Nightingale

hmm. I didn't notice it then. maybe I was just thinking it was the server at work, refreshing, and forgetting about it. I saw that talkback was gone, clicked on something else (general, I think) and got a blank screen, and started thinking "this is weird..."

I wonder if it would make a difference if the topical forums were placed closer to the top, and Talkback and Womens (or maybe not womens, I dunno) were relocated to where Announcements is now? That way, people see the topical stuff first, as they scroll. dunno if it will matter, but its a thought.

there are a couple of folks at Perris who don't jump with a visual. The ones I've asked all have two audibles.

I first noticed it after Talkback got closed. Not sure if its just more traffic in other forums, or if its just a coincidence. I remember it was right after, because when it got closed, my browser started loading blank pages every few pages, and I started to get worried because I thought I was blocked or something.

I've been getting them too! IE 6.0 XP Pro.

personally, I as an AFF student, I had enough to concentrate on. don't add "oh my god I packed this myself is it gonna open" worries to the mix. I took a packing class shortly after I finished AFF, and can pack for myself when I choose. You can't get an A license without knowing how to pack.

thanks much! I can use all the hints I can get!

I call both Perris and Elsinore home.

No but I can show you how to cut that 2 hours down to about 15 minutes. HI!

LOL. you've never seen me try to pack, Darce. I only helped you with how to close the container. Kat helped you with the get-the-slippery-snot-in-the-bag part, which is my problem area.

its not that I'm being too methodical... I get it folded fairly quick. its the getting the damn thing in the bag that's the hard part. I'll pack my silhouette now. it takes me about an hour, because it still doesn't like the whole going-in-the-bag thing. It was when I was packing Square1's brand new ZP Spectre that I was having major packing issues. I'd almost have it and then *blooff* canopy everywhere. LOL.

um... I see the same problem as a tandem passenger wearing a helmet. one wrong move and they KO their JM. Plus, you have to look at the uneven weight balance (hard casts can be heavy), and the what if she lands on it wrong factor. Best thing you could do is call the DZ and ask the TMs, though. I couldn't say for sure, I'm just guessing.

hmm... I can pack. I even practice packing at home in my apartment so I can get better at it. It just takes me upwards of two hours to pack my 190. So, I pay a packer so I can get in five or six jumps instead of just two. does that make me a slacker?

minimum experience level to try birdman? I know I'm definitely not ready yet. I'm just curious.

I can pack a 9 cell or 7 cell regular main, if its not brand new. if its brand new, I can't quite get it in the bag because its too damn slippery. LOL. I've packed spectres, sabres, silhouettes.

I pay $6 at perris, and usually will tip a buck a pack job. since I usually do five jumps, the pack jobs are $30, and the tip is $5. I wouldn't pay more than that, though.

hmm. cool. I didn't know what "copy shortcut" did/meant. thanks for the heads-up.

I've seen the "report to mod" feature on other boards too. It's a little button in the corner of each post that, when you click, takes you to another screen where you can fill out why you're reporting the post. It can help when you have a big board, because chances are the members will notice something before the mods do, just because there's more members than mods.

only if they have a static IP. most users have a dynamic IP now. They get a new one each time they log on.

There are three that are pretty much tied. I couldn't acknowledge one and not the others. 1. Raoul Gravell. I rode the plane down on my first attempt at level 2, on a saturday. My friends bought me a tandem to get back in the air, and I came back on monday, wanting to try level 2 again. Raoul sat me down and talked to me for over two hours, figuring out what happened on the last attempt, working on my gear-fear, and just generally going WAY out of his way to make sure I would have a good jump. He even almost completely took apart a rig to show me how it worked. Pulled the cutaway handle, showed me how the RSL worked, basically did everything he could without actually pulling a reserve. And then, he took me into the area where they had some extra rig parts and showed me a reserve pilot chute and freebag and how it worked. We went into the harness room and did emergency procedures, then went over the skydive, and got on a plane with Vinnie as reserve side JM. I had a great jump. 2. John Crowell John took me on my first tandem, and the second tandem mentioned above. I specifically requested him for the second tandem, because he's so relaxed in the plane that you feel silly being scared. I knew there was no way he was going to let me ride to altitude and then wuss again. We had a great jump! That monday, when I came back to do level 2, I still wasn't sure I wanted to jump. I sat on the bleachers near the school and watched a couple of loads land, looking up at the sky and wanting to be up there. John saw me, bounced over, and said "jumping today?" I shrugged. "I dunno. maybe. not sure yet." We made small talk for about half an hour, watching a few more loads land, and then he stood up, offered me a hand down from the bleachers, and said "ready to skydive?" I nodded and let him lead me into the school. 3. Shelly Crowell. Shelly taught my FJC. I jumped with her on several AFF levels. I was a little nervous about my first jump (well, ok, a lot nervous), so I requested her as my JM. She was main, Kai Wolf was reserve. Shelly just had this way of getting me to get my ass out of the plane when I got really scared. We set up in the door, Kai on the outside, me in the middle, and Shelly as main on the inside. I looked out the door. Shelly asked me "ready?" Me: "No." she just gave me the dirtiest look... that look said it all. that look said "do you mean to tell me I just wasted six hours of my time teaching you all this stuff and now you're not going to jump?" she just said "do you WANT to do this?" me: "oh. yeah! ok. lets go!" We had a great jump, and I had a stand-up landing. After I rode the plane down on level 2, Shelly went out of her way to come find me and introduce me to another girl student, who was a few levels ahead of me. After chatting with Shelly and Sara (the other student) for a while, I felt comfortable enough to do the tandem jump my friends had bought me. I think I can honestly say, if it weren't for these three people, there's no way I'd have ever made it through AFF. All three of them went way above what they had to do to do their jobs. They went completely out of their way to help someone who was completely terrified, yet still completely wanted to skydive. I owe them a ton of thanks...now that I think about it, I think some phone calls are in order.

nope. doesn't count, at least, not to me. It isn't a "failure" so much as it is another opportunity to learn something that didn't quite stick the first time around.

I had people advising me to get a 170 or a 150, saying that I'd outgrow something larger too fast. I basically politely told them to fuck off. I wasn't buying a smaller canopy than I was ready for. I think that the idea of "growing into" a canopy is just plain stupid, because until you grow into it, you're jumping a canopy you don't have the skill to control. I bought a 190 silhouette that I'm wingloading at roughly .7 and am very happy with it. I've seen and heard people (usually with a couple hundred jumps or so) trying to push some of the newer jumpers onto smaller canopies. even comments like "are you still flying that tuna boat?" can make people want to downsize too early. Its kinda sad when we put pressure on each other to do something dangerous.

that would be cool. I'd also suggest putting the "donations" clicky into a more obvious location. Took me a few minutes to find it when I was looking earlier this week.

I'll look him up. thanks so much! edit: that same recently relocated friend of ours would kick my ass from here to Tipperary if I didn't know how to pack! I definitely caught an earfull the last time he saw me being lazy and paying a packer.

Brett Townley. hmm. Don't know him. Yet. I imagine I will before my next repack, though. Thanks much!