steve1
-
Content
3,571 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1 -
Feedback
0%
Everything posted by steve1
-
This may be a really stupid question, but it still has me wondering. In the olden days when packing round canopies you always ran a four line check to make sure everything was straight. You did this by following the center four lines back to your risers. I'm just wondering if you could do the same thing on a square. I know this may be a little more complicated because there are also B and C lines to contend with, but they should cascade down to just four center lines going back to your risers. So my dumb question for the day is, "If these four lines are straight, would your canopy be clear to start packing?" Is there any way it could be still messed up? I know most people (when in doubt) check all their lines back to the risers. I'm just wondering if there is an easier way. Steve
-
Mine said "Aunt Jemima", there must be some mistake!
-
Congratulations. I almost went into the Marine Corps, but went Army instead. You ought to go Recon if you get the opportunity. They are a tough bunch who really loved doing pushups in jump school. Steve
-
I'm sure most people know this, but it's also important not to track too long in the direction where another group of jumpers may be. I did this last winter at Perris. We turned several points in a RW dive, and I kind of lost track of directions. We broke off at around 4,000, turned 180 degrees and tracked off. We all had good separation. I tracked a little further to make sure I was in the clear when I noticed this strange canopy blossom up about 500 ft. below me. There was plenty of clearance, but I had tracked right above another group of jumpers. Not smart. Waiting 7 to 10 seconds between groups works well most of the time, but other variables can mess this up, such as someone tracking too long in the wrong direction. Steve
-
A friend of mine wears Sport RX goggles under the visor of his Z-1 because his glasses won't fit. I thought about trying this, but I'm wondering if they might fog up when the visor is down. I know they work well for my friend. Steve
-
I've never done a barrel roll in a RW dive. It might be a very good idea, though if it could be done quickly enough. Trying to twist your neck up 180 degrees doesn't work too well. I know a lot of times I've spent a lot of time waving off and then gritted my teeth hoping no one was above me, because it's next to impossible to tell for sure if someone is there. I also had a friend killed (two years ago at Chicago) on opening. On that jump he was in the air with about 300 people, but things like that also happen even on little ways. I'm wondering what others think of doing a quick barrel roll. Is this a good plan??? I suppose once you flip right side up to open, someone could still come tracking in as your chute deploys, so maybe this isn't perfect either. Steve
-
BeeRon, Your regular glasses may not fit under most full face helmets. I'm still looking for a pair that will work in my Z-1. So far I haven't found any. It depends on the shape of your head, face, profile of your glasses, etc. People say I should go to contacts, but I don't know if I'm tough enough to stick something in my eyes like that. Steve
-
Something cool to do with the skydiving equipment.
steve1 replied to drenaline's topic in The Bonfire
This may give some insight into a dysfunctional personality, but it's a true story. I once fell a small tree across the front of my pickup smashing the windshield and messing up the cab some. I ordered a windshield but had to wait about a week for it to come in. So wherever I drove that week, I had on a big pair of black-rubber skydiving goggles (that I used back in the olden days). I also had my arm in a cast from a rodeo accident. You'd be surprised how many people would strain their neck to get another look at you when you zoomed by them, going about 80, with your hair flapping in the wind. Steve -
Back in my high school days we used to walk around with mirrors on our shoes, when talking to girls who wore skirts. Would this be considered voyeurism? Does this mean that I may not go to heaven??? Steve
-
Merrick, I use an airbrush in some of my taxidermy projects, turkey heads, deer eyes and noses, etc. Some type of clear coat is needed whether glossy or matte to protect the paint. I use a matte finish from a spray can for this. I did repaint an old protec helmet once with spray cans. It looked nice for a short time until it started getting scratched and even cracked in a few places. I know there are some methods of making this work, but my results looked pretty shabby after a month or two of use. If you find a method that works let me know. I like tinkering on stuff like this, but I'm afraid to paint my Z-1. I don't want to mess it up. Steve
-
I think that is what I'll do, if I do have hard openings, is look into having slider pockets installed. I've heard of other people doing that on some of the older Sabers. I thought I'd try a variety of packing methods first though (if there is a problem). I've heard Hornet's fly super, and most open fine. I know I was even being slammed by my Falcon with a Womari pack, so I went back to a PRO pack. I rolled the nose and tail several times, and I started having nice openings again. Thanks for the info. I have no plans to send the canopy back. Steve
-
I have many friends who are in their early 50's and they jump all the time. One of my friends is in his 60's, and he makes more than 200 jumps every year. I'd say go for it. The new chutes make landings soft once you learn to fly them. In the 70's I knew one jumper in his 50's, and he seemed ancient to the rest of us. We were all in our 20's. I saw one guy in his 60's train back then, and he shattered his leg on the first jump. That was because you trained on round canopies back then, which landed a lot harder. The new square canopies are a dream to jump and they allow us old farts to keep right on jumping. It's a much safer sport now. 63 is a good age to start in my opinion. Steve
-
I'm still waiting to jump my new hornet. There's a blizzard outside right now with about three inches of new snow. (Talk about a crappy Spring). At any rate, I was talking to a girl in our club who said she demoed a Hornet and the opennings were extremely hard. She said that one of her opennings ripped the full face helmet off her head even. She says that I should try to send my new canopy back. But I don't understand this. Almost all the reviews I've read were from people who loved this canopy. The woman who jumped this canopy has over a 1,000 jumps so I know she knows how to pack. She had some riggers help her pack it after being slammed with the same results. It was a newer model canopy with the bigger slider. The Demo was from Ralph's in Oregon. Anyone have any ideas on this situation? I'd also like to hear if your Hornet opens okay, and how you pack it. Thanks, Steve
-
Bill, Did you ever know Hod (Gary) Sanders? He was on the Navy Parachute team with Harry. He was also on some world championship teams with B.J. (Mirror Image and others). He now owns a D.Z. here in Montana. Steve
-
I just read in Skydiving Magazine about Harry Oconnor's death. He must have been a great guy and skydiver. It's sure an awful loss to our skydiving community and to his family. Did anybody on here know him? (I think Lisa had a post earlier about an unnamed stuntman killed hitting a bridge, but I didn't realize who it was until now). Steve
-
I heard someone say once that the reason they skydived was that it makes them feel so good about themself. I know I don't like myself very well if I'm not doing something meaningful, and I get that from skydiving. I like the comradery of good people, the freedom of freefall, the challenge of learning new things, and even the canopy ride is fun now days. Most of us are probably also hooked on the adrenaline rush at times. I agree, there's nothing else like it. Steve
-
I don't know about cats, but I had some friends who did some drop testing with chickens. This was a very scientific study. They would throw some chickens out at about 8,000. They would flap their wings for a while, get tired and fall for a while, flap some more. If they were flapping at the right time they would sometimes survive. At least that was how the story was told to me. It might just be a tall tale though. Let's hope the humane society isn't monitoring this thread. Steve
-
Grumpy Smurf, It's too bad there aren't more leaders who can give constructive criticism like that. Most people in leadership positions could learn from this. I'm just wondering what it feels like to be given the axe for the next load. I don't think I could handle this very well. I jumped with a guy who probably should have been given the axe, over Christmas. He was very low time and fell base. He floated way too much on every jump and was ruining everything for everyone else. So I can see the reasoning behind dropping people on bigger loads, but I would hate to be the one telling people to get off a load. Or I'd have trouble taking the news that I was the one who messed up and to go sit on the bench. It would take all the fun out of the sport. Steve
-
Sat at home all weekend waiting for some decent weather for a change. Have a new canopy, but still haven't been able to jump it. It's awful. Maybe this weekend. I'm jealous of all of you. Steve
-
Chrome Boy, I believe the correct pronunciation in Chinese is "Wim Whob". (Brother Steve)
-
I always heard that if you wanted to go to heaven you needed to just say "no" to all poop shoots, hershey highways, and dark tunnels, or even back doors for that matter! I don't even spend much time wiping. (Brother Steve)
-
I'm confused? Does girth mean having a fat pecker???? (Annonimous)
-
Aggie Dave, I've always been told that my old skydiving club is the oldest continually running skydiving club in the nation. It's called Silvertip Skydivers in Missoula, Montana. Maybe my fellow club members have been feeding me full of poo-poo all these years. I wonder how we can find out for sure? Steve
-
McGuffee, When I was in it was called dog lab. They used dogs. This was kind of secretive because I think they were worried about the humane society finding out. I was in weapons so I don't know all there was to know about this, but I heard that each medic was issued a dog. It was then shot in the leg with a rifle. (Is anyone getting sick yet, I know this sounds inhumane). The medic would then treat the animal for shock, amputate the leg, nurse it back to health, and do some other things with the dog. The animal was finally put to sleep later. The medics I knew had a hard time putting the animal to sleep because of all the hours they spent working with these animals. I had a lot of respect for these medics. They spent around a year and a half to two years just in training. When they went to Vietnam they were performing jobs that only a Doctor would do here in the States. Steve
-
Clay, I don't know if I'm 18D or not, but I like goats also. I used to hunt Rocky Mtn. Goats near Missoula with a bow. Are we talking about the same thing?? Tell you more later. Steve