MagicGuy

I lost my set of keys, which had the only key to my Ford Taurus (I know I'm an ass) and the only key for my SLK230. Fuck you Doug I didn't take them on the plane I lost them at the DZ somewhere. Came back from lunch in which I drove, ate my sandwich, went out to the landing area to watch some people land and then got on the last load of the day. Packed up, got ready to leave and then realized that my keys were missing. Myself, along with the rest of the crew at Connecticut Parachutists looked for the keys for 2 hours. They are officially MIA. I even went back two days later to look in the landing area while it was light outside. No luck. An email was sent out to CPI members to make sure noone accidentally picked them up with their gear. Still no luck. My Taurus is still sitting in the parking lot of CPI. Something kind of shitty... to get a new key made for the Taurus, the car has to be at the Ford dealership. Which sucks, seeing as the only way to get it there is to get it towed. Why is it that I can call Mercedes, fax them my registration and have a new key sent to me a day later, yet a 2001 Ford Taurus must be at the dealership to get a new key. That's garbage. Sorry I needed to vent. Losing your keys blows. I've done it a million times and it finally bit me in the ass. And on top of that, it cost me $200. Ohh by the way, thanks again guys for helping me look for the keys. Next time, I'm giving them to manifest to hold for me so it's impossible for me to lose them.

Hmm.. interesting. So should there be more regulation as far as what type of jumps a newly A Licensed jumper can go on? I know myself that once I got my A License it was like freedom. I was jumping with anyone that I could, from 2 ways to 12 ways. Most of the time there was at least one person with a lot of experience on the dive. But I've been on 4 ways with 3 other people that have less than 100 jumps.

I agree with the poster who mentioned having the fall protection. Being on roofs and such isn't cool for me, but never during a skydive do I get a fear of being up high. Before I ever jumped I thought being under canopy would freak me out because it is SO high up. But it's almost the opposite.. being up that high, you don't realize it much. Mostly because there is a canopy above my head. Same would go with a cliff or something. If I had a rig on my back (BASE, preferable ) I think I'd be fine. No rig, that's a different story.

I'm in a debative mood.. so if someone with 100 jumps is still a newbie (which they are), why are newly A Licensed jumpers allowed to do 4 ways and other formation jumps? If 2 newbies can be trouble, as you say, than what kind of danger is a new skydiver in when they do a 4 way, fresh out of being a student?

Really? I've never heard that. I've always assumed that the Cobalt was a high performance canopy meant only for experienced pilots.

Carried my gear on Southwest, to and from Florida to Manchester, NH with no issues. Only thing they did was run it through the xray machine twice leaving Manchester. Than the TSA guy asked me if I was going to pull a DB Cooper - smartass. I had my stuff in a carry-on size suitcase. I think it definitely helped as opposed to just carrying it over my shoulder. Good Luck.

I drink lots and lots of water daily and I can't even remember the last time I had a headache, other than from a hangover. I also haven't been sick, other than a stupid cold, in a long time. There's no doubt that water is good for you. If anything, there's no reason NOT to drink it.

While I totally understand what you're saying about the person in question and I absolutely agree with you that this is a safety issue and the person should not have just brushed it off as no big deal, I don't think it is fair to label people 100 jumps, coach or no coach rating. I'm enrolled in a Skydive U Level 1 coach course in May. At this point, I have 126 jumps and I will probably have closer to 200 come time for the course. BUT, unlike the person in question, if this had happened to me, (which I hope it wouldn't as I give myself, and ask for, a million gear checks, but anything is possible) I would have taken action to fix it. Not only is it putting myself at risk but it's putting other lives, including the student, at risk. As for people with 100 jumps being able to be a coach.. well, that's debatable. Someone who has 100 jumps over the course of a few years IS a lot different than someone with 100 jumps over a short period of time. I have done my 126 jumps since late July of 2006. I like to consider myself as being very current. Does that mean I will be of significant help to a student in the air? Well, jump with me than you tell me. If I pass the Coach Course than I would say that would be a yes. My reasons for wanting a coach rating are different than some people. I could care less about making money by doing coaching jumps. In fact it's almost the opposite. I'd like to be able to jump with someone that's close to being A Licensed that doesn't feel like doing another 4 solos. I'd like to be able to give nearly A Licensed students advice, and feel like I'm qualified to do so. I'd like to jump with a nervous student, maybe someone who's having trouble staying stable, in hopes to get them relaxed so they can get some REAL coaching. Oh and I want to become an AFF Instructor, so this should give me a taste of what it's like to teach people, and is the first step towards that goal. Anyways, there's my $.02. Agree if you want, argue if you want, it doesn't really matter to me. But in a case like this I think it's different from person to person.

Pack for yourself man. The only way you are gonna get better at it is by doing it. You have your own gear so practice at home. You know how many people would KILL to have their own gear, just so they can practice packing? My rigger purposely wouldn't pack for me. I thought he was being an ass, in reality he wanted me to get better at packing so I wouldn't have to rely on paid packers to do it before me. Plus, I pack consistently every time. Some packers use different techniques. For the most part, I know how that canopy is going to open if I pack it. Good luck man.

I made two tandems before starting AFF. The first one I had complete sensory overload and couldn't stand up for about a minute after I landed. Second was to make sure that I really wanted to continue on in this sport. Turns out I did. Second one was 100 times better than the first because I knew what to expect. I set up my AFF a week after the second tandem. I don't think doing a tandem or two is a waste of money at all. Getting used to the environment without having to worry about deploying and controlling a parachute was worth every penny to me.

How about I just hit you in the head, period. Your being kind of arrogant with your questions here dude. People that buy Mindwarps don't buy them thinking that if they bounce their head is going to be OK. They buy them because it's a low profile, comfortable helmet, great for freeflying, and GREAT at protecting one's head from the little bumps that happen on a lot of skydives. Bumps on the plane, bumps from other jumpers in the freefall. The Mindwarp works great at protecting your head from these every day hits. How do I know? Because I have one and have put 100 jumps on it. Take a look at it and you'll see the evidence of scrapes from airplanes and other things. You are posting statements like "Let me hit you in the head.." without knowing anything about the helmet except for "It's light and I can feel the padding through the helmet!". It's carbon fiber, it's meant to be light. Geez, you're so concerned about what's "cool", wanting to jump with sunglasses and all, that I can't believe you'd even consider a Pro-Tec. So NOT cool Don't knock something until you try it. And if you don't want to spend $200 on a helmet, DON'T for Christ's sake. But don't come on here bitching about it when you know very little about it.

LOVE packing my '98 Tri with is the easy-to-pack ZP. Packs up in no time, it's sweet. I've put about 20 jumps on a Sabre2 150 (Belinda you rock) and man it is a bitch to pack. And it's already got 200 jumps on it. It's definitely on the tight side for my container, but man, what a hassle! The first two jumps I did on it I paid a packer (after s-folding on my own, twice each time with no success) just to watch their technique. I've been using a different type of S-Fold (rolling the canopy? I forgot the name of the method) which gets it folded more compactly, making it slightly easier to get into the bag. Gotta love that Gelvenor ZP!

Yes, in full flight. Wind penetration will probably be less with the Triathlon as well. Could be different because you are loading it higher than I load mine, as well.

Again, broken record, but Wings rigs are ridiculously comfortable. I have 25 jumps on my new (used) Wings and I am in love. Mine doesn't have the cut in laterals but it's still super comfy. Walking around, in the plane and under canopy, it rocks. I believe that the stock containers all come with cut in laterals. The options are listed next to each stock container on the site. And I believe that cut in laterals are still a free option on all new rigs as well. Can't go wrong with a Wings. I'd buy another one any day.

Geez, this seems like more of an issue to me than a 1.26 wingloading on a Triathlon. Seriously, I would reconsider that canopy for something more docile. I have heard more terror stories about Diablos than almost anything else. I have a Triathlon 160 that I load at about .9 and it's pretty forgiving. Very stable in turbulence and for a new jumper, it has treated me VERY well. 1.26 seems a bit high for your jump numbers, but taking into account the fact that it's a Triathlon, it doesn't seem so dramatic. Still, talk some more with your instructors and see what they recommend. They are the only ones who have seen you fly and land your current canopies, and therefore are the ones to determine whether or not you will be OK on the Tri. And of course, YOU are responsible for yourself, so if you don't feel comfortable, stick with the Pilot. I've never jumped a Pilot, but from what I've seen, they have A LOT more glide than a Triathlon, so take that into account when you decide to jump the Tri ;)

I didn't know that it was supposed to be a fashion show Seriously though, a lot of people won't jump with others that are wearing sunglasses because it's just not the same type of vision. At 10 jumps, I wouldn't be so worried about 'looking cool' but instead, staying safe. But hey, do what you want.

I have a Talon 2 from '96 that has treated me great. It's not as old as some of the other gear out there, but I have seen a lot of Vector 2's that are in great condition, perfectly useable. As others have said, Vector 2's especially are not freefly friendly, so just be careful with that.

I was really bummed out about the Winter starting in about November. I figured everything was going to be shut down and I wouldn't be able to feed my fix until Spring rolled around. Well, I've been jumping (almost) every weekend at CPI in Connecticut. Not making as many jumps as I would like to, but with the weather and the short days, I can't complain. Also went to Lake Wales for 5 days and did a bunch of jumps (including my 100th). My home DZ even opened up on a few ridiculously warm weekends to fly some Cessna loads. Winter time has it's benefits. I, too, have managed to save some money so when Spring rolls around, I can make a whole bunch of jumps. Also put together a second rig and got a trailer for this coming season. Oh and lots of tunnel time!! Still can't wait for the warm weather, though.

Was that one of the ones where you have to punch the reserve to get it to open? No cutaways yet, hopefully it will stay that way for a while anyways.

I'm a small guy and I jumped a 260 Navigator for my first jump, Navigator 240s for the rest of my AFF. I weigh around 130 pounds without gear and I'm 5'8. The biggest problem I faced was not getting much penetration into the wind. It makes accurate landings a bit tougher. Just remember that on a big canopy like that, where you start your final approach is probably where you will be landing. Don't fly over anything you don't want to land on! As for the harness itself being too big, that's definitely a safety concern that I would bring up the the rigger and/or S&TA. Just remember, skydiving will always be there and you want to be there to experience it. Don't risk your own safety to get up in the air if you think the gear isn't right for you. Try other DZs! Good luck, and remember, you aren't the only one that has had issues with gear being TOO big.

At 21 jumps I'm sure that you're probably still getting used to the geography of the dropzone and the surrounding areas. I know at 21 jumps I sure was. Study the aerical picture of the DZ a lot to better familiarize yourself with the area. Then think about the winds and before asking where the spot is, tell them what YOU think it is. It's good practice for learning how to accurately spot. As far as that situation, I probably wouldn't have jumped. It's your ass on the line. If I don't know the spot or I think it's a bad spot, I won't jump. But I'm not afraid to ask what the spot is either. Try to have a good idea of what the spot is before you get on the plane to avoid confusion when it comes time to exit.

Nice dude! It gets even more fun from here on. Jumping with other people (besides instructors) is a great time and will give you a lot of experience in being able to stay with other people and such. Have fun and be safe bro.

I've heard a lot of advice. Some of it good, some of it not so good. What you have to do is learn to filter the good from the bad. Even though jump numbers don't always mean anything, you do have to consider that that with 100 jumps, someone with 400 DOES have 4 times the experience that you do. Whether you choose to listen to the advice or not, regardless of what you think, they have more experience, period. I was told by someone once that has 5 times the jumps that I do that I should always finish my flare when I land, regardless of wind conditions. On a moderately windy day, I can have a pillow soft landing by only flaring halfway. Regardless of how much I tried to explain this, he stuck to his guns. So that is a piece of advice, for me anyways, that I will not be listening to. Of course, that's different than doing head-down at 100 jumps, but I can't really talk or I'd be a hypocrite. I was taken on a four way head down exit once at 80 something jumps. I was with 3 other people that have hundreds of head down jumps, and we only held it for a few seconds. I have tried going head down on some solos with little success. But I have always called those freefly jumps on the plane and end up exiting last when I do that type of stuff, with good separation, as to not run into any issues. Ok, so, looking back at my post - don't listen to me, and be safe bro.

Great advice. I know from first hand experience what happens when you do a ton of solos after getting off of student status. You end up not getting your A License until you have 56 jumps

I've gained a lot of patience through skydiving. You can't rush the sport, it has to just come to you naturally. I've also learned that if you want something you have to just go for it. There's a lot more, but it's time for a beer.