MarkM

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Everything posted by MarkM

  1. MarkM
    I'm betting they started doing it after some incident where they got sued for a particular reason. They may have even won the suit, but if you can make the waiver as rock solid as possible it could make it easier to have a judge throw out the suit to begin with. Getting sued is expensive even if you win.
  2. MarkM
    Check out the other DZ. If nothing else, it'll give you another perspective to base your opinion on. But students shouldn't be getting bumped for a tandem at a good DZ.
  3. MarkM
    Graduate off of student status and you can jump solo at your dropzone without supervision. Travel to another dropzone and then you will need your A license to prove you're able to jump without the aid of an instructor.
  4. MarkM
    I still haven't even seen a picture of one of these suits. It's like they're shipping out of area 51 or something.
  5. MarkM
    The last time I saw someone hit hard I was pissed. It was the day after Gus died, the media was all over the sport and the last thing we needed was another fatality that weekend at a DZ down the road from Deland. And the guy in question had no business trying to do what he was doing.
  6. MarkM
    How much are rentals, $20 a jump? That's 2k in cash for those 100 jumps to rent gear. It'd be much cheaper to buy a used container that fits a 190 perfectly(so you're not killing yourself on it while learning to pack) then turn around and sell in in 100 jumps for maybe $100-200 less than what you paid for it. Then you'll be sitting on a 100 jumps knowing how to pack pretty well, knowing more about gear in general, ready for a 170 and a new container that will fit a 170 through 150(which will last you awhile). You can spend the money you save on a container on a brand new AAD which you can move from container to container.
  7. MarkM
    Damn dude that's... I dunno how to even phrase it.
  8. MarkM
    Gawd, like, skydiving is so 90's. Haven't you seen the Mountain Dew commercials? It's all about skateboarding today.
  9. MarkM
    Personally I think it's the fries and cokes at fast food joints that's the killer. I mean, how is a mcdonalds hamburger any worse for you than one you grill at home?
  10. MarkM
    It cuts both ways I think. Attractive women often get more attention, get asked on more complex dives, get lots of free coaching, etc, but at the same time I think they can be also less respected as skydivers unless they're one of the well known skygodesses in the sport. Also, everyone gets asked onto dives that are beyond their skill from time to time.
  11. MarkM
    0 due to crap weather and I'm really missing the nylon crack.
  12. MarkM
    Hornets were made by PISA who also made the Tempo reserve and it's a lot like what the Pilot(and sabre2) is today. Hornets were pretty popular with a small group of skydivers because they were dirt cheap and fun to fly. PISA was eventually bought out by Aerodyne(who makes the Pilot) and they handle all the support for the canopy now. They're no longer made however.
  13. MarkM
    Depends what you mean by "check". I usually fully inspect the container each jump morning for cuts in the harnesses and bad stitching. I check my pin before donning the rig prior to a jump. I check my PC before boarding the plane and prior to the door opening. I check my chest strap sometime during the plane. I also check my cutaway and reserve handle to make sure they're not loose. Every so often I also check my rapid links to make sure they're not coming loose(found one bent open once) and undo twists in my break lines. I'm not religious about the above but it's what I usually do. I don't ask for pin checks and don't really pay much attention to the color of the kill line showing in my bridle window.
  14. MarkM
    Where you the one that landed dead on in the peas Sunday morning? And grats on the license.
  15. MarkM
    LOL, good example. I wonder if the next step for containers will be to go stock with all the features and sizes. Looks like bird-man is doing that with the PHI to keep prices down and I think the Pheonix Fly prodigy is the same way. Then again, I should be one to talk. My Mirage has 3 tie dye color patterns on it and all the trimmings.
  16. MarkM
    I didn't major in physics but I'm pretty sure the rate of downward acceleration (i.e., the rate at which you lose altitude) is unaffected by the forward speed of the aircraft; you accelerate earthward at the same rate no matter whether you're in a forward-moving aircraft or a stationary balloon. Any engineers out there want to weigh in on this? I'm not an engineer, but I did camp out on a DZ over the weekend.... And forward speed opens parachutes just as well as downward speed. I have some nasty bruises on my arms from doing just that in a wingsuit over the weekend.
  17. MarkM
    No no no. Hire a personal videographer to follow you around and record your life events. Organize the tapes into a cryptic system that uses jump type, formation, who you were with, and jump number using an outside reference book written in an arcane dead language. Bind the book in nylon and avian feathers. In your will donate all your wealth to a foundation that will ensure that future generations will study and reflect on all the jumps you did.
  18. MarkM
    If Sang had the time I'd imagine he could do some real interesting results like this poll based off our profiles. Take users who've visited in the last xx months, canopy type, wl, jump numbers, etc. Maybe even turn it into a dynamic script with selectable fields for dz.com members who want to see what the avg wl for saber 2's or average jump numbers of those flying them.
  19. MarkM
    You may only be going a few mph downwards the second after you leave the plane, but the plane(and you) are going forward at a decent clip.
  20. MarkM
    Wow what an ass(the instructor). Not only does he bitch someone out for not having the proper letter to perform a stunt, but he gets it wrong too. My first ever jump was a SL hop and pop from 3k.
  21. MarkM
    I used to have a dream where I needed to use a gun, but didn't have the strength to pull the trigger. Pretty freaky one, happened quite a bit. I think the ole brain is trying to work stuff out with ya dude.
  22. MarkM
    No problem, I like the discussion on this stuff because often I may not know what I think I know
  23. MarkM
    I'm pretty sure you used to be a S&TA. This kid walks up to you, has 30 jumps, asks what he should do if his alti stops working after leaving the plane. Is worried about the tandem coming out behind him. What do you tell him: pull when his mortal danger sense goes off, pull when he thinks he's at about his normal pull altitude, or pull higher than that and just fly the canopy down?
  24. MarkM
    Nah, it's all good. Trust me, if it was really an argument a greenie would be in here and lock the thread fairly quickly. We're just picking over details on an internet forum. Probably the best thing to do with DZ.com is to chew over the posts, think about the different opinions and how they apply to situations you're in, then ask and talk about the stuff with your local instructors. There you see? That was our plan all along. You just asked about audibles and we've brought up all sorts of questions about seperation, exit order and pull altitudes you can bring up with your instructors. Are we good or what?
  25. MarkM
    My comment was that pulling high in an emergency situation shouldn't be an issue because of horizontal separation. Why complicate the situation for a low jumper who probably won't be able to remember what the flight line was, probably can't back fly worth anything and probably doesn't have the awareness to see other jumpers in freefall that he's not right next too? Your altimeter not working and you have no other reliable means of telling altitude? End the skydive. You look down and your reserve handle is flapping around and working itself free? End the skydive. You look to the side and your main risers have worked themselves free and are flapping around wildly? End the skydive.