JustChuteMeNow

hahahahaha Nothing screams romance like good porn although having some red wine and a red rose by the DVD player with a mushy love note wouldn't hurt. Congratulations.

Well I thought I was being more subtle. However can you say "Spence wannabe" instead of stalker since my parole officer seems to not like that word.

Since you were the first one out of the plane that would lead me to believe there were no fun jumpers on that load. So......... I don't really need to see the video to offer some constructive criticism. Find a DZ that has fun jumpers and if you get into the sport it will be more fun. One thousand for an AFF package is a decent price but when you add in the parachute rental, helmet rental, harness and container rental, as well as the suit and altimeter rental the final price might surprise you . Also don't forget to factor in the add on landing fee charged to each parachutist, the plane maintenance surcharge and the optional weather insurance (that I highly recommend) and all of sudden the price grows larger. Now I can't tell you exactly how much extra will be charged but be aware that there is normally a markup for bullshit services from each and every skyride affiliated DZ. Realistically I would plan on spending a little more of your hard-earned money. I know I have a character flaw but I just can't help it. Honestly I will try and not feed the troll.

As a new skydiver you will start to explore the sport. You will start to understand the terms like tandem factory and you will hear of some places that take advantage of customers and some places that don’t. FWIW places that charge unknowing customers to get weather insurance and misc other bogus charges tend to have poor reputations within the industry. This does not mean that the skydivers who work there are bad and often times the instructors who work at those drop zones are very good. As a new skydiver obviously the choice is yours on whether or not to frequent a DZ that deals with questionable business practices. Do not feed the troll. Do not feed the troll. Do not feed the troll. DOH

FWIW it doesn't bother me and I know several people that like to use two different riggers. I think it is helpful to have a different set of eyes look over the gear from time to time. Of course I don't get my feelings hurt to easy

These ear plugs from Para-gear are great and they have the small hole in the center. They sit flush with your ear underneath your helmet and they aren't constantly falling out which is a problem I had with the foam ones. Surefire Sonic Defenders Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Jaye Stokes did around 640 in one day fun jumping and so I'm guessing he did more than 800 for the year. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Man I wish we had a f#@*ing swear jar at work Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

It is hard to determine the problem without more information but some canopies have a history of opening hard and perhaps your canopy falls into this category. But it is hard to say because you didn't post the canopy. As far as flying the canopy goes what happened is not normal and the canopy should be looked at by a qualified rigger. For instance it could be that one brake line is set longer than the other. Whatever the reason if you flared normally ie brought both toggles down at the same time to the same height......this would cause a dive because from what you have stated a dive occured when both toggles were level and at full flight . Since you went into a left hand dive at full flight you would also go into a left hand dive when you flared if both toggles were flared to waist level. I hope this makes sense. FWIW my daughter had a canopy that beat her up and bruised her on every jump. I think it was a combination of how she packed as well as the type of canopy she had. I didn't realize the extent of the problem until she showed me the bruises on her arms and legs. She used to dread openings on her canopy. At that point skydiving was not fun for my daughter. I put on a pocket slider and she has not had a problem since with hard openings. She is also enjoying the sport again. My point to the story is that no one can really enjoy this sport with consistent hard openings and that this is not normal. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

I may be mistaken here but if your bank takes money out of your account to fund its favorite charity or in reality anyone goes into your account to fund a charity that does not have your blessing is it OK? IMO it is not OK and it is stealing wheather it is .10 cents, one dollar, or $1,500 dollars. On the surface I'm inclined to believe that it wasn't an oversight but a deliberate act to fund the charity or to fund the tip jar. Unfortunately I don't have enough information but most stores have a code that they scan to designate the charity. If that is the case here then the charge wasn't erroneous but was deliberate and at least to me this is stealing since it didn't have Turtle's consent. The intention may have been honorable and not for self-gain but no one has the right to force a contribution to a charity. Of course it may have been a mistake but since the manager appeared to fire the employee based on his investigation it also leads me to believe it was a deliberate act. However, I am making judgements that may or may not be accurate and I freely admit that I could be wrong. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

I'm pretty sure that turtle didn't say anything about the inadequate size of the clerks penis and so while his self-esteem might be bent a little it probably isn't crushed.

The sky will always be there. If you are worried about hurting yourself because you have important things to do after your AFF course, take the AFF course at another time and relieve your stress. It is easy to get hurt in this sport and there are no guarantees. Most students do fine but some students struggle with this sport and they get hurt. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Like it has already been said my opinion is worth what you pay for it. However, the GROWN Man behind the counter was being annoying to other customers long before Turtle starting interacting with him. I can't stand it when clerks are rude and annoying and I personally like to dig my heels in and stick up for my rights to not be annoyed. I wish more people would demand common courtesy. It was not wrong to ask the clerk not to solicit a donation but it was wrong to steal a donation. I think most businesses would have fired the clerk for that transgression and I would hope that most businesses would want to know of employees engaging in this type of behavior. Personally I would feel great if I got somebody fired for stealing donations in this same manner. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Well since two master riggers don't see a problem I will gladly defer to their judgement regarding the stitching.

I am sure you will do great. Even though we have never met I can feel your positive vibes and good attitude whenever you make a post. GOOD employers will want those qualities. Good luck with your job search. Also stay away from the following questions during the job interview.

Like I said it is hard to make a judgement from a photo but the top row doesn't look like a double row of stitches to me. The length of the stitch pattern does not appear uniform and it looks like the upper thread tension should be loosened a little bit so that the bobbin tension can draw the stitch into the material a little better. That said I will reiterate that it is hard to see and make judgements from a photo and even if the stitch pattern isn't exactly right I'm not sure I would rework it if I was the manufacturer's quality control person. BUT if it has to be redone because it doesn't fit this issue could also be addressed if indeed the stitches weren't locked as good as they could be. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Don't forget to put them on before you leave the plane. They flap all over the place. Or so I've heard Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Who did the measurements for the rig? If it was the factory then the manufacturer should pay for the total bill; however, if they built it according to the specs provided then IMO it is not the factory's fault that the rig doesn't fit and paying for the shipping would seem reasonable. Get the rig they way you want it BUT first try and determine why the measurements to fix it weren't correct for the first time it was redone. In other words don't repeat the same mistake. I think you are doing this but make sure to try it on with a reserve packed in it and your main packed in it because it will fit differently. ie the rig will sit lower on your back and the hip rings will change position due to the added weight. The new measurements to fix the rig should be taken with both canopies in the rig as well. As far as the scratch goes, it looks like a very minor cosmetic scratch to the inside of the rig. However, the thread tension on the double needle work appears to show poor tension. Perhaps they can also do a better job on the stiching if they are going to redo your rig to fix the scratch. That said it is hard to make a judgement based on a photo. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Hey I don't think anybody was trying to be insulting. We all know that trolls have feeling too. On another topic, I'm sure that the skydiving service that you work for in Atlanta can help guide you to some good AFF instruction. According to the website it will be a memory of a lifetime. This statement has been true for thousands of people. Of course some of the memories might not have been happy but I'm sure that was due more to the skydiving service in Atlanta than it was the actual skydive. But I digress have a great jump. In an effort to help a little bit. Make sure you buy the weather protection insurance since if you show up for your AFF course and its raining I would hate for you to lose your money. After all that is what insurance is for and that is a lot of money at risk. Again have a great jump.

It is always hard to lose a family pet. Sending good vibes your way for you and your parents. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Well I second that. I am really glad that she made bail too.

Well this isn't my pre-jump ritual but it seems like some people always seem to yell Go Go Go as soon as the green light comes on

First good job on finding this error and raising awareness. As far as the 20 year life cycle I have seen many chutes that are completely airworthy after that time and I would not hesitate to pack them. Nylon does not degrade just sitting in a parachute; however, sun damage can be brutal or there can be other factors that might affect the servicability of a parachute or a H/C which is why we inspect. Of course if we find damage wheather the chute is 2 years old or 20 years old it shouldn't be packed until we fix the problem. For a little bit of history I used to work for Strong Enterprises and we tested all chutes coming into the shop for servicability. The age of the chute had absolutely nothing to do with functionality assuming it was made out of nylon vs silk. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Has anyone seen the optical illusion of the skydiver's bathroom? If you haven't I can post it again here for the [insert big ass number here] time. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

Actually there was a Special Forces Jump School. Back in the early 80s a new airborne unit was formed in the Republic of Panama and it was assigned to the 193d Inf Brigade. The Army found it more cost effective to run two jump schools in Panama conducted by 3d Bn 7th SFG(A) then to send the people back to Ft Benning. In Panama they had the 30 foot towers and the swing landing trainers but we didn't have a 250 foot tower. As I recall the course took two weeks. The towers were at Ft Sherman because SF used to teach jump schools there for Latin American countries when they wanted airborne training. Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.