Zennie

This one isn't mine, but it's a funny story nonetheless. My rigger (and instructor) used to hang at a dropzone where one day a bunch of folks decided to do a naked jump. Now, this DZ doesn't have a lot of outs. But there is a parking lot just down the road a bit where people will land when they wind up short. Now the pilot, having a sense of humor and all, decides he's gonna spot this naked jump load a tad short. Everyone, does their jump, figures out they're short, and heads for the parking lot. Now the really funny part. It just so happens that this day was Sunday, the parking lot was a church parking lot, and everyone landed right as services were letting out! ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Chad - Oh man, that's perfect. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

My co-programmer went out to lunch a few weeks back with a friend. As they pulled out of the restaurant they got slammed by another car doing about 55 MPH (not sure who's at fault, but he wasn't driving). He's still having back problems and is out half the time because of the pain. Everyday life is a risky activity... ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Mine's pretty self-explanatory and more boring than many of y'alls. In Zen circles, we sometimes refer to people who are into Zen as "Zennies" (kinda like 'Moonies' or 'Goonies', I dunno). Being into Zen and all, it seemed like an appropriate nick. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Go here. The list itself is in PDF format. So make sure you have Acrobat Reader installed. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I've gone out after tandems. But I was dumping high to play around with a new canopy I was considering (and bought). Our DZ generally does the following order (not considering those who plan to dump high): belly fliers, freefliers, students, tandems. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I mentioned Wings to my rigger and he went "AAAGH!". I didn't probe much further (should have) since I was leaning toward a Javelin or Vector anyway. I know some rigs give packers and riggers fits when packing. That might be what his reaction was. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I just bought a Vector III on my rigger's recommendation. The primary advantage was its pin protection. Which is pretty important. I believe the Mirage is the same fundamental design. So it's probably pretty much a toss up. I'm pleased as punch with my Vector, but I have heard a lot of Mirage fans talk about how comfortable their rig is. So it will probably come down to a comfort question. Try both on and see which feels best to you. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

You're right. It stops you faster. I was going off my experience which is that I wait until the very last second and hit it, which usually causes me to plane out. On no-wind or crosswind landings it's hard to run 'em out with my "standard" flare. If you're flaring to early, you don't want to do my method. A couple of suggestions (passed on to me, so I'm just continuing the meme): 1. Picking the time to flare is really a feel thing. One suggestion I read somewhere is to start the flare when you are about the same distance from the ground as you are from the canopy (I actually start a touch lower now, but it's a good starting point). 2. Keep the toggles down until you are at a complete stop. It takes a lot of concentration, but a lot of biffs are caused when you let up right as your feet touch the ground. 3. In a similar vein as #2, if you are at a stop 5-6 feet from the ground, keep the toggles down. If you let up, the canopy will surge forward. Just let it set you down. Ya gotta trust it (I had this problem for a while). 4. Do a lot of practice flares in the air. Get a good feel for your canopy's stall point. I do it 3-4 times every ride. I'm not saying you do any of these, but these were tips I was given and found helpful. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

FFF - Point well taken. People ask how I know so much for such a short timer. Hanging out here is why. Y'all are a gold mine of info! ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Just curious. Have you tried wrapping the brake lines around your hand to get a little extra flare? I've done it when I went from a 170 to a 150 and it helped a lot. Just a thought. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

You got a URL for that? All I seem to find are German sites. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

How many of y'all do this? And how have the openings been (both in terms of reliability & softness)? I know there's a school that says only pack the way the manufacturer recommends (PD is in the pro-pack camp), but if it doesn't cause any reliability issues, I don't see why I shouldn't try it. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Just out of curiosity, could a BOC pouch with tighter spandex help solve this problem? My new rig is looser than the spandex on the rental rigs I have. That of course leads to the question of how tight is tight enough. You don't want it so tight that you have hard pulls, but you don't want it so loose that your hacky can get pulled out by the relative wind either. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I'm sure the packers here can answer the question better than me, but I know they generally get about $5 per pack job. Most of them can easily put out ~6-10 packs per hour. Let's say they pack 10 hours. That's $300-$500, not including tips. But it's hard work. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Well, I can tell you this. It won't change much 4 years from now. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Tanks all! I gotta pay for my jumps somehow! Liz took me out to dinner and I had a few margaritas so I'm feeling all warm & fuzzy right now. I normally don't drink much, but when margaritas are involved... well.. all bets are off. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Sorry Jessica. My condolences to you and all the folks at SDD. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Eh, y'all are a bunch of pups. I turned 36 today. It's just another day like all the others -- other than a good excuse to buy myself new skydiving stuff! ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Please do. I'd like to see it. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Well, a packer should have noticed something odd, but the more appropriate question is who assembled the rig? Kinda makes ya wonder what's wrong with the reserve. But that's a gutsy call SkySlut. I don't know what I would do in that situation. I'd prolly chop it. A rough landing going backwards could really be painful. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I know a guy who used to run a supply boat out to the rigs off the Texas coast (me being from Houston & all). Sounds like it's a pain to be stuck out there for long stretches but I hear the pay is pretty darn good. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

I agree with merrick. Some of the best deals are to be found right here! I found a used Vector III with about 200 jumps for $650. I felt pretty good about the seller so we worked out an arrangement where I sent him half, had my rigger inspect it, and then paid the remaining half after he gave the thumbs up. The escrow service is a good idea as well. FWIW. My rigger was amazed at what good condition the container was in. So there are good deals to be had. You just need to shop around. My entire rig cost me about $3300. That's with a like-new Vector III, a Sabre 150 with 300 jumps and a brand new Cypres & PD160 reserve (from Square 1). Not bad IMHO. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Ah, ya just need to know how to modify it. ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie

Happy belated b-day freaksis! April is a good month for birthdays! ------------ Blue Skies! Zennie