mattjw916

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Everything posted by mattjw916

  1. mattjw916
    I pro-pack my original Safire without any problems. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  2. mattjw916
    My '99 Safire has about 800 jumps on it with a reline some time ago and flies, flares, and opens great! I would consider it to be in "very good" condition personally. I paid $650 if I remember correctly, but PD canopies usually have a better resale value than Precision/Icarus. If there are only 75 jumps on the canopy after the reline and everything else looks good it is conceiveable that it could be considered "great" condition. Of course, if it is possible/feasible have it inspected by a rigger you trust and do a few demo jumps if you are still worried about it. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  3. mattjw916
    Like you said, you probably still just need to relax a bit more... if an instructor said your motions were robotic then it's quite likely you were still very stiff in the air. Review the video of your jump and critique yourself, that's what I do. Smooth and flowing is better than stiff and robotic. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  4. mattjw916
    hell yeah, 20ft swoops rock! NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  5. mattjw916
    US Army 1994-2001 14T PATRIOT Missile System Launching Station Enh Opr I still work for the gov't... just in a different capacity now. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  6. mattjw916
    Hmmm!! You need to amend your profile pal. Loose lips sink big ships. [Dr Evil voice]riiiiiight... [/Dr Evil voice] That's my uptight skydiver test; good news, you passed!!! Don't believe everything you read on the internet. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  7. mattjw916
    Nope, at least none of the half-dozen or so skydiving helmets I have tried have. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  8. mattjw916
    wicked cool!!! NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  9. mattjw916
    good riddance... NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  10. mattjw916
    I think you mean tetrahedron NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  11. mattjw916
    ...so will your skull dude. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  12. mattjw916
    Chris and Phil at Eloy... 18 July 04... two in the same day... had my A license a few weeks... working towards my C now... I guess they didn't scare me away. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  13. mattjw916
    If you are hitting the ground hard enough that the padding in a skydiving helmet is insufficient, you probably have bigger problems that a motorcycle helmet won't solve... BTW, I will skydive without a helmet... but I never ride any of my motorcycles without one. Go figure. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  14. mattjw916
    I think doing at least one tandem first is a good way to reduce the amount of information overload you will experience on your first AFF jump. If you go to Eloy, just follow their program and I bet you will do fine. I know plenty of people that did AFF without tandems and others that did static-line progression... they are all just different paths to the same destination. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same way without a doubt. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  15. mattjw916
    I wouldn't jump any of my full-face motorcycle helmets personally... wrong application and they are designed to be aerodynamic when the wind hits them dead on to the front or with a slight yaw... not from the bottom or top potentially. Plus the protruding chin on typical motorcycle helmets would probably cause it to get blown up and out of optimal position. I have tried a number of skydiving full-face helmets and the Bonehead Havok seemed to be very robust... although I like the Factory Diver better. My $0.02. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  16. mattjw916
    Great, when you get there, tell them I referred you... so I can get a free jump ticket or two out of it. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  17. mattjw916
    That's the exact opposite of me... I dislike poised exits and, given a choice, would rather dive head down anyday. I don't like the outside float position either when I do RW... but sometimes you just have to "suck it up" and do it anyway. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  18. mattjw916
    http://www.mapquest.com/directions/main.adp?go=1&do=nw&un=m&2tabval=address&1n=Yuma&cl=EN&ct=NA&1v=CITY&1tabval=address&1y=US&1a=&1c=Yuma&1s=AZ&1z=&1ah=&2y=US&2a=4900+N+TAYLOR+ST&2c=ELOY&2s=AZ&2z=85231-9759&2ah=&idx=0&id=4192b9ab-00299-026a7-cdbcf362&aid=4192b9ab-0029a-026a7-cdbcf362 188 miles... well worth the drive! NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  19. mattjw916
    Just doing more and more jumps helped my exit anxiety... once in a while I still get a little anxious before I jump but then I always think back to what one of my instructors told me, "Some of my best jumps have been the ones I was freaked out on." NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  20. mattjw916
    BTW, if you go to Eloy to do your first jumps they pretty much require you to do 2 tandems first. You can probably talk them out of one of them, but they, for good reason, really don't like to let people do AFF without one fun and one working tandem first. They really make your progression go smoother. Since I went there for my first 25 jumps here is how their ASP program is broken down: 2 tandems 7 AFF jumps (solo jumps w/own rig and 1 or 2 instructors holding your harness until you demonstrate stability, etc) 2 high solos from ~13.5k feet 1 low solo from ~4k feet 12 coached jumps (adv turns, mantis position, fall-rate control, tracking, 2 way RW) 1 solo jump... "A" license woohoo! The above assumes you didn't "fail" any AFF levels and have to do a rejump. All the instructors out there are real pros! edit: spelling NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  21. mattjw916
    I have put about 30 jumps between one Sabre2 210 and 2 different Sabre2 190s and have had random off heading openings and/or end-cell closure on one side or another but have never been slammed by one. Quote from somewhere on this board: NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  22. mattjw916
    Just about everything will have a different feel to it versus tandem (I did 2 before AFF). Major thing to remember is just arch, relax, breathe, and the dive will flow smoothly. For me, the key to AFF was smooth, controlled, relaxed motions. Keep a close eye out for those hand signals too! Good luck! NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  23. mattjw916
    Yes, the canopy survived and so did I... with only a few bruises... I still went up and did like 4 more jumps that day. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  24. mattjw916
    At terminal you do 1000ft every 5.5 seconds or so... so less than 750ft would be within the realm of possibility. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080
  25. mattjw916
    Regardless of the answers you get just remember that sometimes you can get an insta-canopy (ouch! ) and sometimes a looooong 1000+ft snively opening. I was totally slammed by a Navigator 280 once and have had seemingly ridiculously long snivels on my Safire as well as Spectres. NSCR-2376, SCR-15080