Unstable

Nickkk - what are you jumping at Skydivve jersey shore these days? =========Shaun ==========

I've got to figure this out too - I'm doing a committee to organize our DZ's annual boogie. we have a pretty good turnout each year - but since it's almost impossible to get Jet A out there, we are limited to anything that eats 100LL. t shirts, prizes for the drawings, manifest procedures, demos, advertising, et cetera. I think what I'm going to do this year will make it easier for those who follow. I'm going to document all my planning procedures down to the T and make a folder in a 3-ring binder. that way there will be a templete for organizing a boogie at our dz. might make life easier for somebody. =========Shaun ==========

I start us off again this week!! 0:7:1 7 Jumps out of the Skydive Mesquite Caravan (It's been WAAAY too long since I've jumped a turbine...) and I met on really cool Dz.commer and jumped with him about 4 times - Jtval. Great guy. I really like skydive mesquite and I've been there a few times (even if the computer had no record of me.....). I have a lot of family in Las vegas and so I'm there quite a bit. I'll have to make it my 'home away from home' dz. great crowd. Nice plane. Brad, the DZO, is one of the nicest people i've met in the sport. =========Shaun ==========

I psycho packed my new sabre2 150 for it's first 100 jumps or so. I did it in front of a PD rep at the hillbilly boogie a few years ago and he put a stop to that at once. the openings were, well, less than what we should expect from a sabre2. Since I started a real propack - all my opening concerns went away, except for end cell closures. =========Shaun ==========

What? No details on what the couple did after dinner?!??! =========Shaun ==========

The joys of a new canopy. I can't imagine for the life of me how you could flat pack it without it filling with air and expanding on you. Plus, with the trim of the Sabre2 -It'll look pretty weird layed out for a flat pack. As far as managing the new material goes - i don't know what to tell you other than you'll have to do it a lot and find your own system. Watch other jumpers bag their canopies, and practice practice practice. I have my little method of using my knees on both sides of the s-folds to keep it in the shape of the deployment bag - and every jumper is going to do it a little differently. Congrats on your new gear - now go jump it lots!! =========Shaun ==========

Kinky.

I agree. I think it's more of an issue of commitment. I've seen people date for years with no real commitment - and in my book, that doesn't get too many points. Commitment brings responsibility and accountability into the relationship, that brings trust. You but those together, and chances are that you won't be getting dumped any time soon. =========Shaun ==========

I get those kind of days few and far between sometimes - But one always seems to come right when I need it the most..... =========Shaun ==========

Okay let me try... Unstable = 21 + 14 + 19 + 1 + 2 + 12 + 5 = 69% Hey - I got the best number!! =========Shaun ==========

What sucks the most is when you are weathered out, and so you go to DZ.com on a rainy saturday afternoon to kill the boredom - Then you find out everyone and their dogs are out jumping in places with better weather than you.... =========Shaun ==========

If it makes you feel any better - I'm a guy & you could drink me under the table any day of the week. Usually it just takes a non-diet coke to load me up. No desire to drink. I'll cheer you on, though.

Congrats!! I love the Spectre - that thing should keep you busy for a long long time! =========Shaun ==========

Hey - we need to make one of these like "How to open the damn door on the Skyvan" That thing can make me feel like a moron.... =========Shaun ==========

I'm a Cessna Baby - and jumping turbines is a summer time treat to me and the rest of the state of Kansas or the entire midwest for that matter. I'm no skygod or rocket scientist - but it's always a hoot for me to watch 23 guys who only jump the otter trying to figure out how to load the damn thing. My rule: Do what Manifest tells me, and follow the guy in front. =========Shaun ==========

As painful as they would be - I would keep them. IMHO, the entire point of this life is to learn through our mistakes and our successes - erasing some painful memories may not be worth the cost... =========Shaun ==========

Reading this article- I can't help but feel unsympathetic for the parties involved, except for the family of the deceased. What do you do when a passenger passes away on a flight? Keep them in the crowded seats in coach because those sitting next to them paid less for the flight? It would make sense to me to put them in the least crowded part of the aircraft. Do they have body bags on those flights? =========Shaun ==========

They are really cute together - like little furry friends. =========Shaun ==========

30 Jumps in one weekend with questionable weather? I gotta ask - how did you do it??!? =========Shaun ==========

Lets flip this thing around and take a look...this could be fun. Okay - What would a Rich Bitch girlfriend who owns a liquor store want from a guy?!?! What kind of man do YOU need to be to get the class of girl you are looking for... hmmmm.... This is tough. Are you good in bed? Can you go down well? =========Shaun ==========

Yeah - we all had them here too - i had one in Engineering econ Analysis & polysci - I think I got a B and a C respectively. =========Shaun ==========

Looks like it's my turn to start us off this week!! It's st. paddy's day - so I hope you all got some good jumps in!! 1:10:0 Humps: 1 - well, I rode a friend of mine's girl for about 45 seconds - held a stable rodeo. I don't know if that counts... Jumps: 10 - not bad, eh? Cases Owed: 0 And I did rigging work on 3 rigs this week - so I'm happy. =========Shaun ==========

Yes, yes there is. When I got my hands on the canopy - it had already been disassembled and taken off the previous container, and the brakes were already unstowed - so I could not see if on this last repack - any of the line was up against the hooks. Good point. Even if the line was caught in the hooks of the velcro, is this something than can come about in one repack cycle? =========Shaun ==========

have you guys ever given a student a bad spot?? Man, I hate it when I do that. "Gee, I'm sorry you landed off. Why did you land off? Well, it's kinda funny, see....." Not too common, but sometimes stuff like that is what I need to slap me in the face and make me realize that geee, I really am still learning a lot... =========Shaun ==========

While inspecting a canopy for assembly into a new container, I discovered this problem spot on the right brake line. Here is all the background information for this canopy. It is a SharpChuter 244 manufactured in August of 1992 by the then Glide Path International. It has been 5 repack cycles since it has been jumped, and the last deployment was by a student skydiver, sub-terminal. After a very thorough inspection of the canopy, lines, and all attachment points, I have found no other areas that would raise a flag or draw a second look. The canopy has been in service in Student Equipment (Student Hawks, then 2001 Javelin). It has been packed by a variety of riggers. The pictures you are seeing below is the right eye of the brake line. Although the white brakeline material is frayed, the red piece fingertrapped and bartacked in is completely intact - The damage is on the lower side, right where stress would be put on the line by the toggle/ring in a deployment, or even in regular packing when tension is put on the brake lines to flake the tail, et cetera. After finding this, I sent the canopy to a trusted friend and master rigger in Kansas City, and he replaced both brake lines according to the manufactures recomendations below the cascades. I found this a few weeks ago, and it still won't settle on my mind, and so I have a few questions that I'm sure a more experienced rigger might be able to answer. Have you ever found anything like this? Is is possible for damage like this to come about between repack cycles? Is this an indication of overall weakening of the lines due to the age and normal wear and tear of the canopy? Is this an indication that the previous riggers did not inspect this section properly? Is there anything I could be overlooking in this situation? =========Shaun ==========