matttrudeau

Relax.... Go with someone that has plenty of experience. You will feel much safer when the person you're jumping with knows what they're doing. Link together on exit. Either hand to hand, or hand to harness. Enjoy the view, and smile... You're headdown!

Yeah, the Javelin is pretty sweet. I'll send you a picture of my "baby" to your email so you can see it. The Sabre2 is the best canopy I've flown so far. It's the perfect canopy for me. The openings are so soft and if you want to fly it hard, hang on. On a "no wind" day I'm surprised at how far I can swoop it with a straight in approach. I love that! I really want to go to the Keys boogie this year. Skydiving has been the best thing for me. In just over a year and a half I've met so many people and traveled with friends just to jump with them. I love it how you can meet someone, jump with them, and instantly have a connection. Also, if you ever come up North, visit me at Skydive New England. The vibes are great and the people are very welcoming. Take care cutie...

You don't know how lucky you are to be living in Florida, the skydiving capital of the world. I went to Sebastian twice this winter and loved every second of it. If I were you, I would go to some other dropzones in Florida. Have fun and be safe...

Practice on the ground as much as possible. Pull higher than normal until you get comfortable with it. Do practice pulls for a couple of dives.

Since your home DZ is Sebastian, you shouldn't have trouble finding good talent to jump with. Some of the best in the world reside there as you must know. If you want big events, go to the chicks rock boogie! I would also try Cross Keys and the almighty WFFC! Have fun!

I would personally land with my rear risers. If I had a more high performance canopy I would probably chop it. If I can land it, I'm gonna keep it. I trust my rigger, but I trust myself more.

My home DZ is Skydive New England. It's a great dropzone. Privately owned and operated. I did my AFF there and the instructors were excellent. Beer, parties and bonfires all the time. The nightlife is second to none. As for the landing area it can be a little tricky. There are very few outs to the east so don't go there unless you like trees. There's plenty of room on the west side of the runway so if you land there you'll be fine. It won't take long to feel at home. People are very friendly and courteous. Overall, I would say that it's a safe and fun place to skydive. Blue Skies!

There are two problems. Mirage was very slow repsonding to this issue. Peoples lives are at stake and it took them 9 months to recall a soft reserve handle/pin! Secondly, they pass the cost onto the consumer. Not a good idea! Competition is tough these days and customer service is very important. You can have the safest rig in the world but if you can't have anything repaired what good is it. Mirage dropped the ball and hopefully it will only cost money and not lives.

Check out our DZ peace sign made entirely from one piece of wood. A great spot for pictures. Only at Skydive New England! Blue Skies!

Yeah, I just wanted to get something up so I chose that one.

If you think you have a cool icon, just post a reply with a short description so everyone can see it and then place your vote. My icon is a picture of a pond swooper on his belly. I just thought it was an awesome shot. I hope to have a picture of myself up sometime this summer. Definitely not pond swooping though! Blue Skies!

I would try to get a Sabre2. I have one now and it opens like a dream. Longer than the original Sabre but shorter than a Spectre. Don't be afraid of the original Sabre either. It wasn't the best selling canopy for nothing.

You can question anyone. It doesn't matter how many jumps they have. Whether you have 5 jumps or 500, each person can learn from the other. Don't you ever question more experienced jumpers?

I know I wouldn't be hooking it during turbulant winds. I just see people doing it and getting away with it. Their philosophy was keeping the canopy pressurized. If it works for them, go for it. I'm not ready to do that yet.

That's true, the larger the canopy the more it will be affected by turbulance. I know the camera guys at my dz fly small canopies and in turbulant conditions they fly it even harder to avoid getting caught in it.

Aggie Dave is right. First, don't jump if you know it's turbulent. If your caught in turbulence, keep the canopy in full flight. You can use little toggle pressure to keep the canopy flying straight. If it's turbulent on landing be ready for anything. Probably a PLF.

Just started jumping the Sabre2. So far, it has been the perfect canopy for me. Soft openings, touch down landings and if you want, you can really fly it hard. The best all around canopy hands down.

I know how to pack, just need more practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

I was at the dz yesterday and I asked one of my friends if I could pack his rig up for him because I need the practice. I'm still working on getting that damn thing in the bag correctly.. Anyway, he observed me throughout the entire pack job and helped me put the main in the bag. He jumped it and had some type of malfunction. He couldn't recall what type of malfunction it was, which doesn't help me at all either. Most likely from what people could see from the ground, a toggle might have popped with maybe a line twist. He said he didn't pump the toggles at all to try and clear it. But basically, he has no idea what was wrong. What I'm getting at is that I was more shaken up than he was. He was totally cool with it and tried to tell me that it wasn't my fault in any way. I couldn't help but feel horrible. My confidence hit rock bottom and I'm nervous about packing for someone or myself again. What kind of advice do you have for someone in this situation? Keep in mind I'm new and have 39 jumps and have packed about a dozen times. Thanks, Matt

The first step is to get a second opinion. The next step is to tell yourself and believe that you will skydive again. Set goals for yourself. Rehab your neck first. Strengthen it as much as you can. If you're determined to do something you can do it, no matter how long it takes. Don't rush it, just take your time, give it plenty of time to heal. You'll be back in the air, just believe.

Nice Picture Skyslut... You're definitely right. The new G4 looks like a box on your back. The Odyssey is so sleek, and that cut in back pad is way too comfortable. Sunpath has been around much longer than Mirage and I believe in their workmanship and support.

In response to the riser inserts. Don't let anyone tell you don't need to put them in because the canopy your flying isn't high performance. I believe they should installed on every rig. I mean, why not? Can anyone think of a reason for not installing such an inexpensive device?

Thanks for the link. Looks like skyslut beat me to it.

Check out this weather site built for skydivers. What a great idea! Free accounts and no ads! A must see! Thanks John. http://www.skydivingweather.com

The airline screeners know exactly what a rig looks like. 99% of the time you will be fine, thanks to the USPA! Just remember to remove your hook knife. I forgot to remove it once and it slipped through security. Oh well!