bob.dino

That's like saying that next time you enter a swoop comp, how about we give you a canopy you've never seen before and tell you to swoop that? Of course you can do it, and probably pretty well, but definitely not as well as you can swoop something you really know. Why don't we add a style set to swoop comps then? It's a 4-way competition, not an all-round skydiver competition .

Without getting this thread sent to SC, I'd just like to note that countries with Sharia law enforce similar punishments for thieves.

Skyocean (a male and so not Chris's girlfriend) posted someone else's blog entry and asked if the entry was written by Chris's girlfriend. To be honest, it wasn't particularly clearly marked as such, so I can see how it could be confusing.

It would seem that a good 4-way team should be able to launch something well off of just about every type of AC out there. With practice, yes. I've never seen a Beech 99 jumpship, but I've done a few out of Otters, Skyvans, 750XLs, Caravans, and Turbine Beavers. The Otter, 750XL, and Caravan are relatively similar, but there are important differences, particularly for the point and IC in the XL. Most folks that I've seen that jump Otters have taken 5-20 jumps to sort out their XL exits. When we went to the last Aussie Nationals, run out of Caravans, after a year of training out of Otters and XLs, it took us about ten jumps to get our exits to the place they were out of the other two aircraft. Our IC picked up a number of bruises in the meantime . The Turbine Beaver is very different. It's got a smaller door, but an absolutely massive step, so you often move the point or IC outside the airplane. And tall OCs like me bump their heads off the wing. Which makes the launch bloody hard. And then, of course, the Skyvan is completely and utterly different again... The point I'm long-windedly trying to make is that different doors do seriously affect the exit for a 4-way team. Teams of a fairly decent level can adapt, but it would take a few practice jumps to things out.

Yup. A good briefing and suitable gear make it a fun thing to do...

How about Viso? The Viso is not an audible.

Have you listened to Tom Waits' Ice Cream Man?

I'll give you pretty much any odds you want it's the former. Many (most?) recreational sports seem to struggle with getting the rank and file involved in the governance of the sport. People are only keen to contribute when something is annoying them, and even then the contribution is normally limited to complaining. Operators, on the other hand, have a direct financial interest in how USPA works. For better or worse, the USPA and the FAA are the closest things to a regulator in the USA, and since influencing the FAA seems to be primarily accomplished through USPA, it's a very good idea for DZ management to have representation within the USPA. Simple business sense, and not something you can criticise them for. Because things genuinely aren't bad enough for most people to care. It's their hobby - they spend Mon-Fri dealing with politics and hassle at work and most don't have the time, energy, or concern to do the same with their fun time. Instead, if things get back enough, they'll just go do something else. Otherwise they'll just bitch and continue jumping as normal. Run for office. Seriously. I think you'd be great at it. (All the above is just my ill-informed opinion. After all, I'm not a USPA member and I don't normally jump in the USA. So, apply salt to taste .)

Most AADs are programmed to fire at 750ft. If you've got a pilot-chute in tow or a baglock and the AAD detects this and waits a significant period of time, you're likely to die.

Not much has changed since you last asked about it .

I believe you're correct when talking about the US market. NZ Aerosports is the designer for both Icarus & Daedalus canopies.

Remote DB maintenance & backups is a big selling point, and damn useful too, as long as you can assure them that their data is encrypted and can't be accessed by others.

Dogs and Cats

The Cypres2 does what it says on the tin: it fires at 750ft if you're still descending at over 35m/s. With more documented saves than the competition, the Cypres2 has proven itself to be very reliable over time. The only downside to owning one? Its lifetime cost is a little more than some of its competitors. If you're in the market for an AAD, it comes recommended.

I'm not entirely convinced of that. Someone with 3-400 jumps, maybe...

It's a very very funny movie. But don't watch it with parents/children/the easily offended.

A tracking dive is not a zoo load. Could you put that into your signature please? (Click Edit Profile near the top of the page, then User Profile, scroll down to Signature then enter it there)

Ah. Aussie terminology for that is a "pin".

That's my read too.

Don't knock yourself - you'll have several thousand posts on dz.com. That's an achievement worthy of celebration.

Congratulations to all involved. Sounds like a good job was done.

Seen the Talon FS? In my uneducated opinion a damn nice bit of kit.

There'll be a lot more than six from Picton there.

What's a snowflake? In the 4-way divepool it's a pair of cats pinned together...

When we do Intermediate 4-way weekends, we often have a mini-comp on the Sunday. Handicap is +0.5pts for every hundred jumps under 500. So: Jumper #Jumps Handicap One 2000 0 Two 300 1 Three 140 3 Four 450 0 => Team handicap +4pts per round It's worth noting that since these weekends are aimed primarily at jumper with less than 500 jumps (tutors are provided), the handicapping system wouldn't work so well if you had a team of 15+ average jumpers in there...