peckerhead

You can spend the rest of your life trying to get stable. The most important thing is to pull.

Cool beans man! Feels good don't it? I have had a few of my students appear in the pages of Parachutist over the years and I am just glad they are still alive.

Dave, I hope your tutorial wasn't aimed at me because I certainly don't fly my canopy in traffic the way you describe. I agree with Strato star, nowadays I prefer to do working jumps than fun jumps. When I video a tandem or jump with students I know I am going to have clear airspace to land in. I can swoop, do a steep accuracy aproach, fly a standard pattern, pretty much do whatever I want because I don't have to worry about being overtaken by a faster canopy from above or dodging slower canopies below. I don't jump at a mega-turbine DZ with multiple loads in the air at the same time. Believe it or not people were swooping before you started jumping. Us "old timers" call it the 90's The stupid shit I witnessed last summer at boogies included swoopers and non-swoopers as well. That is why I prefer the smaller dropzones and I am pretty selective when it comes to boogies. I have done competition accuracy at the national level but I would not do a steep, deep brake aproach on a classic accuracy canopy with traffic above me at a boogie. I wouldn't do a 270 on a HP canopy in traffic either. It has been said several times that swooping is here to stay and that is true. However non-HP landings are also here to stay so I think the best solution is to have seperate landing areas for each disipline. It sounds like we agree on that.

Wrong! My point is your poll has no validity. I did not make any mistake and I answered correctly. I took the time to read the thread and look at your cartoon before placing a vote but others may have not. At first I thought you were asking which pattern do you normally fly. If I would have answered THAT question I would have been incorrect. Others may have done the same thing or answered incorrectly just to screw up the poll. You automatically ASSUME that people are stupid, have not been trained right, or don't know what they are doing which makes them DANGEROUS! Your poll means nothing.

181 is the top skin measurement that precision uses. The bottom skin measurement would be smaller.

Maybe they voted before or without looking at your cartoon? At first I thought you were asking which pattern do you normally use at the DZ you jump at.

In Reply To -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With so many hotshots in the air these days I feel much safer doing working jumps then fun jumps, at least I'm out last, deepest on the spot and can pull higher and often can be one of the last to land and avoid the idiots. I think more people need to come to the understanding that they don't need to swoop on every jump. ..................... You got that right!!!! It has even got to the point where I don't like to jump at big drop zones or go to large boogies anymore. I can't believe some of the stupid shit I saw at boogies last summer. To me the solution is simple; have a seperate landing area for swoopers and enforce it.

The problem is mounting a flat quick release on a round helmet. You need a flat surface. Cookie composites also make a good one. I think it would work with a mindwarp. Since you got the camera free don't be cheap, protect your new toy and do it right.

I got this from a friend in an email, not sure of the source.... An archeological team, digging in Washington DC, has uncovered 10,000 year old bones and fossil remains of what is believed to be the first Republican.

My mother...(bless her heart) still asks me how many jumps do I need until I can stop. When I say: I will be jumping after you are dead, it does not seem to ease her pain..... I am a rotten son.

Students go first.

Main deployment; 1800 ft right off the step. Many times. That used to be the common hop n pop altitude. That is also about as low as I have ever deployed a main at terminal. Reserve deployment; 1000

I worked on the professional ski patrol on Mt. Hood for 7 years and I have been to the summit on several occasions. I have also been involved in many rescues on the mountain so I do know a little about the subject. In my opinion, attempting Cooper Spur in December with a storm front coming in off the Pacific is not real smart. Most of the fatalities that have occured on this route over the years were in much better conditions. It is not a good place to be in a severe storm. Climbing the moutain in winter is not uncommon but you have to be prepared, use caution, and pick the proper route. Climbers will do Hood in the winter to practice dealing with severe conditions and situations they might encounter on the larger peaks throughout the world. They may think Hood will be easy compared to other mountains they have climbed. I don't think these guys gave the mountain the respect it deserves. The concern I always have when someone gets in trouble is the risk of injury or death to the rescuers. They didn't just put themselves at risk but also the scores of people who went up there looking for them, not to mention the cost. Locator beacons may have helped but the conditions were to severe to go up there to find them until several days had passed. It was likely too late by then. It would definetly make finding the bodies easier. I don't see this as being the same as whuffos thinking skydiving is stupid at all. Jumping in severe weather and getting in trouble would be a better comparison. Jumping into a thunderstorm is not very smart. (we have never done that before right?)Or how about jumping through a solid cloud layer and opening over a solid body of freezing water? (It has happened) I have jumped in extremely shitty weather before and was lucky to make it down safely. Backing up over trees and rugged terrain is no fun. I don't do it anymore, there will always be a better day to go up.

Grab both handles, pull right, pull left. I have had 4 cutaways using this method and it works for me. (The other 4 were on capewells) I have never needed to use two hands to pull a cutaway or reserve handle. All 4 were spinning malfunctions. When I repack my reserve I put the rig on and practice doing this. I think you should use what you are taught and what you feel comfortable with. I still teach students to use two hands.

Never mind.....it sold. Wow! that was fast.

I know this is an old thread but I have a 143 Lightning listed in the classifieds under complete systems. You can also see pictures and get more info at this link: http://www.magicarpets.com/gearforsale.html

Diablo 135

If it makes you bleed or bruise. PS my old strato cloud never did that!

It reminds me of a funny story..... Jumper A says to jumper B.... A: You would never forge a riggers signature on a packing card would you? B: Of course not, that would be unethical.....I just change the date!

OK, fair enough. I guess you get to decide who is "crusty" and who is not. I made about 500 jumps in the last 3 years....Am I "crusty"? I jump with a guy who has over 12,000 jumps and he is definetly "crusty" But, I learn something every time I talk to him.

If it was not for "crusty old men" you would not be jumping at all.

WTF is wrong with jumping with someone who makes 50 jumps a year for twenty years? That is one jump every weekend for twenty fucking years! Are you afraid you might learn something?

2002? No promises, I might have it, I might not. It would be hard to find if I do. How much do they want to pay to have me look? Anything I have done in 2006 I can do, no problem. 2005...maybe. I think one year is a reasonable time frame to expect (hope for) even though it is never implied. My last VHS was over 3 years ago and everything since has been on DVD. Nobody even asks for VHS anymore.... I always give them a post dive about making their own copies and contacting me in a reasonable time frame if they want to get more from me. We are talking tandems right?

You don't have to have any jumps to jump with me.

Skydance Sonic