tso-d_chris

I think a true skydiver would not count it until getting ready to exit on your 100th solo, and then begin doing so. That way you can count your jumps: . . .96,97,98,99,101,102,103, . . . Notice there is no double zero jump number requiring beer purchases. It works much the same way as a "pre-second" instead of a first. Remember, with the money you save on beer, you can make an extra skydive! For Great Deals on Gear

Don't be discouraged by minor landing problems with your number of jumps. You have likely jumped several canopies already, and they all have had slightly different flight characteristics. It's not realistic for you to expect to have your landings dialed in yet. Don't get too caught up with 7 cell vs. 9 cell. Demo different canopies. You may like a nine cell best, or you may like a seven cell best. It is unlikely that will be the reason for your preference. The Spectre is typically a very good choice for a first canopy. At lower loadings, it can be docile. It nonetheless has a performance envelope large enough to keep a fledgling canopy pilot busy learning for several hundred jumps or more. Another canopy that is often overlooked, but is also good at approprite loadings is the Silhouette. It is often not considered because it only has a ZP top skin, rather than being built entirely of zero porosity fabric. However, it is on the top skin that ZP fabric offers the largest benefit. Since the Silhouette is not totally zero P, it is easier to pack, offers a lower pack volume. It can also be fun to fly. Other canopies to consider, in no particular order, are the Lotus, Sabre2, Safire2, Pilot, and Triathlon. This list, of course is not all inclusive. I hope this helps. For Great Deals on Gear

I've lost many contacts in freefall, with many different types of goggles. I've found none that work every time, but the cheap plastic kind (Flex-Z, Kroops, etc.) work best for me to help reduce the number of incidents of landing blindly. For Great Deals on Gear

The CYPRES2 is water resistant to 5 meters for up to 15 minutes. The Argus is water resistant to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. That seems pretty comparable to me. I don't think you will find any consumer electronics that are "waterPROOF." They all have their limits. For Great Deals on Gear

Apocolypse Now (Col. Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando)

If the batteries do not work in your altimeter, your alti won't work. If you get a bad battery in your AAD, it could potentially cause more serious problems. For Great Deals on Gear

4 hours (4*6)/(4+6)

Kimberling City, MO. A small drop zone I used to jump at held a one day "boogie" there each year. Ozark tri-lake area, for pure scenery nowhere else I have ever jumped has even come close. I wouldn't want to jump there all the time, because there was only trees and lake outside the landing area. No outs, except for roads. It had an unbelievable view, though. For Great Deals on Gear

that quote is from post number 19 of this very thread. the user name and profile of the poster is identical to yours. You're right. I mis-spoke. I did not mean to imply the manufacturer showed support. How exactly am I to know who will stand by their statements and who won't? I use the same search function available to other dz.commers. For Great Deals on Gear

then it's going to be difficult to lend credibility to your claim that other manufacturers support the speedbag. i searched that thread. i didn't find anything even similar to support from other manufacturers. I said nothing about support from other manufacturers. I said at least one engineer from a manfacturer. There is a big difference. Generally, manufacturers don't publicly praise one another's achievements. Whether or not you believe me is irrelevant to the truth, and well outside my control. I can only assume the person in question has read this thread. If that person wants to link you to his/her specific posts, they can. If they don't want to, that is his/her decision to make. I won't force them into a discussion they may not want to take part in. For Great Deals on Gear

Very well said. Thanks, Bill. For Great Deals on Gear

I'm not going to name any names. I sent a link to the thread via PM. A small amount of research will likely yield the name you seek. For Great Deals on Gear

The Wings is a great product, and a fantastic value, even at regular price. At 50% off, it is a steal. Good luck finding a similarly good deal, new or used. For Great Deals on Gear

Yes, not an audible, but L&B web site states: Digital Alti-Meter- Stores detailed altitude information about the last jump for later review Digital Speed-Meter- Stores detailed speed information about the last jump for later review Jump Counter- Electronic logbook, storing and displaying information about the last 200 jumps. - Can be used to keep track on the number of jumps on a rig. - Can be reset at any time, but time and date for the last reset remains stored and cannot be erased. That is indeed interesting. Their promotional flyers don't mention the logbook feature at all. I wonder if that is a feature that has been added recently, just before product launch, or whether they simply failed to mention the feature on their initial promotion. For Great Deals on Gear

the only conclusion I can make here is that the label was made in Honduras? For Great Deals on Gear

It says so in your sig. Seriously, based on your posts, you seem to be a pretty cool person that I would enjoy meeting one day. For Great Deals on Gear

She used to know a NASA DZO. For Great Deals on Gear

I am personally of the opinion that reserves should not be chosen with a two out in mind. The likelihood of any given jumper experiencing a two out are pretty low, even if nowhere near impossible. I've seen more cases of people landing reserves while partially or completely incapacitated. It is these situations for which I believe larger reserve sizes are better. Unfortunately, there is no way to choose gear that is best suited for every possible scenario, so it is all about examining and calculating risks. Just my $.02. For Great Deals on Gear

I would not expect to have any problems with an Optima. L&B makes fine products. In the event of a problem, they will very likely stand behind their product (as will Alti-2). However, the Optima cannot be used as a logbook. For Great Deals on Gear

Do a search! For Great Deals on Gear

They are two different products. The Neptune works as an audible altimeter, a visual altimeter and a digital logbook. The Optima works as an audible only, but also has a plug to connect an LED that offers visual warnings. Both have canopy alarms. The Neptune is more expensive, but not significantly so when the extra features are considered. Which is better depends on what you need out of the device. For Great Deals on Gear

Interesting...I just opened a brand new PD Main and the label says made in Honduras as well. Now I'm wondering which ones are made in Deland, where they have a busy production area, and do in fact build many canopies.

What I was referring to is the ability to boot a Mac as an external drive for another Mac. For Great Deals on Gear

This is why you'd want to call the FAA ASAP and ask them what you want done with the gear. If they then tell you to hold it pending an investigation, then it wouldn't be theft. Until the rig is jumped, what crime has been committed? I can have any rig I want at the DZ, with or w/o TSO or properly documented maintenance. I'm not sure the FAA has any authority over the rig until I jump with it. I would disagree... something about misrepresenting information on government required documentation on TSO'ed gear. Got to be something they would charge somebody with... Just my $.02 J It's not gov't required until the rig is jumped, is it? For Great Deals on Gear

If you happen to be working with two Macs, it is EXTREMELY easy to do. No need for geek assistance. For Great Deals on Gear