apoil

I really like the new layout. after posting this, I realized that it might be nice to have replies to the announcements automatically go to suggestions and feedback, so we don't have to switch forums and start a new thread.

how about: - everyone has sex on the first date. In fact they go straight from meeting each other to pulling each others clothes off and having sex in the kitchen. - all blind people have the ability to "see" things that normally sighted people cannot.

www.digikey.com has 2330's for like 1.35 each. I think you need to spend $25 on an order, so I'm practically set for life with Pro-Track batteries. The mark-up on these at gear stores is just ridiculous.

Two spaceballs, even of identical construction will pretty much never fall at the same speed. You also forgot the very important step 1 of any AD test, which is to find a person who can aminister it and pay them an unreasonable sum of money. This is the problem with the AD. It is a very worthwhile assessment of skill, but it hasn't been universalized due to petty politics. The people who can and cannot administer the test keeps changing and there aren't enough of them. This makes it, unfortunately quite useless. There are easily hundreds of people at the skill level of the AD-A who don't have the number because it is too difficult to get. I myself have passed the test, but not by someone who gives out numbers. So it becomes meaningless, which is unfortunately. On the other hand, the 3D award is more accessible, because it is through the USPA, the downsides, if I really want to call them that, are 1) it is fairly advanced. 2) It is a relative work award. You and two other people all have to have the skills required. The AD-A is a good entry-level guideline that can be used similarly to the SCR in Australia. You will not be able to go on an 8way or larger in Oz until you've got your SCR. By a similar token, someone you don't know who wants to get on an 8 way head down dive, is probably less risky if they've got an AD-A. What is needed is more people who can give AD-A's and more people who can be recognized ballmasters and testers. Olav, in short, has to give it away, because while he contributed greatly to the evolution of freeflying, it's just not his to control.

Daffy might slow you down a little, but basically, someone your size just shouldn't be jumping in a tshirt. Get a proper freefly suit with lined arms and legs. You'll be surprised at the difference it makes. A good suit designer will know how much drag someone of your size, weight and experience level will need. The lining allows for a lot of lift without as much bagginess. You can always go faster and you'll neeed to learn how to free up your arms to take docs, but the suit will help a lot at this stage.

At 130+ knots exit speed you are lucky to keep it in your camera frame.

Can you EVER! There was lots of video of this at the Herc boogie of the wingsuits getting 50-100 feet above the tail of that beautiful plane. It's been a long time since I've seen any (skydiving) video that made my heart flutter like that.

QuoteLike Jack said, there is absolutely nothing connected to the "rank" other than the amount of time you have available to post. You will see very experienced skydivers with "newbie" and "enthusiast" rankings, and others who are barely off student status with over 1000 posts. Quote As a general rule, you should strive to have more skydives than posts.

Just remember that this isn't necessarily true! Icarus changed their measuring system at some point and I've heard so much in conflict that I don't know what is actually true. People seem to latch on to bits of information like this keep repeating it without ever getting up to date.

As a policy, I avoid giving Olav(tm) any of my money. I recommend Total Body Pilot in zhills and also Freedom of Flight in DeLand.

Hmm... in my first year of skydiving my D ring was kicked loose in freefall during a sit train exit. Then I read about someone else who grasped the concept. Actually it was a head down flyer who grasped his D ring during docking drills. He died from the resulting high speed deployment. Same thing happened to a friend of mine, only he managed to survive the opening, but not without injury and severe damage to his gear. I've also seen someone do a floating exit from a helicopter but his Dring snagged on the door handle. Gives a new interpretation of "Reserve Static Line." What you use is completely a matter of personal choice, but your 25 years of non-graspitude is indicative of being set in your ways, prejudiced and myopic rather than wise and experienced.

Anyone know if it's possible to fit a standard sapphire mount (two elastic bands) to fit on an Altimaster III ? Velcro sucks. Short lifespan and it eats away at everything it touches. Lines, helmet liners, jumpsuit cuffs, etc.

here's something I'd like to see, When a thread has been locked, how about making it known when clicking on "reply" rather than after typing in the whole post and trying to submit it?

I've seen that.. it's a nasty technique. Tons of rubber particles all over the place. Lot's of heat generated which can't be good for the stows on the bag. I find this works well. Grab the long end of the broken band and pull it as tight as possible. Then use your tshirt to grab the band as low as possible and pull it hard. It will snap, the shirt will prevent it from hurting your fingers at all and the band will come right off.

I have a problem with calling a birdman a "skydiver in freefall" He's sort of a hybrid between freefall and canopy pilot. the more advanced birdman suits are going to look more and more like a canopy that you wear. It becomes difficult to draw the line anymore.

Dude.. NOTHING predates the Grateful Dead. I went to tons of Dead shows and never heard the term 420 in use at all (and believe me, I would have). It's a relatively recent thing.

nice thought, but actually there is no police code for possession of marijuana. I tried to research the term, and it doesn't actually have any concrete origins.

So what would be supporting the rest of its weight? It's not just going to float there.

whoa dude.. I think you need to visit the safety and training forum again particularly the thread on RSL myths. An RSL in a birdman is probably not a good idea. But the notion that a high performance elliptical mandates no RSL is a common misconception. It's precisely that case where an RSL is designed to help. You don't need to be stable to deploy your reserve. You yourself spent a dangerous amount of time dealing with a spinner before deploying. Had you spent a few more seconds you might have entered that zone where the RSL would have saved your life.

You are making denigrating comments about the purported benefits of a competing technology. No matter how informed your opinion, you don't have much credibility when you yourself are trying to market something yourself. You'd probably sell more cobalts if you didn't spend so much time talking about why other canopies are inferior. And speaking of supposed canopy design gimmicks with questionable benefit, howzabout the Cobalt's "staged openings"?

About as much water as using the Bible as the sole reference for all things divine.

"is false" ?? unproven perhaps, how do you know if it's false? The fact that it's a competing technology to your own makes all your arguments suspect, Dan. Why don't you simply present facts without slamming the competition? It's getting pretty old. Guess you never heard of a little company called "Performance Designs"? They are currently commercializing their own design based on brian's airlocks as you well know. Or did you just say this to try to make Brian's airlock technology sound that much more marginalized?

So instead of following a conservative safety recommendation, you are going to seek out an instructor who tells you what you want to hear. Well, congratulations, you'll probably find one. But are you that sure that at under 200 jumps you are statistically that much better than most skydivers? You know, the skydivers that prompted the 500 jump recommendation in the first place? How about instead of hunting down an instructor who will do what you want, you spend your energies developing your skills instead? (This applies to canopy choices as well)

"so if we're dumb... then GOD is dumb. And maybe even a little ugly on the side." - Frank Zappa

Fosters, like budweiser is all marketing. Have you ever been to Australia? Not a single person drinks it because they all know how bad it is. Years ago I thought it was cool in the 25 ounce cans until one day I actually tasted it and realized that it's no better than American rice beer. There is no best beer but: Proper guinness on tap Newcastle Brown Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Pete's Wicked are all favorites. Corona is also shit with perplexing popularity at dropzones.