jacketsdb23

Knew Hollister has been escaping the fog. Might just have to make it down that way if it continues. I don't think anyone will escape this rain though. however...I think we might actually get a pond now in Byron.

Weather hasn't been this bad (for skydiving) in the four years I've been jumping up here. Last jump was on December 6th. For those of us not able to get out during the one or two week days its been nice, this is insane. This is not what I signed up for in Cali. Ok I'm done complaining. At least I just bought a house I can paint.

I thought the original customer weighed 85kg or about 185lbs. Surely this is under the 255lbs maximum exit weight? Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

AFFI looks like he could get booted in the mug pretty good in picture 051. I'm a noob in the instructor world but I don't think I'd want to be in that position during deployment. keep the pics coming. these are great Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

I had never heard the sanitized version. I was only aware of the R rated version. there has to be some crazy stories from that place. I googled and found some pictures. This one is awesome! Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Here are pictures of me taking my brother on his AFF Cat. A. He had about 13 jumps in the static line program and airborne before this. But it had been YEARS! I'm in red. Marcel Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

If i'm in freefall with no parachute below 1800' I would go to my reserve, and then readily ground myself until I become smarter. other then that decision altitude is where I decide to land the parachute I have or try another option. 1800' is my general number and i've stuck to that so far. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

I made my first skydive when I was a 2 month new fetus in Ava NY in 1980. My mom broke her ankle and I don't think she ever jumped again. The pilot of the old LAGNAF skydivers was doing a demo for the Oneida Day Care center with my dad around 1984-1985 and went in with a horseshoe malfunction. I believe his name was Walt. This was the first time I witnessed black death in the sport of skydiving. Anyone care to share some stories from your experience in AVA, NY? Would love to learn more about the LAGNAF skydivers. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Yes - i missed that. It was a 7-cell. He never jumped a 5-Cell. Although he had a swift reserve at one point. It was also a PD218 he had. Not a 210. Happy New Year! Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Well I've confirmed its a Wonderhog - about 1980. It has a 5 cell Unit in it and a 26' Lopo reserve. People used to jump that crap? I kid! It was funny I had to call my dad up two years ago and tell him that at 300 jumps (at the time) that I had more ram-air parachute malfunctions then he did when my x-fire 2 spun up and I had my first reserve ride. He says, "you cut away line twists? Pussy" He would certainly jump that Unit over my X-fire anyday. He thinks I'm nuts. In his 180 skydives with a "round" main he had a maywest and baglock malfunction. The remaining 700 skydives with the UNIT, PD210 and Challenger 220 ram air mains he never had a reserve ride. Love the history of this sport and it will always continue to impress me the way the sport has advanced. Big thanks to all those who made what we have now possible. Now if we could just learn how land these little napkins without hurting others or ourselves. Marcel EDIT: This post just made me wonder if we are too nonchalant about reserve rides these days. oh a different subject for a different time I guess. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

So I've attached a picture of me from my 3rd or 4th grade science project. It was on Skydiving. Notice the dope drawings I made with stock PD colors :) I remember my dad giving me an older rig to bring in for the project but I don't remember who made it. Any guesses? I realize its not the best picture. This would have been the late 80's. Abut 20 years ago. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Raising a glass tonight to you Tom. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

1.32 is an aggressive wing loading but not armageddon even at 83 jumps. Stick with the 1.3 for awhile. It can be done safely depending on the pilot/attitude. I did it with a safire 159 sub 100 jumps and it worked out well. I got advice and was 'conservative' with it. Your definition of the word may vary. Stop even thinking about the stiletto for now. The fact that you are asking says you aren't ready. I don't know of many places you would be allowed to jump a Stiletto at 83 jumps. Take that into consideration. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

I believe this canopy is nothing more than a Crossfire 2 with sail material option. I don't believe they have done anything different with the wing design. I looked into this canopy at one point but couldn't justify the costs of a new canopy so I bought a used XF2. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

how does that attach to the riser? I'm not very familiar with wax-cord. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Swooping Tommy D...I've got tentative plans right now to make it to Eloy this year. Besides LP 2007 I haven't made it to any boogies other than Byron, in part because of what happened at the end of 2006. I just want you to know that three years later you are still in my thoughts. miss you my friend. Marcel Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

I was not aware that the XFS had cross bracing on the end cells. Is this confirmed? When I spoke with Daedalus about his canopy there was no mention of cross bracing. They basically mentioned it was the same canopy as the XF with different materials. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Maybe the course was harder because the skills that were needed to properly teach students were kept secret. Only those who had the rating knew what was required to obtain the AFF rating and the new candidates were guessing. Well, whats wrong with having the course material up front? Studying it. Practicing it in the air for weeks/months/years before the course. Learning what skills are required to become a teacher in the sky and then refining communication techniques on the ground with those willing to share their experiences? I'm glad that more experienced instructors are now willing to share thier experience and help teach the next generation of AFF instructors what they need to know. Because someone was given their rating under the old system doesn't make them any better an AFF instructor than someone earning their rating today. Anyone who comes out of the AFF course today thinking it was easy doesn't "get it". Is the course easier than 20 years ago? Shit I hope so or we aren't moving forward. Are 108-way head down formations easier than they were 20 years ago? Of course. It doesn't make them easy. And just to be clear I'm not directing this at anyone in particular. Its just my random thoughts. I don't think the AFF rating was easy. I practiced my ass off and still do every weekend. Its different than it was years ago ( i've been around the dropzone since I was an infant so I've seen the changes) but maybe for the better? Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Yeah...i guess if you haven't been jumping for 80 years and don't have 1 billion jumps you were given a pass for your AFF rating. Give me a break. Are there some people who don't deserve it? Probably. But most of us earned it just like the rest of you. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Hey guys...how far are the entry gates from the end of the pond for the CPC championships? I'm trying to find a layout of the course...I think I stumbled upon it on one of the swoopweek pages but can't find it again Thanks. Looks like its going to be a great week. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

We are holding a canopy competition at the Byron Boogie. $20 entry fee. 5 Rounds. Winner takes all. Course set up attached. Beginner through X-braced canopies welcome and are encouraged to come have some fun! The course is set up with handicaps. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Warning here: I don't advocate doing this... About 15 - 20 of my last 30 or so jumps I have been landing my Xfire 2 119 (~1.75WL) almost exclusively with rear risers. I have done this in varying wind conditions from 30 mph down to 5 - 8. I have become very familiar with rears and I haven't been bitten by the turf monster yet. That being said, especially in our landing area, I would not recommend doing this as I use my feet to slide out landings and adjust pressure on the rears accordingly. These are 270 degree turns to final that I'm doing this and I have bailed to toggles a few times while experimenting with landing with my rears. I would be extremely comfortable landing on rears with my brakes released. If I had one released and one "stuck" I would probably cut the stuck line and land on rears rather comfortably. But this is my procedure, and I can say this because I've been practicing it and I have 800+ jumps. For anyone never practicing it and not knowing how their canopy fly's I would say cut away and land the reserve. Personally - a main that is open and can be corrected with some sort of easy procedure is not worth the minimal risk of a Reserve problem. That is why I practice landings on rears. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

;7;0 Had two sweet freefly jumps with an absurd head down exit, 1 RW jump, 1 Tandem Video, 2 main side AFF's, and 1 reserve side AFF. It was great to take the guys on their AFF jumps. One guy Dennis didn't pass his level 2 but we brought him right back up and he passed the second time. Its great to see the students progression. I love being an AFF instructor! Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Thanks all! got em ordered. Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.

Yeah they should have a couple they can part with huh? Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen God is Good Beer is Great Swoopers are crazy.