pilotdave

How much video fits on a 4 gig memory stick? (Edit: N/m, found that it holds about 30 mins). It's supposed to be a nice little camera. Kinda nice that you could keep dumping videos to DVD or a computer and reusing memory sticks. Otherwise you'll be burning through a lot of MiniDV tapes on other cameras. I don't think I'd want a hard drive camera... can't just switch tapes/cards when it's full. MiniDV tapes hold an hour of video, and really shouldn't be reused. If I was buying a camera now for use other than jumping, it'd definitely be HD. (I just don't have a camera helmet compatible with HD cameras). That CX-7 would definitely be on my list... Edit: I s'pose memory cards would get a little expensive if you need to be able to record a few hours of video. But cheaper than MiniDV tapes in the long run. The REALLY long run... Dave

You looked at a jumpsuit order form recently? I got $195 off my last RW suit (won a gift certificate from Bev). After options, without gigantor grippers, I paid $195. So that's about a $400 jumpsuit. And I sure as heck didn't get ALL the options. There's an awful lot of junk you can pay for on a jumpsuit that won't improve flying skills in any way. I think some might hurt, like going with giant mega vented pleated humongo booties when you've never used booties before. Then there's pockets all over, extra zippers (I love long leg zippers but I know 4-way guys would always recommend against them), afterburners, stripes, wings, swoop cords, and on and on and on. I think "get everything with it" is unnecessary advice. Get booties, have someone that knows about buying RW suits help, get measured by someone that knows what they're doing, and don't buy white. Everything else is bonus. Nice to haves, but not needed. Or possibly really bad to have if you don't need them. I think a $200 jumpsuit and $200 worth of skydives beats a $400 jumpsuit as far as how much it will help in learning to fly your body. Edit: Giant grippers are a fad. Yeah, I said it! Just like tie dye rigs and purple on men's gear. Dave

I've never seen a bigway organizer (that isn't also a 4-way god) that has humongo grippers. And those guys are always in the base. 4-way (and 8- and 16-way) has more "interesting" exits than you'll usually find on other RW jumps. Big grippers help get a better grip on those crazy exits (for some people anyway). I just don't think they're worth spending money on for the average new jumper, unless they have a good reason to or have the money to spend. Just not a necessity (the way, in my opinion, booties are). Even my 4-way team seems to hate their big grippers (I do video, so I don't get to play with those things). Dave

I can read a digital watch faster than an analog one too... But I think it's easier to misread a digital altimeter than an analog one. It's easy to take a very quick peek at an analog altimeter and know approximately what altitude you're at. If it's pointing somewhere to the left, you're around 9000. Somewhere toward the bottom, 6000. Somewhere to the right, probably about time to pull. On a digital, you could misread one digit and be off by thousands of feet. Most likely in those more extreme situations, like when you have to hold your hand at a funny angle (wingsuit jump, holding a grip in RW, etc). This is why in modern aircraft glass cockpits, they don't just show numbers, they always have some sort of scale to go with every gauge. I like my neptune, but I keep mine in my helmet. I don't recommend them as a first/only altimeter, mainly because I think it's a good idea to own an analog altimeter in general. Very reliable, never needs batteries, always there as a backup in your gear bag down the road. Just a good purchase. I also don't recommend audibles for at least a couple hundred jumps. Audibles make it EASY to get really lazy about altitude awareness. At the very least, set the breakoff and pull alarms 100 feet low. If you hear em before you act, you're late. Worst thing to do is learn to pull when you hear a beep. Dave

People with little hands. Big grippers are a 4-way thing... really not needed for most RW. Old jumpsuits with really skinny grippers are annoying, but standard grippers are just fine. Dave

No fun without pics... http://www.skydivingstills.com/gallery/4000611/1/232716828/Large http://www.skydivingstills.com/gallery/4000611/1/232716852/Large Dave

... or just isn't into 4-way. How do big grippers and inside leg grippers help someone learn to fly their body well? Those are for other people. A lot of people don't even like holding on to giant grippers, and inside leg grippers aren't really used all that much outside of 4-way type jumping. Someone trying to save some money can do just fine with a custom fit jumpsuit without all the bells and whistles, or even a used one if it fits right. Dave

Why should a load organizer that hasn't ever held an instructional rating or taught skydiving to students automatically get a coach rating? Dave

Don't discriminate! Skydiving should be an equal opportunity sport. Everybody should be allowed (and encouraged) to do anything they want regardless of experience. It's sad that some people have to hide how much experience they really have because of [what do you call someone that discriminates based on experience?]s like you. Dave

That would be true if parachutes were considered aircraft. But they are not. Dave

Wow... guess you don't want one of those shirts. Thats gotta be one of the stranger rants I've seen on a skydiving forum. A real dropzone bum couldn't afford a $35 t-shirt, so I think he's marketing it to wannabes.

In the military, mixups with gas bottles for inflating tires has killed people. Hook up a 5000 psi nitrogen bottle to an aircraft tire, and the rim will fail instantly, launching the tire off the wheel at high speed. People have literally lost heads because of that. Now they're supposed to inflate tires in cages and use long hoses to the bottles. Dave

Anybody ever replaced a canopy due to UV damage? I assume UV damage weakens the fabric, making it more prone to tearing? Could there possibly be any data, even if anecdotal, on what color fabric gets repaired most often for tears? I mean, is color realistically a concern as far as the lifespan of the canopy goes? Dave

Get a good quality analog altimeter like an alti-2 galaxy. It can last your entire skydiving career (unless you let the velcro strap get so worn it falls off in freefall, like my first one did). I once asked a long time jumper how many old altimeters he had lying around his house with all his other old skydiving gear. None... they last so long, he was still using one he had bought many years ago. They're cheap and always make a good backup if you ever decide to go with an electronic altimeter later on. Dave

Doesn't LASA make a side mount box for the HC5? The FF2/3 is the only side mount helmet that doesn't give me the heebie jeebies. For something as wide as the HC5, I'd want something REALLY smooth, not just an L-bracket or big wide d-box sticking way off the side of my helmet. Dave

No, I think it's a 190. He still has it though. Dave

I've never been able to see anything other than blinking lights from other people on night jumps... Don't think the canopy color matters much for that. Besides, light blue is supposed to be the hardest color to see at night, from what I've heard. Dave

I dunno if I'd want one, but it does look pretty cool... http://www.skydivingstills.com/keyword/jim-landing#202504667-A-LB http://www.skydivingstills.com/keyword/jim-landing#202489908-A-LB I think my biggest worry would be losing it after a cutaway or being harder to see from above... Dave

FYI, if you need an official approved flight manual, the list of current revisions is at http://www.vikingair.com/uploadedFiles/Manual-Status-List_Dec07.pdf along with contact info to buy them. Dave

http://www.esscoaircraft.com/DeHavilland_DHC_6_Twin_Otter_s/4939.htm http://rareaviation.com/store/cart.php?target=category&category_id=909 Dave

I used to fly planes that had the wings glued together.

Nothing wrong with buying from a dealer...there's a lot of advantage in that. But also talk to people at your dropzone. Dealers can be very helpful, but they tend to get a cut of the sale too. Buying direct from someone with a rig in their closet that isn't being used is probably where you'll find the best deals. Last year my DZ had a few people get brand new rigs right after getting their licenses. A few of them never came back after last winter, so more newbies got great deals on almost brand new equipment. Heck, one of those rigs was never even jumped. Dave

The advice wasn't "don't listen to your instructors," it was "don't JUST listen to your instructors." I think you said exactly the same thing. I've heard instructors give bad advice before... like it's better to get a smaller reserve because you won't get good performance out of a bigger one. I had instructors recommend a 135 for my first canopy too, straight from a 230 student canopy. Maybe I would have been fine, but I'm still glad I didn't JUST listen to my instructors. (Actually I did because the advice was a zero-p 135 or an F111 150, which is what I went with). Dave

I take the fact that your dropzone isn't a member of the National Skydiving Association (Skyride Scam) as a sign that you are not a safe, approved skydiving center. If you want my trust, I recommend joining immediately. Dave

Didn't you watch the mythbusters where they showed that electric windows work underwater?? Dave