GravityGirl

OMG this is depressing. 37 more days until POPS. But at least I'll be in good company! Gravity Gear!

IMHO #1 and #2 are trying too hard to be different/asymetrical. #3 looks good. I like your colors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

On another note, if you are looking for an unairworthy Tandem Main (or several)as a shade, call BAS. They have some. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Just out of curiosity, what size main parachute are you looking for? Is this reserve for you? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

MOst of my web orders are from jumpers in rural areas with no local gear dealer. There is still a quality level of service that I can provide. Perhaps at your experince level, it is not as important. But if time and care are not spent with the new jumpers to get them on the right equipment and on a good progression plan, then they will never reach your level. The good news is that the customers that I have cultivated from the begining of their skydiving careers are still my customers now. Even though most of the time, they know exactly what they want already. I still take a few minutes to catch up and make sure that they are choosing the right wing loading, colors, etc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

>>Is it a wise consumer who goes to the automall and asks a salesman what kind of car he should buy? >I will also continue to advise novices to solicit gear advice from people who actually know them and who have seen them jump, not some voice on the other end of a phone who's primary interest is profit. Gravity Gear!

Ah, but it's ancient history. Likely few remember the pair. It was Lodi Lisa (who was actually a Byron jumper that almost died in Lodi) and Pauly Wog. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

That's funny. The forward speed is NOT notably different. The glide is flatter on the Pilot. You will cover more distance on it. Perhaps this affects "perceived forward speed". They have a quick recovery arch. In other words they recover from a turn quicker. If you are trying to increase speed for landing (hook turn), then this is not a desirable quality. If you are looking for a forgiving first canopy, this IS a desirable quality. The openings are really nice. If you are looking for the downside to the Pilot vs. PD or Icarus: The fabric is a bit more slick when brand new. So don't try to stuff it into the smallest possible rig. The lines wear faster than those on the Sabre2. I have found that the lower steering lines need to be replaces after about 150- 200 jumps. The good news is that is an inexpensive item. Also they show wear before shrinkage, so it's more obvious when they need to be changed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

no. There was something about oral copulation on top of one of the vintage airplanes. And NO! It wasn't me. I was still on crutches and couldn't bend at the waist. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

"...we had our NorCal Banquet there once. " Yeah. But don't mention that. I don't think we're invited back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Tammy, Are you saying that you DO have riser inserts? And you still had a hard cutaway? On another note, my first few cutaways were two handed (one on cutaway, one on reserve), until that bit me in the ass. After that it's always been a two handed cutaway. Just food for thought. Congrats on the Velo. They are fun to fly. I just switched over from 2000 jumps on Stilettos... lovin' it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

FYI: A new pilot chute costs less than lost cutaway and reserve handles and a repack. Should the pilot chute fail to extract the pin, what are your emergency proceedures for a pilot chute in tow? Is is ZP or F111? Finally. Is the pilot chute the original that came with the container? If it is the original that came with the container, did you contact your dealer or the manufacturer? If there is an issue, they may help you out and get you a discounted replacement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Hey Andy! Do you have the results yet? I'm out of the loop right now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

And Gregg. My toll free number is 888-298-8886. That's what I'm here for. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

I'm on the same page as Terry. I was selling the original Cypres at 950 until Cypres2 arrived. That is the number that I plug in. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

http://www.cypres-usa.com/ Click on Used CYPRES Estimated Value Calculator. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Peanut ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

As long as you have a series of canopies to downsize with and you have no issues on that progression, the 170 sounds reasonable. If at any point in that progression you feel you need more time on any particular size, spend the time to master it before moving on. Don't be in a rush to get your new container. If you can't fly it well, you'll just scrub it up anyway. I believe the current lead time for Jav is about 10 weeks right now. That would give you downsize time. To make sure you have all of your variables in check, you should sit down with your local dealer and discuss your options. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

The scope of your questions deserves a full, personal conversation. I'll answer some of your questions the best I can. It is possible to purchase a new rig that will fit a 170 main now and then a 150 later. Is this the right combination for you right now? There are several questions that need to be answered to know for sure. The way I like to look at the first rig quest is this. Determine which size main parachute is appropriate for your skill level RIGHT NOW. Then decide what type of parachute. Ex: Sabre2, Pilot, Triathalon, Spectre, Silouette, Omega, Safire2, etc. Do some research on flight charactoristics. Then make a list in order of preference. Then determine which reserve is the right size for you and your experience level. Do some research and make a list in order of preference. Decide if you want to use an AAD. Take some measurements using order forms as a guide to help determine what size harness will fit your body. Consider what type of flying you plan on doing over the next 100 - 200 jumps. Freestyle, freefly, RW, CRW, etc. How often do you jump? Every weekend? Once a month? This can help you determine how modern your rig needs to be. Now you should have a full list of what YOU need. When shopping used gear, only consider the rigs that fit into your parameters. Because a "Good Deal" is not a good deal, if the equipment is not appropriate for you. A new/used combination can often be a good choice. But have a look around to see what is available in your range. If there is nothing that meets your expectations and parameters, then look into new. Keep in mind that new gear can take 6 - 16 weeks to manufacture. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

I've never heard of it being attempted. It's an amazing idea. The biggest logistical issue I see is that most small DZs are not opened or busy during the week. You may not be able to get a plane up during a slow weekday. So you would have to pre-plan, make reservations, etc. Good luck! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Which container did you order? Short answer. A rig build for a PD160 will fit a Smart 160. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

I know that I can't keep them on the shelf. I have no returns or complaints yet. But I have to hear over and over and over again how they LOVE their new toy. So far. They rock. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

I have extras if anyone needs one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Sounds like someone needs to make a skydive. Do they have you locked up in the loft? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

Oooh. Ed sent you a PM. He's the man to make it happen for you. Just do it. Looking forward to hearing you post jump post. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peace and Blue Skies! Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!