tso-d_chris

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Everything posted by tso-d_chris

  1. I have no vested interest in supporting PD. I make just as much money (sometimes more) selling their competitors' equipment. I promote PD because of their outstanding customer service and owner satisfaction. Unhappy customers find new dealers. My vested interest is in keeping customers happy, not selling any particular brand over another. For Great Deals on Gear
  2. The Firebird R is not an updated Phi. Bird-Man does expect to release an updated Phi in the future. For Great Deals on Gear
  3. I'm not sure if you are aware of the depth of PD's R&D. I am not a bit surprised to hear that they want to do further testing. Sure, they want to keep the canopy off the street, since it is not up to their high standards, but I seriously doubt the canopy gets trashed before being tested further. Then again, we "Deland lemmings" don't know anything about gear manufacturers, since barely any skydiving gear is built around here. For Great Deals on Gear
  4. I call bullshit on that. Any skydiving equipment maker that discovered that they screwed up on manufacturing a product would do whatever it takes to keep that product from getting back out in circulation. PERIOD! And the natural response to the customer is to smooth it over and make it as though you're doing them a great big favor by cutting them a "deal" on a replacement. Instead of what PD has done, I'd venture to say that some manufacturers would have sent a replacement at NO CHARGE! Dude, you believe what you want, but I know better than to buy into this. Sorry, but not all manufacturers will go that extra mile. I know this for a fact from personal experience, to say nothing of professional experience in gear sales. Not all manufacturers are created equally, and PD is among the best in the industry. I am glad to hear you have not had to find out the hard way that not all manufacturers take such pride in the quality of their product.
  5. Best of luck Sparky. Though we've never met, I always enjoy reading your posts. Thank you for your valuable contributions to the forum and the sport. If you are going to take the time to monitor DZ.com, please contribute. You knowledge won't disappear simply because you have other interests. For Great Deals on Gear
  6. Sometimes people are so friggin' naive. Geez, they gave you a good deal on a new one for the simple reason that they built a bad canopy and wanted to get it out of circulation before it hurt somebody. That's nothing to do with customer service, it is everything to do with good business. good grief! You might be surprised how many manufacturers will not go that extra mile, and would instead band-aid the problem. PD has an excellent reputation for customer service and quality control for a reason. For Great Deals on Gear
  7. I'm exactly the opposite. I would never recommend to a friend or loved one a tandem at any drop zone where tandems are treated as carnival rides with minimal instruction. I have seen both methods for a lot of students. One method is great for making short term money for the DZ. The other method is great for training students, offering training opportunities not available through AFF, S/L or IAD. For Great Deals on Gear
  8. First, believe it or not, 100 jumps is not nearly enough to learn all there is to now about your canopy. 500-700 jumps on your first canopy is a good way to build piloting skills and confidence. It sounds like a lot of jumps, but it really isn't that many. Second, while canopy coach courses are outstanding opportunities to learn new skills, they are not in and of themselves magic bullets that instill skills simply because you take the course. Many practice jumps are still required to practice the new skill set. It has already been mentioned that downsizing two sizes (to a 135) is a bad idea. I agree. Such a large downsize is a bad idea. If you want to learn to swoop, the Sabre2 is better suited than the Stiletto. The Sabre2 will dive steeper, and should take a little longer to recover than a similarly sized Stiletto. The Stiletto is a very flat gliding canopy; in this respect it is much different than the Velocity and the Katana, two PD canopies commonly used for swooping. That does not mean that you cannot swoop a Stiletto. Stilettos swoop well. But if you plan on progressing to a Velocity or Katana, a Sabre2 is a better intermediate canopy. Lastly, There is no reason you cannot swoop a Sabre2 170. Swooping is about piloting technique, not jumping a tiny canopy. If a pilot can't swoop a big canopy consistently, you won't be able to control a smaller canopy consistently, either, which can end up being a very big deal. For Great Deals on Gear
  9. The good folks at VSE do an outstanding job paying attention to detail throughout the entire rig. For Great Deals on Gear
  10. We usually have a few issues in the store. Come by the store next time you are in Deland. We might even be able to find a translator for you. For Great Deals on Gear
  11. Good post. I just wanted to add: Don't get hung up on manufacturer's suggested retail prices. For example, Container A might have a higher MSRP than container B. However, the manufacturer of container A may well offer a much larger dealer discount than does manufacturer B. The net result is that the two containers actually have similar street prices, despite having significantly different MSRP. For Great Deals on Gear
  12. I'm not familiar with the Talon3. The Infinity is unsurpassed with respect to workmanship and attention to detail. The Wings is unsurpassed with respect to value. It is also very well built. I would highly recommend the Wings or the Infinity as a first rig. For Great Deals on Gear
  13. I used to volunteer to be the test dummy for new tandem instructor candidates not yet allowed to take students. I had chicken handles and my own drogue release handle on all but one. Of course, that one was the one I had to find the drogue release myself. In the saddle at 2500 feet, We were among the first canopies to land. The candidate failed. For Great Deals on Gear
  14. OK, I'll take a shot at it: My guess is the personnel at USPA HQ is using a term that they have not defined to you. In a way that is their problem for not explaining it better, but if they voluntarily explain to everyone they have on the phone it could take up a lot of their time. My guess is that "process" means do absolutely everything, including gettting your letter/card printed and in the mail. I would further guess that the cards are printed as a batch. I doubt they go over to the very special printer that prints the cards and chuck up a card right after they get off the phone with a member. Printing the cards once a day, or better yet, as soon as a page of cards is full, would be both efficient, and should not slow down the renewal process. Hiring office personnel that are not knowledgeable in computer/printer use seems like a very bad idea. These are essential skill sets in an office environment. I don't think it is very productive at all to encourage USPA members to accept inefficient procedures that waste member dues just because it is the status quo. For Great Deals on Gear
  15. At least one major container manufacturer (not referring to Jump Shack) is working on a solution to this very problem. It is not a figment of J. Sherman's imagination. For Great Deals on Gear
  16. This is one of the coolest new sites I've seen in a long time. Check it out. It will even work for a few songs without registering, which is free. Tip: It won't forward to the next song unless it has its own browser window, or is in the active tab, at least with my Mac w/ Shiira browser. YMMV For Great Deals on Gear
  17. At your experience level, a 210 or 220 would be a more suitably sized main and reserve. If a container will not fit appropriately sized canopies, it is not a very good deal for you, no matter what the price. It is often very difficult to find the right container used. It must have the proper harness sized to fit you, the proper main container size, to fit your main, and the proper reserve container size to fit your reserve. And that is before you even get to decide how you feel about the colors. It is not uncommon for newer jumpers to buy new containers due to inability to find anything used that is suitable for their needs. If you do purchase new, some containers offer far better value for your money than others. PM me for more details. Also, large ZP canopies are often difficult to find used. They hold their resale value very well due to the high demand in the secondary market. Most people find it is still much cheaper to buy new than to rent. It is small canopies that lose their resale value quickly, not large ones. For Great Deals on Gear
  18. Incidentally, Quicktime now plays WMA and WMV files.
  19. Sorry, but this one made me laugh! (Only because I know you are at least 22!) For Great Deals on Gear
  20. Okay. I understand what you are saying. Thank you for clarifying.
  21. The most expensive jump tickets I've heard about lately are in Brazil. For Great Deals on Gear
  22. While I can't speak for larger Racers, small Racers with velcro down the side are VERY freefly friendly, provided the Velcro is maintained. It's all about the maintenance when it comes to velcro, and the care taken when the two sides are mated together. For Great Deals on Gear
  23. I'm not sure I follow you here, Sparky? Isn't the pilot chute effectively attached to the main D-bag until the slack is removed from the bridle between the bag and the canopy, which will not occur until the bag comes off the canopy? For Great Deals on Gear
  24. Macs do nearly everything (except gaming) better than their Windows counterparts. If you compare prices of equivalent machines, you will find the Macs to be consistently less expensive than, for example, Dell. The lack of viruses and spyware is an added bonus that will save you time and energy otherwise spent on maintenance. For Great Deals on Gear
  25. If you are a larger person, avoid the mini risers. If you are average size, they will be fine. I highly recommend low profile metal reserve ripcord handles. I can't think of any situation where I would recommend a soft reserve handle. For Great Deals on Gear