ChasingBlueSky

Unlike Chris/groundzero, I don't have the luxury of test drop video results, just my years on the mat as a cash packer. I know of at least one person that had to chop a bag lock while using the black super bands on his locking stows. He was jumping a smaller Crossfire1 (107 I think) so you can get an idea on the lineset. If I am not mistaken, there was a rash of bag locks while using the black bands. I have close to 5000 pack jobs now, one chop. I usually try not to double wrap; I use big bands on the locking stows and small bands on the other stows...and I always err on the side of leaving more unstowed than doing the last one. I will double stow a locking band only if it has become really loose and is not gripping the lines at all - usually I will just replace that band. Pain in the ass? Yea, but not as bad as bag strip. Free stowing everything but the locking stows? Well, I watched a guy pack 4 mals in one day doing that. I know it works for guys like Phree, and I understand why it should work just as good as a normal pack in theory, but you won't catch me doing it until I see a scientific study done on it. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

What is the differance in cost and performance of a 170 Cobalt and a Comp Cobalt. Interesting that they make a Comp that size when I think the largest canopy on the PST is a 120 _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

After reading about Aerodyne's new Icon on Drozone.com's article on the homepage, I looked at the Icon at the Eloy boogie for that exact reason (a VERY HARD cutway). Me likey!

Thanks! Honestly - I think it is just common sense and typical courtesy. I work in sales - if I have a product that you can count on, is worth the investment, and the customer service is top-notch, no sales experience is needed - the product will sell itself on reputation alone. I feel that everything in this industry could live by that - I was quite successful as a packer by following that idea. I'm packing only when I need to these days since I am trying to make more jumps in a year than I am pack jobs. But I may take you up on that offer. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

I can pack my Stiletto 170 in 5 minutes and over the holidays I was packing my canopy and my girlfriends in almost the same time most were packing just one. Learn to pack faster while still being good and you will make more money. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

I've never understood that BS - why charge more for a 170, 190, 210, 230 or 260???? If you are a good packer it won't matter and you can pack them just as fast. Don't forget the bags get bigger with canopy size. $5/pack for sport rigs - anything more is a ripoff and you should find another packer or pack yourself. No - there isn't another side to this - it's all excuses on how to better rip off jumpers. This includes concession stands. Think about this - a DZO charges the packers, the packer manager raises the cost of the pack job to help pay rent and to take a cut of others hard work and the packer usually doesn't see a full $5. If pack jobs cost more, it will cause two things to happen - people will make less jumps due to the increase of packing costs or they will pack for themself and probably not make as many loads since they pack slower. Wow. Sounds like a lose/lose scenario for everyone except the packing manager. Do you think the DZO would make more money from the .25/pack they take or more from an extra jump ticket. Hmmmm....I may not be a biz manager, but this seems ass-backwards to me. Packing concessions are a terrible idea. Let competition run free on the mats, the good packers will get the customers and develop a reputation and the DZ will put up more loads. If a good packer hears there is a cash to be made at a DZ and get full price for the pack, you will attrack better packers. Now, concessions for student and tandem rigs are a good idea to make sure the DZ equipment is well taken care of, and that there is always someone there to get the pack jobs turned around quick. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

You haven't paid for a pack job at Perris lately have you? They charge $6 for the small stuff now. Is everything more expensive out there? Anything over $5 is a rip-off and not worth your money. It's just a pack and shouldn't be almost 40% the cost of a jump ticket. I see no reason for a $6 or $7 pack unless you are trying to lose more customers. What a brialliant move Well, at least I know it would be easy to steal biz at $5/pack out there. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

When I was a cash packer, I averaged about 50-60 a day with quite a few days in the 80s (do the math at $5/pack - pretty nice huh?). Yea you are sore for 3 days after a busy weekend, but so what, you choose to make money this way. I've never asked a jumper to do anything with the rig other than place it down on the ground so I didn't have to untangle a mess, but I had to fix step-thrus all the time. Brakes, slider, PC, rubber bands were all on me to take care of them...as were the cost of the supplies. I never charged extra for them, and would never think of doing so. I wouldn't do anything with the closing loop or replace "super bands" or tube stows since the only supplies I purchased were regular bands. Some of my regulars would stow brakes and do the slider because they knew I could get their pack done quicker. They could set their PC but they knew I would do it either way as part of my normal pack job. Also, I never charged extra for larger or new canopies. $5/pack no matter what unless I had a deal with a team. I never charged to give packing lessons either. Why? Having newbies packing correctly and safely was more important to me than $5. Also, since they understood the care I put into my pack jobs, I was securing a future customer for myself as well. Student rigs always come back in a mess - and we just called them bundle of joys. Some of the JM's were worse than the students. My best day was 87 sport rigs - since I knew it was going to be a busy day, and the team I was packing for was going to be doing back-to-backs...I made everyone I packed for that day stow their brakes and unstow slider. Want to know why I was able to do that many? Because I never bitched about packing, I never overcharged, I never made BS promises (you chop, it's up to you to pay for the repack) about my pack job (but prided myself in 4800 packs before I packed my first mal - and that was for me and possibly because of busted lines), I never packed recklessly to get someone on a short call or so I could get one more pack in, never had beer until the last canopy was packed (and that went until 11pm a few nights when I stayed to pack all the student rigs that didn't get packed at the end of the day) I never demanded my customers to do anything but did ask if I could pack for them when they came back down. By doing this I had some very loyal customers that worked with me on those busy and hot days....and a good portion of them tipped me at the end of the day with cash, a jump ticket or a cold beer. I know of a couple packers that were on the mat that got upset at how loyal my customers were....but that is what quality will get you.....don't forget, they can always pack it themself, you are just a luxury. Now - ask me why I think a packing concession for sport rigs (not tandem/student) is a bad idea for a DZ. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

IIRC from what Roger used to tell us...the Freak Brother Convention first started in Big Foot, WI, then moved to Freeport (early 80s), before finally moving to Quincy (1986) and called it Roger Nelson's World Freefall Convention. But then again, I could be wrong since I was never there, and much to young at the time to know what was going on in the skydiving world. I don't know when Kirlin took it over officially - maybe someone should contact Jan/Geronimo about that. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Nah, that would mean that GW put a spin on it....nah, he wouldn't lie to us. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

You can get the Comp Cobalt in a 170? _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Have you not heard - he is on a reality TV show this season. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

www.booble.com The google version for Porn. They mentioned it on the news tonight, so it is running a little slow. Check out their take on the google logo lol. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

I've met one of his ex-girlfriends - I wouldn't shake his hand if I were you. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

I loved the movie about those two - Dumb and Dumberer What, you don't want 4 year of Dick running this country and giving the rest of his friends no bid contracts? Do you think Jeb will need to come into office to finish up everything that Dad started and GWB stumbled his way though? Guess this is the best the GOP can put out there? I want a conservative to give me at least 10 solid good reasons why GWB deserves to be in office again outside of his stance on terrorism and the war. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Hans is one of those that adds color, without a doubt. You have to meet the guy just to understand that....I had the pleasure of it this past holiday at Zhills. He has a way with fire and bikes as well! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Wow Bo. I can't beleive you learned how to use a phone... Yup, Hooked on Fonix was worth the money _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

OMG! Missy, I just made a phone call! I can't believe you did it! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Hey! No drinking for you! Ok...I just thought of someone I could call to ask about the hanger....will call that person in a bit. Have to say...when I was there on Saturday, it was still the old colors. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

HE is just slowing starting to move south to Florida, one DZ at a time _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

PM me and I will put you in touch with the right people to FF with at SDC....oh, I am not one of them, I just like how cool I look in my FF suit. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Um I have no recollection of any such thing being left behind...nope nuthing like that here..... I'm thinking you, me and Smack can kill that off Sat night! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Eh? Kelly That makes two of us....I don't need to borrow your BM suit anymore Kris _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

And how is that any different when you are on your belly!!! bwahahaha

How does that saying go....if you have to ask???? They are just upset that I'm not avalible out there anymore Come out to SDC dude....plenty to choose from. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....