freefallin14

I first saw the movie Point Break when I was like 14 and wanted to ever since then. Of course after I went through training I realized the skydiving in that movie is crap ("1000 feet, pull!) But it made me want to try it anyway so oh well. Bret

Chris, Doesn't it sound like the Porter made an inaccurate call on the radio? How could he be entering a downwind at over 2000agl? Either that or he was flying a very non-standard pattern. Unless the airport at Eloy has different procedures? Bret

Thank you everyone for the replies and support. Today was so terrible, sore all day and ran a fever up to 102.3. No good. Am feeling much better now, but am not looking forward to trying to sleep tonight. Maybe all the jumping this weekend will take care of it. Thanks all, Bret

I have just recently quit smoking, so far have gone about a week without a cigarette, which is a huge accomplishment for me since I was pretty much a pack a day smoker. Just quit cold. The only problem is I have been feeling extremely sick since I have quit. Flu symptoms, horrible coughing, insomnia, no appetite, always tired, etc. Has anyone else experienced the same thing? Is this normal? How long will it last? The only good thing so far is that I have not had any bad cravings for a smoke. I have been too sick to even think about it! I have heard the first 2 weeks are the worst, any truth in that? Thanks for any advice or responses! Thanks, Bret

Whats wrong with all of you??? The best sound in the world comes from.... you guessed it - vinyl. Listen to some stuff on a Technics 12 with some sort of professional stylus, there is nothing that gives you sound like that. Maybe i am just biased because pretty much everthing I buy now music wise is "wax". The whole DJ thing and all. The industry has tried to turn DJ's over to CD decks, but it will never take. Long live the 1200's! Bret

Hadn't heard that. I'm suprised he hasn't made a cartoon about it to make fun of the bastards who did it to him.

go to: www.oddtodd.com you will find it very amusing Bret

Well for the wings it is the only way to have the patch pattern done. They don't offer it with cordura. Other than that i have no clue why other manufacturers offer parapak. Bret

There is no specific license/jump number you need. Only to have a B, (or is it B licensed qualified?) like everyone else at Quincy, er, Rantoul, er WFFC. Thanks for the 9. Bret

I would suggest not getting parapak, I had it on my first wings container, and it makes the flaps much more slippy i.e. easier to open in freefall. My new one is cordura, will never go parapak again. The cordura has a lot more friction and makes the flaps stay shut that much better. Other than that the parapak held up well, but I only had about 175 jumps on it. Bret

Pitts jump is too sweet Attatched is mine Bret

I have personally never seen the risers altered, but it may help to loosen the chest strap all the way to the stop. It will allow the risers to spead some, making it harder for the slider to come up much. I have seen a velcro loop on the top of the reserve flap, so you can put the riser behind your head, roll the slider, and wrap the velcro loop around it, which I will be getting on my new rig shortly. Bret

"hey Peter man, titties on channel 9, the breast exam!"

Thank you all for the replys Bret

I have heard different opinions on this and was wondering if anyone could tell me whether I should attach the metal link from the bridle to the metal ring on the canopy or to the loop in the material off the canopy (there looks like 4 possible attach points on the Cobalt). Does it make much difference? I wouldn't think either would affect anything as much as deployment goes, but what about care of the canopy, would there be any pinching of material between the link and the ring? Thanks for the help. Bret

Blue Skies forever Chris. It really sounds like he touched the hearts of many. Bret

No one else added this so I thought I would - while first experimenting with this, it will take a little time to get everything in order (slider behind your head, and chest strap loosened) Be aware at all times of other traffic as you may get so caught up in looking at your gear that you forget to look around you. After a while though it will only take a few seconds. Bret

I cannot see any drawback to velcroless toggles. They stay put, period. Velcro on the other hand will require replacement after time, but the worst thing is what it does to your lines. It will fuzz up control lines eventually. Would kinda ruin your day to have a control line break during your flare because of this. Bret

Pyscho packing has always given me nice openings, never unpredictable. The major difference between a pyscho pack and a standard pro pack is that once you have the canopy cocooned you roll it up, then put it in the bag instead of S folding. By the way - congrats on the A! Bret

I think that after a few more jumps you could possibly be ready for a Safire. They make great first canopies when lightly loaded. Granted I have never seen you fly or know your skills, but I do agree that a "fully" elliptical main would not be for you. The Safire is "semi tapered", meaning it is elliptical but not very noticeable. This is also in the Sabre 2, Hornet category. Any of these lightly loaded could make nice first canopies for the right person. Just make sure you receive input from your instructors and friends at your DZ, they are the only ones who will truely know what your skills are and what would be best for you. Bret

"I wouldn't buy used gear without having it checked out by a rigger I trust (even from someone I know) and test jumping it. And I'd be hesitant to send a canopy or rig to a buyer (or prospective buyer) without payment first, and without them test jumping it." How do you do this? If you are the seller do you demand payment first, then send it? If so, how does the buyer know the seller isn't just going to take the money, never send it and dissapear? I just bought a reserve off the internet, but it was from Tony at Square 1 so I had no concerns about just sending the money and waiting for the delivery. And if you are the seller how can you send the canopy, rig, etc., without worrying about never recieving payment? I am in the process of selling a main and was wondering what your experiences have been. I am usually a trusting person but stories like this make me sick. Bret

Why not another Cobalt? Don't you love yours? Just curious as to why you would be switching. Bret

I have been watching all these discussions and finally am gonna through my 2 cents in. I am not by any means a canopy nazi, but I do not want to see people with 200-300 jumps on fully elliptical cross braced canopies. I agree that a person should only be judged in person, not by jump numbers. Are they athletic (run out the landings), smart, are they a pilot, do they understand aerodynamics, have they been in situations which required emergency low turns, cut-away, do they jump every week, etc. The problem is that many of the answers are no for some people who decide to jump these canopies at the loading they do. I think these people who are looking into flying these canopies must first ask what their goal is. Why do I want to do this? Do I want to pack this thing every jump? (bigger pack volumes) If their goal is to become a professional swooper, then maybe they should ask one the pros how they became the pilot they are. Is downsizing the smartest way to get there or the fastest? Chuck Blue did not jump his Cobalt 65 with 300 jumps. Even a lot of the pros i have sought advice from say they carry another larger canopy to jump if they have been out even a couple weeks. You must stay on top of your game with them. The problem is that with these canopies at these loadings, there is no room for error. Is it possible for someone with 300 jumps to never have had a bad landing, sure. But for them to think they will continue this trend while jumping into something they know very little about is crazy. All standup landings doesn't mean much or is that impressive. A landing other than that under a rocket means death. Yeah you may think you will only land straight in every time, but stuff happens on final, whether you are ready or not. Being not ready means implanting with a serious vertical component of speed. One mistake is all it takes. Please let me reiterate that I believe in progressive downsizing for people with obviously good canopy skills, but downsize smartly. Why not get what you paid out of your current canopy by getting every single amount of performance you can? If you have with 100 jumps on it then go for it, but not many sizes at a time and not to a completely different planform. And if you really have to ask a ton of questions about them, then guess what, you’re not ready to fly one. These are just my opinions and I know everyone is entitled to theirs, just please make sure you (and everyone around you!!!) will be safe is the main thing I guess. Bret

Great article Bill. I have been looking for something like that for a while. I saw one thing in it though I disagree with, regarding exit order. It says the freefliers should exit first, which I know has been debated and beat to death. I believe the freefliers should exit last. Head-down and headup freeflyers retain the forward speed of the aircraft longer. The RW group exiting after can end up straight above or even on the opposite side of the freeflyer. I got this from Brian Germain's freefly seminar. He did a very in depth talk about this which made absolute sense. But I know this will be different at different drop zones, so I just accept the home teams rules wherever I happen to be. As long as proper separation on exit occurs I think either way can be safe. Bret

Thanks for the reply, I have been finding more JVC's for cheaper on Ebay and such. In particular, the DVM 90U, the DVM 75U. Does anyone have any experience with these, or know of buddies who do? What do you mean when you say cheaper cameras "flutter"? The picture becomes shakey? I am most likely going to save up and go with the Sony, but i first wanted to see if these JVC's were just as good, and people stayed away because it doesn't have the Sony name on it. Thanks, Bret