FrogNog

Watch packers pack as many times as you can. At my DZ they were all happy to tell me what they were doing again and again, as I kept forgetting the steps in order. Also, don't be discouraged if you can't get the pack job done the first five or ten times. Packing is suspiciously similar to juggling. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

(my bolding) So, not to be a dick, but part of the lesson here is "look before you exit, because you don't know if a photographer on the load and the pilot are taking some cool pictures"? See, this is why I like jumping 182 loads. There is so much less stuff happening on a 182 load that I don't get told about. But it's a cool photo. And I will try to remember to look out the door every time before I bail. (Or at least get someone in my group to do it. ) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I thought the Earth Coriolis effect had a maximum impact of one revolution every 24 hours, and as a result was only worth worrying about when looking at airmasses at least hundreds of kilometers in size. For someone making a very short flight, this would just look like wind. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I have enough things I feel like saying that silence seems to say it best for me. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Yeah, I liked the Swift Plus 245[?] I used on Student status once. Beautiful on-heading subterminal opening, 7 cells, flared fine at ~1.1:1. (Grey Goose Vodka.) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Materially jeopardizing student safety is wrong for anyone to do. The thing I can't comment on is whether the instructor in the situation you describe is close enough to tell the student when to flare. Our field is totally flat, and the instructor on the radio always (that I have seen) starts out on the ground. They can basically see well enough to the extents of the huge field to call "flare" at about the right time. They told me in my FJC that if I'm landing outside the field, I'm on my own (and I believe if I land outside the field on my first jump, they said to land in half brakes with no flare, which I did when I landed in the field but somehow managed to turn off my radio in flight. ). Edited blue text to clarify. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

That A-10 pic almost made me cry. I love that thing. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I agree with mailin, as long as the "perpetrator" (abuser?) keeps it reasonably hidden. Sucks for poor Donovan; you'd think your own kitchen would be safe... Not sure about the guy in the car across the street. If he had kept the dome light off, I think the old credo would have been fine: "If this car's a-rockin', don't come a-knockin'." -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Damn that morning wood! -=-=-=-=- Pull.

A local RW champ told me tunnel time is great for body flying / control issues because the tunnel instructor can "mold" you in place like a poseable figure. He sets your arms and legs right and you learn fast. That being said, my problem around static line jumps 5 through, oh, 15, was mostly nervousness and a little bit of "just being a newbie". My slow left turns seemed to be due to hanging / holding onto the strut on a 182; my right arm would always be higher than my left. I have on video the one jump where I figured that out. Gotta love video. But, my point there is nervousness, and you mentioned you are rushed. For me, being in a hurry made me horribly nervous! Also, anything new, like a different instructor. When I was a student I could feel that sometimes they were rushed and I got less "personalized learning assistance" than when they were not as busy. I believe the DZO said if I could come out on a weekday, when they would be less busy, they could spend a lot more time with me and that might help me learn faster. Back to the tunnel, a tunnel may be less nerve-wracking for you, since there's less claustrophobia, takeoff pucker, fear of falling off the airplane (I still have that ), and the ground approaching at 120 mph. Final disclaimer: I have not yet been to a tunnel because I live near Seattle and I have thus far been too cheap to travel to one. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Gromit grommet -=-=-=-=- Pull.

It was time to pop my reserve for a repack and one of my riggers was kind enough to grab me by my yoke and spin me around the packing room to simulate a gently spinning mal so I could simulate my EPs in a different situation than just standing up or hanging in a harness. I had this same problem with my reserve handle - I chopped OK but my left hand was grabbing the reserve handle and my chest strap, and I couldn't budge the handle! Since I was looking at the handle, I saw I was grabbing the strap and I repositioned my hand and pulled the reserve no problem. It taught me the importance of looking, and being able to see. I normally jump with ski goggles (they're warm in the Winter and go over my glasses) that let me only barely see my handles; I'm moving to much more visible prescription goggles shortly. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

If the airplane can take off and fly, it's not too cold to jump. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I was gonna, but they also wanted me to do some 4-way, and I backslide bad without booties. FWIW, apparently "they" won't always get you on or immediately after your x00th jump. Apparently they can wait a bit until you're not expecting it. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Maybe they meant this picture? -=-=-=-=- Pull.

When my GF decides to do a tandem, I'm going to break out my skis and phone up Satan. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I support doing things differently. Just don't die, OK? -=-=-=-=- Pull.

OK, just checking. At first I thought the person being mentioned was trying to be too cool and not safe enough. But a pro-tec seems to contradict that. (At least the cool part.

I take my rig with me. I don't have tinted windows and I don't want someone busting my $150 window to steal my rig. But it's a freakish thing to do. Friends take a while to get used to seeing you standing in the checkout line at Safeway with your rig on, or sitting next to your rig in the booth at the restaurant. Still, I'd rather be a freak than have no wings. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Is there something particularly bad with it being a camera on a Pro-Tec? -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Hey, Bill, do you hold the record for first parachutist to be suspended for life from CSPA? -=-=-=-=- Pull.

Pay no attention to the katie, fish. You can jump with me and my "what was on sale" colors. We "mentally colorblind" need to stick together. (P.S. red soles show up great on video. So there! ) -=-=-=-=- Pull.

You can reduce fading due to sunlight by jumping in locations that have less sunlight, and where the sunlight is weaker when it is present. (See my avatar for the conditions I normally jump in to reduce sunlight damage.) Also, pulling lower would technically reduce the time the main is exposed to the sun, but I wouldn't recommend that. It would be a trivial difference (unless you are normally doing CRW) in sunlight exposure and could lead to death or injury. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

You also had the shittiest pilots! If you left from the trail plane they sure flew a BAD formation! I would call that an "imperfect" formation. A bad formation is one where a plane drops jumpers into propellers, or the planes bump. -=-=-=-=- Pull.

I believe a gal at our DZ has over 2,000 jumps with no cutaways. But that's rare. Pack carefully and inspect & maintain your equipment and you should be able to reduce the frequency/likelihood of cutaways. But I don't think it's ever a "0 chance" thing because sometimes shit happens. -=-=-=-=- Pull.