tso-d_chris

RWS is on vacation this week, but will be back, hard at work, January 3 of next year. For Great Deals on Gear

In theory, everyone in the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg must be jump qualified. That's the way it was a few years ago, anyway. I've met exceptions, but not many. For Great Deals on Gear

It looks like your laterals are too short, but it is difficult to tell for sure from just a picture. Who took your measurements for the rig? For Great Deals on Gear

You mean like quoting the wrong price? For Great Deals on Gear

IIRC the reason for fastening the chest strap first is it allows a better fit from the harness, by putting the yoke in the proper place on your body before tightened leg straps make minor adjustments more difficult. I would think any difference would be subtle, but I've heard the advice from enough high time jumpers to believe there is probably something to it. For Great Deals on Gear

For every poster with a question, there's usually a lurker or two with the same question. The "PM sent" reply (which I rarely use, BTW) allows the lurkers to see that there is a way to get the information, even if they do not want to post publicly. In other words, it helps identify for the lurker who they need to direct their PMs to. For Great Deals on Gear

Sometimes the information given in a PM would be considered advertising if posted in the thread, and the would be poster chooses to abide by HH's forum rules. For Great Deals on Gear

External hard drives (Firewire is better than USB) are well suited for such storage, although laptops are being offered with larger and larger hard drives all the time. For Great Deals on Gear

I ditched my desktop PC for an iBook, and haven't looked back. The portability (especially with wireless) outweighs the inconvenience of laptop keyboards and smaller screens. Incidentally, it is no big deal to plug in a normal keyboard and mouse, or use a larger, external monitor. While I won't say I will never buy another desktop machine, it is unlikely I would buy one as my primary computer. For Great Deals on Gear

That's what dishwashers are for. (Yes, you can really do that.) For Great Deals on Gear

I can tell you from experience that there's no lack of IT graduates who are qualified on paper... The problem is that very few of them actually understand anything about what they learned in school, and all of them need you to hold their hands to get them through simple tasks once you hire them. That might explain why most of the IT folks I know have no problem finding jobs. Few of them are qualified on paper, but have much experience. For Great Deals on Gear

...unless of course you're like one of the many highly replaceable IT workers who have had their jobs outsourced to India I feel really bad for kids who fell for the BS college recruiters fed to them a while back about being able to make $100k right out of college in IT It's only been a couple months since I last heard Bill Gates complaining about a lack of qualified IT graduates. For Great Deals on Gear

I had no such issues with mine, but the one I put the most jumps on got a factory reline as soon as I bought it. It may well have had brake-line mods, but I couldn't say for certain. I suppose it could also be because it might have been built by a different manufacturer. To the original poster: If at all possible, DEMO BEFORE BUYING!!!! For Great Deals on Gear

Due to the pressure differences of the air passing over the top skin (low pressure) and the air passing over the bottom skin, the air primarily "tries" to escape from the canopy through the top skin, and not through the bottom skin, where the pressure is higher. A hybrid with a ZP bottom skin and an F111 top skin would likely fly much like an all F111 canopy. For Great Deals on Gear

I was curious as to your logic behind this statement. The Safires I have jumped I have been very pleased with. I found them to have opening, flight and landing characteristics similar to Sabre2 of comparable size. For Great Deals on Gear

You're right. I stand corrected. The Lotus is indeed a nine cell. For Great Deals on Gear

For nine cell canopies, try the Aerodyne Pilot, PD Sabre 2, and the Icarus Safire2. All have good reputations of nice openings and landings, while being fairly easy to fly. The PD Silhouette is also a nice choice, although it is not as popular because it is not made entirely of zero porosity fabric. This has the benefit of making the canopy easy to pack. Any of these canopies, sized appropriately, are well suited to newer (and experienced) jumpers. If you are considering a used canopy, you can add the Safire (original) and the Sabre (original) to the list. Both are nine cell canopies made of Zero P fabric. The Sabre is a rectangular nine cell that has a reputation for brisk openings and easy landings. The Safire is a tapered canopy that opens and lands nicely. I would also suggest trying a Spectre, from Performance Designs. While it is a seven cell like a Triathlon, it is also tapered, compared to the rectangular Triathlon. Brian Germain with Big Air Sportz markets the Lotus as a good canopy for newer jumpers if sized appropriately. It is also a tapered seven cell. Canopies not well suited for newer jumpers include the Stiletto, Crossfire (original or 2), Katana, Mamba, Extreme VX and FX, Velocity, Vengeance, Samurai. Neither the list of suitable canopies, nor the list of unsuitable canopies should be considered complete. Seek the advice of instructors before purchasing. I highly recommend demoing potential choices prior to purchase. Most manufacturers have good demo programs that allow you to try before you buy. BTW what reserve have you chosen? Good luck! chris@tso-d.com The Skydiving Outlet - Deland For Great Deals on Gear

I cant find the post between all the threads about this that have poped up lately, but a recent grad of SDC stated that he/she didnt get much ground training on canopy control. Really? (Not doubting you) I haven't heard much about their program lately, but it got a lot of skydiving press when Roger Nelson began implementing it in the late 90s. For Great Deals on Gear

I wasn't trying to dig at Aerodyne. I sell Aerodyne products. Many people are very happy with Aerodyne canopies, especially the Pilot. What I was trying to point out is that PD values their reputation for putting out a high quality product. If that means something gets an unanticipated extra year of test jumping (pulled number out of thin air) in order to be able to release the canopy they want to release, that is what will happen. They are very unlikely to rush the process. When and if the larger sizes are released, they will sell without any extra promotions. Being in gear sales, I would never, ever promote a canopy because it comes with something else, unrelated, for free. (Personally, I would prefer to see an additional discount passed onto the customer.) I don't use the free backpack to promote the Katana, and I don't use the free iPod to promote the Mamba. I do not believe that canopies should be chosen based on what comes free with them. I believe even price (between different canopies) should be a secondary consideration in comparison to the opening, flight and landing characteristics. I've never jumped either canopy, and unless my tastes take a turn for the high performance, it is unlikely I will any time soon. I have heard nothing bad about either canopy. I recommend anyone looking into either canopy to try both and decide for themselves. I do not presume to know which they will prefer. I merely want them to decide for the right reasons. For Great Deals on Gear

From what I understand, the student program at SDC also has more in depth ground training. They don't just put students out on smaller canopies than normally used with students without suitable instruction. Someone please correct me if this is incorrect. For Great Deals on Gear

Reread my post. IMO the bulk of the blame lies with the instructor, not the newbie. I have no doubt she reacted to situations under canopy the best she knew how. For Great Deals on Gear

What I said was: She failed to control two landable canopies. I fail to see how she could have had "adequate instruction to operate the gear in a manner that allowed for a safe landing under an open parachute." I think those to failures are indicative of inadequate training. I'm not sure where you got the impression that the big drop zones have the best instructors. The best instructors I have encountered have been on a small dz. At any rate this was her tenth jump, not her first. For Great Deals on Gear

She's been in the sport for a year. How long does it take to learn the "etiquette?" For Great Deals on Gear

She was put out on inappropriate gear, without adequate instruction to operate the gear in a manner that allowed for a safe landing under an open parachute. The interviews give the impression that the gear failed (the main did not malfunction), or that she was the only person at fault. She was set up for failure by her instructor before she exited the aircraft. Her interviews skew the facts in hopes of obtaining handouts.