
bqmassey
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Everything posted by bqmassey
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I may be wrong but I thought aspect ratio was related to chord vs span of the canopy and not height vs width of the cells. Can someone confirm? One of us is severely misunderstanding the situation! You are correct, DaVinciflies.
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I've never seen those tackified gloves. What makes this sticky? Is it just the texture, or is there some mild adhesive component on there? Why would you want these for skydiving, just to help grip your hackey?
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Couple of "Classifieds" Suggestions
bqmassey replied to bqmassey's topic in Suggestions and Feedback
The classifieds section is really quite good. The rules in place are appropriate, and there seems to be a good amount of oversight that keeps it free of spam and other worthless crap. There are a couple of things that I think would make it even better. 1. A filter to hide wanted/for-sale posts. I'm shopping for a canopy. It'd be great to turn off all of the "wanted" posts. Similarly, I'm sure someone selling something has no interest in seeing the for-sale posts. 2. On the new ads page, it'd be helpful if the ads were sorted by when they were added. It'd be nice to just look at the top of the list, instead of having to browse through all of the pages to see something that might be new. It looks like currently the classifieds pages rely on the GET form method. It'd be great if any additional options continued to use this (instead of POST), as it allows you to bookmark your search. Just some ideas :) -
Congrats! So, you understand that in a healthy relationship there is some moral obligation seek sanction for certain things, things that the partner might feel very strongly about. It's in that context that I use the word 'allow'. 'Not allowing' implies that there would be some repercussion for the person who's not being allowed to do something. If my girlfriend did something that I was adamantely against, there WOULD be repercussions. By the way you're acting, it appears that you assume those repercussions would be physical or something. (I don't really know exactly what you're thinking). Well, that's incorrect. There are very few things I would physically stop my girlfriend from doing. But, as I said, there WOULD be repercussions. Those might include ending our relationship, not contributing money to her skydiving, not driving her to the DZ. In the context of a relationship, "not allowing" something doesn't necessarily mean "physically prohibiting". "Not allowing" something can be as simple as not condoning or supporting something. Again, if you were to ask her "Would you allow your boyfriend to sleep with other women" she would say "No." Within the context of our relationship, I'm not allowed to sleep with other women. That doesn't mean she's going to chain me to the couch and physically prohibit me, it simply means she will not condone it. She wouldn't give me permission. And there WOULD be some repercussions if I did. By the way, there's a lot of things she doesn't allow me to do. Could I physically still do them? Yes. Do I? No. I'm not allowed to :) You're imagining a dynamic of domination that simple doesn't exist in our relationship.
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No, I'm not. You're assuming that. No assumtion needed dude You wrote that, tell me then how you DONT mean that, Easy. I don't profess that I have ownership over the actions of others. Do you have a significant other Squeak?
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No, I'm not. You're assuming that.
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WTF that's a SLAVE dude, no other way i can see anyone ALLOWING someone else do to anything Man some people have their heads on backwards Wow, you're sensitive. If someone asked "Would you allow your significant other to sleep around", I would say "No, I would not allow her to sleep around". She wouldn't allow me to, either. That doesn't mean I would physically stop her. Get your head out of your ass and quit being a drama queen... OOPS.. I mean drama PERSON.
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There's no way I'd willingly allow my girlfriend, if she happened to become both a skydiver and become pregnant, to jump while carrying my child. No way. I'd be more than happy to not-jump with her for those nine months if that's what it would take to keep her on the ground. There's a lot of things that a full grown human will survive that a fetus won't.
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wingsuiting dowtown chicago transformers 3
bqmassey replied to sbb's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Wow... what an opportunity for those guys! -
I've got no problem with a civilian wearing something to show their support of the military. I wear DZ T-Shirts, and I'm not staff. Same principle. I DO have a problem with people make false claims about being a servicemember. I've had to bite my tongue on several occasions. I have an obligation to be professional, and I know that if I started a conversation with someone who's feigning military service, it wouldn't remain professional. I keep my mouth shut and move out. Some of these guys want attention, others are just sick: http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Serial-military-imposter-arrested-after-traffic-1263778.php pictures-> http://www.georgiapacking.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=49635
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Thanks for the replies y'all! I'll go ahead and just use the times that my alti shows. I didn't know how particular you are supposed to be when you log that stuff, or what the accepted standard is for when the freefall stops. I loaded the profile on to the computer. It's kind of interesting. It looks like it lags a little in starting the freefall timer on the exit, and then doesn't stop it until you're in the saddle. Sounds like it's close enough for our purposes!
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How many jumps did the dude really have?
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No. From the SIM:
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While I was jumping an analog altimeter, I would always calculate my "delay" by taking my exit altitude minus the altitude I waved off at, and using the little chart in my log book. I bought an N3 and put five jumps on it. It regularly shows my deployment altitude to be 1000-1200 feet below my "wave-off" altitude. I'm not exactly sure when the N3 logs the deployment. I'm usually busy with other things right about the time my canopy opens, not watching my alti. So, what is the right way to log freefall time? From exit to wave-off? From exit to container opening? From exit to open canopy? It'd be nice if I can just log the freefall time that the N3 shows in it's log, but if that's not the accepted method, I can do something else.
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I feel the same as several others have mentioned. I feel like both countries are on the same train headed towards the same train-wreck. The US is just a few cars back.
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Post 1st Jump sickness? (Hours after)
bqmassey replied to JesseJumper's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Don't take any serious medical advice from me, but I'd bet that it is entirely due to the emotional and physiological highs and lows you experienced. I felt the exact same way for the rest of the day after my first tandem. I totally crashed a few hours after the jump. Just dog tired. Dazed and out of it. It was a year and a half before I started my AFF jumps, and I had the same feeling when I started again. But it wasn't unpleasant at all. Even still, I get so excited by the jumps that at the end of the day, especially after two or three jumps.... I'm ready for sleep. I usually sleep GREAT after a day of skydiving. Breathing problems aren't uncommon when you first start skydiving. I don't know the science behind it, but I think that your body just doesn't know what to do with itself in such an extreme position. On my first jump I wasn't able to breathe at ALL during freefall. I learned later that I couldn't breathe IN because I soon as I left the plane I took a huge breath and never did breathe it OUT. Your body may react in weird ways when you do something as completely unnatural as jumping out of an airplane. :) Congratulations on your jump! -
I was told by a rigger that an Aerodyne Pilot is equivalent to the next size higher in other canopies. I'm trying to determine if that's true, and if it's safe to consider a Pilot to be a size higher when calculating wing loadings and referencing wing loading recommendations. Comparing the manufacturers' own wing loading charts, the Pilot seems to allow higher weights for similar canopy size and experience level. For example: Pilot 188 @ Intermediate = 207lbs Pilot 210 @ Intermediate = 231lbs Sabre2 210 @ Intermediate = 210lbs So, the manufacturers' opinions about their canopies seem to agree with what the rigger told me. I understand that the manufacturers will judge their canopies different, but it looks like as far as experience level goes, a Pilot 188 may be a closer match to a Sabre2 210 than a Pilot 210 is. I did some jumps on a Pilot. A few weeks later I jumped a Sabre 2 of the same size. They were both fun when flying around in the holding area. The Sabre 2 definitely had a more responsive flare, and I liked the landing better. On the other hand, I liked the Pilot's openings better. I'm wondering if going to next the lower Pilot would give me the best of both worlds. In other words, I'm happy with my wing loading flying the Sabre 2, and wouldn't downsize on it. But I'm trying to determine if flying a Pilot in the next sized lower would be equivalent, as far as safety and skill level is concerned.
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fewer honest gun owners, more people stabbed to death
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I didn't have ONE off heading opening or ONE line twist through all of AFF and well into my coached jumps. Right before my 19th jump, I was talking about with an instructor about line twists. I mentioned that I'd never had line twists, or even an off heading opening. Jump 19 was a coached jump, and it was fun. I deployed the pilot chute and, with no hesitation, got totally slammed. I spun up (not the parachute, but me) and had line twists down to my head, pinning my helmet down to my chest. I could see the ground between my feet, and could see on my altimeter that I wasn't losing altitude very fast, so I figured I'd hang around for a minute. It started to slowly unspin me. After a spin or four, I could get my hands up between my helmet and the risers to pull em apart. I had been bragging about how lucky I'd been for never having even one line twist. Next jump I got line twists worse than I even thought was possible. I learned my lesson: Don't brag about the absence of undesirable things happening to you! Congrats on your jumps! And good job staying calm on your first jump!
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Cool! Great info y'all, thanks. I'll definitely be jumping with hearing protection. I have some washable rubber "ear pro" given to me by the generous Uncle Sam. Should be helpful for now. I may look into getting custom molded hearing protection, as I have a lot of high-noise hobbies.
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I've worried about my hearing as well. I don't have an audible, but am concerned with cabin noise in the plane and wind noise in freefall. Does that give you any issues with pressure changes when you pull them out?
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Completely unpredictable fear response
bqmassey replied to leonard's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
When you're brain is rational, make your decision to skydive. Be aware of when fear has driven your brain into an irrational state, and trust those decisions you made when your mind was rational. "Hack" your mind. This isn't just a skydiving thing. This applies to anything you want to do, but have emotional trouble executing, like for example, someone trying to stick to a diet. When you're not being affected by physiological responses such as hunger, you're able to evaluate yourself and make goals in a rational, stable state-of-mind. When you get hungry, your mind becomes clouded, and you start to make irrational decisions ("Man that cheeseburger looks good. I guess it's not that bad, I should eat it. Just this last time."). The most effective way to fight off those irrational decisions is to expect your mind to flip into that irrational state from time to time. There's nothing wrong with your mind slipping into that irrational state; it's a very natural thing. Expect it to happen and be prepared for it. Next time you feel fear getting to you, tell yourself, "When I was thinking rationally, I thought through this. The statistics are in my favor, and I made a rational decision to become a skydiver." You have to TRUST the decisions you've made when your mind was in rational mode. Expect the fear to creep in, laugh at it when your prediction comes true, and stick to the plan. No. Push through one or ten or twenty times. Push through as many times as it takes to get over this. The harder it is, the more it will be worth it in the end. Once you've overcome this, you'll look back and be glad for it. You'll realize that the lessons you're learning in skydiving can easily be applied to the rest of your life. I dealt with a lot of nervousness myself. It was most definitely nauseating at times. Once you get through being a student and there's no pressure on you to perform, the jumps become a LOT more fun and it ENTIRELY worth it. -
Rules for jumping with a camera
bqmassey replied to xtheowl's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
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Rules for jumping with a camera
bqmassey replied to xtheowl's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
I'm not saying that. Not even close. The point I'm trying to make is that AFF is a good example of just how much you can learn in seven jumps, when those seven jumps are paired with thorough instruction. Your fundamental mistake with this argument is that it doesn't work that way. Lol. I know it doesn't, but this is a hypothetical. I'm trying to break this down for argument's sake. When discussing this, everyone compares a 50 jump POVer to a XXXX jump camera flyer, and that's not a valid comparison to make. So tell me, which is going to be more dangerous to himself and others. Someone doing the same jump they were planning making, but doing it with a camera. Someone who doesn't care if the video includes them looking at their alti, or checking for traffic. Someone who's just using the video to see how the jump went. OR Someone with the exact same level of experience (none), being a dedicated camera flyer for a jump. Someone jumping solely for the purpose of getting cool and dynamic footage. Someone who feels an obligation to produce quality video and photos. Someone who KNOWS that many people will be watching their video. Call it inexperience, but I have a REALLY hard time believing that the latter is safer, considering two jumpers with the exact same level of experience and no training. Exactly! Doing a jump like that safely requires a very high proficiency in flying your body. That's exactly why I feel that it is more dangerous for someone to attempt it without a lot of experience and skill. This is why I'm saying that there is clearly a difference between someone jumping to get to POV footage to document their jump, and someone doing a jump with the purpose of getting cool, fun, dynamic shots. To mitigate a majority of the risks, I think that being a camera flyer should have a very well-developed ability to fly, along with proper mentorship and training, and due consideration given to gear and snag points. I don't disagree with anyone on this. I don't question the 200 jump recommendation for this. Ultimately, what I'm trying to get across is that being a safe POVer doesn't require superhuman flying skills like being a safe camera flyer does. You can do it on any skydive you're already making. It does, however, share the necessity for proper mentorship and advice, and the need to consider gear, snag points, and EPs. I'd like to see classes or coaching available where even low-jump license holders can learn, from a vetted source, what's required to safely jump a POV camera. This instruction about the dangers of jumping POV cameras should include mental aspects (such as the added layer of distraction, fighting the urge to say "yes" when someone asks you to do a jump dedicated to filming them). I brought up the AFF thing just to give an example of how far a student can go in only seven jumps, when the jumps are paired with proper instruction. I think a person, even one with fewer than 200 jumps, could learn to be a safe POVer WITH proper instruction, advice, and mentorship. Obviously they wouldn't have the skill to fly around the sky getting shots for James Bond movie, but they could learn to be safe. -
Rules for jumping with a camera
bqmassey replied to xtheowl's topic in General Skydiving Discussions
Alright, let me get this straight. Take two guys who have never flown any camera before and have no training on it. They have the exact same level of experience (or lack thereof). On their very first jump with a camera... ... one guy, instantly a "camera flyer", gets asked to fly camera for a tandem or to get some good shots of a VRW team for their promo video. He's flying around the sky, sidestepping, adjusting fall rate to get interesting angles, backsliding and then swooping in for a close-up. He's a "camera flyer" and, by agreeing to be the camera flyer for that jump, feels an obligation to get good footage. He's focused intently on framing, and doesn't want to look away from the people he's filming. The sole purpose of his jump is to get good footage. ... a different guy, a "POVer", has been practicing sitflying with a friend. The purpose of his jump is to improve his sitfly. He'd be doing that jump whether or not he has the camera. He's not wearing a camera to serve as a videographer. Getting awesome shots is not the purpose of his jump. He has no obligation to get good footage. Again, these are two guys who have the exact same level of jumping experience and no special training on flying a camera. You're telling me that the POVer, whose camera is incidental to the jump, is the more dangerous of the two? I'm not overestimating an AFF student's skillset. I know that someone right off of AFF isn't a fully competent skydiver. I never claimed that. I'm talking about a student completing AFF and being signed off for "self-supervision". USPA's definition of self-supervision: The point within a student’s training when he has been cleared by a USPA Instructor to jump without instructor supervision but has not yet completed all of the requirements for the USPA A license. I don't find it mind-boggling that you can be self-supervised on your eighth jump (or one your first jump with S/L). You misread my post. I find it mind-boggling that you can go from complete wuffo to self-supervised skydiver in seven jumps, but that it takes an additional 193 to learn to do it with a camera.