Blahr

Lisa, I appreciate you taking the time to explain what was in your mind especially on a busy day. It makes what you stated initially far more understandable and less harsh. Thank you.

Well, if you dont know why your thread was locked/deleted then how can you know what to NOT do in the future? Contrary to what you might think, it may NOT be self explanitory even after reading the rules. If you delete a thread and dont want it to come back, you can only help yourself AND the poster by explaining what the problem is. That can help it from being repeated. While I have come to have a lot of respect for you Lisa, if I were a moderator I would lock/delete your post for being a mean spirited tyrade that probably resulted from someone that pissed you off. I would then explain to you why I did it. Yes, this aint no democracy. Neither is my home, but I'm still respectful to my kids when I lay down the law and there is no reason that cant be the case in these forums too. Respect begets respect.

Well I'm pretty much a newbie, my years on the sport notwithstanding, I have only 57 jumps at this point. However, in 57 jumps I never had line twists. Not once. So I'd have to say that line twists on 9 out of 10 jumps is NOT normal. If it was, then I should have about 50 jumps with line twists. If you stay on heading during the opening and you have actually watched the bag spin up during deployment, is it possible that the stows are too tight? Someone more experienced could answer this better but I am curious as well.

How about "I was looking for someone who has had an original thought. Clearly there arent any around here."

If you paid $200.00 the misunderstanding MAY have been on your end as well. At $200.00 I would have been expecting a canopy with a good bit of use and wear. If the seller claimed that it was in great shape with low jumps I might have been suspicious. If he claimed that its in great shape "for the price" that would seem much more reasonable.

Well I've been practicing all day. :-) Got it down to 30 minutes, the slider and lines remain in the same zip code, and I would not hesitate to jump it. Thats a lot better. If I can shave it down to 15 minutes I'll be really happy but this is acceptable. The big thing that made my life a lot easier was getting as much air out as possible before I start to fold it. That seemed to make a big difference. I feel much better. Thanks for all the tips! Now the jokes on you Dterrick! I dont drink anymore so no beer for you!

In Finland we pack our own gear from jump no.1 I think its very good to know how to pack. Its also a safety matter IMO. Its very good to understand how your gear works. Just knowing "when I pull the PC it opens" isnt enough in my opinion. I get really good laughs when someone posts DZ.com : "I have 50 jumps , Should I soon learn how to pack ?" Come on..please !! I dont know who (if anyone) actually advocates NOT learning to pack till 50 jumps. I've never heard of anyone that supports this. When I started jumping I was taught to pack right away and was jumping my own pack jobs well before I got my A license.

Hi Matt, Congrats on your rig. Yeah Arlo told me about your rig too Yesterday rocked! Sadly I must wait till next weekend to jump mine I'll be posting some pics of mine (once I take some) You are right, the slipperyness IS a problem. But without the thing trying to reinflate it would be a far more manageable problem :-) Your tips do make sense, thanks. Part of my problem is that I have NEVER packed ZP before and the last time I packed anything at all was 8 years ago. I'm certain time (not packers) will resolve all of the problems. And all the tips I can get too! Best of skill (not luck) today!

I knew a guy that had a new Sabre. He couldn't pack it and paid packers. One day, all the packers were busy and he sat around and couldn't jump. He was completely reliant on others for packing and maintaining his gear. When these people weren't available, he was stuck on the ground. Last I heard, he doesn't jump anymore. Learn to pack. Learn what to look at on your gear and how to perform user mainanence. Learning to pack ZP is difficult, but once you learn, it isn't difficult to pack ZP. Derek I hear ya. Depending on others is not my way. I intend to become proficient in this ASAP. Additionally, I pay a guy to pack my main 4 times and there goes a jump I could have enjoyed.

My new gear arrived yesterday! All this time, while reading posts involving the difficulties involved in packing Zero-P, especially brand new zero-P, I had previously always thought to myself "Sheesh, quit your crying! How f***ing hard could it be? Slippery...BAH!" (Cuz thats the kind of bastard I am) Took me about 60 or 70 minutes just to get the thing back in the container, its FAR too big, totally messed up, who the hell knows where the slider ended up (Cleveland I think), lines everywhere, and I wouldnt wish that pack job on my worst enemy. The trouble didnt seem to stem from slipperyness, but rather, from the fact that the thing seems to want to inflate like a baloon if its not constantly being compressed. If it was just slippery there wouldnt be any problem. At this point I have NO idea how this is manageable! Fortunately I remember thinking the same thing 9 years ago about my PD-190 and I got that under control eventually so I'm hoping that if I just keep hammering away at it, the same thing will happen here :-) Any helpful liitle tips that people have picked up along the way to deal with this problem are most welcome

You can always get stuff nobody wants anymore pretty cheaply

I have a total of 0 naked jumps. If I'm in the sport for the next 30 years and someone invites me to do a naked jump every week for that entire time, in the end the number will still be 0 If jumping naked floats yer boat, have at it. I cant for the life of me figure it out but I DO know that I DONT want to be on that load with you cuz I'd rather not have to look look at you naked

I think you should have opted out after the very first remark from her. Havent you been in enough relationships to recognise the Kobayashi Maru? Experience tells me that sometimes (especially after a remark like that) you are walking into trouble and you will never understand why nor can it be avoided. Dont try to understand, put your head down and wait it out

I would never seek to hide the fact like its some kind of dirty little secret. I will not mention it in a job interview because it simply isnt relevant and could potentially be damaging. Once hired somewhere, people always find out that I am into jumping. I dont keep it hidden. I have never been fired or turned down for promotion due to that fact.

Bucking for greenie status aint ya???

Dont have one anymore. 20 years ago in the Army I was referred to as "Piggy Bank" due to a 2 inch long straight scar on top of my head which, with a crewcut, looks like a coin slot. Maybe someday I'll get a cool, skydiving related nickname like everyone in the movie "Cutaway" Then I'll really be cool

McDonalds, Burger King... Pizza.. lots o f beer... Donuts.... you get the idea Jeanne This sounds funny but the idea is sound. I fall fast. Not because I'm fat, but because I am a bodybuilder. Lot of muscle. This means basically higher density. More mass packed into nearly the same volume. The junk food idea isnt quite as good because you gain a lot more size by getting fat than you do adding muscle. Added size means added friction, which DECREASES the benefit of gaining mass. Of course adding fat is far easier and can feed the need for instant gratification for those of us that love to eat :-) But then this thread isnt about that. Its about falling faster :-) This makes adding muscle the far better solution. Same amount of air resistance as any other 5' 11" guy but I'm heavier so I fall faster. Put on some muscle. Not only will you fall faster, but you will feel better, look better, be stronger and healthier, have quicker reflexes, and be more resistant to injuries. Its a win/win/win/win proposition. Oh yeah, you have to work hard too. Dammit! There just HAS to be a downside to everything, doesnt there?

Zephyrhills http://www.skydivecity.com/ Clewiston http://www.skydivefl.com/ Lake Wales 863 678 1003 I think Clewiston is the closest geographically. Cant speak to the quality of the facilities. I've never been there. Cheers

Thats a cool picture! Proud to be an idiot, I AM!

New rig is on the way! Too bad UPS tracking doesnt have GPS that can tell me exactly where the package is every step of the way. It arrives Friday. The following weekend will be my first jumps in 8 years! IT BETTER NOT RAIN!!!!!! NOW I'm getting psyched. Of course there will be pictures posted. I'm an ex-drunk so there will be NO BEER bought! Sorry, folks will have to settle for soda

Crack will destroy your body, mind, and spirit. Skydiving brings you to life.

I have a choice of 3 ways depending on my mood :-) 1. Glasses and big goggles over then 2. I have sportrx goggles in my perscription 3. I have a full face helmet (Havoc) I can wear my glasses under it

My office is in my basement. It has a Sun E250, A sun NEtra T1, 2 dual processor Intel based UNIX servers, one RedHat 9 high performance workstation, a home recording studio, 3 guitars, a bass, a KORG DW8000 synth, and a completely outfittet gym with machines and olympic freeweights, treadmill, stair climber. My boss lives and works 3000 miles from here and I never see him. Sorry dude, but my office is WAY cooler than yours :-)

You forgot to put festering pustules as a poll choice.

Dats 75 miles up bro. Theres no atmosphere at that altitude :-) No atmosphere, no booms, sonic or otherwise.