Gary73
-
Content
506 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1 -
Feedback
0%
Everything posted by Gary73
-
Actually there's a lot less landing area than there used to be before they extended the taxiway and put the security fence across the middle of the West landing area. Also, the runway was only extended on the north end, and that was done before the dropzone closed three years ago. Likewise, the old hangar was 3,600 sqft. while the new one is 6,000; not even twice as big, much less four times. Skydive Monroe was a great dropzone because of the people. Very few of those people will be going back, so don't be surprised if it doesn't feel like home anymore. Depends on what the court decides. "Skydive Now Atlanta" is a pretty clear infringement on the name "Skydive Atlanta". Was that really the best name that he could come up with? "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Welcome back! The only complaint I have with the Mirage is that the manufacturer is too optimistic about how big a canopy it will hold, especially up top. Whatever size reserve you plan to get, tell them you're getting the next bigger size. Your rigger(s) will thank you. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Policies vary a lot from one dropzone to another. It would be best to contact them directly. As for repeating AFF levels, that varies, too. We probably average 7.5 jumps to complete the 7-level program we use at my home dropzone, but I've heard of places where the average is 11 jumps. You might want to post your other questions in the Safety and Training forum. More people read that, so you're more likely to get a response from a U.K. Instructor. Good luck! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Yes, but keep in mind that the dive-to-fly times are based on airliner cabins, which are pressurized to the equivalent of a maximum of 8,000 feet above sea level. We routinely go above 14,000 feet at turbine dropzones. I don't have much dive experience (and none lately), but I've never seen dive tables that took this into account. You might want to add 24 hours to anything the table or computer tells you. I've heard of jumpers getting DCS 72 hours after a by-the-book dive. Oh yeah - blah, blah, welcome to skydiving, blah, blah. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Yeah, that's one of the few things that I don't like about the Z1s, but fortunately there's an easy fix. Use a file or grinder to carefully remove a little of the plastic on the chin section between the button and the rivet that attaches the button spring to the chin section. That gives enough room to get your thumb under the visor for easy one-handed operation, even with gloves. I've done that on three of these helmets. Works great! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Oh well, I tried. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
For about a year I used the signature line: "Getting away with something does not prove that it was a good idea." Then I heard my current one on Mythbusters and decided to switch. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Welcome back! I'd recommend a complete AFF ground course, then AFF levels 3, 5, and 7. Eight years is a long layoff for only having 14 jumps. I was out for ten years after 800 jumps and was glad that I did the complete ground course (then AFF 4 and 6). I've since worked with a number of returning jumpers with various layoff times and experience levels, and they've all benefitted from a conservative return to the sport. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
To celebrate this level of dedication to the skydiving community, the only logical thing to do with your 10,000th post would be to announce that you're buying a dropzone. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Seriously, man, those canopies are way too small for someone with 200 jumps, even under good conditions. Throw in a nasty malfunction, off-field landing, etc., and you'll be praying for more square footage. Also, not too many 190 reserves are even certified for a 280-lb exit weight. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep that in mind and with a little bit of luck you'll be able to explain that to some newbie thirty years from now. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Most riggers have no problem packing a reserve that's up to 20 years old. Some will go to 25 or 30 years, with a thorough inspection. If you're unsure about buying a particular canopy, ask the rigger you'll be using to act as an escrow agent and inspect the canopy before you pay for it. A legitimate seller will be okay with that, at least within the same country. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Put around ten jumps on a Pulse 170 demo canopy last weekend and ordered one yesterday. The canopy packs, opens, and flies very much as advertized. Openings are positive, but usually not harsh, with very little hunting. Front risers are a bit heavy, but I rarely touch those. Toggle forces are a little higher than on my HeatWave 170, but not bad at all. Haven't had the chance to fly next to a similarly loaded canopy (1.4 PSF), but the glide angle seems pretty flat. Very controllable through the flare, from calm through about 12 MPH winds. Most of my jumps are as an AFF-I, so this is just what I've been looking for. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
I was okay with the GM program right up until the BOD caved to Skyride. Then I got to really thinking about it and realized that as much as I despise Skyride, they were right about one thing: USPA has no business running a GM program at all. The proper response should have been to simply disband the program, but instead, the Executive Committee decided and give Skyride everything they wanted, without even advising, much less getting the approval of the rest of the BOD. Now I'm forced to pay dues to an organization which publicly states that all its Group Members follow a code of ethics, when we all know that that's a lie. Do the right thing, BOD: End the GM Program! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Makes me wonder whether they worked their way up to nine or just hooked up every glider they had went for it. Either way, I'd hate to have been Tail-end Charlie! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
25 x 17 x 9". "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
What we teach for the pre-jump inspection is that 90% of the individual little fibers that make up the loop should be good, namely no more than 10% wear. Any more than that and the loop should be replaced before the next jump. A tiny amount of wear is hard to avoid, but it shouldn't leave the rigger with anywhere near 10% wear, especially with the longer repack cycle now. I've slowly cut through loops (at repack time) to see how far you can go before the pack tension snaps the rest of the loop, and they seem to let go when 60% to 80% of the fibers are cut. So yeah, 10% wear is the most I'd want to see. Pretty good rule for main closing loops, also. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
"Arch! Reach! Pull! Look! - Uh-oh!" That happened so often back at Jenkinsburg that they sewed the handles to the containers with 1-1/2" cotton-elastic. We were used to it, but when I borrowed a reserve to jump at a Collegiate meet, the rigger there was horrified and almost didn't let me use it!
-
Skydiving + Scubadiving Holidays ?!
Gary73 replied to maLUCo's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Skydive Miami is less than an hour from the Florida Keys. Lots of neat wrecks and reefs; depths from shallow through 130 ft. Do the skydiving first. The 24-hour rule is oriented toward airline flying, where the cabin is pressurized to give an apparent altitude no higher than 8,000 ft. I've heard of jumpers getting DCS as much as 72 hours after a day of by-the-book scuba diving. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan -
Okay to try different dropzones as a student?
Gary73 replied to DeeDee13's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Yeah, unless there's a mighty good reason (i.e. safety or massive personality conflict), stick with the first place at least until you're cleared to self-supervise. Learning to skydive can be pretty overwhelming; no need to add additional confusion by changing equipment, aircraft, people, procedures, locations, etc. Not to mention that the second place looks to be a lot more expensive! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan -
1. If your current PC is working okay, stick with the same size. Adjust up or down a little if you change fabric types. 2. ZP gives more lift per square inch, but F-111 is less likely to slip out of the pouch. 3. Usually, but I've seen a few that were sewn to the D-bag (hate those!) or required tools to install. Either way, have it checked by a rigger or someone familiar with such things before you pack it up. BTW, bungee PCs seem to work fine, but aren't too popular anymore. If you get a kill-line PC, be sure to double-check the PC collapse and kill-line window until it becomes second nature! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
I'm not familiar with the Aerodyne freefly handle and it's not clear to me just where the friction is coming from. Haven't seen this on other freefly handles. Either way, you should be able to protect that area with a piece of ripstop tape. Maybe one on each side of the fabric. Not an ideal solution, but better than letting it get worse. And quicker than waiting on a solution from Aerodyne, apparently. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Is that 235 lbs. with gear or without? Keep in mind that USPA recommends keeping your wing loading less than 1.0 PSF until you have 200 jumps. Lots of people ignore that, but lots of people get hurt, too! If 235 is your exit weight, go with at least a 260. If 235 is your regular weight, 25 lbs. of gear will make your exit weight 260, in which case you should be looking at 290s. You'll definitely have to get at least some used components if you want to keep the cost under $3,500. The Dropzone Classifieds are great for finding used gear, but have an Instructor or rigger you trust look over the ad before you commit to anything. Good luck! "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Newer is better, but Airtec says that the battery pack has a three-year shelf life before installation, so batteries made in 07 should be okay to install for another year. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
Depends on what's involved: If the newbie (whether student or licensed jumper) asks for specific instruction before the jump and a decent debrief afterward, then it's fair for him to cover the Coach's slot. First of all, the Coach invested time and money getting to his level of proficiency, and secondly, the coachee will make more progress on a properly conducted coached jump than on two or three or maybe even ten solo or regular fun jumps. Another aspect of it is that doing a coached jump often consists of just laying there as a stable base and watching the newbie flail and zoom by. Not the funnest use of $20 to $25. But if it's just an ordinary fun jump with no instruction and just a casual debrief walking back to the hangar, then the experienced jumper should cover his own slot and pay it forward. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan
-
At 75 Kg you'll have an exit weight around 190, so even a 170 is smaller than USPA recommends until you have 200 jumps. Never forget that the greatest single cause of fatalities and serious accidents in this sport is excessive downsizing. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan