Zennie

That is a badass rollercoaster. The only thing that sucks is the wait. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Apparently private messaging is still broken... OK, I've been following your threads fairly closely because I jump regularly at Spaceland and know you (I'm Ted in the real world) (and so does skycat). I've also kept my mouth shut because, quite frankly, this whole affair has got me totally befuddled because what I'm hearing from you is totally different from the Tiffany I know. I'm going to labor under the assumption that you are in fact Tiffany and not someone who has hijacked her account or otherwise impersonated her. In any event, if what I'm about to say sounds harsh, I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscience stay silent anymore. If you have an issue with anything I'm about to say feel free to ask me at the DZ. What I'm about to say is not meant to be a personal attack. [sermon] Preliminaries out of the way. I'm going to chalk your statements up to you being a newbie in these forums. But the people who you are mad at are people with far more experience and knowledge than you or I. When Lisa talks, I strongly suggest that you listen. I respect the opinion of pretty much everyone here. Everybody here is what I would consider a student of the sport, regardless of jump numbers. And FYI, jump numbers don't mean anything. I know people with sub-100 jumps who know a heckuva lot about the sport and others with over 500 jumps who need a proctologist to find their head. Everybody here is saying the same thing, yet one person (the identity and experience level of whom you haven't told us) has told you that going from... a. A square to an elliptical (and not just any elliptical, but a high-performance cross-braced elliptical); and b. A wingloading of ~0.89 to between ~1.23-~1.79. is no big deal. I, and everyone else here, submit to you that the person telling you that is either yanking your chain or has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. My guess is it's probably the first possibility. Paula, who has approximately 400 jumps, is now transitioning from a Sabre 120 to a Stilleto 120. And, having jumped the Stiletto several times, she understands that this is a big change even though the canopies are exactly the same size. Now if you want to chalk me up as yet another one of the clueless masses who doesn't know you or your canopy skills, so be it. I made what I consider a fairly aggressive canopy choice going from the Sabre 150 to the Jedei 136. But I demoed canopies, talked to people, know what I'm getting into and respect the hell out of that canopy. It's my ass in that harness and if I screw up, which is entirely possible, it's my own damn fault. But I am also actively seeking advice from many experienced canopy pilots and taking their advice to heart. You might want to put your ego on the shelf, not be so defensive and do likewise. The people here know what they are talking about. [/sermon] "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

I still love rollercoasters. Especially the rickety wooden ones. Those are the best! They're fun. Gotta agree that bungee is way scarier than skydiving. At least for me. Now I did bungee before skydiving, so maybe order has something to do with it, but I was far more scared doing bungee. The ground is a lot more real at 175 feet as opposed to 14000. Serious, serious ground rush. I'd like to do it again to see if I feel the same way having skydived. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

You're obviously not married. Wives know everything.... I actually have a line on one and I'm seriosuly considering getting it and hatching some sort of scheme to be plausibly absent some night. No. I haven't done it because I fear the beatings from my wife far more than anything that might happen on the BASE jump itself. I know why people BASE and I find it appealing. I just can't (at least not openly) and keep my marriage intact. Maybe it isn't for others, but my marriage is very important to me. That's a different issue than "whuffo you jump off dem antennae?" "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

If you could guarantee I wouldn't get caught by my wife, I would. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

This is pretty much my take. I always try to explain as much as I can: a) To maybe have at least one more whuffo in the world with a bit more understanding; or b) Get someone to try their first jump. I've never got the "you're crazy" thing either. I usually get "You must really be into adrenaline rushes." So I say "Nah. If I wanted adrenaline I'd BASE jump." So of course they ask if I would and I reply "Absolutely." That's when they think I'm crazy. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Ski trip!!!!!! "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Too many haiku. There's no way in Hell I can Possibly catch up! "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Not to mention the rest of your jump buddies in the plane that you just destabilized even further. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

So you're going to be out there tomorrow (Sunday)? I'll be there. Might even tempt you with some Dark Side-ness if you're so inclined. If not there are lots of great RW folks I can hook you up with. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Wrong helmet. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Lessee... what have I given up? Lots of money and.... lots more money... "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Hrm. I dunno, but Liz read it and started chasing me around the house going "Come here Papa Smurf!!!!" "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

I used to be an avid hunter and gave it up for pretty much that reason. I just didn't see the point of it. I really didn't see any need to be killing something that wasn't posing any threat to me. I have lots of friends that hunt and if they want to do it, fine, but I just can't do it anymore. That's where I'm at with things. YMMV. I do like to go out to the shooting range every now & then and target shoot. But that's about it. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Heh. Actually I have on a few openings where the end cells didn't inflate evenly. So I reach back, try to steer the thing back on heading and "WHOA Nilly!". Felt like I was on a rodeo ride. You're right, lots of oversteer. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

The Las Vegas Gravity Zone is prolly about 1/2 hour south of Vegas. It's run by the folks who run the Flyaway wind tunnel in Vegas (right next to the Riviera). If you can't make it to the DZ I would recommend doing time in the tunnel. Eeven though the air there isn't as good as Orlando's, it's still time well spent IMHO. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

The warning label is really faded. The DOM is definitely Dec. 1996. The serial number appears to be 966, but the last two numbers are hard to read. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Nah, just kick him in the nuts. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

AggieDave has superpowers beyond any human comprehension. His "Meteor Sit With Gravity Boost" is a marvel to behold! "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Not having flown a Stilletto, that is pretty much its reputation. But part of that is just the nature of an elliptical. It will be much more responsive to toggle inputs. I liken going from the Sabre to the Jedei as going from a Taurus to a Mustang. The "Mustang" will be much more sensitive to steering input and braking. I'm loading my Jedei at 1.4 and when I crank down on a toggle, I wind up swinging out above the tail of the canopy. That took some getting used to. Not sure what you're experiencing with the flare, but in my case I'm finding that I'm working the flare too fast and wanting to set my feet down long before the canopy is done flying. So I need to learn a bit more patience. The flare is much more subtle. In addition to working on approaches & landings, I'm also working on collision avoidance up high. Specifically, braked turns. I'm thinking also weight shifts in the harness might also be worth exploring. Maybe even a combination of the two. What you *don't* want to do are toggle turns down low. You might be able to get away with that on a Sabre, but on a Jedei (and a Stiletto) that sucker is gonna dive and you'll most likely end up broken or worse. Ask some of the swoopers for advice. Chris Miller is really good about giving pointers if you ask him. I've also talked with Derek a lot. If you want his email, I can give it to you. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Because he wanted to be part of a chicken wrap? "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

OMG! That's the funniest thing I've read in ages! I'm still pissing myself! I just have this mental picture of a giant chicken swoop, an explosion of feathers and a big SKWAAAWKK!!! "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

The spinning back kick was quite impressive. Didn't know bears could do that. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

Actually the parent company is French. I think technically I work for Air Liquide America. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

I knew someone would come up with a crack like that. But yeah there is plenty O' methane on jump run. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."