JeffD

Well I fiddled with the 5 bit theory and there are about 30 similar patterns, which leads me to believe that it is a 5 bit pattern. But again the problem is the double first letter. I've attatched what I did. Also there are 75 bits in the first message, and the second message has 810 bits (also divisible by 5). edited: wow I cant believe I wasted this much time on the wrong answer.

if your curious enough all you have to do his right click and find out what (the font color was)language it is programmed in. :-) Seriously how long have people been doing this?

I dont understand. Why did he have to pull for you at 5300? did you lose control, panic? I almost stopped jumping because of a scare I had on my Aff2. The jump went fine, had some industrial haze at around 6k, then at 5k waveoff and pull, and at 4.5k I looked over at my JM and started to freak when the bag came off my back at 4k and deployed (I had pc hesitation) the JM said he had to pick the bag off my back to get it to deploy. Then I had probably 3-4 line twists. Remember why you jump out of planes? For FUN!

I think its at least a 3 year wait at least because the Patent Office is so backed up.

Rather than have the repost police lock me away I searched before I posted. I just saw this and I see it hasn't been up since Feb 03, So I'm just bringing it back for others.

Did someone in a big teal jump suit ask you if you were doing your first solo on friday? If so, it was me. :-) sorry.

If anyone cant wait, google can help you.

Skiing is 100 Times easier than snow boarding. My brother and I have gone skiing a few times and are competent. But snowboarding is very difficult because both of your legs are attatched to the board and cannot be removed if you crash. We coulden't move the next day because we were so sore. I'd say do some searches on the net and get a feel of whats out there, go rent a board, and just see if you like it (theres no such thing as a snowplow on a snowboard so be careful) we got used to it towards the end of the day. Wear a helmet, wrist guards, knee pads, and shove a pillow under your butt, because you'll be landing on those parts alot. Good luck!!!

Do a search on SPAD, (simple Plastic aircraft design) which is basically a $5 airplane with a $50 remote, so if you smash it to bits somehow (theyre made out of those signs that politicians use to get reelected-so If your crafty and have sticky fingers you could build one for almost free) and some aluminum U channel. I'd build one but I dont have anywhere to fly it.

no, Z-hills is like 30-40 miles inland.

I was thinking about this once too, and one of the Canopy Manufacturers stated that they had experimented this and the canopies needed to be 1 chord length apart to fly properly. But for handling I have no Idea.

Well on the exits, They dont get a whole lot better until level 6 (solo exit). Just to let you know, trying to leave the airplane with 3 people sideways doesn't work extremely well no matter how good you are. Trust me they get easier, but the mental struggle gets worse until you get done with a high solo(usually right after Aff7).

Whats your definition of speed? The main goal of a jumpsuit is to keep you falling at the same rate as the other jumpers in your group. So if you think that the first people should wear a floaty(baggy) suit and the "last ones out" should wear tight suits so they can catch up quickly, they will, but then they will fall below the formation and be lost until pull time.

True I hadn't thought of that. If your altimeter is behind you, how do you know where you are, accurately?

Congratulations. And they just keep getting better and better. I believe that anyone would not want an altimeter on the hand that will deploy the parachute because you dont want anything getting snagged at 120mph. picture this- You go to deploy your throw out Pilot chute and all of a sudden your bridal gets looped around your hand, so you take up to 3 seconds to slide the bridle off your hand and you get it off. Now, imagine you have an altimeter on that hand, and when the bridal loops around your hand it also loops around your altimeter, Theres no way in hell your going to get that thing off/around your alti in 15 seconds (assuming you pull at 4000) then you are praying that your AAD will work(or pull your reserve), I think I'll opt for keeping the alti on the left hand. and soon you'll have this to look forward to. My graduation

I didn't have a nice exit until my Aff6 jump. As one of my instructors said "once you have less idiots holding onto you, everything gets easier" and level 6 is a solo exit

cant you just replace the closing pin with something else? and still make the money? or does he specifically want the closing pin.

here are some photos I just took from my video. (they are digital camera pics of a VHS video so they aren't beautiful but they work) Exit-just did the exit count and am like 1 second from jumping sit - my 1/2 front flip result headdown - i took the pic right as I was coming around on my backflip instructor - just a photo of me and Eric geek- Thumbs up right before pull!

Story of my Aff7. Well I took out my Girlfriend for the first time on sat(11-22-03) for my graduation jump. We got there around 12:30 and started hanging out. Load 12 and 13 were a formation load (I think 40 something-way) Anyway I get an instructor and start going over the jump, when the formation load is getting ready to exit, so we stop and watch. There are some ooh's as they start to bring the formation together. Then at break off, you could have thought it was the fourth of july from the wuffo's OOh's Ahhs! and of course as each ring broke off more ooh's and Ahh's. Back to my jump, we get on load 18 and I got to sit through a muff brother playing with the aircraft ("THANK GOD FOR....." "F$$$.....") hehe it was fun. So the pilot heard the racket and kicked the tail back and forth a little bit. Finally we get in the door do a hand wave count so the camera guy can do a good exit with us. I dive out and somehow turned into the Relative wind and since my feet were on my butt I went head high (almost standing up). I settled back down looked around for a second but couldent see my JM (later on I found out he didn't realise how fast I was going to fall and had a hard time getting back down to me) still didn't see him for a few seconds, I did my Front flip which turned into a 1/2 front filp into a sit, It was nice and I dont know how long I could have held it but I rolled over. I did my back flip and it was about a 1 1/4 back flip because once again I was standing up, but of course since I was arching I settled back down. Started my left turn, and stopped when I saw the JM (so it was only a 270deg turn) , did my right turn 360, and looked at my JM and pointed east (to make sure he knew where I was tracking) and I took off, I started a little orbit so I cut it short, and then turned 180deg to track back towards the airport, which freaked out my JM because he didn't know what I was doing and Just about as I was going to track he flew up infront of me and told me to stop, Check altitude ~ 6000' So I just sat there, Geeked the Camera guy , check 5000' wave off-pull. Now I thought I failed because the JM had to come up and tell me to stop, but after I started thinking about it, The whole point of Aff7 is to make sure you can handle most situations in Free Fall, which I did so I talked myself out of the fail and sure enough Eric came up and said, "Do you think you passed?" And I said "yup", "congratulations!" Whohoo! We went to the Training room to watch the video, and he said I had a nice sit after the front flip, and everything else was fine until the tracking part, but I told him what I was doing and he just said he didn't know so It was ok. (Yes I bought beer) Now onto solos! and Ideas for fun solos. I was thinking of rolling up into a ball and just flipping like crazy for a few thousand feet, or trying sit flying, tracking the whole way etc.

Might sound stupid but think of it this way, until you leave the plane your mind will keep telling you that you can change your mind, but once you have left the plane you have no choice but to enjoy the jump. :-)

2 weeks?!? It took me 2 1/2 years! Just to let you know Aff 6 is the best! (I did that one today)

Heres the story of my Aff6 and my downwind landing. Well I got out there at 9am and just sat around for a little bit and then talked to my instructor about jumping. So I got my ticket and went looking for a rig, but its reserve is getting repacked. (aff student went fetal and pulled reserve) but he lost the cutaway handle so I had to wait until someone went and got one. So a little bit later I finally get on the plane. Just a tad nervous but doing alright. First group goes, my instructor checked the spot and Check in, ready, set, go... I watched the plane leave and my instructor dive out (YAY! best exit yet!)... Check altitude, above 12,000' I look up and my instructor does a flip with his hands, and I remember "Oh yeah" so I do a backloop and get stable. My instructor points to the east, so I turn about 90degrees and track perpendicular to the flight line.1thousand 2thousand 3thousand 4thousand arch. WhoHooo!! 180degree turn. and track west. I really held this one and looked to my right and saw my instructor like 3-4 feet away. I arched and we were at around 7,000' so I just concentrated on being stable. 5,000' pull, So I'm sitting in my holding area playing around some, at 1,500' I start getting towards my pattern, I look down and see the arrow pointing south, and I have a brain fart and only concentrate on the arrow which points in the direction your supposed to land, and I thought it meant thats the direction of the wind. I do some S turns because I am covering a ton of ground, I look over by manifest and see 3-4 instructors on the ground watching me (is this a good thing? I thought) anyway too late now. Flare, flare, Wow the grounds still screaming underneath me, Flare! my left foot hit, and I tried to run it out but the legstraps were still a little tight, and I was moving pretty good, Bam! I just did like a mini PLF got up and I looked around and I was about 100' from the boarding area, (no planes around) and not a minute after I get down one of the organisers was talking to me. So I explained my brain fart and he said well your instructor will talk to you. Nothing happend, so it was all OK, but from now on I'm reading the damn wind socks. *ps if all the instructors on the ground are watching you land, your probably doing something wrong.

On your way there, crank up the stereo in your car, roll up the windows(optional), and scream to the music. It will get you so pumped and going. I do it on the motorcycle ride to work sometimes, Screaming at 6am when its 50 degrees on the highway, Oh yeah. Seriously this will get you unshy of yourself, so you can by unshy to everyone else.

My Gf and I do it occasionally. Its nice . Well I think its the same thing as sex before marriage. If your having sex, then showering is just a different form of sharing each other.

Why is it different than AFF? you jumped without anyone holding on to you for what 3 jumps? and they just sat there in front of you with a goofy look on their face as you did flips and circles, and immediately as your pilot chute hit air you were on your own. So how is solo different? My next jump is Aff6 and can't wait to go solo just so I can get out there and do whatever the heck I want to without any requirements, IE do this do that then ride the tube down. Have fun.