tso-d_chris

This gets back to the safety vs. profit discussion. Not many DZOs are willing to ground the jumpers that are making a dozen jumps each day to pacify the jumpers that are making far fewer. For Great Deals on Gear

This seems like the only reasonably effective way to ground someone. That would definitely piss me off enough too make it my mission to ruin the DZO's day. That would be a nice way of reacting to such childish attempts at grounding jumpers. People tend to be reasonable. There is no need for a DZO to be an asshole to get his point across, unless other alternatives have already been exhausted. For Great Deals on Gear

The difference in surface area presented to the directional wind only really matters when the direction or speed of the wind changes. Only then will the increased surface are (exposed to the horizontal component of the accelerating air mass) make a difference. As soon as the jumpers are drifting at the same speed as the air mass, the surface area is irrelevant. This effect should not be given greater consideration when determining exit order than freefall drift, which will happen even when the air mass is not accelerating (changing speed or direction). With jump run into the wind, RW jumpers should exit before FF jumpers. For Great Deals on Gear

Thanks, I didn't have the link handy.

Same problems getting an accurate L/D measurement with canopies as with wingsuits.

That is typical. Macs are generally less expensive than comparable PCs. For Great Deals on Gear

Never, ever consent to a search. You may still be searched, but it is far less likely to stand up in court. Also, you are under no obligation to give any information to a cop except your name and address. It is none of his/her business where you are coming from, or where you are going. Learn and know your rights.

I'm not too up to speed on Mac hardware, how do these specs compare to say a PC with a P4 2.16 ghz chip in it? Is it faster of the same? Two chips versus one? I think two could do more, faster. For Great Deals on Gear

There would be if I could afford to put it in production. At this point it's just a design for a cool gadget that will measure L/D independently of ground speed, so wind speeds do not matter, and no special patterns need to be flown. For Great Deals on Gear

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The free flyer, the airplane, and the canopy are all flying in a moving air mass. the air speed and the ground speed will differ by the speed of the air mass. It does take different amounts of time for different objects to accelerate to match the speed of the air mass. It does not happen instantaneously. They are not in freefall for the same amount of time. Also, since free flyers and RW flyers present differing amounts of surface area to the horizontally moving wind, they will not accelerate to match the speed of the air mass at the same rate. Kallend has some outstanding Powerpoint files that deal with the Physics of skydiving. Hopefully someone will link to them. For Great Deals on Gear

As a general rule (certainly not absolute) if you want the community / family of skydivers vibe, you have to find a good Cessna DZ. Big drop zones tend to not compare in this aspect. For Great Deals on Gear

And while you're coming this way, could we get a few of those $10 lids? For Great Deals on Gear

The first time I tried a wingsuit, I remember wondering why anyone would bother jumping without one!

Not to be pessimistic, but this is a dangerous sport. If you are not getting enjoyment out of it anymore, you may want to reevaluate the risk/benefit ratio. It makes little sense to jump from a "perfectly good airplane" if it is no longer fun. Perhaps a month or season off would help you realize whether you want to continue, quit, or just take a break. You don't have to skydive to enjoy life. For Great Deals on Gear

Do they know how to share? Without it , it's just a pissing contest. He's trying, but those that need the info the most are not being very receptive to the information being offered. For Great Deals on Gear

Everytime you jump you should be using your spotting skills. You may not need your EP's on every jump, but I check the spot everytime I jump. I agree, you should use your spotting skills on every jump, just like you should practice you EPs on every jump. The point I was trying to make is that on most jumps, you are not likely to have to redirect the pilot on the spot, even after rechecking it yourself. Most pilots can get the spot right most of the time, so usually, it won't make a big difference whether or not you know how to spot. Just like on most jumps, it doesn't matter if you can properly execute your EPs, because most jumps do not result in malfunctions. When it does matter, though, it really matters. It is a bad idea, IMO, to skydive without knowing how to spot. For Great Deals on Gear

I normally recommend demoing possible choices. Both canopies have good reputations, and are designed for the same jumpers for the most part. Buying either without demoing first is risking choosing the wrong one, but either (Safire2 or Pilot) is likely to be a good choice. It sounds like a Safire2 139 or a Pilot 132 might be a bit aggressive, given your currency. It's pretty easy to make a big canopy go fast, but it's pretty tough to make a small canopy fly slowly. For Great Deals on Gear

I think you were actually quoting Speedy. I'm pretty sure Ron never posted that people should just look out the door and guess at the spot. You are doing the right thing learning how to spot. It is a valuable skill to have, even if is often not emphasized enough at some DZs. Keep at it. You bring up a good point with respect to not having a windsock if you land off. It is important to be able to look and "see" what the winds are doing under canopy. At the very least, knowing how to spot gives you the ability to be able to see if the pilot's spot is acceptable. If you don't know where the spot should be, you can't tell if that's where you're at. At the most it could save your life. More likely it will just save you a walk now and again. Knowing how to spot is a lot like knowing your emergency procedures. Doesn't come in handy all the time, but when it does it's really good knowledge to have. Don't let anyone discourage you from obtaining and practicing your spotting skills. For Great Deals on Gear

I bet you never liked word problems in math class, did you? What topics in Physics are you working with? There are a number of people on DZ.com well qualified to help you. (Dr.) Kallend and Billvon come to mind immediately, and I believe lostinspace has a pretty good handle on the stuff as well, IIRC. How busy any of them are is a totally different question. Good luck.

I think it's inevitable that our past experiences with people influences our future interactions with people we consciously or unconsciously find similar. For Great Deals on Gear

Regardless on your views about RWS or their marketing system (I personally think they do a damn good job increasing jumper safety overall--not just on RWS rigs), this statement is demonstrably incorrect. Re-phrase it like this and you can see what I mean: ***It's much more profitable to sell a complete computer system with skyhook windows and all than have another company build everything and pay a small royalty for your invention operating system. Not really a fair comparison, as Microsoft does not build computer processors, while RWS does build H/C systems. Besides, in the long run, it is almost always cheaper to buy a Mac.

I must have missed where Ron said "look out the door and guess." Could you please link to that post? For Great Deals on Gear

As you should be. Who do you think you are trying to disseminate good safety information. You should be ashamed of yourself trying to help skydivers live to jump another day. I would be very curious how many participants of this thread could, given an aerial map of a strange drop zone, runway length, a winds aloft report, the air velocity (speed & direction) of the plane on jump run, and a round parachute could spot themselves and land in their intended landing area. My guess is without that pretty green light, quite a few would have a long walk back to the packing hangar. For Great Deals on Gear

The helmet I feel looks the best and the helmet that fits me the best are two different models. This is the case for many jumpers. The best plan is to get the helmet that fits the best. Which of these two that is dependent upon the shape of your head. Try each one before you buy. Aside from fit, I feel the Mamba is better suited for opening the visor with thick gloves, while the Z1 is better suited for opening the visor with a single hand. For Great Deals on Gear