boyfalldown

I'd say put it where you want it, when you want it without ever making an excuse to anyone, especially yourself. Do that consistently for a couple hundred jumps and I'd say yes you can fly the piss out of your canopy. I'll also add that an unplanned downwind landing that turns out well isn't flying the piss out of it, good flying requires good judgement to keep one from need to exercise said skills under canopy.

Done, while I'm not one to usually vote in these things I've got a soft spot for Sierra pale ale at sunset in the parking lot in Byron.

Dead is equally dead, regardless of the cause.

Not much help with your question, but yet another thing to ponder. What happens if you do a low turn above solid ground and "hit" with nobody around, same results.

After you've gotten laid a few times, you may find it easier to maintain your composure and dignity in the presence of a beautiful woman. Just give it some time and experience little buddy.

Hey goober, just what are you trying to convey with that post? Are you just whining that you don't like the rules, want some support from some other 50 jump wonders, think you know better than every one else and should get the bsr's changed, or do ya just need a hug?

I jumped hard for my first 7 years, and started to slow down after that. I have new gear, 2 rigs and the funds to jump as much as I want when I'm not working(which isn't very often). 5 years ago I bought a 172 and the management at my airport encourages me to jump as much as I want. These days though it's about quality over quantity, with all the jumping I want at my disposal I'm hardly making 100 jumps a year. A friend of mine who's opening a new drop zone invited me out for the weekend to jump, and my reply was only if I can fly (the jump plane). Flying has really hurt my jumping, and with unlimited time and funds I'd be looking at my own Kodiak or otter.

Good, now there's some info to form an opinion off of. Now I'm just some random asshole you've never met offering useless information on the www so take my info for what it's worth, absolutely nothing... Listen to your instructors, and tell them your issues. If your flaring too low and "panick stabbing" your brakes, you'll definatley feel it in your feet regardless of what shoes you wear. I'd like to say flare slower and 5 or so feet higher, but I'd be afraid you'd over do it and sink it in from 30-40 feet and really hurt yourself, so I won't offer any advise. Who knows who I am and what I really know, I'm just some random dude on the Internet . Bring your instructors a case of beer after jumping is done and ask for their opinions, hell forget the beer and just ask them! If you don't trust them enough to help you, check out some other drop zones around you, nobody here can help you more than the people that have seen all of your jumps to date.

Not really enough info to go off here. People watching your landings could tell you miles more than the internet. Seriously without seeing you land it's just opinion and speculation. Have you asked your instructors or up jumpers at your dz for their opinions, if so what did they say? My opinion though is that shoes are far less important than gear and technique. What kind of canopy are you jumping, how many jumps are on it and the line set, what's your wing loading? Not trying to be mean or dissuade you from asking questions, but getting someone to shoot video of your landings would make it possible to critique your landings.

Man it sounds like your local dz's are conspiring to withhold you of your god given right to enjoy the sky. Those greedy bastards are after one thing only, your money! I bet if you called them out on it they'd only make excuses like its for your safety and to protect their liability, what kind of selfish crap is that? There is a way around it though. Nothing says anyone has to be a uspa member to jump in the us. The airplane market is pretty depressed right know, I've seen some really nice 182s going for 30-40 grand. You could always pick one up, find an airport that'll let you jump at it, hire a pilot and jump with all the fuckin cameras you want! Hell advertise here that anyone that knows what theyre doing can jump with all the cameras they want no matter how current they are. People will be flocking to your dz! Shit at $25 a jump you'll be rich in no time.

Sounds a lot like my first rig, that I got in 1998. Someone modified mine to accept an aad (which cost more than the whole rig did). It got me through my first 150 jumps, till one of the main flaps tore off while I was closing it. Its a good rig if you only plan to fly on your belly, you really wouldn't want to freefly in it. I wouldn't pay too much for it, knowing its not going to have a great resale value due to its age. If it fits, is really cheap(I'm out of touch with used gear prices but I'd think around $1000), and is in good shape it could get you by for a while so long as your happy on your belly.

Not trying to sound snarky, but check out your local airports. I learned to fly a few years ago and after getting to know the local airport community I have a bunch of jumps from cool old stuff. inn the last few years I've jumped 4 different Stearmen from 220's to 450's Grumman ag cat, quite possibly my favorite jump ship ever 2 piper cubs Bellanca scout Citabria 7eca Piper pacer 172 (nothing special, but its mine) 182's And I've had offers to jump tons more from t-6's to Bonanzas.

It sounds like your talking about the flitesuit brand body suit rw suit. If so then yes I've had a few of them, 2 rw, 2 camera, and a freefly suit. They have all been good looking, durable, and seem to hold together better than my waistline, so even though my current ff, rw, and camera suit are in great shape I just ordered three more. Having only owned their jumpsuits I can't compare them to anyone else, they've been great for me so I'll continue to use them. As far as material selection goes, fast or slow is something you'll have to figure out on your own. I'm currently 215 and can always fall faster, so I personally like a pretty slow suit. I'd assume from your question that you don't have a ton of jumps, so ask your instructors what they think about your fall rate.

407, 580, and 755 grams respectively. I highly doubt many here could look at a picture and tell you which camera body took it. My neck votes for smallest and lightest. With that said the battery life on the sl1 suffers a bit. I don't really care for the flip out screen on the t5, things that move are things that break. I haven't mounted a sl1 to a quick release plate yet, but would assume with a little work one could mount it to a plate and still access the card.

5 is my best in SoCal. Started the day in San Diego, followed by Perris, Elsinore, Taft, and a night jump in Lompoc at skydive Santa Barbara (my first ever jump there).

I'll be jumping out of my plane after work today... 500 hours 2700 jumps.

For some people that's totally normal. Door fear didn't go away for me till about 50 jumps or so. Hell, 15 years and 2700 jumps later I still ask myself what the hell am I doing here if I haven't jumped in a while. For me currency keeps me relaxed.

I have 2 katana 120s, one I've owned since new with 1000+ jumps and another with

I use and would highly recommend Mirko "Soko" Djordjevic. He is located just north of Hawthorn. https://www.facebook.com/pages/SokoParatech-Ltd/105616942808880 He has 30+ years of rigging, is still a very active jumper and instructor. I'll put extra emphasis on the instructor part. He is the kind of rigger that loves what he does and will happily give you his time to explain and walk you through any questions or procedures. PM me for his phone number if you'd like it.

You may want to check your timing/needle bar height. If the needle bar slips (up) when the needle was jammed , the kerf of the needle will be below the hook. The result is thread shredding as there is no space between the needle and hook for the thread loop to form. Kind of the same result as putting a needle in backwards.

Not that it helps much after the fact, but wings makes the ext. Its a taller thinner container that gets the pud lower on your body for tall guys jumping smaller rigs.

20 years no problem, but 500 jumps on an F-111 canopy is a definite pass. If your not familiar with the difference between zero-p and F-111 do a quick search. F-111 is great for the first few hundred jumps, but by the time your ready for a new line set most of the flare is gone.

Kydex is a great aviation specific heat formable product. It's what the windows and side panels of Airbus and Boeings are made of. It's not too expensive, $50 ish a sheet if you shop around. I'd imagine fitting, trimming, and molding for an entire 182 to be a big job, I'd set aside a week if I were doing it by myself. You might check with plane plastics (www.planeplastics.com ), as they may already offer a kit for 182. Their door panels and trim look factory perfect, but do require a lot of fitting and trimming. Another poster suggested closed cell foam for a finished product. I just insulated my plane with 3/8" super soundproofing (available from aircraft spruce and many other vendors). It's fire retardant, comes on a 60" roll, has a paper trail, and is easy to work with. It took me three days to remove my existing insulation, clean and prep, pattern, cut, and install. I used it under standard interior panels. While it is very light and looks great, it does not stand up to abrasion at all. I've heard that Selkirk makes a precut kit that's made of foam rubber that stands up to abrasion very well, but is a bit heavier. Word on the street is that the precut pieces don't fit well in some planes and require substantial trimming. Good Luck with whatever you go with, and do post pictures of your finished project. Jim

While I'm not one much for tv or football, the "wife" in that Doritos commercial is my girlfriend. Needless to say, I had to watch the game and most of the commercials instead of hanging out at the airport where I belong.

Nothing cooler than taking a two way off a Grumman ag cat.