skreamer

Uhh, dude, I have to tell you skydiving is a hazardous activity and could result in injury or death HOWEVER wearing a skydiving rig will greatly reduce the chance of your dying!!! Just kidding man, I was just curious about why you wanted to know about reaching termincal velocity without a rig.

I picked up on this in another thread (Cobaltdan). Could someone please explain this. How (and when) do you switch smoothly from your front risers to your rear risers to your toggles? Is this something only experienced canopy pilots under highly loaded ellipticals would get a noticeably longer swoop from? In the interests of finding new ways to biff in, I am keen to know more. Will

I totally agree with you on the Cypres issue Merrick, and I do in fact jump with one myself. But that wasn't my point, if I didn't have a Cypres would I still be skydiving? Most emphatically YES. Would I skydive differently? NO. I'm careful about who I jump with anyway (apart from 3flier and he scares the shit out of me...), so if I didn't have a Cypres I would accept the risk of being knocked unconscious and going in as part of the sport. But, Merrick, there are some people out there who probably wouldn't keep skydiving if they didn't have a Cypres - and it shows in the way they jump. But, hell, I use an RSL, Cypres and an audible, so I must be the biggest chicken-shit around! Will

Do you mean people who physically can only reach one handle or do you mean people who don't have the mental fortitude to pull two handles and save their own lives? I picked up on the following point that DanG made and think it is very valid : Nobody ever chooses to cutaway below '1 000 (we know you like to dump under '1 000, 3flier, but thats a different matter) but we all know it happens - canopy collisions, dust devils collapsing canopies etc. So, if some knob decides to track through my main at '800 (happened to a chick from my DZ when she was in Spain), and I have to initiate a cutaway, I want my reserve out and fully inflated with the slider down as QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. There is no way you are going to match an RSL for speed. On another note - some DZs teach a double handed on each handle drill. {Look, locate, peel and punch}*2 - using both hands on each handle. Between the 'punch' of the cutaway handle and the 'look, locate, peel, punch' of the reserve handle, an RSL might just have saved your life. Anyway, 3flier, I won't hold it against you that you don't have an RSL, I'll still jump with you! (when I find a phuqin' job that is) Will PS my first freefall was from SL progression and was without ANY AAD, I jumped again without an AAD this year and you know what was different? Absolutely freakin NOTHING!!!

Thing that I notice about people who are anti-RSLs is that they tend to focus on one specific incident or claim that with an RSL they would definitely have died cutting away from their last violently spinning mal. Before I bought my new rig, I read up on the incident reports (Barry's fatalities site) and made my own decision. I got an RSL, I have 155 jumps so far and intend keeping that RSL even after my first cutaway (unless I get a camera, high ground winds etc.). I think a lot of people are anti-RSL because they are associated with students and don't look *cool*. Also, people will repeat verbatim what they have heard a canopy god say about double mals and think that it applies to them and their 1.1 wing loading as well. It was quite heartening for me to meet one of the UK's most experienced skydivers (Eddie Carroll) who has over 12 000 jumps and still swears by RSLs (he has cut away from sub '80 Velocities 3 times WITH an RSL). I do sort of get annoyed by people who imply that I don't have the confidence to pull the silver myself, but I have no problem with telling them where to get off. Another annoying thing is other jumpers telling me 'Are you aware that you have an RSL on your rig?' or 'Are you aware that your RSL is connected?'. I know I shouldn't mention it in this thread, but I wonder how many RSL slaggers would continue jumping without their Cypres? Sorry to bring AADs back into it, but if you aren't confident in your own abilities to skydive (and survive) without a Cypres, then you shouldn't be jumping EITHER. Anyway, chopchop, stories like yours make me feel better about sticking to my decision to have/keep my RSL and not follow the rest of the flock. My life, my gear, I made a decision and I am sticking to it. Will

Sadly, Jason, its also too true! I got some packing lessons and tips off an experienced jumper (2 800 odd jumps, mostly packed himself) and my openings have improved (gee, like that was going to be hard...). Will

Oi, Mike, enough teasing already - could you please scan and post that pic already??? (also, cropping Clay out of it would be nice too!) Thanks!

You're a good house-bitch Slappie!

Mike, that was exactly the problem I had with my Hornet (obviously my fault not the canopy's). Looking back now it is so obvious that that was my problem, but I tried all sorts of tips and tricks with the slider, nose and tail beforehand. Re. the original post, Riggerob said this on a similar thread : Buying new : get a Hornet Buying 2nd hand : get a Sabre Dunno if there are any 2nd hand Sabre 2's available yet, probably shortly. Will

So the PC had a bungy around it, but still had enough drag to pull the pin? Were the lines unstowed? PM the lender's name so I can know for future reference! Also, please PM me the usual sordid update of goings-on (no chimpanzees just yet, I trust). /s

And you DON'T want to know about my KFC comment.....

Dude, there was weather this past weekend??? (can't say I really noticed..... ) /s

3:0:0 Quote of the weekend : me : 'I hope the weather stays shit' her : 'Why?' me : 'Because then I won't be wishing that I was rather at the DZ...' /s

Thats not safe either, when I turn and start tracking I like to look around and see where everybody else is. I don't want to have to worry about someone who could be directly above me. If you're not happy with the break-off altitude then get everybody else to break off 500 feet higher, and then YOU stick to that. /s PS I'm surprized the camera flyer wasn't also pissed off with that AFF instructor chick.

Dude - this is phuqin' fast!!!! I have to use a dial-up connection now and have 4 house-mates who don't like me hogging the line - this is going to make things way better. Aaah, now to start camping and wait to ambush any passing Poo-Bahs...... /s

Or is it because you've got a small winkie? haaaaaaaaaahahahahhahahahaha

OK, OK - here's the plan : somebody at Perris *borrow* one of Luigi Cani's mains, then send it to Merrick as if it is a demo from the sales manager at Square One. He'll be dumb enough to try and jump it, I just know he will! Then while he's in traction we can launch Operation Melons to resounding success!!!! Just remember - we need tight security on this one, so not a word when Pammi and Merrick show up! /s

Hell, there are bigger knobs than that in skydiving - say, Remi, how are things going?

Dude - I LIKE the way you're thinking!!! If Pammi wants our opinion on the yin and yang of her yayas, then I think some research in the field is called for! Now our only problem is Merrick...... Anybody got any discrete, subtle ideas of how we can pull this off? Operation Melons needs to be launched, do we have any volunteers? I said : DO WE HAVE ANY VOLUNTEERS???? /s PS Oh look, a PM from Merrick - my what interesting language.....

lol I can top that Lisa. Couple of months ago, I'd maxed out my credit card. So I got a personal loan from the bank at a lower interest rate to cover my credit card. But then instead I took that money and went on holiday to Florida and used it to pay for my new rig and a couple of jumps. Came back to London with visa still maxed out, a personal loan to pay off as well and then found myself unemployed as of a month ago..... hahahahaha - shit I better get a new job soon or I will be well and truly fucked! (but I did make 6 kickass skydives last weekend! ) /s

OK, now this thread has gone on a bit about boobies in general. Lets get back to the original post : Merrick's friend thinking Pammi shouldn't have her boobies free and easy every night. Well, Pammi, I think the only way we can give you our fair opinion, is, ummm, if we, errrrr, get to see a classy, artistic pic of your twins. And we promise not to tell Merrick about it either! So, are you guys with me on this one? But we have to keep it quiet otherwise Merrick will get medieval on our asses. Actually scrap that thought, he'll probably just kick our asses! later ladies /s

Mac, here's my £0.01/$0.02 on escape BASE rigs for the great unwashed : I could care less. So, these are the same people who slag off skydivers and totally slam base jumping? They don't have the balls to skydive let alone base jump as a sport, yet feel they could be one base jump wonders jumping from a burning building??? Part of me almost wants to say let them do it, if for nothing other than the sheer spectator value of any attempted base jumps by these nimrods. But of course they need to be protected from themselves - so it is probably a bit mercenary of any company hoping to cash in on all this mass hysteria and make a quick buck. What next? crash courses in HALO jumps from '30 000? ("crash courses" hahaha, made myself laugh) later /s

Hey Donna, don't go! Some of that rec. stuff is funny as hell (and lots of dz.commers lurk there whether they care to admit it or not). Stay here and talk shit with us, please don't leave us alone with Clay!!! /s

Yep, when I picked my new rig up from Roy (go ahead, try find someone who gives you a better deal, you won't) I spent the weekend there and jumped with the locals. They make jumping from a Caravan feel like a C 182. I don't mean smelly and crowded, I mean everybodies really friendly and they try to get newbies and low-timers involved too. Roy, his brother Terry, Alex, they're all really friendly, good people. Will

Oops, uhhh, sorry that was me (can't help myself around chicks in positions of power...) My bad /s