Bill_K

I would recommend a stronger epoxy. Do you have a local hobby shop? They may carry some two part finishing resine. It's a 60 minute setup, 24 before you can sand it and pretty bullet proof type stuff. you could use plain old fiberglass over the joints. Just thin the resign with 50% dentured alchol and spread it on the joint area and out about 1", then lay the firber glass cloth over the joint. Then you can use a foam brush or even a finger to spread and smooth the fiber glass down. Between the epoxy on the joint and the added fiberglass you'll have a VERY strong joint when your done and without a huge weight hit.

DSE, what type of epoxy did you use? Do you have any CF fabric? If you put a light code of epoxy on and then lay the fabric over the joint and then use a foam paint brush dipped in rubbing alchol you can get a very, very strong joint. That's how I repair CF landing gear on my RC Planes. It's the same method as laying up fiberglass for working with that sort of thing. BK

When did you learn how to do those Andy?

Congrats and thanks for your service to our country!!

Hey Gato, keep the faith man. For shits I just went back and looked at my first 6 months in the sport; I made 10 whole jumps over that period. In the 18 months after that I have made 197. It has been a slow and steady rise month over month. I will hit my two year mark on the 15th of this month. It does get better and better. BK

Being a very, very new WS flyer I'm not really qualified to say diddly, but I can tell you this much, I preferred the Aerobat over the Prodigy that I jumped this past weekend. I ended up putting five on the Aerobat and only one on the Prodigy. The Prodigy just felt twitchy and unstable to me. I like the Aerobat because I could dig my toes in and really drive the leg wing out and the wings felt more rigid and stable to me. At times on that jump with the Prodigy I was slightly afraid that I might end up in a spin or just generally out of control. I waited after that until I could go back to the Aerobat and just kept jumping that as time and other student needs allowed.

Thanks!! It's like this, in return for allowing me to be at the DZ for the last 6 or so weekends straight, most of those from Friday through Sunday, I agreed to take her and my 3 boys to Tybee Island for a mini family vacation. Actually I suggested it. This weekend we have a new little one due, no NOT mine, our sister-in-law and my wife wants me close so we can go see them (Chattanooga, TN). Next weekend Tybee and then after that we have our anual pumpkin carving get together. (Chattanooga again) I am going to try and sneak away one or two Friday's during the month to fly though. November I'll be back full force... Starting with the halloween boogie and I hope that there are lots of WS's there. Maybe some demo's again too, hint, hint!! Still looking for a used WS somewhere... I guess I should give it a day or two... off to post a wanted ad in the classifieds now...

Great pictures!! Looks like a good time. I was fortunate enough to get 6 WS jumps this weekend and on Sunday Scott came in and flocked beside me, then turned on the gas and showed me how that Aerobat can really fly. Dam I'm hooked... last jump of the day for me yesterday Scott took a 5 way flock out. The base took of and left the other 4 of us, so I became the base. Was cool seeing Scott so close. He even bumped into me once. Very, very cool!!

I was not there and on the plane so I won't comment to what happened on the plane... I will remind though, who ever the pilot is that is flying he/she is the PIC. Per the FAA regulations he/she is in charge from the moment those engines start turning for the purpose of moving that plane with the intent of flying it until they stop turning when the plane is parked back in it's spot. I'm not defending anybody's actions one way or the other, just saying that when we signed the wavers at (insert any DZ here) and get on that plane we are voluntarily placing ourselves under the PIC's direct control and are his/her responsibility until we exit that plane. If something happens it's his/her license that the FAA is going to come after, not mine. I am speaking as both a fellow skydiver and a commercial / CFII here.

Hey all you other birds, I know there is another thread running, but I just had to unload my bird shit and figured that I would start another thread to do it in. I'm still decompressing a bit here so bear with me... First of all, Scott, you ARE my crack daddy now!! Second, I need a fix...!!!!!! You put on a great course. Thanks for putting up with all my questions, you truely made the course and first WS jumps a joy!! I had fun if you could not tell; though I doubt that was the case. I very much second the statement that Chris made in the other thread about the emotions and Marion can bare witness to that were running through me big time. I was nervous, anxious, and more than a little scared on the ride down to SDA on Saturday morning. Not as bad as AFF level 1, but dam close. I've been reading and watching videos for some time and driving those at SDA nuts. You see at the beginning of September I was shy of the 200 number by 31. I made it a goal to have my 200 in so that I could take the course. A by product of this is that my 2 yr anny in the sport is coming up. At the beginning of this year I had made a new years resolution of having 200 and my C license by Oct. 15th. This helped to serve as the catalyst to get me going to get it done. Last weekend I made my 31st + plus another skydive of the month and my 200th total. This weekend, I made my first 6 wing suit jumps and managed to pass my C test too. Despite Woody's attempt to grade it against the B test key. (Thanks Sandy for rescuing it!) Needless to say I'm more than a little hooked. I wanted to make sure that I had the numbers recommended and I am soooooo glad that I put in the effort as I feel that it made the wing suit stuff that much more enjoyable for me. What a feeling the first time I opened my arms and those wings started flying and then on the next jump when I started getting into the suit and the noise level started dropping and wow... I can go on and on. Dam I need a fix and it's only Monday and who knows when I'll be able to get back to the DZ as Oct. is family month for me... sigh. I'm hopelessly addicted. Ok, I'm done now... BUT in closing, to all those that read this, I NEED A FIX!!!! Who's got a GTI, Classic or Tony Suit Aerobat that will fit a guy 5'8" and around 185+/- 10lb that I can have for cheap?!?!?!?!?

I feel as though I received top quality instruction from you this weekend. Thanks, Scott! It was fun flying with you today. I haven't been that nervous on a plane since night jump #1. But after exiting and spreading those wings I was just smiling and feeling exhilarated. What a great experience. Chris Ah... DITTO!!! I got flocked too!! Thanks again Scott, it was great meeting you and flying with you. Can't wait to do it more... a LOT more!

Thank you very much DSE, I'll play with those things and see if I can improve and continue to learn.

Thx, what do you mean by SFX? On the credit's, I agree 100% they seemed ok last night, but they are sloooow today. Gotta fix those. By slowing down the shaky section, do you mean slowing the play rate through that section? Any suggestions for music?

Here is a first pass attempt. This was from my 200th this past Sunday. There are a couple of things in it that I don't like, so I'm going to change them. There also is no music set to it yet. I'll probably add some more footage from right before the hangers got to the formation as well. I'm totally using this as a learning experience.

A Classic Thread Worth Posting a Link to Again ltdiver That is a great thread, thanks for posting it!!

I think Phil is saying that the biggest risk of camera flying can be more mental than it is physical. Regardless of how good you can fly you can still allow the camera to occupy too much of your brain - it can happen to all of us, I've heard stories from the best guys, with 10,000 photo jumps, of it still happening. I can completely understand that. I was just trying to be careful with my first post - I'm in total agreement with the 200 recommended minimums. I just found it funny that I was so focused on trying to be part of a nice successful skydive that I went to the other end and totally forgot about my camera. Hope that makes sense? I sure don't want to come across as anything, because in my mind I'm still a newbie in this sport with way, way, way to much to learn to consider myself anything but.

Some of my most treasured skydiving memories have come from 'late afternoon' jumps like that. So peaceful and relaxing. Just an awesome way to end the day...

I went back and reworded my first post several times before posting it. I agree 100% and I did wait until the numbers recommended before I began. I've also been sure to get coaching to try and make sure I give myself every chance of not getting hurt or hurting somebody else. The one thing that it has shown me is that I still move around a lot in the air (little subitle things that need improving) and I have a lot to learn about flying my body better. I can see very much why it's important to wait. And I'm glad that I did.

So I bought a used Rawa two weeks ago (thanks again John if you read this) that just happened to be in my size and happened to be for an earlier model of the camera that I already owned. I was/am on cloud nine. I made my beer jump with it on Saturday a few jumps before my 200th. So then the big 200 comes along on Sunday and we have this 6 way hybrid planned with a 7th shooting video from the outside. Both the hangers off the 4 way base have cameras and I was going to have the angle from in the base. I'm thinking this is going to be totally cool. We go nail the dive, have lots of great video from the other three, and then it's time to look at mine. Yep, got so wrapped up in the skydive I forgot to hit record. I just had to laugh. Was sure one fun skydive though, very, very fun in fact. I can't wait to get my copy of the video that was shot, I'm going to create one video out of the three to give to all the people that were on the jump. We had my 200th and another guys 400th on that jump. That made it even cooler... in my book. Just thought I would share. I was so wrapped up in the moment that instead of focusing on the camera I was so focused on the other that I totally forgot that I had it on... sort of.

Michael, One of my best friends in this sport had two cut aways in the first I believe it was 35 or 40 jumps she did. She now has close to 400 and is a fantastic skydiver and coach. Keep the faith, it sounds like you did everything right. You have something I don't yet, and at times I still let it f with my head some too. In some ways your lucky, you got to answer that question early in your skydiving career. Now you know how you'll react and that your reserve is there and works!! Take care, blue skies and stay safe, BK

My home DZ is in Tulsa. The students do pushups on the first error and I do the pushups with them on the same subsequent error. We have fun with it and they learn. I was just mess'n with ya. I actually get to jump with the airborn instructors at my home DZ. Kewl dudes... at least to me, but I would hate to be a student there...

Ah thanks Coach Laura!! With a last name that begins with K you can guess where I was growing up... right in the middle...

Yup, no peel/punch down - pushups. No Arch after EP's - pushups. Lemme guess, your home DZ is Ft. Benning? I guess if they look at you funny they are doing pushups too?

You also need to learn how to alphabetize. name? How about: "Iboughtmydegree" "Stayoffthegrass" Now you know why I want a cool online name yours there DandyAndy. See if you were something like AndyDandy or something wacked out like that, then I would not be at the top of the freak'n alphabetized list; as it stands right now anyway. Then maybe it would be ok. However; seeing as "The_Don" started it out of order I felt it only wise to follow his lead!! He is after all "The_Don"!! Oh and for other reasons that we won't go into.

Ok this question is very direct as I've not been able to find an answer here or via Google... yet anyway. Does anybody here know or have first hand experience using either a Cookie or BoneHead cut away system on a Rawa? I bought a used one here on the classifieds and am looking forward to beginning with it, but I want to add a cut away system for sure and sooner rather than later. I don't want to let complacency set in and not do it. Thx, BK