Blahr

Problem with that is, you cant go from your couch to skysurfing in one easy step :-) Skysurfing is point Q and mr/ms couch potato is at point A How many times have you heard "I've always wanted to try that" For most people, whatever "that" is, they will never actually go out and do it weather its skydiving or rollerblading. The ones that WILL try something are far more likely to try rollerblading cuz they can go right out and do it pretty much at any time for a minimum expense of money and knee skin. Now movies, on the other hand, are different. After Point Break and Drop Zone there were big surges in people trying skydiving. Not even the fact that Point Break was totally rediculous mattered. The HAD people believing that you can go from point A to point Q in one east step. Sucessful 5 way stars on the very first jump. 5 minute long freefalls in which you can have conversations. 2 guys on one canopy opening at about 500 feet and surviving! Watching sporting events and commercials doesnt get peoples attention, only total and complete bullshit can do that!

I Like my Altimaster III My brain likes the clock face better.

I'm reading the 2003 Paragear calogue :-) Good book!

This was so out of character it scared me! Till I saw this... Then everything was ok again!

I'm 5' 11" . Maybe the 21" ones would be best for me. Hmmm, I'll talk to the folks when I order it and ask what the recommend based on my measurements. Thanks :-)

I'm looking over the order form for a Vector III M and one of the questions is riser length. Options are: 19" 21" 23" What needs to be considered when choosing one of these? Is there a standard? I'm unclear what effect shorter or longer risers will have. Chris

I voted for a dogs tail just to be the first guy that does it! I'd really rather fly.

This too. I guess Cheryl Stearns will be attempting a jump from 130,000 ft http://www.stratoquest.com/default.cfm?page=25

IS this type of climbing/rescue harness closure easy to remove? If you hit the drink, you need to be able to get out of your gear in a hurry.

Which is better? That? Or the unending rain that has washed away the east coast this year and kept everyone on the ground.

Just out of curiosity, with these restrictions, would you support grandfathering people that already own equipment loaded above the recommended figure? For instance, I have a Hornet 210 and I weigh 210 lbs with nothing on so I'm about 235 lbs going out the door. I have an A License Thats 1.1 and frankly I cant afford to run out and buy another canopy. Dont want to either even if I could. I worked hard to pay for what I have and I dont want to shelve it because someone came along after the fact and made a rule that says I cant jump this wing loading. I dont swoop or hook and I have no interest in starting that kind of stuff at this point. Please understand that I support your goal and regulating how fast people progress to faster canopies is a good idea. I'm all for it. I think some grandfathering initially to help smooth over the transition might not be a bad idea though. Equipment is expensive and a strict enforcement of this would suddenly make a lot of equipment unjumpable for the people that bought it. If you already covered this area previously, please excuse me. There have been almost too many posts on this issue to read all of them or even remember if I did Chris

Claus, You are born again :-) I remember the feeling well. I still feel it. I cant wait to get back in the air and I'm nervous at the same time. Its fuckin magic

I bought a used Cypres with 4 years left on it. This should give me time to replace my equipment a piece at a time and buy a new one when this one is done. I couldnt have afforded a new one since I was buying ALL my gear at the same time. Include its 4 year maintanance which was due and brand new bats it cost me about $500.00 total.

Most of the straight guys I know love it when their girlfriend does it, but they don't like to admit it. Straight guys are just very insecure about their asses. I'm not insecure at all. Its an asshole. It justifies its existance every day. Its also a one way street. (till my first prostate check GAH!) I see no insecurity here.

I hate it when, while having sex in the woods, I accidentally destroy nearby trees. Self control! Thats what its all about!

And it only took 50 posts. The next level (old hand) requires 300! Gah!

AAARRRGGGHHH!!! GOD, that was horrible!

I've always flared in front of me. I do believe that on the occasions where I landed on my ass/back, had my arms been behind me I would have walked away with a broken wrist at the least rather than the much more manageable grass stains on the ass end of my jumpsuit

You forgot to mention that you hate babies

Look in the classified section of the forum. Lots of good used gear for sale there.

I really like the whole idea of the skyhook RSL. My harness/container is a Javelin J-7 DOM Sept 91 and I'm poor. There is no new rig in my immediate future. Can a skyhook be rigged on any equipment or is it limited to those lucky enough be able to afford a new rig?

Sorry for any confusion, Bill. I meant that the skyhook was relatively new, not the RSL

Skyhook is a new thing from the relative workshop where the malfunctioning main acts as a pilot chute for the reserve. The result is a far faster reserve deployment than was possible before. From their site: Skyhook RSL A normal RSL does one thing. It automatically pulls the reserve ripcord pin following a breakaway. The new Relative Workshop Skyhook RSL goes two steps further. 1. It automatically releases the non-RSL riser in case the RSL riser was released prematurely by itself. (You wouldn’t want your reserve deploying with half your main still attached, would you?) 2. It then uses your departing malfunctioned main canopy as a super pilot chute to deploy your reserve canopy faster than was ever before possible. How fast? How about ½ second from breakaway to line stretch (reserve canopy out of the bag). This is 3 to 4 times faster than a pilot chute can do it alone. This means that the average sport reserve will be open in 75 to 80 feet after breakaway. The Skyhook puts the argument about which rig has the fastest reserve deployments to bed forever. But if the skyhook gets my reserve to line stretch so quickly, won’t my reserve open harder? Not at all. All the Skyhook does is get your reserve canopy out of the bag faster after a breakaway. Once the canopy is out of the bag, it will open normally. For pictures of the SkyHook RSL in action, please click here. But what if I have a spinning malfunction? Isn’t there some danger that I will go unstable during reserve deployment and entangle with my reserve? If you were using a standard RSL this might be true, but the Skyhook does its job so quickly, that you never have a chance of becoming unstable after breaking away. So if your plan is to “get stable” again before pulling your reserve, the Skyhook system will actually get you under your reserve in 6 or 7 times less distance, because of the 400 to 500 feet you are going to fall getting stable before you even pull your reserve ripcord. Click here for pictures of a breakaway from a spinning malfunction. But what about a main total malfunction? If your main is still in its container when you pull your reserve ripcord (or the Cypres fires), the Skyhook automatically releases, allowing your reserve pilot chute to deploy your reserve canopy normally. But what about when I cut away from a main horse shoe malfunction? The broken away main risers would start to deploy your reserve, but couldn’t finish the job because the main pilot chute is entangled with you somehow. This is a bad situation, but the Skyhook does not make it worse. It’s basically a race between your reserve pilot chute and your broken away malfunction. Whichever is pulling harder wins the race. When your main risers stop pulling, the reserve pilot chute wins the race and deploys your reserve. The Skyhook may even help you in this situation, by assisting the reserve pilot chute out of the burble before it lets it go. What does the Skyhook look like? It has just two parts. 1. A six-inch lanyard with a loop at one end, branching off the RSL lanyard. 2. A specially designed metal “cam” to receive the loop, attached to your reserve freebag bridle, about 5 feet below the pilot chute. It’s very simple and “rigger friendly”. Click here for pictures of the SkyHook. So who needs it? You do! In the last 10 years, 24 jumpers have died in the US alone, after breaking away and not pulling their reserves. Another 4 died after entangling with their deploying reserve. The Skyhook gets rid of all those arguments for not using an RSL, and actually gives you some very good reasons to use one. And remember, because the Skyhook is a part of your RSL system, it can be released at any time, before or during the jump, by simply pulling the little yellow tab. Is the Skyhook like the device used on the Sorcerer BASE rig? Yes and no. The Sorcerer system is designed for an externally mounted RESERVE hand deployed system, and lacks the automatic release features of the Skyhook. It is therefore is not suitable for use with internal spring loaded pilot chute rigs. The Skyhook system will be available on all Vectors, Microns, and Sigma Tandem systems in about a month.

I've just purchased a used rig. It fits comfortably but the handles are not where I'm used to them being. I was last seen jumping Vector student/rental equipment and this is a sport rig. Its a Javelin J-7 DOM Sept 91. Its in great shape :-) The handles are much farther to the sides rather than right up front like I'm used to. The question: Is this normal and I'm just seeing the difference between the student gear and sport rigs or does this not fit me properly? I can see and reach both handles with ease, but I'd say they are on my sides (towards the front) rather than being right up front. Other than this fact, the rig feels good on me. (I'm used to a belly band too, this one is BOC) Is this ok? If not, can this fit be adjusted or should I turn around and sell this puppy again and look for a better fit? Chris

Hmm, I have a lot of firsts to go! They had best like rootbeer # Completing the student course of instruction - done # First four way - done # First eight way - not done # First CRW - not done # First time in the peas - not done # First night jump - not done # First kiss pass - not done # First competition - not done # First water jump - not done # First naked jump - not done # First jump on your own pack job - done # First dead center (measured by a judge or electronic scoring pad on a three or five cm disc) - not done # First jump on a new main or new rig (purchased, not borrowed) - done # Any license, award, rating, or badge - fractionally done # Getting your name or photo in "Parachutist" Magazine - not done # Gross safety violations not resulting in serious injury or death - not done # Any jump ending in "00" - not done # First cutaway/reserve ride - not done # First jump from an aircraft not normally used at home drop zone - not done # First jump at a new drop zone - not done # First demo jump - not done # First save (you riggers thought you were getting off easy) - not done # Vomiting in the airplane or on another skydiver - not done # First round canopy jump (Geez, used to be the other way around) - not done # First broken bone - not done # First camera jump - not done