mattjw916

I'll just add in that a "fully articulated" harness is more comfortable and if you plan on freeflying (ever) you will want at least hip rings. Cut in laterals are also more freeflyer centric... I also prefer the large style chest strap (type 8) because it's easier to loosen under canopy. +1 on RSL (or Skyhook), agree about the magnetic risers, and stainless hardware... kill-line pilot chute is mandatory IMO but easily swapped out along with whatever PC handle style you like. My first rig (an oldish used Mirage G3) was pretty basic and just had hip rings but served me well... it didn't even have mini-risers... After I jumped it for a couple years I knew what I wanted and ordered a custom made, decked out G4 (fully optioned for the most part). The fit and comfort was like night and day. I'll own it forever. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

two words... mimeograph ink the best part of "test day" NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

not everyone with a lot of jumps has jumped a lot of different canopies necessarily, so bear than in mind NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

large flat rubber bands for me... double wrapped... cheap and readily available they just work

Keep in mind that your canopy choice should also factor in potential density altitude and the DZ's elevation more so than just calculating wing-load out to 4 decimal places... Mile-Hi on a hot, dry day is like landing your canopy at 7-8000ft and a cool day it's still over 5000ft. The same canopy at say Spaceland (50ft MSL) or Elsinore (1250ft MSL) will fly like a boat when compared to landing it at Mile-Hi or a scorching hot afternoon in Eloy. As to the OP's question, generally speaking a bigger Sabre 2 (anything 170 and up) will be quite docile when loaded around 1:1. Something like a Pulse, Spectre, or similar is going to be even more mellow at the same loading... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

It gets better! http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/living/parents-middle-school-bans-balls-recess/index.html and... http://now.msn.com/zeeland-public-school-in-outlaws-tag-chasing-running-in-packs The only thing more obnoxious than other people's children are their short-sighted parents... "Don't run or exercise, it's dangerous..." (as they text and eat breakfast while driving 90mph down the highway). NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I jumped in contacts for years (even wearing only sunglasses without goggles under an open-face helmet). No problems. Talk to your doctor about finding a lens type that works for you. I wore them for decades and changed types and brands over the years many times as my eyes changed (and technology improved) to maintain comfort levels. I had custom Lasik performed almost two years ago and it was literally the best money I ever spent in my life. My vision was so bad previously that as my optometrist put it, "If the building caught on fire and you didn't have lenses in or glasses within reach you probably wouldn't make it out." Now it's better than 20/20 in one eye and 20/20 in the other. Don't let one person's bad experience limit you arbitrarily. Talk to doctors who actually know what they're doing. I still hear a lot of those "my boyfriend's cousin's uncle had a "bad experience" (whatever the hell that is) with Lasik" stories. Frankly most of them are BS, people didn't follow the recovery procedures properly, or are simply from a long time ago when they were still cutting flaps with blades instead of lasers, and the measuring and shaping of the eye wasn't as accurate as it is today. Only once you sit down in front of the measuring machines will you know if you are a good candidate for surgery. IIRC my brother had custom goggles made with prescription lenses and that worked well for him. That was pretty expensive though, YMMV. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I think I"ll charter the Southern Cross to do low passes over the area... they have no concept of what "loud" really is until they get over flown by a DC3 with engine upgrades... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

There are also "team rooms" that used to be reasonably cheap... no idea what they cost lately though. Skyrider costs can be offset if you find some people to share the room with. Call manifest and I'm sure they could help you out. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

You don't need to spend $7000 to achieve the same results though... and there's no way you're going to convince anyone who knows better that a brand new canopy that's made of slippery soarcoat type ZP, which is most of them, is "easy" to pack when new. I've got a crispy new canopy in the closet and a split d-bag that would make all but the most experienced packers curse profusely. Something made from Gelvenor like an older Nitro or low-bulk like the Pulse, sure... but soarcoat GTFO. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

seriously... they should warn people about that plane and have a box of earplugs by the door! NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

student rigs have features that you won't need when you aren't... wait for it... a student anymore spend money on coaching and jumps, not gear, when you're starting out Why would you want to buy a rig that's designed to fit ~500sq ft of fabric in it? that sounds pretty arbitrary to me... get over it NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

your wallet will thank you in the end NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I was going to point out the irony of someone who does BASE and CReW complaining about the levels of risk other people accept when they jump small reserves but my head just might explode if I try. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

take your wallet out of your pocket NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

if you want a smaller rig with a bigish reserve get the biggest Optimum your rigger won't curse you for... keep it under 1.2 and anything over 170 flies like a boat carry on NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

just concentrate on the basics... fall-rate, turns, side-sliding, then comes stuff like superpositioning, burble-hopping, etc then move to your back and start over until you can do the same thing right side up or upside down... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

The point of flips in AFF is to lose and then regain stability. That's it basically. You don't need to do perfectly controlled on-heading flips and rolls at the AFF level. All you are doing is demonstrating that you can control yourself enough to get stable so you can deploy your main in the optimal body position so as to minimize the chance of a malfunction. Back flips are more of an "advanced" skill in the tunnel and will take quite a bit of time to master. Barrel rolls are much simpler but you need to be stable on your back and be able to hold a heading before you start working on those. You have to work up to doing transitions in the tunnel... but in the sky there's no glass to slam in to so the progression is different between AFF and tunnel. The trick in the tunnel is developing the control so that you don't crater into the net. That degree of precision is not required at your stage in AFF so don't worry about it... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I know it's bulky but I can't exactly put it in the overhead compartment... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

it depends on the canopy really, there are some really snivelly canopies out there... plus a lot of people add oversized or pocketed/domed sliders after the fact NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Perris is kind of a zoo though with so many tandems and students running around. It's a little too much stress/input for some people. I took a former Perris student over to Elsinore once and he had a much better experience as the pace of operations was a little more to his liking. I did my own recurrency jump at Perris though since I thought I could knock it out there quicker... I still ended up sitting around a large chunk of the day waiting for people to get free. Just a busy day I guess, nice staff and a gigantic landing area where they come and fetch you in a truck even if you only land slightly off the grass. Be prepared to vacuum the moon-dust off your gear later though. Anyway, I don't think you could go wrong either place. It just depends what kind of vibe you prefer when all is said and done IMO. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Did they offer any insight as to why they retired it? Just ragged out? How old and/or how many jumps on it? Just curious.

Tears Morgan is a joke... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

he and Michael Crichton left us far too soon... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

don't over-analyze... you passed... head onwards to the next level do some tunnel if you want but if you're already cleared for your release jump with one instructor then just go do it NSCR-2376, SCR-15080