mattjw916

Um yeah, good luck with that. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

The point you are trying to make is lost on me. There are a ton of variables in choosing a canopy. Size of the pilot, experience level, age, athletic ability/fitness, manufacturer's recommendations, etc, etc... You can't just arbitrarily say "No one should _ever_ fly 'canopy X' in size Y at jump #Z". That just doesn't make sense on any level. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Yeup, I definitely would have chopped that too. I don't see any reason to try and land a damaged canopy in the scenario you described. That sounds a lot more risky to me than just going with plan B. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

south + wind tunnel since it's the 21st century

Indeed, I'm pretty sure I was renting Sabre 2s in the 210 range right off of student status or possibly even for coach jumps back in the day. That would've put me at a WL of around 0.9 - 1.0 depending on how much McDonald's I was consuming at the time. Bleh... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

An AR-15 is a fun little rifle that generally is cheap to own, maintain, and shoot. Since it's very popular there are tons of ways to customize it if you so choose and it appeals to a wide range of people whether they be Cawadooty mall-ninjas, recreational hunters/varminters, competitors, and even women because of its low felt-recoil and light weight. Singling out a weapon because it's popular (and in the news) is capricious and arbitrary and will do nothing to stem gun violence if that's actually your intent, especially considering pistols are the weapon of choice the vast majority of the time when crimes are committed with firearms. Plus, there are plenty of rifles out there that are much more ferocious than an AR clone. It's like proposing to ban Stiletto canopies because they were really popular and have a scary name. If your intent is to "save lives" then I suggest focusing your efforts on larger issues like kids drowning in swimming pools and people being beat to death with hammers, both of which kill more people every year than all types of "assault rifles" combined. As for why someone "needs" one I could simply say "to provide suppressing fire on an enemy position while the other fire team undertakes a flanking maneuver." But you probably won't ever need to do that you say? Fine, you probably won't ever need your reserve or an AAD either so you wouldn't mind jumping without them then, right? It's better to have one and not need it than need it and not have one.

wrongmont.com has been around for a long time, and for good reason... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

BSBD I probably have a handful of videos I shot of jumps with Emily. As the Dude would say, "That's a bummer". NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

15+ hours or so... I stopped counting some time ago and been on a break lately. Damn stuff gets expensive lol. That's about the only thing that keeps me from flying more often. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I'm waiting for the safety nazis to freak out after the last jump... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I've jumped a Nitron 170, 150, and Nitro 150... I don't think "flies big" applies personally. All of them are responsive but not overly-aggressive canopies. Nitro 150 felt a little sportier than the Nitrons actually. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

pull-up cord and ID... landed _way_ off on a golf course once due to crappy jump-run planning packed on the golf course and got a ride back to the DZ NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I've got a Nitron that knows all the latest cuss words too... it just takes a bit more work to bag. Have some skilled packers show you some tricks. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I'm a contact lens wearer and I jump(ed) in my Gatorz often. No problems to speak of. YMMV. When I was flying camera I wore flex-z goggles since they fit that particular helmet better. Full-face offers better protection of course and I bust out my factory diver when it's chilly and for the tunnel! NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

BSBD... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Blue Skies Tom! NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Keep your expectations reasonable. Since you are new you will be working on basic hover control and stability. As your flights progress you will work on turns and fall-rate control. Relax, have fun, and just fly. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Hi, my name's Matt and I'm a tunnelaholic... It's been a few days since my last flight and I have about 13-14hrs between Perris, Eloy, and Colorado. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

IIRC, I paid $275 (installed) + shipping for new lines for my Safire a couple of years ago. Masterrigger1 did it for me. Of course that's all U$D but it should give you an idea of the going rate here I guess. As for putting HMA on a Safire, I don't see the advantage really. Vectran is already dimensionally stable and better than Spectra IMO. If you want a semi-sporty canopy with HMA, get a Fusion. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

lol, if you don't feel it in freefall, you certainly will under canopy... there's nothing like grabbing your toggles and barely being able to feel your fingers... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Pro-Dytter: cheap, simple, effective. Optima: more options, more complexity, more cost. It's more of a tool for experienced jumpers IMO; not so much for novices. But, you can just choose not to use all the extra settings and make it function like a Pro-Dytter if you want to. Like I said, I use both. I prefer the Optima because of the advanced features, but I could live without them. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Safire 2s are good canopies as are Pilots, Sabre _2_s and many others. Any one of them is a good pick off student status when sized appropriately. I had a Safire 1, and I loved it. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

I've jumped and packed Nitros and Nitrons of various sizes and can't complain about the lines at all. I've only tangled them all up once and it was my fault. Personally I like having all my stows exactly the same. I prefer continuous linesets to cascaded now. I will never buy a canopy with Spectra lines again. Vectran is okay though. I had a Jedei with new Spectra lines and I really didn't like packing it. Coated Spectra was nasty compared to the Technora of my Nitron. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

Optima is my choice... I have an older pro-dytter as well... just don't "rely" on them IMO if you get my drift. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

all it takes is money lol... I don't think "retrofitting" a tunnel to make it recirc is necessary or cost-effective BTW. Sure 20ft recirc tunnels would be nice, but hardly anyone would be able to afford to fly in them lol. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080