Jumpah

I received a new J4.5 in the beginning of Sept and have about 80 jumps on it. The 4.5 is built for a 210 main, and my 190 Saber fits into the D bag loosly and into the container tightly. I also got the spacer foam in the back and leg straps along with the articulation...very happy with it, especially on high altitude hop and pops. Sand on the packing mat tends to get stuck in the spacer foam. It brushes out easy enough, but I bought a packing mat. With sizing, contact Sunpath before placing the order. Although sunpath's website lists a J4.5 for "up to a 210", when I queried them on this (after I received the container) they said its designed for a 190 or a 210. I bought it thinking I could get a 170 in comfortably...and maybe I can safely. Regardless, I like having a 193 reserve and I'm a ways from downsizing anyway. I've had no problems with the rig. I haven't done much freeflying in it, though...maybe 20 jumps. Everything is where it should be throughout the jump. The pilot chute that came with it is huge...easily the largest PC in the packing area at any given point of time. The bag gets pulled out with some gusto...

I agree with this...if your DZ has no fun/up jumpers who will help you learn then either the person asking has a severe personality problem, or its time to find a new DZ. That said...I see no reason someone trying to make a living in the business of skydiving should not be paid to teach packing. Packers, riggers, instructors all gotta eat, too...learning to pack is instruction just like other parts of skydiving.

There are probably more skydivers on the island (or at least skydivers there on vacation)...are there any outright bans on skydiving in Bermuda, or is it just that there isn't a DZ? If permits/permission/whatever could be had from the government, perhaps you could find a Cessna pilot with the proper rating willing to take up a few jumpers on a weekend for pay. In the old days of skydiving (so I've been told), skydivers without a DZ would just go to a small airport and someone would take them for a one-way ride. I don't remember if there is only the one airport there or not.

Just clarifying...this rule is just for the boogie, right? I'm going there after the boogie and wanted to do some high openings at sunset and geek the desert, if possible.

Yup, I think so too.

This is the important question. Skydiving is such a social sport that it'd be a real pity if he didn't take part in that side of it. True but unlikely given his stature in the world. He might want to be social, but it'll be next to impossible for him. The guy is one of the greatest icons in sports today. For him to drive his Buick to the DZ and hang out for the day will be hard on him and the DZ...the press and gawkers will be all over him. This is great, though...great for the sport, for him, and cheers to the OP for keeping this on the down-low. Now I wonder when Nike will buy up PD and introduce their new line of ram air canopies.

See...I like a reserve thats been TESTED

I'd say go for it now...the jumps do not expire, it'll give you some experience you can take into a wind tunnel or something. Also, your tandem jumps count towards your A jump numbers. Some (most, all?) DZs offer a student discount. Plan on spending a shiteload of money your first year, so waiting may be the right idea. You may also want to wait just because an injury could disrupt your schooling.

Does this show do anything original?

Actually I think its right on with the issue here. What would be helpful would be to have more detail on what this "average" skydiver and "average" driver have in common...what age are they, what do they drive/fly, what diciplines are they involved in, is it a coupe or a monster SUV, what kind of traffic are they in and is it a Cessna or T.O. DZ, what are the roads like and what altitude is the landing area, do they drive in the snow or skydiving at night, do they swoop or speed ever, how good are their eyes, do they have medical issues, any physical imparements, mental issues? So...thats hard to put together. But if you knew ALL that, you could take it and apply it to yourself and see where YOU fit in to the grand average risk thing. Insurance risk is based on big averages. The reason your car insurance takes a dive overnight at 25 is because its cheaper for insurance companies to have people who are 25+. Nit pick the "well this is wrong because I do blah blah blah" all you want. On average approximately 1 in 100,000 skydives ends in a fatality. Based on what YOU do in skydiving and how that compares with the AVERAGE skydiver and you can ballpark where you are relative to risk. And every once in a while a big frigging hail storm comes through town and insurance companies fold up like newspaper unless they are reinsured through some Bermuda reinsurance company that employs 20 people and earns a hundred million a year in profit.

Working out is a great idea! Someday you come will be on final and you'll flare but not much happens...the ground is still coming up fast. Your feet will pound in and you'll have to run like hell to stay upright. A few hours a week in the gym doing a total body workout can make a huge difference in how much damage (if any) you sustain from this. If you tumble, stronger muscles protect bones and help keep limbs pointed in the right directions. I'm really interested in a trainer answering these questions (in addition to everyone else). A (serious) "Skydiver's Training Program" would be quite welcomed.

...very true. Letting go of death and embracing life does not come naturally to our culture.

Congrats! Feels good to have your own stuff, doesn't it Show up with beer...one case...bottles (unless your DZ prefers something in a can).

160 jumps, 190 saber1, WL 1.18:1. Only have about 30 jumps on this canopy and still getting used to how much faster I decend vs. the 210 saber1 I used to be on. From 3.5-1.5k I was playing with deep brakes and stalls and forgot what direction the wind was blowing...and then stopped to gawk at the 2-stack nearby. At 1,500 my collapsed slider became suddenly uncollapsed, so I worked on fixing that by removing my hands from the toggles and recollapsing it, not paying much attention to my canopy direction which was running downwind. That was fixed shortly, but I was over forest at 1k, downwind, and descending faster than I could make it home at full flight. I shot East towards the runway (I could make that easily), but then noticed the Otter coming in on its downwind leg. Sure hope I make it to the runway before him...gonna be tight. Well, half-brakes on this canopy with this WL responds a HELL of a lot better than on previous canopies, and when I curled into a ball I made it over the trees with 100 feet to spare and landed in the normal area. 1) Collapsed slider isn't important...landing safely is. 2) Maintain altitude awareness 3) Know your wind direction 4) Otter has right of way

Seriously smells like a scam

Actually I couldn't agree with you MORE. LOL Sounds like they had this in here to do troubleshooting of the device, accident investigation, etc, then decided to list it as a feature. I haven't tried to get at the Vigil so i was unaware it needed to be physically connected. Appreciate the info!

Does anyone have info for extracting data from a Vigil without using the vigil download interface, such as from a iPaq or laptop's IR port?

I'd like to add that I felt the staff was truely there because they loved it. After splitting an hour with a friend, we tried to give the two coaches (who split the hour between them) $20 each...they gave one back and said they would just split the $20. Just an all around awesome place.

Vermont Longtrail...7.2% =) Welcome!

One of our experienced jumpers recently organized a trip in the DZ van with a bunch of us new people for a walking tour of the outs. We walked the landing areas and saw what it was like. He pointed out the various obstacles, suggested landing patterns, etc. I can't say for sure whether this has helped anyone directly yet, but I'm sure it made people more comfortable with the idea of landing out, so I think it will be less stressful when it eventually does happen to each of them. I doubt this is appropriate for first jump students, but at some point a DZ should consider adding this into the training for new skydivers...at least for the ones that haven't landed out.

This one will be funny for a long, long time.

I don't think I would have enjoyed IAD progression. It's freefall that hooked me in the sport. IAD/SL seems lonely. With AFF you are out there with other people and playing for much of it. If your DZ offers a tandem AFF progression you could get the fun of a tandem with the instruction of AFF. Follow what seems like the most fun to you and what you can afford. So long as you are honestly enjoying your time alive it doesn't matter if you are skydiving or boating or sleeping. That said...I've seen you post all over this forum. You are into skydiving so I doubt you are gonna leave the sport. So...shut up and feed the fix, fool.

The possibility that you found your one greatest soulmate match among all the possible billions of mates in the world is exceedingly long odds. You need to decide if she'll ever be OK with it. I feel that from what you've written she's not OK with it...allowing you do do it so long as you never ever talk about may just be her biding time untl she can figure out how to kill skydiving. =) Next thing to think about is whether its just skydiving, or whether its anything that takes you away from her. Jealousy rears its head in strange ways. Figure out what makes you happy and follow through. Talk with her...be honest and open...try to get to the root. I've found that when you feel something you need to discuss it with your partner. It will be a hard discussion I'm sure.

I second that. Dude...you know the right thing to do. Your wife deserves to have you tell your ex off. I look forward to the pics.

I can imagine its an adrenalin rush. I found it felt very strange and wrong to jump without a full face helmet and my booties rolled to my knees. I asked the organizer to be the first out as I hadn't done a H&P for a while. While standing in the door for a poised exit, I looked at him and (i'm serious) yelled "READY....SET.....GO!" and hopped out for my solo. The grin on his face was priceless. In addition, this was the sunset load and that night there was a band playing. I was the last down. As soon as my feet hit the the band started. I didn't even biff in front of the audience!