larsrulz

I have a Smart 150 with a Samurai 150 in my Mirage G3 M2. My rigger (who previously owned the Samurai) has a PD 143R which was packed with the Samurai 150 in his Mirage G3 M2. There was a noticeable reduction in pack volume in the Smart 150. This was very important because the Samurai and Smart are both considerably tight on the M2. Do make note on the differences in sizes, which I am not completely aware of. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

And on top of that, at least what I heard, is that the jump was in Germany!!! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Honestly, the education or military system in the US really know how to run their retirement systems. Obviously one of them needs to take over social security. I'm 22 and certainly don't even consider having any government subsidized retirement when the time comes. I can only hope there is some level of privitization of social security in the coming years, so I can be certain that I will have that money of mine when the time comes. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Capt. Morgan and Coke....or just a Capt. Morgan private stock in shot form! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Quite a simple concept you got there. Better tell all those 9 cell fliers to ditch their canopies for a 7 cell! If only there were nothing else going into the equation in this situation. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Any time you over load your reserve (or main for that matter) you risk the possibility of "blowing" it up, not to mention your rigger risks his ticket if he knows you are outside the limitations of the manufacturer. If your reserve is listed as max 288 and you are 291 out the door, then while you will not be hanging your reserve, so your hanging weight will drop a bit, it is hardly worth risking your life in the event that you put on a few pounds one week. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Yvonne at Deland has been trying to do this for quite a while. She makes some of the prettiest glass necklaces around, but has not had any luck with embedding a closing pin; it seems as though the pin acts as a heat sink and causes the glass to cool unevenly resulting in cracking/shattering. This is the problem. Glass and stainless steel have considerably different coefficients of thermal expansion and thermal conductivity, so it will be next to damn hard to get them to agree. This is why things like metal-matrix composites have to have controlled cooling. If you can do this in an inert-gas chamber where you can precisely control the cooling rate, then this could be possible, but I know jack and shit about actual glass working...I stick to the fibrous type. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Actually these types should have already been drilled on one specific procedure on the ground before they ever climb aboard, and it should be a simple, hard to forget maneuver that doesnt require any analysis on their part. You and me and many others can think under pressure and make some decisions for themselves. I'm not trying to suggest that the one size fits all solution is right for experienced jumpers. I'm merely relaying how I was taught as a student and frankly I agree with it. Students who could well be overwhelmed under normal circumstances, could be even more overwhelmed in an emergency. The one size fits all solution for them is what I believe makes the most sense from a survivability point of view. In a real emergency NOBODY should be thinking about paying for reserve repacks no matter how experienced they are This is where I disagree and where I teach my students (as my DZ directs and I agree) differently. Some of the bigger DZs are so completely engrained in a certain mindset that the idea of hop 'n' pops from 2500' is mind blowing even for a moderately experienced jumper, whereas I have done them regularly this winter. Students can be trained for a number of different emergency situation. Our first jump course teachs that emergency below 2500', the student sits in the door with thumbs through silver and dive out as they pull their handle and go into an arch. Above that they listen to their instructor, which a student who can't do that shouldn't be jumping anyway. I guess when students are used to doing hop and pops from 4500' on jump #6, then they don't have the mindset of being frightened at leaving at such an altitude. And while I agree that $50 for a repack isn't on peoples mind, there is still the fact that we have a two parachute system for a reason. There is the possibility of a malfunctioning reserve, and if I can safely try my main first, then I certaintly will in an instant, and I will wish the same for my students. The altitude where they will go from main to reserve will certainly be different than mine, but as their jumpmaster I'm there to tell them if such a situation arises. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

For people who can't think for themselves, i.e. students, then they should be told by the jumpmaster on the load what to do. I know in the event of an emergency I would tell any student I had what to do. All licensed jumpers should know exactly what they would do in any possible situation before stepping on that plane. If they wish to needlessly pull their reserve at 5000', then that's their repack money. But they should be able to look at their altimeter during climb out and know what they would do if the pilot called for an emergency egress. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

This is certainly when Chris' problem comes in. All students and A license jumpers would be violating the BSRs at fault of the instructor and pilot (as it isn't actually an emergency), and argueably so would B license holders, unless they are IADed. None the less, I think it would be an excellent idea just bump it up to 5000' or something. I know my S&TA does it when he does I courses. They did something like this when I did my glider training. After you had done your first 2 flights the instructor said that on some future flight he would pull the tow release at about 700' while still in the pattern; you had to safely land the glider or you couldn't solo. Same happens for engine out senaries for flying instruction. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

You're joking right. A 55 pali could own a 60 warrior unarmed! Even groups from 1 though 60 prefer a pali anyday. Good to see sink discovered that before reaching 60. Nothing wrong with playing a warrior, I much enjoy my warlock, which is equally underpowered, but give it a few months and they'll work out the issues. MMOs always do! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Yikes, I know my Sam 150 loves those diving turns on opening. The former owner, openings were the main reason he sold, was informed by Brian that increasing the wingloading can help with it, but I'm certainly not willing to find out right now. No other issues, and I don't really consider it a problem...just have to be that much more aware once you throw out. Not sure the difference in how the signature series performs (but I'm under the impression that mine was made personallly by Brian as it was ordered directly from him at the WFFC, and Brian made a number of personal calls to the former owner when he couldn't use a certain color for the ribs as requested) but the samurai isn't ground hungry. Thanks to the air locks, I can stay up on level with rectangular canopies at a WL of 1:1 or less, and I stay on level with an equally loaded stilleto without any input. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Aye aye, Samuraites unite! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I am the same way. The good thing about Roth IRAs is that you don't pay any tax on the money you make on the investment, and you can use it to buy a house without penalty for early withdrawel, but this would be best for if you want to buy a house in 3+ years. Any short term investing should generally avoid mutual funds, and especially stocks. A stock can drop 5% in 6 months and still be a good investment over 5 years. Many futual fund companies give you free financial advice. They will of course try to direct you to their funds, but you don't pay anything until you purchase a fund, so you needn't listen. I would recommend Fidelity and Vanguard for their financial advice, although I have rarely used it. If you are military, former military, or one of your parents was military then USAA is by far the best one of these free financial planners out there. I second GTAVs comment of index funds. Now if you need more help with budgeting and savings then you would probably need help from one of these types of financial planners such as AmEx. If you can sit down and do this stuff yourself, then you don't really need help with the particulars of investing. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Must have been a crackpot postal worker. I regularly insure APO stuff I send to my parents. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

What if we gave riggers a signed notarized waiver (assumption of risk) stating that we were informed of the SB and chose not to have it done? While that may save him from suits (IANAL), the rigger can still have his ticket revoked or other penalty from the FAA. Derek, aren't riggers required to follow equipment manufactures guidelines? Pack the reserve flaps in the order the manufacture states, ensure a cypres follows maintenance/battery cycles, etc? I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I like all the people saying they have sent theirs through without problem. How many of those people have had to use their cypres? X-ray radiation is not going to be a problem for it though. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Archway Skydiving - Vandalia, IL I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I don't know....they also made the Comet. I think they just got lucky that once. Me, I've always wanted to jump from a glider. Find a nice thermal to 12K, throw up the canopy, and jump! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I certainly have read the syllabus through a number of times. I guess I'm not so much worried about doing something "wrong" as much as looking advice to help me improve...I'm far from being a 4000 jump instructor and have a damn lot to learn. I still would like critique with respect to those things I'll be teaching. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Samurai 150 I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

WTF? It says I need to make less in Palmdale, CA than in the middle of corn fields in Illinois! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

Some helo pilots might like the rocking sensation... I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I got a brand new mirage half off and got a samurai with about 150-200 jumps for $1000, so again half price! I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

I only have coach jumps and the training necessary for the I proficiency card, but how I, and the instructors at my dropzone, do it is until a skydiver is proficient enough to understand the consequences of various actions, then their sequence (unless some sort of rare circumstance, such as low altitude emergency egress) is 1-2-3. They pull ripcord, then cutaway, then deploy reserve. When you start increasing the number of inputs and potential outputs, then a student who doesn't completely understand the consequences of any one action will be wasting precious time thinking about what they should do. If you start saying that emergency procedures for pilot-chute-in-tow is different than a baglock, then they have to consciously process what it is they have above them and then determine what course of action they need to take....it begins to get far too complicated for someone who doesn't understand why they are doing what they are doing. I think it is a lot like bold face for EPs in flying. One problem has only one response, and that is what you do; you memorize what the response is, so when you see the engine begin to smoke, you can say over your emergency procedure as you do it. I'm not trying to give you any recommendations, more so curious for recommendations on how I teach total mals. Getting my SL-I in two weeks, and the one thing I'm truely worried about is incorrectly teaching something to a student. I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF