tdog

In order: *Yes - in college *Yes - at Pepperdine *There are other schools too.

I just looked it up... Indeed, the school no longer requires the PE credits... They now require a lot more sitting in front of computers.

I went to a school where 4 semesters of PE was required. Credit # 1 - PE 101... Three days a week. Run, Swim, Aerobics Credits 2 - 4... electives. My teacher, Patty Bright, for the "base training" and for one of the electives - was the equivalent of a superhuman. At 60 years old, she taught 5 hours straight - and ran for 5 hours... She would run next to me for a few minutes, then sprint up to the next person... The second time I had her - it was "hiking". I called it "running in beautiful places." It was a 3 hour class to allow for drive time, and we went on 20 hikes that semester ranging from runs along the Pacific Coast Highway to runs up Malibu Canyon State Park... All I can say is - I was the thinnest I ever have been after her class... But, I can't say it stuck. I am now trying to lose another 10 pounds to get back to where I want to be... Oh, the other two semesters were weight training. One was in a classroom, the next I had a personal trainer because I was involved in an amino acid study and got one-on-one training and got a credit for it.... I don't think the school requires the PE anymore.... Too bad, Patty Bright is probably still running that track at age 70.

when this makes you laugh... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ

In that scenario you are not screwed... However, the last $1000 sale lasted 1 month, specifically December of 2004. I don't know how long the current sale is going to last??? Where you get screwed is when you buy at the "normal price" that is offered 97.2% of the time per previous history... Those people buy a canopy for $1500, then have to sell for $600 because the sales kill the used market value.... Imagine a newer jumper who purchased a Pilot 6 months ago and now wants to downsize a bit... He could have purchased another manufacture for $1500 and sold for $1200. With a Pilot he purchased for $1500 and now has to beat the $960 factory sale by enough margin to make purchasing a used canopy worth while... I will take one please, so as long as you are giving it away. I will even pay a fair price I have looked on the classifieds on these forums for a Spectre or Sabre 2 for my wingsuit jumps and they are hard to find and hold their value.... But back to the thread topic, and why I made the post in the first place. I was simply suggesting be concerned about "buying with coupons" as the used price might be affected, especially if you can't use a coupon yourself.

I jumped a Pilot for about 400 jumps... I don't understand your comment about wanting something quicker opening... I used it on some big ways and AFF evaluation jumps, both where you have a chance of pulling a bit lower than normal - and it opened just fine to give me plenty of time to fly home and land... I would say I liked the openings the best about that canopy and trusted it the most of any canopy I have jumped for nice openings. I personally really did not like the landing characteristics, so out of personal preference I don't recommend it. But others out of personal preference will disagree... Speaking of coupons, since you asked, I have seen a banner ad for Aerodyne canopies for $960 on this site... I won't purchase Aerodyne because of their resale value even if I liked their landings. Let me explain: I have a few examples, but here is an actual e-mail I got from a gear dealer who wanted to buy mine on consignment who said they could not sell mine for what I wanted: I waited and found someone who was willing to pay a fair price based upon the current market price... I am so glad I sold mine last year, because if I would have waited I would never have gotten $800 for used that I thought was fair based upon what other brands were selling for and condition. I would have been lucky for $650-$700 as the buyer could have said, "why pay $800 when for $150 more I could buy new?" Now the cycle repeats for another few years. Everyone who purchased for the $1597 price advertised at a reputable online dealer last week, now faces a $500 drop in the used market price. This is only good if you are able to time the sales - but don't expect to sell for a high price either when you want to change. So, back to your question... Be careful of "coupons and sales" in an industry where products hold a substantial resale value... If you know of a manufacture who often drops 33% off of their price, if you don't buy on the sale, you lost a bunch of money... The only manufacture I have seen do this is Aerodyne. Everyone else seems to keep pretty flat and the price is dependant on your negotiation skills and buying power (volume) with the dealer. So, my recommendation is find a canopy you like by demoing, then negotiate the best price you can and/or buy used... If that manufacture has put the canopy on stock sales or coupon sales in the past, don't buy unless you get that low price...

Good old days.

So... I guess I entered the conversation half way in and am missing a few key points. The initial theory was that the user only pulled the cutaway enough to release one side, then fired a reserve into a half of a main... The revised theory is that one of the main lines tied itself around the flap, thus making a horseshoe. I have a few questions: 1) What was the explanation of the torn stitching in the initial theory if a horseshoe was not suspected? 2) Why the comments about the "Javelin RSL"? In the two theories of what happened, I don't see how the RSL was part of the incident? I suppose I could search this incident and try to match other comments to your post, but since you did a great job explaining the issues, perhaps you can bring this all together in one post?

I have had cypres units that I must not have been "sharp" enough on... I never have failed by pressing the button three times as fast as I could to initiate the light sequence, followed by normal clicks to turn it off. Perhaps this is not the "correct way", but with a Cypres 1 I have sat on the hangar floor and tried one real quick press and nothing, until someone said, "press it three times very quickly to get it going." It might not be the "correct way", but it works.

That is simple. You just need your assistant to push always in the opposite direction that you need to push to make the latches work. With a real good assistant helping, you should get the thing open by the red light.

Don't think about what is going wrong, but instead focus on what you want to fix. Visualize in the plane what you want to do. Then go do it. Are you cleared for solo jumps, or are you still in some sort of instructor recurrency? If you are working with instructors, you need to work with them, not us. If you are cleared for solo - perhaps do a few jumps where the arch and legs don't matter much - like front flips, back flips, or even just holding heading and enjoying the dive... Get comfortable in the air. If you are cleared for solo - here is a drill that will build leg awareness.... Track as hard as you can, focusing on putting your legs straight out. Hold for 3 seconds. Backslide as hard as you can, feet on butt, for 3 seconds. Don't worry about your hands, just focus on your feet... Once you feel your feet moving full range, add your arms. By moving your feet, your brain will reconnect to them. When I have helped some people in the tunnel with no leg awareness, I have used this drill successfully to build leg awareness. About the arch... Same thing. Punch an arch, over do it, for a few seconds. Then de-punch it into a slow fall... Just remember chin high, pelvis low for the punch - and it should come natural eventually. But all things aside, when I read your post - it is clear you have a confidence problem, not a skydiving problem (in my opinion). You have to have the attitude, "I am going to nail this", and it will happen... Don't do jumps focusing on fixing a problem... All it will do is build frustration. Example, when I coach, the second I see a student struggle to the point they are getting frustrated, I change gears into something they are successful at so fast that they forget they even struggled... Then we come back to the struggle point as soon as I have a chance to debrief and retrain. How this will appy to you - don't do jumps where you are strugging with the same thing over and over again.

Question #1 Can I have my wingsuit back this weekend now that you have one of your own. Question #2 Wanna spend Sunday Flocking????

When you find out, I would like to know the answer too... I however like the fact my canopy is not flying full speed ahead when I deploy because until I know where everyone is, I don't want to be flying into someone else... Especially under line twists.

Only once have I felt the sensation of "giving up", while in a near drowning situation, mentioned in this article... But this story has some interest to skydiving, at the end it mentions BASE and skydiving, and it relates to our sport by discussing how fear might get in the way of making good decisions... To me the jury is still out if I believe people skydive because it is seeking fear/risk for enjoyment or gratification, or if people really enjoy to fly... I think for me, I just love to fly and be in the air and that is the long term passion that keeps me in the sport... Now that being said, skim this article for ideas and thoughts - perhaps the discussion of the body language of fear is helpful for instructors too...

Duh... That is why I am seeking someone who understands the language, not just reading google.com. You have anyone who knows the language?

Maybe, maybe not... Why does it matter?

Anyone know Kanji? I am looking for the symbol for "to fly" as in what we skydivers do. A verb. I know there are many translations and meanings in languages, so I am looking for more of the sensation of flying, the ability to fly - not flapping wings or getting on a plane... To soar might be another translation. "Tobu" is a word that I found in translation dictionaries. I am hoping for a native speaker or someone very familiar with the language.

I have about 50 jumps this winter in 1 foot deep snow. Hint - jump when the snow is snow and not slush. Slush is better than puddles of water. Puddles of water are better than mud. I have had a lot of fun. If the snow is just right, I can surf it for 20 or so feet. If it is just wrong, the second my feet hit the snow they stop and I faceplant.

You don't actually learn much in the Coach's Course, the term "Course" is a bit of a misnomer. It should be called "Coach's Evaluation". You are supposed to show up with the knowledge and skills required to coach the appropriate levels. You then review the course material and establish the evaluation guidlines by which you'll be tested. Taking the course for the purposes of learning is a waste of your time. If you want to learn about coaching then read a book on the subject. A poor coach course director might teach that way - but the IRM and the coach course outline has multiple pages of concepts to be taught to candidates... For an example, primacy-recency, 80/20, whole/part/whole, etc... Ya, you won't learn how to fly in the course, but you will learn to teach (better) if your director is any good at teaching him or herself... A good in air evaluator will also help you fly better with students in their debriefs.

I can top that, although this is not a contest... A well known developer restored a loft building on the edge of downtown. The area behind it was being redeveloped in a few years. She met a guy who was living in blankets on the land. He was a nice guy. She purchased an used trailer, parked it on the land, delivered power and water and telephone - and groceries once a week. She asked for in return he keep the land clean and free from less desirable activities. The loft was restored and doctors and lawyers (ok, rich people) moved in. They met their new neighbor and started to like him. He would walk them to their car on moonless nights and do personal favors, like walk the dog, etc... Eventually, he was given a used car and he ran errands, valet parked for parties, and became the concierge for the building. Slowly they paid him more and took away the freebees until he became an employee. Now that his trailer is replaced with new buildings, he still works at the property and is basically their door man, concierge and security.

Normally it has to be finalized in the same brand player that it was recorded in... 14 months ago, I had the same issue. I went back a few months after the session and they changed the players, but had the old ones in storage, so they helped me out... Past that, try multiple computers and/or tv top players. One might read it (I know my desktop and laptop both like different disks differently.) If none of that works, then I suggest you use pen and multiple sheets of paper to draw what you thought it looked like. Use your thumb to flip the 100 or so pages, at about 30 pages a second. With 100 drawings, you should get 3 seconds of flying, or about 2 points. As a team, if you each committed to 100 pages, you should get about half a dive.

Our downtown partnership has a cool program with fliers and marketing everywhere. It basically is a list of organizations that will help the homeless with food, sleep, and hopefully help to get them off the streets. They have documented the majority of the homeless have mental health issues that need help beyond a handout to buy adult drinks. These are non-government groups that spend money in a documented way. I will not give to an individual. It rewards begging, which if nothing else is a safety concern when cars stop on busy roads and they run into the street to collect. But I would give to organizations that work to stop the problem ans offer help.

They are all PF phantoms, including the one I was flying. You can see my red one on my photo album at www.indigox.com

So I live downtown. There are a bunch of homeless guys that I see on a regular basis. Any time they go thru the trash cans, they normally are looking for food and/or used cigarettes... Today I saw the weirdest thing... A guy found a soft drink in a trash can and used the sugar water to wash his hands... Then... He got on his bike and rode down the sidewalk. He stopped suddenly and started cleaning up all the dog waste he saw using the bags provided by the city park service on a near by pole. Something obviously is clicking "wrong" in his brain, you could see the disability it in his actions. But at the same time, his obsession with making the world a better (cleaner) place is to be admired. If I had cash, I would have paid him, and it would have been the first handout I would have given to an individual - ever. As he was delivering services the city tax dollars don't do, and now our park is clean. Sometimes the beauty is hidden behind the disability. Just a warm fuzzy reminder...

Shameless plug: http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=5211&string=moab is a video of Alan and I playing around in Moab... While I never have liked watching wingsuit videos, some of the formation stuff we did was similar to what I saw real birds doing in play at the Grand Canyon this weekend while playing bird games. These are some of my favorite wingsuit moments. However, the birds did a few new moves I want to play with on a wingsuit. Since they have flown their whole life, they are a good role model. I learned a lot.