Chris-Ottawa

Brilliant. Thanks Bill. I'll be putting one in my Odyssey as soon as it's ready, maybe I'll give it a bit of time for field testing on the new rigs first though. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Yep, sure are, and it seems to be working even though everyone knows it's a troll....Humans just can't leave something alone, this guy is loving this. Anyways, that's my rant. On the same topic, I'm at 25 jumps, can anyone recommend a good canopy? I'm thinking a sub 60sqft Crossfire or something along those lines. Wait, VX-39!!! See you in the air!, and probably the ambulance/morgue! Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Looks to hit pretty hard, might hurt the bones, or at the very least, your ego. Plus, you'd be damn dizzy after that! Assuming the load doesn't have some sort of a rotation limiter or something. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, Just a bit of input from a recent grad. I went through through PFF pretty quickly. I did repeat level one, for other reasons. (Had something to do with sensory overload and me not pulling), but anyways, Every PFF jump up to jump 4 made mention of my legs. It's just something that comes with time. You realize how much your legs play in to your stability. I found this out on my last jump. I bought a jumpsuit with booties around jump 10 and have been using it since. I have unbelievable control with the booties. My last jump it was really warm out and I decided to not wear the jumpsuit. did a backflip off the C-205 step and found out quickly that I barely have control without my jumpsuit. I did alot of tumbling on that jump. Good learning experience though. My best advice, just before you exit the door after going through your jump in your head, get out on the step, or door, and when you do your exit count, do ready, Set, LEGS! I used this and it worked great for me. It just gets you thinking about your legs, that's all you have to do. I promise it will come in time as you become more aware of your surroundings as you get more and more jumps. Welcome to Skydiving, be safe and have a blast! Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I'm an AFF graduate. I graduated fairly recently and yes it was costly. I haven't gotten my A yet but I'm just 5 RW jumps away. To get to this point, I've spent about $2400 CDN, not including my recent gear purchase. I should be about $2700 (CDN) by the time I get my A. I think AFF (or PFF for us Northerners) is the way to go. I really didn't enjoy the 2 prerequesite IAD's before starting PFF. It was kindof like an amusement park ride that I got to control. n I really felt nothing for the IAD's. It was the freefall that got me excited, and with PFF you get that much sooner than on a static line progression. My vote is for PFF. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Well, for now I have no intentions of travelling to other DZ's. I don't have the need, nor the cash to go running around. Plus, there's not a whole lot of DZ's around here. So as of right now, I will keep my wide open cozy landing area as I work on my canopy progression. As far as traffic goes, I have never been in the air with more than 2 other canopies, so it's usually uncommon. And as in my prevoious post, if I can't land successfully, or need to make a low turn to avoid someone or something, no biggie, I'll just be in the grass. I do know how to do different (safe+low) turns for avoidance or other reasons, but you're right, I don't know everything, but it's being worked on. I am taking this extremely cautiously and am listening to my instructors the whole way. I really do appreciate your concern and all the advice, and I'm taking it all very seriously. I understand the concequences, and don't want to become a statistic, or become a "told you so" story when I come back to post on here and say I've broken my leg or worse. (P.S - I need to make more jumps on the 150 anyways, my rig is still 2-3 weeks from ready and I'm trying a 7 cell 150 this weekend to see the difference in glide.) Again, thank you! Chris Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey man, I understand you may not have money now, but I'd recommend holding off until you can get exactly what suits your needs and you like. When I bought my rig, I was about to buy a Vigil AAD because it was a bit cheaper and my instructor said, why would you be willing to save $100 on something that may save your life. I was tight on funds, I spent more than I wanted to but I'm happy with my purchase. I was looknig on dz.com for 2 months before I found gear. I contacted about 40 dfferent people for rigs and finally settled on one after making sure it was right. My best advice, don't buy what you can afford, buy what's safe, fits, and then worry about looks/price. Right now you're probably excited to get your own gear, as was I but I recommend holding off, let it sink in and get the best gear to suit you, then look for the best price. I know I've repeated myself in here but I can't say enough that you shouldn't cheap out on skydiving gear. Please also consider buying individual components, rather than limiting yourself to complete rigs in the classifieds. Also, check your local DZ, many people have stuff to sell, or know someone selling stuff. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, The single piece of info is what container size is she buying. (ie NJ, OJK, TJN etc..) Once you know that you can go to the manufacture's site and find out their recommended sizes. If the rig is tight with a 150 in there, a 170 is probably a bad idea. Best thing is to talk to your rigger with these details. For example, I have a Javelin Odyssey OJK, and I have a 135 in there, but there has been a 150 in there. I'd only recommend doing this if your rigger gives you the go-ahead. Chris Edit: Even better, talk to the manufacture, tell them what you plan on doing and if you're buying a rig, they're usually more than happy to assist. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I recently went through AFF and loved it, but I thought I'd give you this advice. You won't have to worry about the ground coming at you because you'll be in a nice strong arch and not looking down. You will be so focused on that Altimeter and what you're supposed to be doing that you won't think of anything else. It'll eb over so quick, you will want to be back in that plane to go again before your feet touch the ground. I say, go out, jump, and you'll have a blast. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Para, Sky and Cloudi, I have heard this before and put alot of thought into it. I jump at a very small DZ and everyone has a close eye on me. My exit weight is 140lbs, I weight 115lbs. I am constantly talking to my instructors, rigger, and other DZ people. Everyone says I am doing really well. The day I jumped the 170, it was a bit windy so the landings didn't seem much quicker than the 210. This sunday when I jumped the 150, it was definately much quicker as there was no wind, but I felt as though I had more control and flare than I was used to and felt very comfortable with it. When I brought the toggles to my shoulders and stopped going down and started surfing, I knew when I had to flare. It really just feels natural. If I do not feel comfortable jumping something, I will simply not jump it. I rarely, if ever have to deal with canopy traffic as our biggest plane is 5 passenger and I have just been doing hop/pops to try out the new canopies. I have been well warned about jumping small canopies and take every bit of advice I get as seriously as possible. I have also read all the articles about progresion and the effects of W/L at different sizes of canopy. I know that a 210 at 1:1 and a 135 at 1:1 will be completely different and the 135 will be much quicker. My landing area is an airport, so I have no need at this point to try and manouver into a small landing area, If I can't land close, I land in the grass and walk back. No biggie. All I have to worry about is nice easy straight in approaches. Since Day 1, in all 25 jumps I have stood up every landing, just once it was wet out and I slid a bit and put my hands down behind me, yet I still stood up. (I realize the hands things was a bad idea, I've broken my wrist snowboarding doing the exact same thing, but it's a reflex I have to get over) I promise everyone that I am following my instructors religiously. If they say No, it doesn't happen. I am taking this sport as serious as I can. I really do appreciate the concern, and trust me, I am only doing what I feel safe. I am always open to constructive criticism though I always bring thigs like this up to my instructors and ask their opinion, or get their ideas. I'm probably a pain in the ass with all the questions I ask. Chris *EDIT: My container (Jav Ody OJK) I bought should fit a 150 in there and that's what I'll probably do as my rigger has a 150 ghe offered me temporarily. My main reason for going down in canopy size is so I can stop borrowing other people's gear. I hate doing that because I interrupt their jumping. Another thing to note, I am jumping every weekend as to stay current and I am only working on canopy progression, I am not doing anything else on the jumps. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Thanks for the input everyone. I've got my answer and it was the same as I had suspected. It was good to fnid out about the pop top creeping. I got a PM and a post about this. That is mostly what I was trying to find out. Issues like that which would cause someone to have an opinion on the javelin like that. My Jav is gonna be with me from jump 25 and beyond!!! Can't wait until I get my Cypres back from 4 yr and I can jump my rig. Been working on canopy progression just so I can jump my rig. Started on Manta 288's, did 4 jumps on a Silhouette 210, 2 on a Pilot 170, 3 on a Sabre2 150, and I should be able to jump my Spectre 135 as soon as I get it all back together. (My exit weight is 140 lbs) Very excited customer!! P.S. - Highly recommend the Pilot. Amazingly soft openings. Snivel is a bit long (6-700ish ft). Really fun to fly even considering how lightly loaded it was. Thanks again Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Thanks for the reply Sid. I'm with you man, I don't give a damn what they think. I was just curious why they may get that perspective on it. I know everyone has their opinions on certain rigs and that's great. My first choice was actually an ICON or a Wings, but got a sweet deal on a Jav. At no point in time did I contemplate not jumping due to safety. There are many other Jav's and Odysseys at my DZ as well. The only rig I haven't seen there is an ICON. I'll take a look at the movie and I also never really thought about that, but less flaps could let that pilot chute out quicker. Thanks again "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey Guys, I have recently purchased gear and ended up getting a used Javelin Odyssey (2003). I know the Odyssey is a VERY mainstream rig and I'm perfectly comfortable jumping it. Now, I've been getting some flak from some of the guys on my DZ about the rig. The rig is brand new basically (55 jumps). The flak I'm gettign is about how the reserve pilot chute is exposed on the rig as compared to a Mirage or Vector. Honestly, I could care less, but the only reason I'm curious is I was wondering if there is any documented incidents or personal experiences with the pilot chute getting exposed or being deployed on a Javelin. I can't see this being a major issue at all or the Javelin wouldn't be a mainstream rig. I'm just curious if anyone has any helpful info or personal experiences. I've also seen mention on the formums about closing the flaps on a Javelin so the pilot chute is not exposed. I'm pretty sure this would violate all safety and TSO recommendations. Please indulge if you have any input. Thanks so much Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I usually do a few jumps per weekend, since I've got my solo I've slowed down a bit. I just bought gear too. I started skydiving 2 months ago and I now have 25 jumps and all my own gear cept' a helmet which I'm working on. Between training, fun jumps and gear, I've easily spent about 7k. The costs are extremely high at the start, but they level off eventually. next year, it'll be just fun jumps and catching up on my debt from buying gear. Can't wait! Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

It's falling. But..... An airplane will fall too without a power source. I seem to remember someone attaching rockets to their legs and "FLYING" a wingsuit. (See: www.birdman.com). You are flying your body, you may not be flying and sustaining or gaining altitude, but you are able to make horizontal movement across the ground hence flying. Driving is also making horizontal movement - Travelling, and the same relationship you could say running is not travelling, but it is. So the final answer.....BOTH. You are falling and you are flying. Just like an airplane will if it doesn't have thrust. I was watching this thread dying not to jump in, but I couldn't resist. No one is wrong in the thread, it's all subjective! Have a good jumping weekend boys and girls, I know I will! Skies! "When once you have tasted flight..."

It wasn't horrible, I basically only had to pay taxes. on a $2800 rig I got dinged: $20 Duty and $440 in taxes Sucks but I can't exactly change it now "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hello, I just bought a rig from someone in the US and I'm in Canada. The sale went very smooth. AS I was told by alot of people, the skydiving community is so small. If you are willing to steal gear or screw someone over. Their skydiving days are very limited. See: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2298885;search_string=david%20leif;#2298885 That guy probably isn't very popular I can imagine. Basically he borrowed a canopy, used it to pay his DZO outstanding dues. The owner got the canopy back by the use of these forums. Everyone knows someone who knows you, it's pretty safe, but I do recommend going how others have stated. Do what you can to check out the seller, call his local DZ and ask about him, Use paypal etc. There's a bunch of things you can do to prevent things from going down. As for me, the owner was very trusting, she sent me her rig, I liked it, I paid for it via money order. This is all happened last week. Hope everything works out for you, be careful of duties and taxes etc, I got nailed pretty good! Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, Thanks for th correct wording. That's what I've heard too but what I'm curious is if there is a number or even a way to figure it out like what Aerodyne Uses: Pilot Planform 6 Mamba Planform 22 "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey everyone, I recently got my new Spectre and can't for the life of me find out what it's planform factor is. I've read it's not rectangular, but definately not considered elliptical either. I was wondering if anyone know the planform factor, or can give me a better idea to look. I've searched the forums, google, PD etc. Thanks in advance! "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey! I just bought a used cypress and I understand a bit about the maintenance process. Basically a Cypres 1 has to go for batteries every 2 yrs and scheduled maintenance every 4. Batteries can be replaced by your rigger. Cypres 2 has a 4 year maintenance for battery and scheduled maintenance. So overall maintenance costs go down. As for price, you can go to: http://www.cypres-usa.com/usedcypres.asp The pricecs for battery($70) and maintenance($160) are also on this site. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hello Justin, The neptune also does this. That is why I started the post. The only thing as far as I can tell is the fact that you're getting a downloadable log, and alarms on the neptune. Hence why I'm confused, I just want something to log my jumps so I can see speeds and freefall times. All 3 devices do that. Pro track has a couple of extra pieces of data, such as average ff speed in first and second half of freefall. Looks like I'm gonna pick up a VISO. "When once you have tasted flight..."

That's what I though at first too, but when I went to L& B this is what the ad says ISO™ Software & functions * Stores up to 10 minutes of profile data from last jump * Displays Alti-Meter and Speed-Meter details from exit to landing * Records and displays jump information about the last 200 jumps including exit altitude, deployment altitude, freefall time, max. speed in freefall and max. speed under canopy * Choice of readings in feet or meter and mph or kmh "When once you have tasted flight..."

No input from anyone on this? Wow, haha. "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hello, There is some new light that I was unaware of. Someone fresh off PFF after jumping Manta's, not a chance in hell I'd recommend, nor would anyone else recommend a 135. I didn't know that this thread was regarding an incident. There is alot of responsibility and it's not all the student's fault. The student made a big mistake, but I can attest, it's not "ALL" his/her fault. I know I was very inquisitive and found things out that I wouldn't have if I did not ask. So the fact that the student may have been naive can disclude him from some blame. That being said, when he was told by other people on the DZ not to jump it, that puts "ALL" the blame back on him. The person selling the gear, should have some common sense. Obviously like CD said, responsibility is between all of us to withold. Why would you willingly sell someone gear to make a sale, knowing that it is not entirely safe for them. You are only hurting the sport by doing that. Then you'll be the first one to bitch when some new regulation comes out restricting parachute sizes or something. Just imagine, no more than .75 Wing Loading until you have your D license. Would that ever go over well!!! haha. Anyways, enough of me ranting. It's common sense, save the sport so everyone can enjoy it. Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."

Hey, I am completely on the side of safety, but wanted to pipe in a bit here. I just bought beginner gear from dz.com, haven't even recieved it yet. I weigh 115lbs and spoke with my DZO, rigger, and instructors before making this purchase. I would have never bought this unless they OK'd it. Given that info, I originally picked out a Sabre 170 and we all agreed that it would not last me long. I've stood every single landing since day 1, minus my tandem. My instructors said I will be fine under a 135, with a good progression. Currently I have 20 jumps, and they said as long as I'm landing the 170's and 150's Ok, then I should be able to jump the 135 in about 40 jumps. If I do not feel comfortable at that time...I won't jump it. My container I bought will also fit a 150, so if it came down to it, I would just sell the 135. I did not buy an elliptical either, I'm smart enough to avoid that. But I put an ad in the classifieds looking for gear and had more than a few try to sell me Stiletto 135 and 120's. Not interested, I imagine I'll be under my 135 for a long time to come. So in the end, I don't think a 135 is a newbie canopy. I think it is a canopy that is sized for a small person, capable of handling it and not trying to swoop or be stupid. I think the people around him/her should be the ones that can decide if a 135 is right. That's my 2 cents since I'm in that exact scenario Chris "When once you have tasted flight..."