will keep them from being sued. Neither does USPA, which ignores the issue entirely and claims that skydiving is safe, even though preventable canopy related injuries and deaths happen all the time. There are no rules. There never will be. Quit trying to be reasonable and logical about the whole situation. Either accept that there are no rules or quit jumping. Personally, I'm hanging up the rig. Too many stupid people doing stupid shit and nobody that could control the situation seems to give a rats ass. By not jumping, I can at least be sure that the newest 200 jump wonder on a 1.6 loaded main (ie the next divot at the local dz) doesn't injure or kill me.

Remi isn't green anymore, won't count, sorry.

One more to go and my work here is done.

This was pointed out to me today by a friend. Take a look at the back cover of the October Parachutist. Notice any similarity to other groups of mostly blond, excessively healthy and clean cut people? Not to mention the fact that they are ALL dressed in red, white and blue.

Not if you've been around the block a time or three. If so, then already you know that your assumed pool of 32k is actually much, much, MUCH smaller.

Good old fashioned penis in vagina rockn and a rollin.