NWFlyer

The OP has a license so is highly unlikely to be buying a tandem jump. No need to bring Skyride into yet another thread! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'm guessing he's talking about the band, not the blowhard. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I've not jumped at NorCal, but can vouch for both SkyDance and Skydive Sac as being very fun, friendly places to jump. You may want to add yourself to the yahoo group for Northern California skydivers - if there's events going on at particular DZs, they're often posted to this group: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/norcal_skydiving/ "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Nope. Nothing up in that direction. Your closest DZ would be NorCal Skydiving, which is in Cloverdale (about 3 1/2 hours). Next closest would be SkyDance in Davis or Skydive Sacramento in Lincoln (probably about equidistant, about 5 hours). www.norcalskydiving.com www.skydanceskydiving.net www.skydivesac.com NorCal and Sac are both flying Cessnas, Skydance has a PAC. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Last time I went to a Denny's was the Holiday Boogie in 05. Guess who I ate with? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

My former neighbors in Seattle - an awesome middle-aged gay couple - met through an online dating service. The guy who set the date said that he always had his dates meet him at a suburban Denny's for the first date - that way he could weed out the snobby, pretentious ones early on. He knew his partner had potential when he didn't even blink at the suggestion. I'd say it's cool, but then again, I'm not someone who would judge a first date based on how much we spend; and I'm also someone who loves a good bargain. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I was only asking if there were exceptions to the word "always." Apparently there are. Good to know. Someone who didn't make those exceptions, yes, I'd think would be an ass. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

So your friend says "let me take you out to lunch, my treat this time" would you still slip the waitress your card? I hope not... that shows a disrespect of your friend's desire to take you out, regardless of the fact that you "make good money." To me that would be like having someone give me a gift and saying "Oh, this is wonderful, how much do I owe you for that?" It's really not any different for dating. If someone offers to treat ... let them. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I'm with you on this one ... you definitely offer to split the tab. Even if it's not accepted, offering is the right thing to do. That said, there are SO many signs that this guy is passive-aggressive, including throwing the money back in Karen's face. Move on, Karen. Passive-aggressive people are a drain on your life. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Many states do just that now ... it's called graduated licensing. Many years ago when I was 16 my parents created their own version of "graduated licensing" - they limited my driving at night, they limited my driving with others in the car, they limited where I could drive. Like most 16 year olds, I did whatever I could to get around those restrictions because I thought I had Mad Driving Skillz. Despite my attempts to do an end-run around my parents, had the restrictions had the force of law (rather than just parental disapproval) I might have acted differently (being the geeky, law-abiding sort that I am). Of course there are always folks that think they're above the law (or BSRs, in this case), it might slow down more people with Mad Skillz than the laissez-faire approach. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Skydance does them regularly. Call in advance to confirm... http://www.skydance.net/skydance_skydiving_events_and_calendar/skydance_skydiving_events.htm "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Yay! I'm not a tool! "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I was not relying on the color in the window when I inspected the kill line - I was actually checking the line itself. I don't think I ever knew that too long could be a problem - I did tend to get a lot of spin in the bridle. Someone else pointed out the possibility that the PC's seams might be slightly off causing it to be a little asymmetrical. So yeah, it may not be totally ragged out, but it was also not working as it should ... I shouldn't have ignored that. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Unfortunately I don't think I have any photos of my old Pilot, which was black with red ribs. Especially with black as the cell color, the rib color is almost invisible. Most people who saw my canopy in flight thought it was solid black (or charcoal gray after enough jumps in dusty environments. ) I don't ever want a black canopy again because of its tendency to go into "stealth mode" in low light conditions. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I debated putting this in Safety & Training because it's as much a safety issue as gear issue ... but anyway. First things first ... I will fully admit I was a dumbass - and I'm sharing this photo/story in hopes of helping someone else be a little less of a dumbass if this situation comes up. I'd started noticing hesitations on my pilot chute recently, maybe 30-40 jumps ago. I'd get a bad hesitation on one jump, then it'd be fine for a few jumps, then another hesitation, and so on. I kept saying to myself "I need to replace that thing" and just never prioritized it. No excuses, I just didn't do it. Fast forward to Thursday - I'm on Day 1 of a 4-day training camp at Perris. Jump 2 or 3 I get a pretty bad hesitation, but I keep jumping (on 20 minute calls with my team and I figured I'd deal with it "sometime.") On jump 6, I pitch and ... nothing. I look over my shoulder and wriggle around a bit to try to get it out of my burble, and still nothing. Just about the time I'm thinking it may be time to go to Plan B I get a nasty, ugly opening that slammed me around a bit, left some bruises on my upper arms, and had me seeing stars. I was very very fortunate that the main opened, and opened clean. Landed safely and while I'm gathering up my gear, I notice that the PC looks a little funny (see photo). Somewhere in that opening sequence, the PC had managed to knot entirely on itself. Not pretty. Of course I marched immediately into Square One to get a new one (special thanks to the packers at Perris for helping to hook it up so I could stay on a 20 minute call with my team). The lesson? Don't ignore your gear if it's trying to tell you something! This PC had about 300 jumps on it. The kill line was fine - I did keep an eye on that, but it was ragged out enough that it needed to be retired (or repaired), and I should have done it as soon as I started getting consistent hesitations even with good, solid tosses of the PC. Of course, regular inspections and maintenance are important as well, but often our gear will tell us something's in need of replacement even without an inspection. Pay attention. I know this could have been a lot uglier for me and I'm grateful that I'm here to tell the story with just a couple of bruises to show for it. (Edit to add: this is a ZP pilot chute, so I'm surprised it ragged out so quickly, but I guess you get what you pay for - this was a PC purchased new from the DZ.com classifieds for a low price - not a PC purchased from any of the major manufacturers). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Not bad. It's simple and easy to navigate unlike a lot of dropzone sites. One minor tweak is on your tandem page and your price page you may want to provide a way for someone to "take action" - whether it's a link to email for more info/reservation, or saying "call us at ##### today to make your reservation." Yes, you have all your contact info on the site, but providing the information in as many places as possible and encouraging immediate action can only help. On the front page, instead of "Contact" maybe that link can say "Reserve your skydive today" or something that drives the user to take action to jump. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=search_results&search_forum=all&search_string=7+cell+vs+9+cell&search_type=AND&search_fields=sb&search_time=&search_user_username=&sb=score&mh=50 Here's the results of a quick search on the topic; you'll find there' LOTS of information already out there on the differences between the two types. Neither is "better" or "worse" for a newer jumper - it's really a matter of personal preference.

Gotta love the Old Spice ones... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE "I'm on a horse." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE "Swan dive!" "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Best of luck with your new adventures - I have to say I'm a little jealous of you going off to do something so very new and exciting. I'm glad I've had the chance to get to know you these last few years you've spent in the sport, and look forward to hearing about the next chapters in your life. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Guess what? Skydivers aren't special. Just as there are good people and bad people outside of the dropzone, there are good people and bad people on the dropzone. And remember, not everyone who sets foot on the dropzone on any given day is part of the "community" so even if you rely on the sense of community to keep your stuff safe (which is naive, I think), it's not a gated community, so remember that there are tandem students, their friends and family, observers, delivery people, locals who come out to the boogies because they hear there's a good party, random other visitors ... and suddenly your sense of "community" is blown to hell. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

This is how my current policy treats my skydiving gear as well. I'm fine with paying the deductible, as long as it's covered after that. So I've heard. I was psyched when my dad joined and told me I was also eligible (for some reason I'd figured it was only available to dependents). "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

Quick thought, really for the benefit of anyone reading this thread who is counting their homeowner's or renter's insurance to cover a stolen or damaged rig: Many such policies require you to "schedule" - i.e., specifically list with the insurance company - certain items of particular value (for example, jewelry). (Note: this is over and above the good prudence to save all your receipts, etc. as proof of purchase and value.) People should check with their insurance agent about whether their policy requires them to "schedule" their rig(s) with their insurance carrier. If there's any doubt or ambiguity, do it. Very good point. I asked specifically about that and my current insurance policy doesn't require it. But since I just became eligible for USAA (thanks, Dad, for joining and bringing me along with you

I'm probably a bit too trusting during the day - I'll leave my stuff sitting out in the hangar or packing area and not worry too much about it. My gear always comes home with me, or if I'm traveling it will get locked up in a car in the evening (if I'm camping) or in the hotel/residence where I'm staying. I was surprised at the American Boogie this year to see rigs still stretched out to be packed the grass on Sunday morning after the big Saturday night party. To me, that's just asking for trouble - not necessarily because people will steal it, but because the same people who would carefully step over lines during the jumping day can get a lot less careful and respectful when they're drinking... I wouldn't want my stuff in the path of a bunch of partiers - my rig really doesn't need beer accidentally spilled all over it. If you don't feel like packing, no biggie, but at least throw the stuff in your trunk before you hit the beer truck. Hopefully I'll never have to file a claim, but my gear would be covered on my renters' insurance for full replacement value (less a $250 deductible). I've ensured my renter's insurance coverage is high enough to not only cover my household belongings but also all my skydiving toys. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camera-reviews/?filter=1104641_5465074_&tag=mncol;srt&sort=edRating7+desc That's sorted by "editor's rating," highest to lowest. You can also pick out price ranges and search for the best-reviewed within a price range. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

I think you're wrong ... at least in the wrong forum. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke