MarkM
-
Content
3,000 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Never -
Feedback
0%
Everything posted by MarkM
-
Actually you and Bo were my first instructors back in the summer of 2000 when Charlie was running the DZ. And the both of you really made me fall in love with the sport. I asked about money donations because a lot of jumpers don't have extra gear laying around and would find it easiest to donate a few jump tickets worth to the cause. Plus, money means you get the gear you need directly. Nobody knows what your DZ needs to get going more than you guys do. But you might also want to post a page on your website or something listing the gear you need to get back up and running.
-
Can you guys setup Paypal or something for fire recovery donations?
-
Here's my SV650S http://www.tarsis.org/pics/bike.jpg A clearer picture http://www.sv650.org/pic1/650s_blu.jpg It's a fun little bike. I use it more than my car.
-
There are a lot of different training methods that vary in the number of jumps needed to "graduate". But once you graduate from your training you still need to get your A license which has a seperate complete set of requirements. Some of those requirements may be met during your student training, many will not.
-
"No shit there I was, 5000 feet up and the lines of my chute were all twisted up." "Woah dude, did you freak out?!" "Almost, but then I remembered my training. Like a voice inside telling me to not give up, to keep hope alive, that I would live to see another day.... and then I heard a voice." "Wow, like God or something?" "No. My instructor. Over the radio. Yelling at me to undo the damn line twists." "Oh." "Then I pretty much just kicked my legs a bit, undid the twists and flew it home and drank some beer." Grats on your first "no shit there I was" story. LOL.
-
I did SL up to my 15 second delays, trained for AFP then graduated AFF. I don't really see one training method as being superior than the other.
-
I think the point of limiting wing loading isn't so much to prevent stupid mistakes, but to limit the results of those mistakes. The higher your wing loading the bigger the crater you make when you hit the ground. Education can help and should definately be a part of any solution, but limiting wing loadings on newer pilots will lessen the impact of any mistakes they do eventually make.
-
I was kind of curious about this myself. Also what about the type of canopy?
-
Most countries place restrictions on how powerful a motorcycle you can buy based on how long you've been riding. The US is a bit of an exception and we get idiots buying a 1000cc rice rocket with a fresh license looking to be road kill.
-
I don't think too many people would disagree with that comment. SL better: Slow climbing cessnas that circle up to altitude, might as well dump a student or 2 off at 3 grand. AFF better: Fast climbing turbine, don't want to burn fuel circling around at 3k, might as well throw the student out at 14k with the other jumpers. But that's what a DZO told me once and he was more into the money side of the equation.
-
Do it. Tried hang gliding a little and it's a very fun sport. I think the total course training for that was going to run me 1500 total so I decided to just stick with skydiving for now instead. 500 for a full course sounds like a good deal. If you decide to not take up the sport, it still might make you a better canopy pilot. And it might be something you decide to do in the future if you ever need to get out of skydiving.
-
how many failed aff levels before graduating or so far
MarkM replied to freeryde13's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
It's an expensive opportunity. I was always worried less about the failing and thinking more about how having to repeat a level would mean less money to spend on cheaper dives later. I failed a crapload of SL PRCP, maybe like 5 or 6 of them several years back. But those jumps were only $45 a pop so I didn't really care. But during AFF I was more scared of failing the level than I was of the dive itself. -
I think it has a limit on the amout of people that can use it at once. It's a temp mirror for www.skydivingmovies.com
-
I remember an old joke about female skydivers. Half of them were introduced to the sport by their boyfriends, the other half just broke up with their boyfriends and ended up at the dropzone the next day. But... in the "whuffo world" it seems like most women are very passive. They want adventure, but they want a guy to lead the way to it(hence the first part of the joke). So when you blurt out that you're a skydiver, it puts the whuffo guy in a spot. How's he supposed to be the big adventurous one and lead you on some grand escape(show you the world), when you already jump out of friggen airplanes? For most guys who are used to the usual girls, you might as well lean over and rip off his balls. LOL. I'd swear the above is true, but it's not like I could prove it or anything.
-
Do you know what they're classifying as a "student"? 77% is a lot higher than I would've expected.
-
Rig ??? Should I buy new or used?
MarkM replied to jumpinfarmer's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Well, I kind of went against the norm and bought a new container, though my main and reserve are both used. I bought the rig to fit a 160 main, but it'll also fit a 135. Even though I'd only be loading a 135 at 1.2, I figured a 135 would be zippy enough to keep me satisfied for quite some time when I reach that point. -
I don't think attempts matter, you actually have to deploy on your own. Level 3 for me was a release dive, might be the same for you. I doubt your AFF instructors want to release you until they know for sure you can deploy. After all, you might get away from them. The ground doesn't care that you couldn't find the ripcord. I think it's a sweat deal, but I'd physically practice practice practice pulling on the ground days before you even get to the dropzone. Stuff a washrag in your backpocket and toss it 100 times or something and you'll nail your pull on the next dive. If you do something enough times your body builds muscle memory, the action becomes a reflex. Then it won't matter how freaked out your brain is, your body will know what to do when you think "pull".
-
Well, I thought the main point of the post was not to rush the load, but if you want to nail him to the wall on the Cypres coment... whatever. I'll be in the back loading up the nail guns for you guys to take shots with.
-
This thread has been hijacked for you by... The Cypres Debate. Brought to you by the same makers of The RSL Debate and the Is This Sport Safe Debate.
-
His family needs to get over it and he needs to realize that he's marrying you, not his family. My family was raised Methodist(which I also like, it's just a very easy going branch) and my sister married a Catholic. She converted, but it was done due to convenience. If he's not going to shut down his family on this issue, then what happens when you have kids? Your step parents are going to piss and moan about them also being Catholic. You can't handle that crap unless your SO is going to stand by you and stand up to his family.
-
Eating and f*cking can get in the way of skydiving. Ditch em.
-
Dropzones aren't completely clicky, it's just that 99% of the new people that show up at a dropzone don't become regulars so the regulars don't socialize with them much. But once you stick around long enough to show them you're not just a joy rider they'll open up to you a lot more.
-
I think freestyle is more about hitting certain poised moves, kind of like ballet in the air, where freefly is more about goofing off and just more general head down/feet down flying.
-
Probably not a bad idea. I know the canopy control seminar Brian Germain gave up at the SOBE boogie helped me understand the physics of what's going on in a canopy flight a lot better. The stuff isn't obvious and the knowledge isn't always passed on. On the down side this will mean that the sport will be even more expensive to get into.
-
You're really not supposed to read in bed or watch tv in bed, because it trains your mind to do other things in bed other than sleep.