skybytch

Which is no different that what I suggested above when there isn't an arrow to follow...

People coming in to the main landing area should be able to fly a predictable pattern too. Doesn't mean it always happens. What if it's the guy with 50 jumps and a brand new 1.2 loaded canopy who has just been given clearance to land there? If he got hurt, he'd have a pretty good point in saying "hey, you TOLD me to land that way!" So you're not okay with people colliding when there isn't an arrow but you are okay with people colliding because there is an arrow? I'm confused. You're asking the dzo to take responsibility for the landing direction on every load. Avoiding collisions is a fantastic goal, but if you'd like the dz to be around for awhile, you should also be concerned with how what you are proposing could be used against the dropzone by a lawyer. Would it be difficult to discuss those situations prior to boarding as well? Then you don't get to bitch when that choice is the first link in the chain that gets you hurt. I guess I really have become an old fart. Freedom of choice matters (those safety recommendations are unrealistically conservative anyway), but personal responsibility is rapidly going the way of the F111 7 cell.

I can see the value in that for big ways, where a certain canopy experience level is expected. But for the average weekend day at the average dz? Or for a boogie? Don't see it working so well. What if the wind direction changes while people are landing? Should the arrow be changed as well? What if it isn't changed and someone gets hurt landing downwind? What if it is changed and two canopies collide? Far too many openings for liability for the dz and the person tasked with pointing the arrow. Why not be a big grown up skydiver and determine for yourself which way you want to land? Don't like the direction others are landing in the main landing area? Land elsewhere. Speak up and preplan a landing direction with the others on your load - before you get on the airplane. Fly your canopy such that no one else will be on final when you are and it shouldn't be an issue anyway. Refuse to be in the air with people that you know are sketchy under canopy, or in chaotic situations (ie boogies). Am I responsible for my safety or not? I think I am, and that includes choosing the place and direction that I think is the safest for me to land.

A few people are pissed that I don't jump as often as they'd like me to, but I can't think of anybody that is pissed that I jump.

Some dz's want you to feel like a skydiver instead of a thrill ride passenger. The jumpsuit is part of that. Go with the one who doesn't do flips. Doing them increases the amount of risk that you are putting yourself under.

Tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes.

If you aren't enjoying the journey toward achieving your goal, why bother chasing it?

Thanks for the input, everyone. We did another course last weekend, with some changes based on some of what we read here. We're trying to keep the day's cost as low as possible (we're charging jumps plus $25), so we kept it to four jumps by including effective flare technique on the first jump instead of the second. This worked well for our situation since almost all of the participants were locals who we have watched land numerous times already (the only exception was the guy who had just graduated from AFF at another dz). It might not be a good idea when presented with a more experienced jumper that we've never seen land a parachute before, though. We're using two video angles as well; one front on, semi-close view (shows arm/hand/leg movement very well) and one wider side view that includes the canopy and the horizon. Have gotten good feedback from participants on the benefits of two angles. We included stalls this time and will in all future courses. It's very cool to see a couple of jumpers who took our first course because they were having some issues with flaring now landing standing up with very good flare technique.

Best advice is to contact whoever you purchased the gear from. It's nearly impossible for anybody here to do anything other than guess without at least seeing pictures of the rig, both on and off your body. And no matter what information you get here, guesses or not, you'll still need to contact whoever you purchased it from to have it fixed (if it needs to be). There are a number of possible reasons for the yoke area being tight and at least one has nothing to do with the sizing of the harness or container - depending on the container brand, if the rigger who packed it put too much bulk at the top of the container it could be very uncomfortable.

??? Your canopy under your control = your fault. That's an expensive way to learn a basic lesson - don't put your gear down until you're back in the packing area...

FYI!!! Road 29 will be closed between Road 98 (Plainfield Station) and Road 95 (northwest corner of the airport) on Thursday and Friday of the boogie - you will NOT be able to get onto the airport from Rd. 29 until at least Friday evening. Plan to use Road 31 instead.

FYI!!! Road 29 will be closed between Road 98 (Plainfield Station) and Road 95 (northwest corner of the airport) on Thursday and Friday of the boogie - you will NOT be able to get onto the airport from Rd. 29 until at least Friday evening. Plan to use Road 31 instead.

The right steps to finding out how to achieve your goal include getting off of the chair and out to a dropzone, not sitting in front of computer "talking" to people that you don't know, that may or may not be giving you correct information, and that may or may not even be skydivers IRL. Don't take this the wrong way, but lots of us have seen lots and lots of you in the past, and amazingly enough very few of those lots and lots ever end up doing more than 100 jumps (if they ever made it to a dropzone at all). If you really feel a need to read about skydiving on the internet, go here and download the SIM. It contains EVERYTHING that you will learn in your student training, and much to assist you in at least your first couple hundred (or thousand, depending on what you end up doing in the sport) jumps. As an AFFI, when a student tells me they've been hanging out here I heave a heavy sigh, knowing that the teaching is going to take much longer than it would with someone who spent that same amount of time reading and absorbing the information in the SIM. These forums are great for meeting people and socializing, less great for getting correct information. Case in point is the person who said you only need to have made 120 jumps to fly a wingsuit; you didn't know he was kidding (or in internet forum terms, "adding noise") so you believed him. Do yourself and your future instructors a favor - stop reading and posting in the topical forums here. If you really think you want to be a skydiver, go to a dropzone.

Consider that skydiving attracts a wide range of people - from 18 to 80, male and female, religious and non-religious, straight and gay, alcoholic and teetotaler. sex addict and prude, drug addict and police officer... To many jumpers, the dz is an adult playground, a place where just about anything goes. Many activities that take place on a dropzone - especially after sunset - may offend you if you are very religious. Be tolerant of those who don't live the same way you do, just as most jumpers who do not share your beliefs will be tolerant of them. Leave the kids at home if you don't want them to hear profanity or possibly see public displays of affection. And pack up your stuff and head home when the beer light comes on. Although many jumpers will not share your convictions and many jumpers will do things that you will not, they are still some of the nicest people you'll ever have the pleasure of getting to know. Welcome to the sky!

With all that time on your hands, you'll be really stoked when you figure out that you also have no money. Good luck with school. I suggest not declaring a major for as long as you can possibly stretch being undeclared - whatever it is you think you want to do now will probably change...

If it weren't for the numerous corpses that followed that "advice" in the past, that might be a good idea...

If my back doesn't improve immeasurably in the next few days, I'll be bringing a stack of red cups and plenty of cocktail fixings...

Nope, tonight is meatless. A shake or two of crushed red pepper has much the same effect.

Surprise, surprise. Three replies that all belong in Bonfire, not in a topical forum. Here's a serious answer for the OP. Freestyle is where freeflying came from. Basically dancing/gymnastics in freefall. The best freestylists are amazing; it's a lot harder than it looks and a lot harder than what is now consider to be freeflying. Like skysurfing, freestyle is (was?) mostly a solo discipline, at most a two way (freestylist and camera flyer). And it's hard. Together, those reasons may be a big part of why you've never heard of it...

Red beans and rice with some oven fresh corn muffins on the side.

Main - $100-200. Reserve - $100-200. Container - $300. So... $700 tops. While the main may be okay for people up to 200 pounds, the reserve isn't. Please be sure to specify that exceeding a 1.0 wingloading on the reserve (ie exit weight of 180+) is not the best of ideas in any ad you place.

Flexi minis. Around $15-20, super comfortable, hard to scratch, last a long time.

So did my best friend. I would have, too, but as the only child and only grandchild to actually graduate, my mother would have disowned me. Happily, I think I've talked her out of me having to go through a college graduation ceremony.

I dunno... back in 1982, my class was told in no uncertain terms that the ceremony was not for or about us and if we did anything exuberant - including tossing our silly caps in the air before we reached a certain point on the walk out - we'd pay for it. Still not sure how we'd have been made to pay when we already had the piece of paper, but in a town as small as the one we lived in, we weren't going to take any chances.

I so know that feeling... Thanks for posting your pics and journal. Another addition to my places-I-want-to-hike list, for sure!