tso-d_chris

We prefer UPS over FedEx. A couple things to keep in mind: If you ship via air service, the UPS/FedEx your shipment will be in the shippers system for the least amount of time, minimizing chances of loss. Go big on insurance (think replacement cost, not value). This won't guarantee you will be reimbursed for the full insured amount if your package is lost, but it does help decrease the chances of your package being lost or stolen. UPS insurance is pretty cheap. For Great Deals on Gear

Don't forget that power lines and fences are less likely to be located in the middle of open fields. For Great Deals on Gear

I have heard, but do not know for sure that it is true, that ZP fabric is more likely to fail catastrophically than is F111 type fabric. This info came from at least one master rigger. Is there any truth to this? For Great Deals on Gear

He left an in-flight aircraft with intentions of landing a parachute. How is that not skydiving? For Great Deals on Gear

If it is a good burger you are after, try the Airport Bar in Deland (not to be confused with the Perfect Spot at Skydive Deland). They're not quite the best burgers I've ever eaten, but they are way, way up on the list. For Great Deals on Gear

Wouldn't the birdie have to be significantly (several times) heavier than the dart before it would have the same BC? There is rarely that much variance in the weight of skydivers, especially considering that a person's surface area tends to increase with body weight. For Great Deals on Gear

Even if washed, it will likely leave a UV reflective stain, as it does with clothing. The stuff inside the chem-light will also eat through certain types of paint, even after being "washed off." (yes, I know this from experience) I can drink Coke, but spilling Coke on my gear would be bad. To the original poster: I would recommend letting a master rigger or the manufacturer examine the gear. For Great Deals on Gear

Actually, TSO-D refers to The Skydiving Outlet - Deland. I sell gear.

I agree. For Great Deals on Gear

If you can go another day, you will have made it through the hardest part. Good luck. It's damn hard to give the things up, but well worth it. I hope you are successful.

Add weight to the badminton birdie so it weighs about the same as the dart. The dart will still travel farther horizontally in the given scenario. For Great Deals on Gear

I knew you could simplify the explanation!

PIA defines aspect ratio: On a rectangular canopy with no taper, this works out to span / chord. If a nine cell canopy has a higher aspect ratio than a seven cell canopy of the same size, it will have a different span and/or chord. All else being equal (usually not realistic), a higher aspect canopy will have a lower rate of descent than a lower aspect ratio canopy. Essentially, there is no difference in packing a nine cell canopy and a seven cell canopy, except that there is extra fabric and lines on a nine cell. For Great Deals on Gear

I stopped using all forms of tobacco a little over four years ago. For Great Deals on Gear

"Deaths from drug use per 100,000 drug users" implies for every 100,000 tobacco users, x number of users die annually. For every 100,000 heroin users, y number of people die annually, etc. It is a fair comparison. For Great Deals on Gear

It is in my Oxford American dictionary widget. I also found it in Dictionary.com and thefreedictionary.com. Doh! For Great Deals on Gear

I am not following this. Can someone explain further please? Let's assume aircraft velocity on jump run is constant, so that at the moment of exit, all jumpers have the same velocity (speed and direction). Let's also assume level flight, and unchanging body positions. Since belly fliers present a greater surface area to the relative wind than a head down jumpers do, the resistance due to air is going to be greater for the belly flier. Remember, they are exiting with the same velocities. The only difference is the surface area presented to the relative wind. Since the belly fliers experience more air resistance, with respect to the horizontal component of their velocities, their horizontal component of the velocity will go to zero more quickly. The horizontal component of the head down fliers' velocity goes to zero less quickly, which allows them to travel farther along the line of flight before they stop moving horizontally. I hope that helped. Perhaps Kallend, Billvon or someone else can explain it more eloquently. For Great Deals on Gear

As can cocaine, alcohol, skydiving, driving, etc. You're right, though, tobacco kills slowly, painfully, and expensively, instead of quickly. For Great Deals on Gear

I've lost friends to drugs. I've also lost them to alcohol, tobacco, car accidents, suicide, skydiving and natural causes, all in far greater numbers. Again, I'm not recommending anyone go out and use smack. But there are far worse habits to have. 80 deaths annually per 100,000 users is less than a 1 in 1000 chance of dying from that drug. Per 100,000 skydivers, how many will die skydiving each year? 75 - 100 seems like a realistic estimate. Doesn't that make being a skydiver as dangerous as being a heroin user? I'm not about to tell anyone not to skydive. Hell, I'll even sell them the gear, and encourage them to have fun. We like to jump from airplanes, others enjoy chemical induced euphoria. Either activity could kill you (or me) the next time you participate, but odds are neither will. Living life involves taking risks. Sometimes those risks are large, sometimes they are small, but it is impossible to live a risk free life. Who am I to tell someone what they should or shouldn't do with or to their own bodies for recreational enjoyment. Considering heroin to be more dangerous than tobacco or alcohol is a lot like considering driving to be more dangerous than skydiving. You will hear it often, but that doesn't make it true. Alcohol and tobacco pose far greater threats to the health of society than do illegal drugs. For Great Deals on Gear

HOWEVER it is NOT insignificant to the poster who recently went through this very type of death... and no insignificant to me, Im part of fucking society, damn fucking statistics for everything these days... It's hard to imagine any way of dying that is not going to affect friends and family left behind. I've lost count of all the friends I've lost this year alone. I mean no disrespect to those who have lost friends and loved ones. BTW I'm not advocating heroin use, either. I just don't see illegal drugs as a menace to society. There are more imortant problems to be dealt with. For Great Deals on Gear

The first link was death per 100,000 users. The second link was total annual deaths. Both are good data, but offer different information. For Great Deals on Gear

Relatively speaking, heroin isn't so bad for it's users. It's actually pretty insignificant to society as a whole. For Great Deals on Gear

I'd love to let you win that...But if I remember correctly the resturant boss was jumping on Aniston for only having 7 pieces. But more flair is always better....Look at Brian, he has 15 pieces of flair. Now I'm gonna have to watch that damn movie again. Damn you, Ron. I just trashed it off my local hard drive the day before you made that post. "I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Bob." For Great Deals on Gear

How so? This element seems to go beyond the basic "faster falling = less time in the relative wind". The theory then becomes far more complex and thus unpredictable. What's the theory behind this? And what controlled observations have actually supported it? Not just computer programs that simulate the theory. A head down flier will travel farther horizontally while on the hill immediately following exit. For Great Deals on Gear

That would be January 2nd. That is unless you are giving me an extra day off! Sorry. Many businesses are observing New Years Day on the 2nd. For Great Deals on Gear