pilotdave

I carry the letter from the TSA to the USPA (it's on their site somewhere) saying that parachutes are allowed on airliners. If I can find the airline's policy on parachutes, I carry that too. Southwest, for example, specifically mentions that parachutes are allowed on their website. I carry a Vigil card too (I don't think they'll mind that i have a cypres), but I doubt they'd care about that if they were suspicious. I also have the paragraph number of the TSA manual that talks about parachutes written down. That might be in the TSA letter... can't remember. But anyway, those things are folded in a pocket on my gear bag, and the rest of the bag is empty except for the rig. Hook knife goes in my checked luggage. Never been asked anything more than "is that a parachute?" On the other hand, people that warn the TSA that they are putting a parachute through the x-ray machine get a lot more attention. Just put it in and walk through the metal detector. If they have a problem with it, they'll let you know.

Carrying a rig on a flight really isn't a big deal. I've done it a whole bunch of times. Only got a second look once in orlando and once in switzerland (they make ya go through security even when you're just there on a short stopover). And both times they were just happy to see a parachute to know what it looks like. Every other time I've traveled, including in israel where security hsa always been much higher than in the US) they didn't even blink an eye at the x-ray machine. The rig (alone in a bag) comes out the other end like a bag of dirty laundry. Most of the horror stories come from people that checked em. And speaking of pepperell, i'll be there saturday.

How are you physically getting them the video? Transferring over a wireless network from one computer to another? Dave

http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=guestpass&id=rz7z3 Dave

On SkydivingMovies.com (which gets about 14% of its hits from links on dropzone.com), 97.03% of visitors use a resolution of 1024x768 or higher. Dave

What do you do in aircraft with no benches now? Or with straddle benches? Dave

I think it will be a while before the solid state memory cams really work for a lot of skydivers. Here are some issues that I'd have if I bought one... Can't transfer video between cameras. That would be really annoying at times, since that's such an easy way to get a video from someone with DV cameras. Memory cards are obviously going to be reused, unlike tapes. How would I get my videos to someone that's putting together a year-end video? Right now he gets a pile of tapes. No work on my part. Need a really fast computer for editing. My computer is ok, but not that fast. Also need software compatible with AVCHD (I already do, but most people don't). No more quick edits in Movie Maker. Need lots of memory cards to get through a longer trip like a boogie, unless I dumped videos to my laptop often. The main advantage of memory cams to me is faster transfers to a computer and no more rewinding/fast forwarding to find the right part of the tape. No more worrying about taping over something by accident. But for the time being, the cons outweigh the pros to me. If I were buying now, it'd be something like an HC-5. Unfortunately I know that if I bought one now while I can, I'd buy a helmet to go with it and more stuff that I don't need... Dave

You'll find some info in the ISP section of the SIM. Category D for rear risers and Category H for front risers. http://www.uspa.org/publications/SIM/2008SIM/section4.htm Dave

Just hit "see all" next to recent threads started. Dave

Definitely time for a new DZ. You shouldn't feel that way... if you're in FL, there are dropzoness all over. Move on and bring your yellow card with you. I guarantee there's a DZ that wants to help you get finished. Dave

I have one and wear it proudly!

The neptune2 is a software update. There is a hardware change too, but it was actually incorporated in all neptunes quite a long time ago without being announced. Any new neptune you buy now will be a neptune2. But for your first altimeter, I'd recommend an analog one like an alti-2 galaxy. http://www.alti-2.com. Dave

I dunno. I did a couple jumps there before I got my A-license, but haven't been back since. We heard they blew the engine on their 206 or cracked the block or something a couple years ago, then they never opened back up I guess. Skyride was still sending tandems to them long after they closed though!

Mostly depends on the size and shape of your head. I wear glasses under my Z1 without a problem, but some people can't even fit their chin inside a Z1 let alone glasses. You'll have to try helmets on and see what fits. Dave

When you compare the features, the neptune simply does a lot more than the viso. It also has an intuitive menu system, unlike any of the L&B products. But one of the most important features is that the neptune's software can be updated, so the feature set continues to grow and problems with it can be fixed. But I'll also say that if you already have an audible, I personally recommend a mechanical altimeter if you don't already have one. A good one like an alti-2 galaxy can last your entire skydiving career. It's just a good thing to have, even if you switch to a digital later. It'll be sitting there in your gear bag, ready to take over when you realize you've got a dead battery. I use my neptune as an audible and I think that's where it does best, but that's just my opinion. Dave

Been closed a couple years now. No idea if it's permanent or not though... Dave

Well, proper time between groups should be calculated for the current winds. Usually what really happens is people say something like 5 seconds (or even less) when the winds aloft are really light and maybe 10 seconds when the winds are really high. Sometimes with really fast planes, significantly less time is needed than with really slow planes. But the point is, 7 seconds is completely arbitrary. Might be enough, might be too little, or might be ridiculously long. Most of the time, it sounds like a pretty good number. But just make sure you're talking about the time from when the group before you drops off the plane to the time you drop off the plane. If you wait 7 seconds, then climb out for a poised exit, you might be taking too long and messing up the spot for the people behind you. So basically, find out how long they want between groups. If you count out loud and exit right when you reach the magic number, nobody can complain. Dave

Ignore em. But make sure that you aren't waiting 5 seconds, then checking the spot, looking for traffic, then starting your exit count. If you're sticking your head out the door right after the group before you leaves, you should have time to take a quick peek and start your exit. Dave

If you don't know where you are when you get to the door, it's a bad idea to exit. You could be perfectly legal (cloud clearance requirements) and still have clouds blocking your view of the dropzone. As you get more experience, you will learn other landmarks around your dropzone that you can use to know where you are so you don't necessarily need to see the dropzone to get your bearings. But leaving the plane without knowing where you are in relation to the dropzone is always a bad idea. Getting out when you know you'll be going through clouds is a much worse idea, and illegal. But in reality, some dropzones do it all the time. Been to a bunch of dropzones that will happily put jumpers out over solid overcast layers. Dave

Didja miss the whole 12,000 feet/ground level part? It was funny.

Been done... http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=491 Only a little blood involved. Dave

Wow this is like the jackpot post... you can answer almost all your questions just by reading the other posts on page 1 of this forum!

You pack before you go home and you pack again at home before your next jump?

I don't usually loosen my chest strap, and i never pull my slider down (i have slider stops on my slinks). But when I do loosen my chest strap, i do it with my toggles in my hands. It's not a big deal... flare with both hands to my chest and pull on the chest strap hardware with my right hand. We all know its a bad idea to keep your toggles stowed until low altitude because you might find a malfunction when you unstow them. I'd rather have my chest strap tight at that point.

That'll tell you a lot about your ground speed, but nothing about your glide angle, which is the only thing that matters. Looking down will help if you're going into the wind and trying to see what will give you some groundspeed to clear a treeline or something, but it won't help at all when you're upwind on a long spot. Deep brakes works great with my Sabre2 even though it cuts my groundspeed way down. I've had other canopies scream by me, only to land off short of the DZ when I was able to make it all the way back and fly a pattern. Scott Miller's essentials course answers all these questions... Dave