LloydDobbler

Interesting thought. Cedartown's elevation is 974 ft. Depending on this guy's home DZ, he could have about 500 feet of variance in elevation: Mile-Hi - 5052 ft Boulder - 5288 ft Canon City - 5439 ft So if we take the highest one of those, ~4450 AGL is the number I come up with as where the unit would think the ground would be. (or ~4075 if the jumper jumps at Mile-Hi). But that's ground level, not firing height. Of course, as we all know, pilot chute hesitations & other things (density altitude, etc) could possibly affect an AAD fire, so it's all speculation until we see the actual data from Vigil. I just thought I'd throw those numbers out there, in case anyone wanted to play with them a little more. Signatures are the new black.

In addition to what they're saying, just be aware that the DRX *may* not be available for retrofit on Mirage rigs built before it is released. I have no particular basis for saying that - it's just been my experience with more than one gear manufacturer that some 'extras' require modifications that make it impossible to change it up after the fact (or at least, difficult enough that they choose not to do it). Bottom line is, if the DRX is a deal-breaker for you, consult with Mirage about it before pulling the trigger on the rig. Don't assume the DRX will work with your current rig when it finally comes out - it might not. Signatures are the new black.

Dude - now I'm getting tired of this. I throw you a bone to try and see your side of it, and then you go and stick your head up your ass again. It seriously does seem that you're simply out to defend ASC, no matter what - and avoid anything that doesn't support your way of thinking. Instead of addressing Andy's firsthand accounts - the likes of which have been backed up by multiple sources, both skydivers and non-skydivers - you avoid the topic (or even better - you attempt to discredit the source). Is it that uncomfortable for you to think that ASC might have some skeletons in its closet? Odd that you were just talking about how things aren't black-and-white, yet you seem to have a pathological need to see the staff at ASC as wearing a white hat. Sure, there is something to be said about 'consider the source'...and the Farm is a competitor of ASC's...but given the previous behavior of the people who own ASC, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if that sort of thing went on. There is such a thing as 'guilt by association', and in this case, knowing what I know firsthand about Skyride, I'm inclined to believe every word that Andy said. And by your choosing not to address the issues, but rather trying to discredit the person discussing them, that makes you even less credible. This whole thing reminds me of an incident that happened while I was in college - a brother of the fraternity next door got drunk, angry, and backhanded his girlfriend at a sorority party. Within the next few minutes, all hell broke loose. The sorority sisters wanted this guy's blood. The entire party emptied out and marched down the street to the guy's frat house...where the whole fraternity (including some who were there when it happened) was defending the guy. "My bro wouldn't do that." "She's lying - it never happened." etc. Nevermind that hundreds of people had seen it. "My bro told me he didn't do it, so I've got his back." Unfortunately, the circling-the-wagons tactic worked - the lynch mob died down, and the guy was safe (well, for the time being. The girl was a little sister of another fraternity, who beat the snot out of him a few days later). But the point is, when my fraternity brothers and I discussed the whole thing the next day, I realized that if I had hauled off and hit my girlfriend, my own brothers would be the first ones to beat the crap out of me. And I'd do the same to one of them. Because circling the wagons doesn't help the person being encircled...and more importantly, it shows no respect for them. (Guess that's the reason I chose to be a member of my fraternity, instead of the follow-like-sheep fraternity next door.) Dude - I'm all for you standing up for your DZ. And I'm sure there are a lot of great people there. But at least do them the honor of addressing things head-on. And if you're fine with those sorts of practices, hey - fair enough. But don't keep burying your head in the sand. Signatures are the new black.

Yeah, it's obvious that this protects the DZO from reimbursing for stills should they not come out. I suppose I should have clarified - Having never shot stills/video for a tandem, I have no idea if the stills fail more often than video, so I'm not sure of the justification behind this sort of arrangement... Signatures are the new black.

Interesting...I just noticed our DZ's policy on it for the first time the other day. Apparently, our DZ only offers video - still are 'complimentary', and there's a sign in the office informing tandem students of that (i.e., if the video fails, you get your money back. But if the stills fail, sorry, you're out of luck.) I thought it was an interesting approach - haven't seen it anywhere else in particular. Nor have I ever shot tandem video/stills, so someone else can probably give a more certain answer as to the reasoning behind it. Signatures are the new black.

Please forgive the OP - he doesn't speak English too well. It has something to do with groundhogs and sniffing glue, but that's as far as I got. Signatures are the new black.

Well-said. Signatures are the new black.

Hey, Brett - We've talked before, and I still find you one of the most straightforward people from ASC I've spoken with online. As I said in the past, I appreciate your actually engaging in discussion, instead of the sophomoric approach of the majority of the ASC peeps we see on here. I think that with the exception of a few vehement people, most of the posters on this board have nothing against the people at ASC. Heck, I have more than a few friends who've called ASC their home at one time or another. I'm sure the people there are great, and I wish them no ill will. (I'm sure the DZ is a great place, too - because a DZ is more about the people than it is the facilities or jump prices). However, as you mentioned above, the ASC & Skyride profits go to the same place. And I refuse to give the people who put together Skyride any of my money. [Gross exaggeration here, to make a point] If Adolf Hitler started a non-profit organization to educate underprivileged children, I wouldn't donate money to them. I'd send my money to another similar organization with less-shady ties.[/grossly exaggerated analogy] So should one of my friends ever invite me to jump at ASC, I won't join them...unless the ownership has changed to someone unaffiliated with Skyride. It seems like a contradiction - I don't wish any of the staff/instructors/jumpers at ASC any ill will. But I hope like hell their dropzone fails miserably. I can see as how that message could easily get confused or internalized...but it's not intended as a personal attack. I guess what it comes down to is, we're arguing the same thing. You're saying, 'The people at the dropzone aren't the people you should be pissed with'. And (with some exceptions) we're saying, 'The people at the dropzone aren't the people we're pissed with.' The difference is, you don't seem to have an issue with giving the people who own Skyride your money...whereas we do. The problem is that most people from ASC have 'home DZ pride', and would take offense when I tell someone that I would never jump there because of what Skyride has done to skydiving. So while I can separate the two entities, it seems like the people who jump at ASC don't know how to not take it personally. It puts me in an odd place when talking to an ASC jumper - I won't support your dropzone, and will discourage others from jumping there. But I'd love to jump with any of you at another non-Skyride-owned DZ, any day of the year. It's nothing personal - it's just business. I'm not trashing ASC - I'm trashing the people who own it, and trying to make sure people understand that whether they patronize ASC or Skyride, their money's going into the same pocket. Signatures are the new black.

I was just reading through this thread thinking that. The ripcord pull sequence I was trained on (counting to 5): 1 (wave 2 (reach) 3 (pull) 4 (check) 5 (check) I'm going to start adding the 'check, check' to my EPs that I go over on the ride up. And Tom makes some excellent points re: it being a 'lost skill'...we're coming across a lot of those these days, eh? (Spotting...?) One question: given that stability is a key component to pilot chute hesitation, does it not seem like this discussion thread is somewhat more applicable to experienced jumpers in total malfunction situations? If I'm an AFF-1 student going through a Cypres fire at 750 feet, I'm more likely to be a bit unstable already than someone with 4000 jumps in the same scenario, right? (Although students *can* be stable...and the experienced jumper might be struggling like hell at 750 feet. But still.) OTOH, if I'm hanging under a reserve and arch as I pull silver, I won't likely be completely belly-to-earth before my reserve pin has been pulled, will I? Won't it take a couple of seconds for the arch to affect my head-up orientation? Just curious... Signatures are the new black.

Well-said. To the OP, if you can get to a tunnel, do it. I had no idea how inefficiently I was using my legs until I was able to fly face-to-face with a tunnel instructor who pointed out how I *should* be doing it. Signatures are the new black.

I beg to disagree Lloyd. Using flash is the first mistake if the OP wants this to rank in any of the search engines. secondly, there is not even a page title for the homepage or andy meta information. Thirdly, the other content on the site will probably not get indexed as its not on seperate URLs.... Trust, me, I'm with you on the Flash. I'm a web standards geek, myself. Never touch the stuff, except as accent work. Although I do know a few designers who work primarily in Flash/Flex and know how to get it indexed...but as I mentioned, they report that it's buggy, and even if they show up, they rarely make it to 1st page SERPs. As to your 2nd and 3rd points, you went above and beyond. I merely glanced at the first few pages, then got annoyed with the Flash and left. I didn't even notice the separate URLs bit...

Yeah no kidding! I called Wednesday afternoon....nope no can do we are all booked up call us tomorrow! I called Thursday.....nope no can do! Booked! Man that sucked! And I had three other people who wanted to join me! Well, bummer. Guess we should have also recommended that you schedule in advance - calling the day of/day before is usually not good enough at ANY wind tunnel, much less AZ's. Hope it works out better next time. You'll definitely get a lot out of it. Signatures are the new black.

Well-played, sir! Signatures are the new black.

I used to say the same thing...but then learned the value of it. When you're jumping on a windy day and coming straight down, that 'looking down at where you're going to land' forward perspective doesn't work quite so well. A trick I learned was to glance to my side at the windsock. Once I saw I was coming in line with it, I knew it was time to start my flare. To the OP, however, that might not be the best approach. Best talk to your instructors and people who've seen your landings. You'll dial it in, eventually...we've all been there, and all have some dirt/grass stains on our suits to prove it. Signatures are the new black.

I agree. I feel like this whole discussion is somewhat akin to the 'Should someone with 25 jumps get a digital altimeter?' debate. My take on that one is that both sides make great points, but ultimately, it all depends on the jumper in question. When I got my rig (at roughly 50 jumps), I bought a used rig with dual pillow handles. I felt somewhat comfortable in that it's a V3 Micron and the reserve pillow thus has a stiffener in it - it's much easier to grasp than the standard cutaway pillow. Reason I chose to stick with soft handles? Safety. I knew I wanted to get into freeflying (amongst other things), and I could easily imagine someone pulling my reserve in the midst of a funky sit-train exit. I looked at the pros and cons, and chose the setup I felt offered the best insulation from 'issues' based on my type of flying. Interestingly enough, lately I'm thinking of switching to a low-profile D-ring. This comes for a number of things I've learned/seen since my initial rig purchase: - I've looked at them, and they seem like they're out-of-the-way *enough*. My type of flying has changed. While I still freefly on occasion, I spend much more time flying wingsuits and 4-way FS lately. - Speaking of wingsuits, I like the idea of being able to hook my thumb into the reserve handle should something go wrong. Part of my reasoning being... - I witnessed a no-pull fatality where finding handles was an issue. So I'm likely going to switch back on my next repack, and go with the low-profile D-ring. But my main point is, I don't think there's a right answer for all jumpers. There seem to be advantages and drawbacks to both types, and a licensed jumper should be allowed to choose what's best for them. I'm incredibly glad we have dealers like Gary out there educating the newer jumpers to the arguments they may not have considered. Signatures are the new black.

I'd be interested to see where those hits were coming from, given that you chose to design the site in Flash. In spite of Google having released their SWF algorithm, most people I know still find it to be buggy and less-than-ideal. But you obviously know what you're doing on the design front, so I assume you know what you're doing on the SEO front. (And I agree with kelpdiver re: shutting it up. That's pretty damn annoying). As far as the rest of it goes, you've posted that they apologized to you. But now you've decided to leave the site up until, what, they offer you a public apology? Here's the thing: there's a certain point where YOU start coming off as the asshole, and I think you crossed that threshold a while back. You look really sophomoric at this point, and by not saying anything publicly (thereby letting you rant and rave and dig your own hole), they actually wind up looking better/more professional. There's an old saying about getting into a fight with a pig.... You could have made so much more of an impact by stating the facts and then letting it go. By making this an emotionally-charged vendetta, I think you'll lose all relevance, credibility, and sympathetic momentum you may have once had. But that's just my opinion. You're welcome to make this the hill you choose to die on...I'm just growing so weary of hearing about it. Signatures are the new black.

Woo-hoo!! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the footage & what Jarno puts together. Heck, I might even show up in a few frames... Signatures are the new black.

I'm with you on this one. The other bit of convenience (not sure if it's been mentioned) is if one of the TSA-minions-on-a-power-trip insists on popping my reserve. If I have a gear bag, at least I can bundle it up a bit and secure it, instead of having to walk around with a bulky spring-loaded reserve PC and a freebag that wants to fall out. & I'd much rather pay for another $60 reserve packjob than pay $25 to check my rig in a plastic bag and trust that the airline isn't going to screw up my rig, then offer me $500 for it (or whatever their maximum assumed liability is). Paying $10 for a cheap gearbag doesn't seem like that bad an idea, when you consider the 'what could possibly go wrong' factor. Signatures are the new black.

I think it would depend largely on a number of different variables. Specifically, the jumper in question (who's a bundle of variables, themselves). When I moved from analog to a Neptune at around 40 jumps, I found it much quicker to read. Possibly because I spend 5 days a week looking at digital words on a computer screen...possibly because it's just me. When I added a backup analog to my mudflap mount, it took a little adjustment but I soon got used to where the standard breakoff & pull altitudes were on the altimeter, spatially, when viewed from that perspective. Having recently shipped my Neptune back for repairs, I'm back to an analog on the wrist. After 5 jumps, I still find it incredibly slow to read, and I'm SO looking forward to getting my digital back. I guess my point is, it depends on the person. Personally, I think both analog and digital altimeters have their drawbacks, and both types can be dangerous for students and newly-licensed jumpers. It's six one way, half-dozen another. And while I can somewhat understand requiring a student to stick with the same thing until licensed, after that, personal preference should be the only deciding factor. Signatures are the new black.

Dude, honestly - it cracks me up that someone with your audacious lack of grammar skills is correcting Billvon's capitalization. That being said, I sympathize with you. Even though I wouldn't have waited 18 months for a rig, for some reason you stuck it out, and you AND your dealer got screwed. That sucks. It's a crappy situation that I wouldn't want to be in. But I also can't say I WOULD be in it. After reading the reviews, I stand with Bill - it seems like this sort of thing has been going on for years, even before the bait-and-switch deal they offered you. Doesn't make it right...but it does mean you should have had some indication of what you were in for, had you done your research. I hope you get your apology...but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Signatures are the new black.

Hold on a second...& here I thought there was only ONE tree in Kansas... Signatures are the new black.

I'm also a big fan of the Colorado tunnel. The instruction can't be beat...it's powerful enough to do 4-way VRW...and it's small enough to force you to fly really tight, while being big enough to fit everything in. (My 4-way team recently flew the AZ tunnel, and we were amazed at how much faster we turned points thanks to the extra 2 feet. Had we not been training at SVCO, I imagine we'd be in the habit of flying a little more sloppy). All that Jennifer said re: the costs and things to do in CO are also spot-on. And again, the instructors are the best I've encountered (out of the 6 US tunnels I've flown). The one drawback I'd say would be Mile-Hi. Sometimes getting on a load over the summer can be difficult, even with 2 planes running. You might want to call the DZ & ask them if they can accommodate you, just to be sure. Signatures are the new black.

Bryan's post triggered another thought - For Collegiates, the USPA has an official 2-way dive pool. I can't seem to find it posted anywhere online, so I'm attaching it for reference. (We used this dive pool, slightly modified, for the Summit Challenge tunnel competition in January). You can use the attached dive pool to make your own draw (of, say, 3-4 points each round - just write the numbers and letters on slips of paper & draw 'em out of a hat). Then just get out in the air (or in the tunnel) and work each one. No matter what the drill, begin by focusing on positioning - work on flying your slot and taking soft docks. Then as you get more comfortable, you can work on flying a bit more aggressively and cranking up the speed. Signatures are the new black.

Another question: do you wear contact lenses? I find that Gatorz (& other form-fitting shades) don't work as well for me, thanks to the contacts issue. Still, if you're looking for sunglasses, I'd recommend Gatorz and Liquid Eyewear. Liquid in particular (at least for me), because they have some add-ons that make them a little more airtight. I'm a big fan of the Sorz goggles, myself. But it all depends on what works for you. Signatures are the new black.

You can send the CYPRES back to Airtec/SSK and they will change it to a swoop mode one for you if that is what you need. For free! Or I can just press a few buttons (also free, with less shipping & downtime )...and then change it back to standard mode if I decide to sell it to someone with 75 jumps, for some reason.