skydived19006

We have folks drop in once in a while who've never exited a 182. It's always funny to us that hanging from the strut, and loading out on the step is intimidating. Quite a few have indicated that turbine aircraft being more prevalent is a large force in the decline of the large boogie. Apparently, we can again blame it on Bill Booth and Ted Strong for developing the tandem system. Tandem has caused skydiving to become a business that can actually generate positive cash flow. I heard it said "All DZs are tandem factories, some simply have room left on the airplane for the fun jumpers." One good suggestion I will try to take to heart, and spread is "bring something." We'll put our heads together on that one, and see if we can be part of the entertainment next time round! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

All good, thoughtful responses. This thread should be a good starting point for the DS Club members. My thought was that it's somewhat inevitable, and a culture change. I also had the thought that maybe the Freaks should in large part accept the new paradigm and let it be more intimate, back to roots kind of thing. It is a huge undertaking to host such an event, there aren't many groups/clubs/DZs up to it. One hall of a lot of work goes into it every year, so maybe scaling down would relieve some of that pressure as well. I also agree that this one and likely others will need to evolve and change to remain interesting. Hell, there isn't even the nakedness of the 1990s as a draw. Interesting times. I will say that I hadn't really thought to attempt to be part of the entertainment, and to bring something to the plate. I'll put that thought to the Wichita and Kansas folks! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Couch Freak Boogie attendance was dramatically low again for the 2nd year in a row, and as a trend declining for the last 5 to 10 years. I wonder what's changing that is causing this, is it typical of other large regional boogies (no large multi national boogies anymore with the death of WFFC, at least that I know of)? My guess is that turbine aircraft being more common, and smaller boogies popping up, that more and more folks simply are not interested in the drive. It looked to me like there were very few from north of FT Dodge IA (IL, WI), nor Oklahoma/Texas. Thoughts? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It is a receiver, but is called a pager. I don't want to repeat anything that I am not sure about, so I had better just include this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Minitor And of course asking a dealer would be the best bet. There's a Motorola dealer in Wichita, I'll stop by and see him. Voice pagers generally have a signal frequency that triggers that pager to monitor the frequency. Once you've listened to your message, it will typically monitor until you push a button to shut it up, or for a pre-determined time. Anyway, the dealer should be able to straighten me out. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

The Minitor is a pager. Is it a programing change, or option to have it act as an open receiver? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I've had two droges where the bridle half hitched on the fabric. I know that one of them was still in that configuration at landing. I attribute both of those to either a right side low throw, or a lazy throw. Had hand cam video on one, and you can see the D-bag coming out of the container, and almost bouncing off the back of my head before a slow deployment. It was a learning lesson for me! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Why not? At the end of the day they give you the most surface area and power to the legs. That is why competitive RW moved towards almost complete adoption of booties. Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't think they are a necessity, and I don't see tall leggy TI's thinking they are worth the hassle. But as a short & stubby TI I certainly appreciate the extra power they give to me. I just don't like the hassle of booties. I put on the pants and wear them all day, so booties would be constantly in the way. Additionally as you suggest, I'm tall so have plenty of control. Though I will very seldom jump in a short sleeve shirt, the drag long sleeves supply beyond bare arms is large. The pants I've been jumping for the last 1000 jumps or so are Fire Fly. They're free fly pants with cordura knees and butt. I've added patches over the butt and knees (expected), other than being faded, they're holding up excellent. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I personally wouldn't want booties on a tandem suit. I do like bulky bloused legs with velcro tie at the ankle. Gives good control. I'm a little surprised that I don't see any of the manufacturers listing pants specifically designed for tandem instructors. Though they really are freefly pants with butt and knee reinforcement. Tony's Cargo Pants look like a good option, study built, nice pocket/s, reinforcement options, etc. http://www.tonysuits.com/jumpsuits/cargo.php4 Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

It's in the mail. Should be an interesting and informative read. Thank you Melissa Nelson for getting it out. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Here ya go. http://femaleskydivinginstructors.com/ar_secrets#/missionhistory/ Not that you're a female, but addresses your question/s. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I'm glad the US didn't have to pay for him then. I'd prefer to be repatriated to the country of my citizenship were I to be sick in another country. For the most part, I'd guess that these people are in this country illegally. So, they get sick here, and we do the kindness of sending them home. I see no issue. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Canopies that open in full flight are very difficult to get out of line twist. I know and have used all three of the meathods Linestretch tried. Kicking out and having the student help kick out, If you pull the "right" toggle sometimes the canopy will just unspin itself and lastly bringing the twist down into the risers(the closer the line twist are down low most of the time the pressure of the harness wanting to spread will untwist it. He tried all three and none of them worked and by my book he did the only thing left to do. Great Job JJ, nicely played. See Diablo's comments. Or, if all of that seems to be to hard to remember or deploy at the time, simply ask your student to "stand up". If both of you can get "neutral" then there's nothing to wind vane and you'll untwist. I've had one with half a dozen twists, and total suspended weight of over 450 lbs. So flying relatively fast. Due to another issue in freefall, we ended up open above 8000'. I worked and worked at kicking, and by 6000' was worn out. I decided to rest, and take a minute to contemplate my options, chopping being one. Believe it or not, at that point I remembered reading about the wind vane issue related to line twists with tandem canopies in full flight on dropzone.com. I asked my student to "stand up", I did the same, almost like magic we started turning, and were under a landable canopy in about 30 seconds. Obviously a much better option than chopping the thing! Try it, you'll like it! Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

How about throwing the PC then locking arms above your head? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I just did a little Google work, and it did take a few tries. http://www.skydivingservices.net/index.php?page=contact_us\ Simon@SkydivingServices.net John, As a third party (not UPT), I'd appreciate your opinion on these drogues if you end up with one for review. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I find it hard to believe that through three pages of responses, nobody bothered to mention that skydivers are also very gifted breast examiners! Somewhat like palm reading, but boobie reading. So, that being said Amanda, we require a minimum of one standing frontal nude above the waist (total nude is also acceptable) of yourself. Please also include a copy of today's local newspaper, not to obscure breasts, for verification. Again, we're all professionals here, no need to be embarrassed. Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

This link was posted earlier in this thread: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYDaFvi0SpE&list=UUDly1MGiHPabkVXVPfH7U7w&index=29 Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I posted a Wanted add, and had a response from this person. The whole thing is/was fishy to me. To the point that I suggested that I'd do the deal, but only if he/she sent me the gear, then I'd send payment. The emails are strange, and he/she sent pictures, but very small file size, which is suspicious. I'm a Group Member, so have access to the USPA membership database, this person has no record of USPA membership, my last email asked for his/her uspa number and license number. He/she indicated that he/she is a ebay user with a good ebay rating. So, I asked if he/she wanted to run the gear through ebay "No, I just want you to know that I'm a honest dealer." He/she almost had me when he/she promised that he/she was honest. In general, if it smells like shit, don't take a taste to confirm one way or the other! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Through Jay Stokes, Alan found me, though had to go all the way to Kansas. I'm not in the business of training instructors other than for my DZ, but then there isn't much more demand than that. We'll get him the cross over. One of these days I may need to cross to something other than Eclipse! Martin Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I have five expiring over the winter and into this spring. That was/is a bit of a cash flow hit coming out of winter! Those are the last of my Cypres 1s. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Somewhat unrelated; I need 4 AADs for my student gear within the next few months. I know that Airtec will build units with special parameters, I want to check into moving up the activation altitude to 950 or 1000'. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Good article, good information. The MARS M2, and I didn't realize that the Astra was at the bottom of the heap with very few in the field. That said, I've a bit out of date on the subject, always had Cypres and never seriously looked at the options beyond that.

By the look of the full page advert in Parachutist, it's been named the Plexus. This is on the seminar list at PIA 2013 coming up in three weeks. George Galloway: Plexus Tandem Systems; refined tandem technology So, who can cross train me on it? Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

I found this web site a few years ago. Now that I have my Senior Rigger cert, I looked it up again. It's an excellent repository of Singer machines. The site doesn't preform well at all. I was also surprised that there's no reference to it in this forum. I'm changing that now, http://www.ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/model-list/classes-100-199.html About ISMACS ISMACS was formed in 1985 by a small group of English sewing machine collectors. Since then it has grown into a strong international group with members in every continent and branches in America and Australia. ISMACS is recognized as the leading authority on early sewing machine history and is regularly consulted by the media, museums and other institutions. The Society maintains the world's finest archive with copies of manuals, early advertisements, patents etc. All are available to members. A regular, professionally-produced magazine is issued to members containing a wealth of research findings, social reports, details (with prices) from auction sales throughout the world, hints and tips on restoration and news from members. Features include pages on toys, Singer Featherweights and detailed histories of pioneering companies. New members receive a 'welcome pack' with a list of books, both in and out of print, a guide to assessing the condition of a machine, history and information about the Society. Regular meetings are held in the UK and there are get-togethers in Australia. The annual UK Convention is the highlight of every sewing-machine collector's year and we hold the largest antique sewing machine auctions where models have sold from modest prices, up to £8,000 ($16,500). Members who are unable to attend may still take part in the auction and buy or sell machines. The world's leading collectors belong to ISMACS. You could join them. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Not knowing that the Prez is in town and flying into the TFR is a big one. Kind of like driving after drinking, it's a good idea to try to obey the speed limit. He's a skydiver, rigger, A&P, etc, he should have known enough to have avoided this. That said, it happens quite often. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ

Yeah, I'd already been around the internet with Google. It also had a landing at one point where the pilot mistook a taxi way for a runway, got off the side, and it read like it folded the nose gear. Here's the advert: 1961 CESSNA 182D • SEALED BID SALE • U.S. Marshals Service Sealed Bid Sale of Forfeited Aircraft. 1961 Cessna 182D, S/N: 18253273; T/N: N8873X; Minimum Bid: $14,000.00; Bid Deposit: $3,500.00; Aircraft Located at: Skywest Airport (K7T7) 10,000 SCR 1210, MIDLAND, TEXAS 79706 Viewing Date/Time: March 18, 2013; 9:00AM until 4:00PM, CST Bid Closing: 11:00 AM CST, March 20, 2013 Bid Opening: 11:01 AM CST, March 20, 2013 at Aero Mod Hangar, 2506 N. Pliska Dr., Midland Int'l Airport, Midland, Texas 79706 • Contact Jack Bagwell - AERO MOD SERVICE, Event Coordinator - located Midland, TX USA • Telephone: 432-557-5197 . 432-563-1666 . • Posted February 25, 2013 • In a Specs Page, it's noted that there are no log books. Experience is what you get when you thought you were going to get something else. AC DZ