maggott

Congratulations Billy! Welcome to the greatest sport in the world! Looking forward to meeting up with other ASL skydivers soon! Hard of hearing guy here! Be safe! ~Rick ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Got about 50 dactyl jumps and I still jump it from time to time. i have also put a jump on one of those russian Ragollo reserves... I believe it's called a Telka. ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Will be there with Bells on! Will be bringing my camera helmet!!! Looking to be part of the BIG WAY!!!! ~Rick ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Hey Mark! Looking forward to meeting (and signing with) you. I'm already registered! and now shopping for flight bargains... I'll be there even if I have to ride my bike from Seattle! That's a great logo!!! Anybody working on making a sew-on patch of that globe design? I think it would sell like hotcakes! I know i'd buy a handful! See you there! Magggott ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Thank you! Very helpful! You are the greatest! ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Hi folks... just got my hands on a strange paradactyl-like canopy that seems to be from eastern europe. it has "Tanka 107" stamped on the canopy. It is very similar to the dactyl, but is made of a light weight taffeta, not ripstop and the reefings system and steering lines are quite alien. I can't find any reference to it in the parachute manual or on the internet. Any one ever seen such a thing? What's eve stranger, is that it is set up as a RESERVE!!! and it has a pilot-chute reefed slider! How scary is that?! Any thoughts would be helpful. ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Yay Mike!! I'm not Deaf, but I'm hard of hearing and ASL fluent... Done a bit of stacking in my day (and still a bit from time to time). Glad to know there are others out there grabbing fabric! Though it's hard to sign with your hands full of nylon! Right on! ~Rick ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

I have noticed little or no change in biological output, or gasses within the ostomy appliance.

You were there in the early days too? My first stack was in 1978... but somehow I didn't try docking from the top... I came right up from behind. Not that anybody told me how to do it... it's just that my canopy was much faster than the one I was docking on! I have given a couple of guys there first CRW jumps recently and I love to watch the amazement take them over! I considered doing a down plane with the last guy (I got bored...we opened high and I pinned him quickly) but I thought a Bi-Plane was enough for him on his first time touching another canopy... Rick CCS 177 ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

You're not alone! And I can honestly say that I NEVER fart in airplane. ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Dude! I'm right here WITH YOU! I am a walking Air Museum! Last weekend I jumped my Dactyl and hit the peas! It's great how the folks on my DZ had never seen one before! They are fascinated, Thrilled and Amazed! When I jumped my competition PC out there, they informed me that nobody had ever jumped a round at that DZ before! But none of them said a bad word about my old rig! They are supportive and respectful! Hell! I HAD to make 100 jumps on a round before I was able to touch a square (strato star). Funny how people attack things that they don't understand! Now I've got people at the DZ asking me to teach a seminar on rounds so we can have do an "all round load" I'll have to spot, of course, because that too seems to be a lost art! The pilot didn't even know what a WDI was! Oh! MY! Some days I feel so old! ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

YOU HAVE TEMPLATES for a SLEEVE!!!???? That's great! I have a Competition MOdel PC that needs a sleeve, and I was going to fake it, using an old sleeve to make a new one! I'm interested! ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

I still jump a PC from time to time... (it was my first canopy). You will notice that there are a lot of "wussies" that tell you to run away from the PC, but I'm not one of them! You can find great packing instructions in the Parachute Manual (Poynter's old black cover version). I also have a few copies of the Paracommander Handbook. I can tell you the specifics of paking the PC if you'd like! ~Maggot ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

I have to echo what darkwing says exactly. I also bought a spetre 190 when I returned to the sport after quite some time away. I'm a bit younger, but also a bit heavier than you. At 210 lbls when I bought it, I had it loaded at about 1.2 and it treated me great and still does! Sometimes I think I might have done even better on a 170. The openings are soft and on-heading, and the landings are extremely smooth... the only time I have trouble is when I forget and flare as if I'm flying an old canopy (strato-star, or cruzair). The spectre is much more responsive and gives me what I ask for (even when it's not what I really want). You couldn't go wrong with a Spectre 190 in my opinion. ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

I second everything Terry Says! I too learned on rounds back in the day when you had to have 100 jumps before you could touch a square. My advice is first and foremost: master the PLF. I've made a few PC jumps recently and was saved by the fact that the PLF is still firmly rooted in my muscle memory! If you master the PLF a round parachute is little threat. with the F111 canopies available, you should be able to pack one into any mid-size square bag. I would recommend the talking to your favorite rigger about a diaper AND a deployment bag... From the old days: rounds in bags can be a problem as the skirt can begin to inflate while the top third of the canopy is still bagged. The diaper prevents this until you have full extension (or close to it). I would avoid the free-pack in a main container. They are not made for that... they're designed for canopies in bags. Feet and knees together! Eyes on the horizon! :) ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

count me in but I'm only hard of hearing and can still pass as a hearing person... but I'm Deaf in the airplane... and other noisy places. ASL Fluent! ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Oh My God! That's scary!!! I jump a spectre loaded about at about 1.1... I bought it because of it's slow openings and I've never had anythign but great openings and landings on this thing (knocking on wood). This is important to me because I've had neck surgery... a fusion! I don't know what I'd do if I had such an opening as one that breaks lines and leaves you stunned! what was the wing loading on that canopy? Was the slider collapsed! (probably not). ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

I've got an old beater rig that I use for CRW jumps... I can put just about any canopy into it and I can keep my round reserve (I still prefer those for CRW--I'm an old-school Dog). Besides, my old rig is good luck... It is the one I wore to the Nationals in 1984 and 1986 and took first place both times! This rig was also worn by Brand Duncan in 1979? when Tesseract won 4 way... so this rig is just full of good karma... my point is.. get yourself a cheap, old, safe, comfortable rig-- ebay's a good resource. That's my advice... "maggott" PS... My good ear went dead today! Then it came back... but that's how my other ear acted when I started losing my hearing there... (my good ear isn't all that good anyway)... So who knows? Soon I may be a real deaf skydiver (thank God for ASL!!!!) PAH! ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Cool! I remember you guys very well (cool shirts) and the competition with you guys breathing down our necks... I don't remember names (I'm not sure I knew them back then either...) But I'm pretty good with faces. I saw Doug last summer... and that was that! (he wasn't our captain... but he was up near the top!) Thanks for the update! Stay well. ~Rick ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Hey all!!! Anybody out there remember ECLIPSE? I'm #7 from Eclipse 1984-1986. I'm in touch with some of my buddies from that time... but I've lost track with some of the others... Hello? Anybody out there? maybe this will jog your memory: "You ain't got no friend on your left! You're Right! You Ain't got no friend on your right! You're Left! Hound dog! Puntang! Treefrog! I's White!" "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!--How about a Fresca?!" If you were there... you know what I mean!" Blue Skies .... Black, Black, Black, Death! "Maggott" ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

Right on! I'll have to start using that one! Lately I've been getting strange looks, and an awed silence as I pack a round parachute! Perhaps I should now be called a Riggosaurus! ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

I am hard of hearing and am an ASL instructor. I have a degree in Education, and am working on a Master's degree in Psychology focussed on Deaf identity Development. My advice that echos that of many other posts is that Start Signing right now no matter what other choices you make. Ignore the people that tell you that it will affect speech. This is not true, but still believed by many "specialists." If I had a deaf child, I would do everything I could to make him or her a Happy and Whole Deaf person. I would not make any attempts to make the child hearing any more than I try to make my cat act like a dog. As for hearing aids and cochlear implants... keep in mind that the specialists that you deal with make a very good living off of selling and supporting such technology. I'm not saying that they are wrong... just be aware of their biases. I love Deaf people! But each is unique and has different needs. My biases are stron as well (I will be honest about that). I know too many Deaf adults who were wounded by attempts to make them more "hearing" instead of having happy childhoods. Learn ASL! It's a blast and a beautiful language! And learn as much as you can about raising a deaf child... you've got plenty of time! I could recommend books if you'd like (even those taht don't line up with my beliefs). Let me know if I can help you with anything. Enjoy that cute baby!!! Blue Skies. ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

hi folks! I am Hard of Hearing ASL Instructor! I don't run into Deaf folks at the DZ that often but when I do it always warms my heart! And who else can have such easy conversations in the airplane when the hearing people are struggling to communicate? Blue skies! ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

what winds me up the most is being called a "rigger"-- I mean how demeaning, insensitive, inflamitorily degradory! I prefer to be called a "nylon American" ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"

wow!!!! i just got the document that you sent to me regarding the Starlite!!!!! I had no idea that you were sending from Europe until I tried to put it in my notebook and the paper was the wrong size (same as I found in Belgium and Ireland) So I looked at the mailing address! Glassgow!!! I had to write and say thanks for going so far out of your way to share this info with me!!! The color picture of the starlite is exactly like the one I have sitting in a plastic back in the closet next to me! I was touched to see pictures of it flying! This canopy will never fly again as it was the main canopy of my best friend who died after cutting it away during a malfunction. His reserve totalled--end of story. We were both only 16 at the time. I have kept his gear since we were raised as brothers. How cool to see a picture of the same black and rainbow canopy in the air!! My starlite was all yellow. I still have not heard back from my friend who was involved in the canopy's design. When I do, you'll know immediately, especially since you were so kind to ship your well-collected document to me from across the big pond! Be well and always have a trustworthy reserve (especially if you're jumping a starlite). Peace. Rick "Maggott" ~Maggott __________________________________________________________________________________ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone?"