steve1

My hornet 170 used to open hard and fast. I started Psycho packing and rolling the nose for nice on heading openings....Steve1

What do heathens live like? In my 58 years on Earth I have seen little correlation between professed religious belief (or lack thereof) and anti-social/immoral behavior. I agree...In my 54 years, I've noticed the same thing.....Steve1

I've never seen it happen but I've had five friends die in the sport. Four went in back in the 70's. One had a mid-air collision on a 300-way attempt. This is depressing to talk about, but I think it does make us more aware of what can happen. A lot of new jumpers actually think driving to the airport is more dangerous than jumping.....Steve1

A lot of people get nice openings on their hornet. Mine openned hard so I started psycho packing. Some openings were still fast and hard, so I started rolling the nose along with psycho packing. I get nice on heading openings now. I tried the walmari pack on my Falcon canopy. I really liked the way it packed up, and it does keep the lines in right place helping to prevent malfunctions, but it didn't do much to slow down openings. My old Falcon opens hard also, so I quit Walmari packing it....Steve1

I love my Hornet. I did have some hard openings at first, when it was new. Now I psycho pack, after rolling the nose. It still opens quick enough, but much more softly. Most folks don't have trouble with the openings that I've talked to. You might want to test jump it and see what you think. It's a great canopy in my opinion. Too bad you didn't buy one from South Africa a couple years ago. You could get a new one for about half of what a used one goes for now. They went way up in price, and now they're made by a different company.....Steve1

I know a lot of jumpers who double stow without problems. They shouldn't be too tight though. Or too loose for that matter. Also make sure your stows aren't too long. If they are you could get another stow caught in the loop that is formed. I saw a guy packing with about six to eight inch stows a while back. I think some rigs regquire a longer stow than others, but don't over do it. When I first started packing canopies into a bag, a guy with tons more experience than I told me to use a tandem rubber band on the first two stows. I think this may have been too much pressure. Last summer he had a bag lock malfunction. I'd bet it was because of the rubber bands that were too heavy. He did make a couple thousand jumps this way, before it happened though. He ended up losing his canopy for a few weeks. When they found it it had gone through a combine and was ruined. I'm sure there's others on here who could tell you a whole lot more on this subject than I know.....Steve1

I'm not a believer, but I feel I'm pretty open minded. Religion is really an important force in many people's lives. I've had a lot of people try to convert me over to their way of thinking. Most of them think they are really doing you a favor and that you would be better off thinking like they do, and this really doesn't bother me. It's kind of like a friend helping a friend. My wife is Mormon, and sometimes Morman missionaries come over to the house. After a while they realize it's a waste of time trying to convert me or they get sick of hearing my side of the argument and stop coming over. All of them have been nice though and I don't really dislike any of them so far. What really get's my dander up, though is when someone thinks of me as having the wrong kind of morals or that I am some kind of evil sinner just because I don't believe in "Creationism" like they do. One old guy even tried to tell me I was really dropping the ball because I was leading my kids astray. I don't do well when someone tries to put that kind of a guilt trip on me....Steve1

Take a break Kallend. You're starting to talk crazy talk again. As I said earlier, I did that once when I was younger with my bow and a bear. I hit him in the chest with an arrow as he stood staring directly at me, a few yards away. I was on a steep side-hill and it ran right by me, blowing snot as he went. Would I like to repeat this? Maybe someday, but I also like breathing, and I'm in no real hurry to be turned into bear dung. Why don't you come to Montana and we'll go slaughter some poor defenseless little pheasants together. I'd guarantee you it would be more fun than arguing on the computer....Steve1

Some people like black bear meat. The last one I made into jerky. It wasn't bad in that form, but I'm not real fond of it. Mountain lion is supposed to be good, but I've never tried it. The wife of a friend says mountain lion is her favorite meat. You might feel a little like a cannibal eating it though....Steve1

It's obvious you have never hunted Kallen. I know lot's of hunters who are outsmarted by their quarry each season, even though they had a rifle. As far as the killing the bear thing, with a knife, this sounds pretty far fetched. My odds would be on the bear. I did kill a bear once, on the ground, with my recurve. It was very close and I have no doubts it could have eaten me if it wanted to. As far as a lion with a spear, maybe you could demonstrate that one to me first, and then I'll have a go at it. Or maybe not......Steve1

Freeflybella, I hope I didn't seem too harsh in my last post. I admire people who stand up for their convictions. If you are a vegetarian you are doing just that. Maybe when I made the reference to a Wuffo it is because I'm not sure I know myself why I hunt exactly. It's just something I find very satisfying and it is a way to fill my freezer, (since I am a meat eater). Hunting is a lot like jumping for me. I'm not sure I can explain that one either. At one time pulling the trigger or letting an arrow fly was the high point of the hunt for me. Now that I'm getting older I'm having a harder time doing this. I look into the eyes of my domestic animals and I know that the critters I hunt aren't that much different. So, at any rate, maybe you are a better person than a hunter who feels the need to hunt. But there is still a need for hunting. Natures way is often imperfect, and is much crueler than allowing hunting. If you don't feel the need to hunt though, there's nothing wrong with that. It's not for everyone...Steve1

As soon as my ear infection clears up I plan on going to Moose Jaw to make some jumps. I guess I need to join the Canadian Sport Parachuting Association first for about $80. Is this required at all DZ's in Canada, or just at some? Thanks....Steve1

Without that, it's most likely one of the most cowardly things a man can do for pleasure. I think you're way off on this one. What do you think man is if not a hunter? For thousands of years that is what man did, he hunted for food. If you were a poor hunter you didn't make it. It is part of our evolutionary make up. Today we may not have to hunt, but it is still a big part of who we are. And I don't think you are a better person just because you don't hunt and you pay someone else to do your killing for you. I'll tell you I do feel remorse when I kill an animal, even one I've spent months hunting for. My daughters also feel this when they hunt. But I'll tell you it is also satisfying to pit your skills against an illusive quarry. You may pretend you are above all that. And then again, if killing was all there was to hunting, you'd think hunters would get a job in a slaughter house and be happy. The thought of that sickens me to. I don't love to kill for killings sake. There's much more to hunting than that. I probably love animals more than you do. I love my dog, our two horses, two cats. If I didn't I wouldn't have them. You know this reminds me of trying to explain to a Wuffo, what jumping is all about.....Steve1

One more thing I wanted to throw out there. Many people think of hunting as inhumane. I think if a person really looks at this with an open mind they would have a very different conclusion. In nature animals don't live happily ever after as is often portrayed on Disneyland. When an animal gets old it is often chewed to death by predators. Some predators, such as wolves will often eat an animal while it is very much alive. In the winter months many animals will starve to death if there are too many in an area and not enough to eat. The old and very young go first. I mean this is a slow miserable death. Proper game management will keep the number of game animals in balance with their winter range. Wildlife biologists, who are paid with "sportsman's" dollars, study game ranges and set qotas on the number of animals that should be taken. What really gravels my rear is when I see the loss of habitat being destroyed in the name of progress. Many people are building homes in the wrong place. In Montana people are often building in the foothills. Right smack in the middle of the winter range needed by deer and elk. Often times these people are the same anti-hunters who wine about the cruelty of hunting. Because these areas are now loaded with people, dogs, cars, and houses,...the deer and elk head up into deep snow where they starve to death. And then there are those folks who think that meat is the neatly wrapped stuff you buy in the super-market. I guess it's okay to have someone else kill your meat for you, but please don't forget this is from a living creature. I remember eating supper with a woman who was saying she didn't like hunting because it was so cruel. This was as she stuffed her face eating veal. You know...(baby calf meat). Every spring I help our neighbors brand. Calves are run into a corral, roped, jumped on, branded, castrated, dehorned, stuffed full of growth hormones, vacinated, ear tagged, and then turned loose to their Mama. And then when they are old enough they are killed at a slaughter-house and butchered. This is cruelty to me. I think wildlife harvested in a humane way by a "Sportsman" to feed his family, is a much better deal to me. The reason we have wildlife today is because hunters care about their preservation and they spend millions of dollars each year to manage their numbers. If you really wanted to do something positive toward the future of wildlife you could buy a hunting license.....Steve1

I'm going to try this again. For some reason my reply to this crazy comment didn't print out. I hope noone thinks I agree with this.... Anyhow, Kallend, I could find nothing in my dictionary relating to the term sportsman that had anything to do with a mutual agreement between parties. The definition that I found had to do with fairness in an outdoor pursuit. Obviously you don't think that hunting is fair to the animal hunted. I disagree wholeheartedly. Hunting is rarely an easy endeavor. Game animals have spent thousands of years evolving into a creature that can easily escape their enemies. They have extremely keen senses of sight, smell, and hearing. One of the predators they have learned to escape from is man. I've seen whitetail deer take off running at well over 300 yards away when they picked up my scent. I'll admit rifle hunting can get easy if there are few hunters and if there are a lot of animals in an area. For that reason many "sportsmen" hold out for a bigger animal. I know some hunters who hunt year after year without even pulling the trigger because they didn't see an animal big enough that they wanted to kill. Instead of filling my tag the first weekend on a little critter it's more challenging to hold out for something bigger. An old buck didn't get that way from being stupid and they are usually the toughest animal in the woods to take. If a person becomes skilled at rifle hunting it can become too easy in some cases. I doubt if trophy hunting will ever become too easy though. But for those who want a greater challenge there is always bow hunting. I hunt with a bow most of the season for big game. I killed one big buck last Fall. I hit it perfectly through both lungs with one arrow. I don't feel good about hunting if the animal suffers unnecassarily. Most hunters I know do the same and try not to shoot unless they are sure of their shot and can put the bullet or arrow where it will put the animal down with minimal suffering. involved. What I'm getting at here is that there are a lot of ethics involved to hunting. Unless fair chase is involved I don't want any part of it. Most hunters hunt because it is a challenge. Not because it is an easy way to get free meat. Everything I kill I try to use. Wasting meat is something no self respecting hunter does. Wild game is the only meat my family eats. In fact my kids have a hard time eating many cuts of beef, because they aren't used to eating all that fat. I even tan the hide, mount the head, myself. I've killed so many critters over the years that I don't really relish pulling the trigger now days. In fact I'm even going to retire my compound bow and use a recurve next year. It's more difficult to shoot, and you have to get closer to take a shot. It's just more challenging, and that is what hunting is all about for me. Even though I don't shoot a whole lot of critters now days I still enjoy taking my wife and kids out hunting. The night before last I took my jet boat up the river after work. My wife and I crawled up on a flock of turkeys and started calling. When a nice gobbler came within range my wife fired her 12 guage and nocked him right down. I love to see the excitement in her eyes when we hunt together. And this is great meat to eat. And then there's all that great scenery, the smell of sage and juniper, and the feel of the sun after a long winter. Just as I feel sorry for those who don't jump, I also feel sorry for those who don't hunt. You're just missing out on a lot in life....Steve1

You are being silly. Hunting is not a sport. If you want to shoot for sport, paintball is a sport. Please note that I have nothing against hunting. I just think it absurd to call hunters "sportsmen".

A friend of mine owns a drop zone and he and his wife are kept busy working from sun up to sun down. If they didn't bring their youngest son to the DZ they probably wouldn't have time to even see him. I worry about what he is exposed to though. I mean many of my fellow jumpers are pretty crude. He's being exposed to lot of stuff that young kids shouldn't be. But then again if he was sitting home alone being raised by a TV set, that would probably be worse......I don't mind kids at the DZ. I haven't seen too many that were a problem. I just question what they are exposed to around a rowdy crowd of jumpers. It kind of embarasses me to even bring my grown daughters to our D.Z. Most jumpers have sense enough to turn off the foul language when it might offend others, but some don't. So that's my sermon for the day....Steve1(The Prude)

There needs to be some common sense worked into the zero tollerance that schools have toward weapons. A rubber band gun is not a gun in my mind. But then again even a toy gun if it's used the wrong way can cause mass hysteria in a school today. These are crazy times we live in, and parents are often over-protective of their kids. People who know little or nothing about guns often freak out over even the thought of a gun in the school. Yesterday, we had a couple little 3rd graders who brough a broken BB gun to school. It didn't even work. I'm not sure what their intentions were, but since we have zero tollerance for guns they will probably be expelled. Another factor to consider is that both these kids are Native American with parents who have little clout in our community. So the kids will probably be kicked out and repeat the grade they are in next year. But this is not always the case. At another school near us, (that also has zero tollerance for weapons) had a kid bring a large knife to school. Since his Dad was on the school board he got off with a slap on the wrist. Sounds like BS to me. At any rate, I work in a very violent town with violent kids and crazy parents. It's a large school and I've been told it's probably only a matter of time before someone comes in and shoots up the school. One of our school doors has a couple of dents in it already, fired from a drive by shooter. I feel a little safer knowing we have two armed cops in our school. I kind of wish I could pack a heater too. At any rate I'm not sure I know what the answer is, but busting kids who have a toy in school probably isn't going to help much.....Steve1

I made about 300 jumps in the 70's and quit. About ten years later I came out to jump with my B-12 container, belly reserve, and frenchies. I went right up with my Pals and started doing RW with them. I was rusty, but you don't forget how to fall stable. On about the 6th jump I had a mally and had to cut my par-commander away. Landed in the middle of a rock pile and sprained both ankles under an oscillating 24 ft. reserve. After I healed up I made one demo jump into a school. Since I was broke and had little kids I took another 15 years off. A few years ago I went to a reunion boogie and ended up on another load with old friends. I fell base for them and we did a five way. I spent about 15 minutes in a suspended harness prior to the jump. The gear had changed a lot since the old days. This was my first square jump. That is if you don't count the para-plane I jumped 27 years earlier. I know this sounds reckless, but jumping is a lot like riding a bike, and you don't really forget that much. I doubt if I would have been allowed to this at any other DZ. An old friend was our Safety and Training Officer, and he gave me the go ahead. Everything worked out fine and I'm glad I could jump. I doubt if I would have coughed up the money to completely retrain as most drop zones would mandate in this scenario. I'm just glad to be back....Steve1

I don't think ram-air canopies are made for this. We used to do this sometimes with para-commanders. The first time I tried this was on a hot calm day. I ended up taking about 20 foot strides behind a car on a paved road. I never did get up. When I reached the point where my legs wouldn't keep up with the car I fell over and got drug on the pavement. I had a huge burn on the side of my face and bruised both heels so bad that I was walking on my toes for almost a month after. This is a good lesson in what not to do.....I might add I also put several large burns in my brand new para-commander that had to be repaired by a Master Rigger in Spokane. This took months and I had to jump a 28 ft. round in the mean time. Of course this was back when I was young and dumb and I'm a whole lot smarter now.....Steve1

I'll definitely be there. My daughter bought me a new Drop Zone.Com t-shirt, so I'll try to wear that at least part of the time. And yes, I am bringing my boat. I'd better get some jumps in between now and then or I'll be so uncurrent noone will want to jump with me....Steve1

I've heard some jumpers talking about checking older canopy material by using the thumb test. I assume this means trying to push your thumb through the material. I'm just wondering how much pressure you should use. Does this mean pushing as hard as you can? I mean I've got some really powerful thumbs even if they are kind of stubby, and I'd hate to damage a canopy by testing it the wrong way....Steve1

If I was you I'd throw those out and listen to something a little more uplifting like Charley Pride or Dolly Pardon or Merle or Hank. Maybe I could send you a few 8 tracks from my collection....Steve1 "The Music Critic"

Come on down to Texas! We need more of us "Old Timers" here! You know I might just do that. I always liked most Texans and I'm kind of sick of the long winters up here. I've got at least four more years to get a pension and if most of my body functions are still working by then, and if my bones aren't too brittle, maybe I'll pack up and move to a better place....Steve1

Silvertip Skydivers, the oldest continually run Collegiant club in the United States, is being pressured to close their doors by the airport board. It's a similiar argument to the closing of the Laurel D.Z. near Billings. Both these D.Z.'s were on Municipal Airports. Some sort of a million dollar policy is now needed (I think this is on each jumper). The way I understand it no such policy exists. The USPA states that our dues are helping Drop Zones stay open. I'd like to know how. The way I understand it they are no help at all. A few years ago there were four drop zones in Montana. If Stevensville goes down there will now be only one left...Lost Prairie. I've thought of selling my gear but I love to jump too much. I've found another drop zone in Canada where I may be able to jump a few months of the year. It's a four hour drive to get there, but it'll beat not jumping. It's getting pretty bad when you have to leave the damn country, just to find a place to jump. On the bright side,...I heard that Lost Prairie now has a paved run way. Hope to see you all there at Boogie time....Steve1