Kris

Well, going by those rating I have: 10x10 cube with several 100Mb connections P4 computer and laptop HP 2200D Laserjet (Fast & MINE! ALL MINE!) The ability to order any equipment or tools I need, no questions asked. I get to get out of the office several times a month to travel for projects. My hours are 8-ish to 5-ish and as long as I show back up from lunch sometime before the end of the day it's all good. And most importantly, if I see training being offered somewhere that I think might be interesting (Cisco, etc...) I get to go. We have a huge training budget. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Count me in for another belly slot on that hybrid! Damn! I love hybrids! Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

It is truly ironic that you asked this, Tiff. I lost my Fiance a few years ago to complications from diabetes. We had been together 5 years, living toghether 4 of those. She was awaiting transplant of a kidney and pancreas. She was truly my best friend and the most loving, compassionate, and beautiful woman I have ever known. She had a grace of being that I feel truly blessed to have been a part of, even if for a short time. Her loss was staggering to me. I literally went numb for months. People say then when someone they love passes, a part of them dies too. I never knew the truth until it happened. I had to stop skydiving for a while because I couldn't trust myself. When I started dating a couple of years afterwards, that was another hard part. I felt like I was betraying her and I couldn't keep any of the relationships going because I kept trying to compare them to her. I finally realized that she was probably looking down on me with her famous, "You're a nut, but I luv' ya', keep moving." looks and I know she would probably arrange to find a way to haunt me for the rest of my days if I didn't move on with life. That's just how she was. Tiff, laugh, love and play with your mate every chance that you get. In the end, it's better to have as few regrets as possible. If you're thinking of a vacation together, do it. If you've been wanting to try something together, do it. Just spend *quality* time with each other. I hope everything goes well with his surgery. Kris Donna Ryles 1/15/71 - 7/29/99 Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

#704 Carné Sonic Rodriguez. Yes, I am Sonic Meat. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

As opposed to the Netherlands? Canada would be the second or third. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Get proper CRW training from someone who really knows what they are doing. For microline CRW you must have pants, long-sleeve shirt (a full jumpsuit is what I use) and gloves. I also wear two hook-knives, one high, one low. If you're also going to do HiPer CRW, having had a cutaway before wouldn't hurt either. I'd also reccommend a Lightening or Prodigy, but if you are going to do it with a Crossfire at 2:1 I *really* recommend that you talk to someone who knows what they are doing. Things can go to hell pretty quickly, more so at 2:1. Don't panic, communicate. Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Heh. I was right there at the side of the altar watching. The poor guy kept screwing up Stacy's body-shot so he had to do it over & over again. It must have been agony for him. Nope, I was initiated by the lovely Zofo Rodriguez who is known as Sitflyr here on DZ.com. I was initiated about 5 people before Stacy. Kris Carné Sonic Rodriguez Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Skydive Dallas Supper Otter Caravan C-182 Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Derek jumps a VX-60, last I heard. I saw him land it at Skydive Houston last December when I was down visiting Brittany. I heard the canopy when he was still a couple of hundred feet up. It sounded like the hounds of hell were after him the way it was slicing through the air. To this day, I have never seen anyone come in as hot as he did for that landing. Impressive is an understatement. Derek, thanks for the show. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

You can get the shirt here. I just ordered one. http://www.fightingwhites.org/ Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

1.35:1 Kris "I luuurve my Stiletto" Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Wafer-thin mint, Sir? Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

AOT boogie next weekend in Bryan, TX just outside of Houston! Come see the wild, un-tamed CASA! Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

I faxed in my pre-reg on Thursday so I'm all set. I also pre-paid for the shirt, 5 jump tix, and put a deposit down on my nephew's tandem so It's all good. I took the afternoon of Friday off so I should be there around 6-ish. Hopefully, I'll get there early enough to get a couple in. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

You betcha! I bet Bill Hallett & Jeff Johnston at Mirage would love to get their hands on that pin. If your camera guy still has the pin, SkySlut, send the pieces to Mirage. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Aagh! Someone post a "move-along" sign before Quade & Bill Von get in here! Seriously, the canopy could care less which way the mass of air you are in is moving, just like Erno said. I wonder how many of those people who think that their canopie turn with the wind might have been leaning just a hair in their harness or were flying a canopy with just a bit of a built-in turn (due to construction or improper brake settings)... Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Down, Dave! I think Rhino was just talking about the possible interference with the tail of the airplane. As for the elliptical in the prop-blast, I have done pulls right out the door of a 182, a Caravan and an Otter. The prop blast from a turbine will definitely send you on a wild ride but if you pull stable you can fly the opening. But, you will be flying the opening like a mad-man for a couple of seconds.

That's true for 90% of the jumpers out there (and it applies to me which is why I have Slinks on my rig). However, some of those tiny, soft-opening, ultra-performance canopies can put more of a G-load on the lines during radical maneuvers than during opening shock. It would really suck to kick out a snap 90 to 270 turn and have the suspension lines finish working their way through a soft link. The same rule applies whether it's a Rapide or a Soft Link. "Maintain (and Inspect) Thy Gear". When I give my rig a once-over before the weekend, I inspect my Slinks and the suspension line attachment loops at the link for wear or deformity. If I pack before I go home for the weekend, I check them then. I would bet that the large portion of equipment failures happen to people who ignore obvious signs of damage and excess wear to their gear. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

I get closed end-cells on my Stiletto loaded just under 1.4 on just about every other jump. It just means that I've been the recipant of another great opening. Even with the closed end-cells it never goes more than 10-20 degrees off-heading. I just give a 1"-3" tug on my rear-risers and they unfurl and inflate every time. The Sabre2 for the most part is reported to be a very soft-opening canopy. You may just have to live with it unless you modify your pack-job. Or, you may have to go to a slider that is a little smaller if you are getting too much of a snivel as well as the closed end-cells. If it's a faster opening with closed end-cells, leave the slider size alone. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Depends on your acceptable level of risk and adherance to the TSO specs of your reserve. The worst reserve landing I ever had was on a Raven-III 249 loaded at about 1:1. It stalled abruptly at 5 feet off the deck. I did do practice flares. That one was in about 10mph winds on a cold winter day. The best landing was on a PD-176R loaded just over 1.4. I pulled off a 20-25 foot surf to a gentle standup on a hot, no-wind day. When I purchased my new gear I went with a Tempo 210. It fits in the same space that a PD-160 is supposed to occupy in my rig with room for my CYPRES. I would much rather have the extra ~30 square feet since I don't know if my next reserve ride will be over a big empty field like my first two were. Also, I got one of the first new Tempo's with the span-wise reinforcement. Lucky timing on my part. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

True, Skreamer. The Tempo only comes in white. The orange he saw was probably the freebag for the reserve. The freebag on my old Talon was safety orange and was visible at the top corners of the rig if you pulled them back a bit to look. It makes it easier to find in the event of a cutaway. The freebag & PC on my Mirage G3 is white. I hope I don't have a cutaway on a snowy day. If you weren't thinking about the fact that you were looking at a freebag it would be easy to think that orange fabric belonged to your reserve. Kris Happy Tempo 210 owner

Umm, wow! So, pick any lottery numbers lately? I think we all try to be very thourough with our personal gear-checks. I used to think mis-routing the chest-strap would never happen to me with as much checking as I do and with over 200 jumps I should "know better". There I was, at Rantoul, getting ready to go on a sit-fly dive. I was waiting for the plane to show up to board it when I gave myself a pre-load check. After I check my three handles I check my three attachment points. The leg-straps were good but when I pulled on my chest-strap it slipped loose. If you could have seen the look on my face... I'm just glad I caught it on the ground and before I asked someone else for a gear-check. I berated myself quite enough for 5 people as it was. On the plane I always tug the chest-straps of those on my dive if they are accessible and I scan the straps of everyone on the plane that I can see. I also do a complete check of both "3's" before jumprun and am sure that I would have caught it... I hope. We're humans, we're fallible. But in those rare moments where we are not focused enough to notice something on our gear, hopefully someone else will notice it. But, make it a mandatory self-habit to check your "3's" after gearing up, before boarding, and before exit. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Heh. This wouldn't be so that you can try your new BASE rig out of an airplane, would it? Congrats on your new toy, Missy. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Chris, Wouldn't adding a little bit of flaps (say 10-degrees) possibly help push the material under the tail of a Cessna 17x/18x/20x in case of a premature? One of the "to the pilot" commands I was taught in my BIC when I got my IAD JM rating was, "Cut! 10-degrees flaps!" before telling the student to put their feet out. We were told to ask for the flaps in case of a premature. Thanks, Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

Another thing that should concern you is that it's new technology. Always try to stay away from 1st generation consumer electronics unless you just have the money to blow. There's still too many incompatabilities (firewire) with the Sony IP-series and it's too early to tell if any other vendors will adopt the format. If not, it's just the next Betamax without the quality. Kris Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™