migliore

I believe it was pre-empted for hurricane fund-raising efforts. Shane

I'm at the US Nationals and I've heard that ESPN is coming tomorrow (Thursday) to cover the swoop comp. Anyone know anything about whether it will be live or, if not, when it will be aired? Can anyone TIVO it and put it up on skydivingmovies.com? Shane

Check out this clip. This was my 4-way team screwing with my teammate Adam for his 400th jump. I'm the one who salutes. It gives a great view of pilot chute deployment, and canopy opening. http://www.airlockskydiving.com/vids/Adam400.mp4 This entire event was well planned...the experienced videographer was briefed as to what was going on, and everybody involved (except Adam, of course) went through the safety aspect ahead of time. Shane

Keep in mind that the altitude the protrack give you is your "in the saddle altitude"...it is not your deployment altitude. If you are truly uncomfortable, insist on 4.5, but know that you are really only arguing over ~2 seconds. If you're under canopy at 2.3-2.5k, you are probably dumping at or just above 3k, which is pretty normal for 4way. Shane

Would you mind sharing? Shane

I have a PC9 and am about to order some DV tapes. It looks like Sony has 2 main tapes: DVM-60PR for around $4 and the DVM-60EX for around $8. What is the difference? What is normally used for skydiving? Which should do you recommend? Shane

It's already in the works. I've been spreading the word and I've got a few that are ready to go. Omar was the one with the bum knee, and Nate was the one with the "Irish Flu"! Shane

2800 Shane

2900 Shane

3000 Shane

It seems extreme, but it might be that you are tracking *very* steeply. Have you ever had someone watch your body position during a track? If not, try de-arching. You will find that your track becomes much flatter. The benefit is that you can cover larger distance in the same amount time. This is especially good when breaking away from a group before deployment because you want to get as far away as possible is the few seconds you have. Hope this helps. Shane

It's Adam who's sticking his chest out like a stripper. My pic isn't much better though because it seems to be accenting my package. Hey, thanks for the help. You were a great instructor, and we both had a great time doing our first 5 Birdman jumps. We're already trying to organize something so you can bring your toys and come visit us soon. Shane

Pics: http://www.airlockskydiving.com/dublin Shane

Incredible! Pics: http://www.airlockskydiving.com/dublin Shane

Does it give any percentages? Raw numbers like this rarely tell the whole story. Shane

10.53 lbs/ft^2!!! That's quite a wingloading you got there. Shane

There are a couple of things I have noticed from watching this video (with my jaw dropped). 1) The jumper clearly rolled his body to the left when tossing out his pilot chute. You can actually see the pilot chute and the (still closed) d-bag deploying. My guess is this body position caused some of the left lines (especially if they were not properly stowed) to snag on the rig. 2) When chopping and pulling the reserve, this jumper choose to keep both of the cables in his hands. I know that many jumpers do this on "more routine" cut-aways, but I can't see how this is a good idea on a high-speed, spinning, line-snagged malfunction that required both hands to pull the reserve. As he fought to get the reserve out (BTW...balls of steel), the cables are clearly seen flying around the canopy lines. The last thing this guy possibly needed was to have anything else cause snags. Shane

Yes. My mom, a well-respected public school teacher for 25 years, was forced to leave her school and transfer to an inner-city school much further away from home because a first-year teacher applied and the school wasn't quite meeting its govt. mandated race quota. Notice I haven't mentioned the race of either party, but even if my picture wasn't to the left of this text, I bet you could figure it out. Unfortunately, the term racism has come to mean white people's intolerance of black people. Here's a true shocker...there are more than two races of people in the U.S., and bigoted behavior is not limited to just one group. There are jerks in any group...just look at the people in this forum. I have a lot of respect for those who refuse to accept preferential treatment under AA. I, for one, do not believe any one race is superior to any other. Therefore, I do not think that the govt. should have lower standards for certain groups, because, in my mind, this is basically saying that some groups aren't capable of reaching the same level as others. I know I wouldn't want to hear that the govt. thinks I'm not smart enough to do well on a test so I only have to barely pass to get the job. I understand that I am not a minority in the U.S. Please don't remind me. Shane

Ummm...if I assume you are actually being serious, then my answer is, "I have no idea." I have seen no data nor any studies to support or oppose your view. Also, since none of my statements supported or opposed your view, I don't think they showed agreement. If you are serious, I do think that your view would make an interesting new thread. Edited for grammar Shane

Hey, I can do that too.. Ah yes, the government, the same folks that millions of Americans want to administer the healthcare system. That way it will function so flawlessly that all Americans (and illegal immigrants, of course) would get top-notch healthcare services whenever they want for almost nothing. The point is twisting the argument to point to a deficit you find politically advantageous avoids the issue at hand and just causes another far left vs. far right argument. Shane

Last time I was in PBI, I went through security wearing a t-shirt, cotton shorts, and sandals. That's it. After going through the metal detector, I was asked to sit down and take off my sandals. The savvy TSA guy then wanded my bare legs for about 15 sec! Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up. Did he think I was hiding some contraband in my leg hair? The TSA, like most govt. agencies, have no competition and therefore have no market incentive to improve their service. The TSA will continue to provide less-than-mediocre service with large numbers of under-trained, under-educated personnel because they can. I agree with an earlier post that said the airlines must collectively take a stand against this agency before it gets even more out-of-hand. Long live govt. jobs programs! Shane

Thanks. I'll get it done soon. Shane

My main closing pin is starting to show small signs of wear and I was curious if it is possible for a rigger to replace the pin without replacing the entire bridle/pilot chute. It is not a retractable pin bridle. Shane

Hey that's funny, I'm Kerry's grandmother's brother's grandson, and I also like to make websites where I basically quote rants from fringe-element websites. And by the way, you can find additional information on my lineage and point of view in Ann Coulter's book (not that I'm endorsing it or anything). Yikes! Shane

Also check out Skydive SpaceCenter in Titusville, FL. Ride to altitude includes the ocean, Intracoastal waterway and Kennedy Space Center (where the shuttle launches). Very cool views! Shane