AllisonH

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Everything posted by AllisonH

  1. AllisonH
    My entire knowledge of non-euclidean geometry is that angles of a triangle don't add up to 180... Edited because my fingers apparently work faster than my brain
  2. AllisonH
    I guess that depends on whether or not you believe in non-euclidean geometry?
  3. AllisonH
    I do online tutoring (through www.tutor.com, but there are several companies that work similarly) for extra cash. I can schedule my hours weekly so I can get more hours on light weeks and fewer or none if I'm really busy. Doesn't pay great, I think I get around $11/hr, but it's super convenient and keeps my brain from turning to mush.
  4. AllisonH
    Skydive Tecumseh hasn't had the Otter since last spring. I'm not sure where it went, but Tecumseh now has a Caravan which is spending the winter in Austin.
  5. AllisonH
    Remember also that most containers will easily/safely hold 2-3 sizes of canopies. As long as you don't buy a container that the 210 fits "loosely" in, you'll have no problem putting a 190 main and possibly even a 170 (depending on container and canopies, etc) in it. That way you'll only have to change main canopies, and if you buy them used you can likely sell the larger one for close to what you paid for it if you don't put that many jumps on it. The container manufacturer or your rigger can tell you what size range of canopies will fit into whatever container you're interested in. I've downsized twice in the container I got right after I got my license and all 3 have been within the canopy range the manufacturer recommended.
  6. AllisonH
    I agree, I was fortunate to be taught a decent amount about financial responsibility from my mother, but many people aren't. I think a course in basic personal/family finance should be mandatory, either in high school or before you're allowed to get your own checking account or credit card.
  7. AllisonH

    What do you do?

    AllisonH replied to pop's topic in The Bonfire

    I'll play... I was born in South Carolina, lived in Kansas for a while, and am now in Ohio. I'm a bit over halfway through a PhD program in exercise physiology and hope to teach at the college/university level when I'm finished. I also tutor math online for www.tutor.com. For the moment I'm a poor college student and spend pretty much all my money on jumping/tunnel/traveling to jump, with just enough left over to pay rent.
  8. AllisonH
    I would suggest doing a practice test, briefly reviewing any topics you didn't do well on, and taking another practice test. I didn't do much in the way of "studying" but my score went up a good bit between my 2 practice tests, and I think even a little more when I took the real thing. For me it was more about being comfortable with the format and getting my mind back into the standardized "test taking mode" than about reviewing much content.
  9. AllisonH
    Any idea what day(s) each event will be held?
  10. AllisonH
    Yup, we did a urinalysis lab in my anatomy & physiology class, and they gave us big red cups that we had to pee in every 30 minutes for 3 hours!
  11. AllisonH
    No, nothing nasty like removing bone
  12. AllisonH
    I flew on Wednesday and Sunday, and my experiences with airport parking, shuttle, security line and timeliness of flights both directions were all better than the last time I flew (about a month ago on a Thursday evening). I didn't check luggage this time around, but I walked by the line and it didn't look very long either.
  13. AllisonH
    I keep my packing tool tucked into the back of the mudflap of my rig not so much for the rare way-out landing with no ride back (in which case I could probably close my rig with a shoelace), but so that I won't lose it in the packing area or my gear bag between jumps. I've managed to keep track of the same one for 2 years, so it works pretty well for me.
  14. AllisonH
    Hi Greg! If it weren't all cold and yucky outside I'd jump with you - I'm guessing we'll have to wait for spring for that though... Hope you have a good winter and get to some warm places to jump. I usually try to get somewhere every month or two with whoever else wants to go, so let me know if you have some time to explore Florida, Texas, California, etc.
  15. AllisonH
    Tecumseh's prices are pretty much average for AFF training. Their website, www.skydivemichigan.com, has price lists for both AFF and IAD training. IAD's cheaper, but both offer discounts if you prepay. If you have any questions about it or have trouble finding the info you need send me a message, I work there. They'll be closed for students until the beginning of April, but they do return phone messages in the off-season.
  16. AllisonH
    I put mine in my checked luggage. Every time I've had weights in my bag, my bag has been searched (TSA puts little cards in there to tell you), but everything has always been put back into my bag and arrived at my destination without incident. I check them partly to avoid the hassle from security and partly because they're heavy and I dont' want to carry them everywhere. I'm short and my rig is heavy enough to maneuver around over my head in the plane without adding 5-10 pounds of lead!
  17. AllisonH
    We had at least one person still on student status take Brian's class this year. She learned a TON from it, and Brian went up and did some of the drills with her since she couldn't jump with non-instructors yet.
  18. AllisonH
    Yes, I will be there the entire time and I will be taking those qualified on their First Flights. Should I expect to see you then?
  19. AllisonH
    Will there be demo suits and instructors at the Holiday Boogie for first timers?
  20. AllisonH
    Yeah, Ryan texted me a picture of it! I'm not worried about it, we have hotel reservations.
  21. AllisonH
    I'm going, but I know several of my friends are not because they said it was too cold the last couple of years.
  22. AllisonH
    Why? I think because when I first started jumping it I had a lot of other crap going on and wasn't paying as much attention to landing as I should have been. I didn't have BAD landings at the beginning, they just weren't the feather-soft kind I generally get now.
  23. AllisonH
    That's interesting - very different from my experience. I load my pilot 132 somewhere around 1.05 to 1, depending on lunch and lead, and one of the things I really like about it is how soft the landings are. It did take me about 30-40 jumps to figure out just how to land it, but now the landings are fabulous unless (sometimes even if) I do something really dumb. All the more reason to borrow/demo any canopy you think you're interested in before you buy one! I had a demo of a Safire2 last summer that I let 2 other people put a few jumps on. 2 of us hated it, the other loved it. Just have to try a few until you find the one that feels right to you.
  24. AllisonH
    I also had success with taking an extra second on the strut. It's different at every DZ so definitely check with your instructor, but what I did was after my instructor gave me permission to go, I took a second to look back up at the wing above me, take a deep breath, and think about my arch before letting go. Whatever solution you work out with your instructors, I wish you the best of luck!
  25. AllisonH
    While I would also interpret things to mean an 8/95 Cypres is good through 11/07 (although I realize my opinion means nothing!) I'm guessing you'll have a hard time finding a rigger who will pack it since it expires before the repack would.