skybytch

The largest ones listed on the manufacturer's website. In your case, that looks like a Triathlon or Spectre 150 main and a Smart 150, Optimum 160 or PD143R reserve. You might be able to put a larger main in it if you go with a smaller reserve, but you won't like packing it and if you need a larger main having a smaller reserve isn't the safest choice. Not trying to sound snarky, but it makes a whole lot more sense to do this kind of research BEFORE you spend your money instead of after...

Happy b-day, Nick! Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Come to our dz. We're all really crappy instructors who only do the teaching thing so we can make money and log tail...err I mean jumps. As such, if you aren't a hot young thing or willing to give us lots of big tips, you'll spend most of your time on the ground while the instructors go do tandems. Most of us are drunk or high or both at all times. We don't bother with teaching canopy stuff like "patterns" cuz the sky is big and you'll probably never need to know any of that stuff. All of the student gear is from the early 1990s,except for that one rig. We encourage our newbies to buy the smallest gear possible cuz big rigs aren't nearly as sexy and one of the instructors is dating a local EMT who needs the practice. The aircraft (most of which were purchased with laundered drug money) are maintained according to no schedule at all by a guy who used to work on farm equipment until he found the dz - we pay him a lot better than the farmer did. But it's okay cuz the pilots are all former crop dusters who are real good at crash landings. Yes. Keep it up and you'll talk yourself out of jumping completely. If you want to find "the best" instructor/dz, go visit a few actual dropzones, check out the facilities and aircraft, talk to the instructors and make your decision based on your own research instead of relying on the lies... err I mean opinions of people you don't know on an internet forum. A few things to think/ask about - Does the dz teach from the ISP or do they use the original AFF progression? Not saying one is better than the other, but from what I've seen, those who teach from the ISP end up with novice jumpers who don't scare the shit out of everyone else in the pattern. How many AFF jumps has the instructor done and how long have they been instructing? Not saying more or longer is a guarantee of quality, but the guy with 1500 AFF jumps is more likely to be able to deal with shit happening in the air than the guy with 20 AFF jumps is (and this is coming from an AFFI with 20 AFF jumps). Does the instructor also do tandems? Not saying that those who don't also do tandems are better instructors, but they will probably be more willing and able to spend however much time you need.

You're wrong.

5000:1:0 Got to be a part of my s/o's 5000th jump on Sunday - a low key, super fun 5 way with Monkey, Krisanne and Amanda. Experience on the jump ranged from 5k down to Amanda's 50 jumps.

The loop that you used to attach the line to the toggle or the loop that you set the brakes into? If it's the one that attaches the line to the toggle, it's fairly simple to tie a new knot. If it's the one that you set the brakes in, a new one can be fingertrapped into the line. Either way, a capable rigger should be able take care of it for you.

And you've done lots of research into the Nationals that happened before you started jumping, right? So to have an opinion on something related to the USPA Nationals, we now have to be a dzo? Classic. Riiight.

Before you pass out, please tell him that I still have that crush on him that I wrote to him about in all those fan lett... err.... this is a PM, isn't it?

Key piece of advice if you'd really like them to fit - don't do that. You will not get accurate measurements in several key areas if you measure yourself. Find somebody, anybody, to measure you. Be sure they use a soft measuring tape (not the one out of your toolbox). Have them take each measurement twice, three times if the first two don't agree. Leave the package hanging and measure down over and below it. And be sure to wear and measure over whatever you usually wear under your jumpsuit; measure in your tighty whities and you may not like the fit with shorts (much less winter layers) later. Or better yet, find a Tony Suit dealer and order through them. They should be able to measure you correctly.

Nearest airport is Sacramento International. If you're staying for a month, do try to get out and visit the other dz's in the immediate area - Skydive Sacramento (in Lincoln) and SkyDance Skydiving (in Davis) - while you're here. While neither one is as inexpensive to jump at as Lodi, they're both worth a visit.

I know he'll never find anyone else that's as good in bed as I am, so what she looks like really doesn't matter. Now if she was smarter or more compassionate or funnier or a better skydiver than me... well, then I might have an issue. But probably not.... he's a EX for a reason.

Good for you. But I hope you'll make a point of doing a whole lot of fun jumping in between coach jumps. Because someone has a rating does not mean that every jump they do has to be with students. The best instructors I know do at least as many "fun" jumps as they do "work" jumps (and coaching/instructing, when done right, IS work, even if you refuse payment for it). The instructors I know that get burnt out on skydiving often haven't done a jump without a student in a long, long time. It's called balance, and it's good for both the instructor and the students that instructor may work with. Sometimes that may mean that a student spends the entire day on the dz, only to make one jump. OTOH, hanging around the dz for hours on end is one of the best ways to learn about skydiving...

The man, the kid who isn't really a kid anymore, the dog, game night, falling out of airplanes, taking pictures, playing the guitar very badly, dreaming about living in a different house, long distance backpacking, dreaming about through hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and my BFF.

A musical response to friend requests from exes - "are you...."

He certainly made an impact. Pun intended. Bad addictions. Bad.

Nice, thanks for putting it out there Tom. I've bookmarked it and posted it on my FB page.

What would I do? Accept that I was taking a chance when I bought a used canopy with 700+ jumps on it and either fix it or turn it into an expensive car cover. There are so many different things that could have caused the damage. It could have been an unknown issue with the fabric, it could have been an obvious issue with the fabric (in which case you as the buyer should have noticed it in your personal inspection if the rigger who inspected it didn't catch it), it could have been packing related... and there's no way to prove any of them. SIUC.

If you can fly out or do a long road trip, Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California is awesome. Lots of easy to rugged trails for day hiking, a variety of strange and interesting geological features to check out and there's even a mountain to climb if you're so inclined. If you don't feel like doing the tent thing, the Drakesbad resort, hidden in the middle of the park, has cabins, a restaurant, horse rentals and guided rides and a hot springs pool. It's a beautiful place, and unlike most national parks, quite peaceful and quiet.

The First Ever SkyDance Fall Film Festival "The Fallies" SkyDance Skydiving, Davis, CA Screening of Festival Films, Awards Ceremony and After Party In the hangar beginning at sunset Saturday, November 28, 2009 Dress to Impress! Make us laugh! Make us cry! Make us wish we'd covered our eyes! Everybody is invited to create and submit short films for the First Ever SkyDance Fall Film Festival. No limits on content, so let your creativity run wild! Cash and other awesomely cool prizes in three categories - Action, Comedy and the ever popular "Other"! Not feeling that creative but still want to be in on the fun? No problem! Show up on November 28th and be a part of the voting panel, then hang out for the screening, awards and PARTY after sunset. Everybody on the dropzone between noon and sunset will have a chance to vote for their favorite films. Your votes will determine the winners! The small print (read it fast, preferably in a monotone voice) - Official rules and entry forms are available at manifest beginning October 9, 2009. Competition filming may begin on October 31, 2009. All films must be submitted prior to 10 am, September 28, 2009. All films must include a minimum of 5 consecutive seconds of footage recognizable as being shot at SkyDance Skydiving. $10 entry fee for first film, add $5 for each additional film. Entry fees go toward cash and other awesomely cool prizes, a copy of the Festival compilation DVD for each entrant, blank DVD's to make the above referenced compilation DVD's and the dz beer fridge. The First Ever SkyDance Fall Film Festival is produced by The Non-Descript Red Cup Brigade in conjunction with SkyDance Skydiving. Competition rules are available here.

The biggest mistake you can make is thinking about what mistakes you can make. Advice - Listen to your instructor(s). Relax. Smile.

Sure you do. Three of them. Hurricane season, too fucking hot and humid to go outside season and snowbird season. And none of them are fun.

You don't own a DZ and yet you have an opinion on the Group Member program. Why do you care about that? Um, yeah. I have. But thanks for asking.

Whether I'm there or not has no bearing on the discussion (red herring, anyone?). If you have a right to an opinion about how and where USPA spends the dues that you pay, why should I not have the same right? Doesn't matter if I'm competing or not. It's my money being spent to promote the event. I'm entitled to have and express my opinion on the matter, just as you and anybody else who pays money to USPA every year is. This is an exclusionary policy being imposed on what is supposed to be an inclusive event. That's the issue. I also question how this is going to be enforced. If Joe is packing with his Flight Concepts pull up cord, are the advertising police going to take it away? What if Bob is packing next to Joe and needs a pull up cord? Will Joe get booted because he gave advertising materials to someone? What about stickers on cars in the parking lot? The parking lot is dz property, right? Or RV's belonging to manufacturers that are there to support their teams? Do they have to cover their logos to be allowed to park there?

Nobody forced them to take it on. If running Nationals was such a huge monetary loss, I seriously doubt that any dz would choose to bid on it. Perris, Eloy and Chicago must have gotten some good out of hosting Nationals in the past, otherwise the businessmen running those dz's wouldn't have done it. The dz benefits from holding Nationals in numerous ways above and beyond making money. They get exposed to hundreds of very active skydivers, which amounts to very focused advertising. They get a name mention - free advertising - in every Nationals ad in Parachutist and in articles that will run in every skydiving related magazine and on every skydiving related website. They get continued use of any permanent facilities that they have added for the event, These facilities can be used for future events (boogies, local competitions). Local skydiving related businesses (packers, lofts, gear stores) get a boost during the event. I'm not at all against the hosting dz making a profit. Businesses that make a profit tend to be able to stay in business. That's a good thing. Really it is. Excluding manufacturers who didn't pony up first or in the proper amount from an event that has a stated aim of being one that the entire skydiving industry can be a part of isn't an ethical way of making a profit. imho, of course.