SkymonkeyONE

Me, Matt, Mark, and a bunch of others just did a blistering flight down, around, and through canyons in a massive towering cumulous cloud right over the dropzone. It was fantastic! Lots of tall clouds to play with today. Chuck

Is he still possibly working on his helmet? Don't sweat it, bro. The real men were here flocking it up at Z-hills. Sincerely, Chuck and Omar

If Keith were not gay, he would be getting a TON of pussy. He's a really nice guy.

Every bit of that info is also archived right here on this site. Just do a search.

I like it best both directions, just like they generally do it at the Ranch. I shows that you can throw turns both ways, or that you can modify your one turn (like me; I only turn right) to make it both ways. Old PPPB meets used to be the same way. One run downwind left (for example) and one run right, into the wind. Chuck

I must quantify our choice of purchase by saying that it was only $3.85 a CASE in the PX. A quick, cheap drunk at the end of the day.

If CurrentTV is an additional logon for Jim Slaton, inc, then I am going to delete it. I would much prefer all you users to stay with one username. Signing on under an anonymous username with no profile info just to make one more post directing people to Jim's site is a bit much. As I have said before, feel free to continue discussing this topic right here, where it originated and where it is sure to get the most timely responses. PS: Additionally, there are more than a few of us on these forums who are/were district organizers for the CPC. I can promise you that I know the rules and so do the other guys posting with authority. I don't know about the rest of the guys with such experience posting here, but I do know for a fact that it is simply not a big deal to setup a carving speed course, then use another set of straight gates for both distance and zone accuracy. Ultimately the three basic courses that the CPC tenants were based on are: carving speed, distance, and zone accuracy. Granted, I am one year out of the loop now, but I never competed in or ran any sanctioned event that had a straight speed course. That is swooping professionally under three banners: ECPA, PPPB, and PST. That is all the Jim/Reggie, Jim/Lyle, Just Jim, and then Jim/Lyle again evolutions of "professional" organizaton. I give a rat's ass what I get stuck doing as a Professional, but I truly believe that CPC guys ought to be tested on the skills that the organization was originally based on. Carving speed is by and far the most technical of those events and I find it a bit outrageous that guys are not having to display that ability at the championships. Particularly when, like many in this thread have stated, that is the one event that they put the most practice into. I don't get it. The test to prove your worthiness for Pro qualification involves navigating a carving speed course. That has been written in stone for some years now. Judging by the current "news flashes" from whomever is spamming this board with additional info about the event, the top ten guys are all going to get Pro cards. Odd, seeing as how they will not be demonstrating their carving speed prowess (a requisite. the actual Pro test) at the event. I don't get it. Chuck Blue D-12501 AFF/SL/TM-I, PRO, BMCI-4, and a currently retired four year professional swooper

Ha ha. This is a troll. That's funny. No reason? You thought that was a troll? You obviously have no idea who I am or what my capabilities are. I was dead serious in the context of my response. Some of you guys slay me, but that's besides the point. Chuck.

It's OK I guess. I would rather see a pic of me or you on there though, Lew.

In 1982 when I first got assigned to my "cherry" unit in the army (in Kirchgoens Germany), my roomates and I would, at lunch, buy a case of Old Swill and put it in the fridge in our room. By the end of the day (1600), it would be the perfect temperature to shotgun. The three of us would shotgun the entire case and then continue on about our ways. Those were the days.... Chuck

Fuck normal. Lets do burnouts on our Road Glides!

I've met you, we got fucked up, I barfed, I don't want to meet you again.

Relevance to the "BirdMan exchange rate" topic?

shorter is not always faster. straight, in this case, is.

Zach, you are gay. At least as gay at Voodew.

I will be here jumping and drinking beer. No crown please. I just put a top on the golf cart today; it's fabulous! Too hot not to have one. I also bought good covers for both bikes. Come on out!

I had the outdoor DJ play that song this Tuesday at bike night at John's steak house in Z-hills. I also did two tremendous burnouts on my Road Glide. The cops came right after we left.

I second that. Z-hills it is.

the smart guys always chose the straightest distance through the carving speed course. That said, the actual course distance is always measured straight down the centerline of the course. The markers are setup on direct azimuths outside and inside that line. If a competitor wanted to hug the inside line on a straight course I would not care at all; it's all technique. If he thought he could get away with it without getting marker strikes, then good for him. Chuck

If that site got more than 100 hits a day people might just do that, but there is no reason whatsoever why they shouldn't be doing it right here. This is by far the most read canopy forum on the internet.

now we're talking!!! The List: notsane normiss SkymonkeyONE Katiebear21

We discussed this in another thread some time ago, but I only gave my short answer in this thread. My longer answer is that packing is a part of basic skydiving instruction. The cost on that class, whenever it is taught (up front or later, on a weather day), ought to be included in the cost of the FJC. Any staff rigger or seasoned instructor can teach the class. Any seasoned packer can teach the class. The intent is to run the student through a walk-thru/talk-thru lecture and supervise him on as many packjobs as it takes for that instructor or rigger to sign off the card. As to hanging the canopy, discussing the different parts, and three-ring assembly, we cover all of that up front in the FJC. It's part of "gear orientation", one of the first sections of the FJC covered in the SIM. Another thing. People at different dropzones teach different techniques in this packing class. I find it incredible that some places teach PRO packing to students jumping Navigator 240's and the like. I teach flat packing to students (and anyone with gear larger than 120 square feet which has packing tabs) because that is all they need to know in order to safely pack a parachute with as little hassle as possible. I will further state that I have never once seen a person chop a flat (actually "roll") packed main in the over 25 years I have been instructing students in that method. The best supervised classes I ever participated in were the ones at the old Green Beret Parachute Club on Fort Bragg (now the Fort Bragg parachute activity). Four or five instructors/riggers standing around supervising all the students through the walk-thru/talk-thru, then five fully-supervised packjobs before they were signed off. Every single student there jumps their own packjob on their first skydive. We still watch over them as they repack their own mains on the DZ and are there to answer any questions they have. That's the job of the instructor/mentor when they are employed or volunteer for a job at the school. "Full time, paid packers" are still quite rare in the overall scheme of things. I think it's great that the cottage industry has formed and that people are able to do that as their only form of income, but that's certainly not the case at a majority of dropzones, even today. In those cases, your job is to pack tandems and whatever else you can. Your job should NOT be to teach a basic packing class to a bunch of students. I know a lot of paid packers who can't do anything but PRO pack. They can't flat pack, roll pack, or stack pack. Once again: students don't need to know how to PRO pack a Navigator/Manta/whatever. They need to be given a basic packing class suitable to the equpment they are currently jumping by a senior staff member/rigger. That activity should definitely be included in the cost of the FJC as packing is a core requirement. I am not the guy you would ever see busting his ass down on his knees in the packing room trying to make a dollar when I could be up in the air making some real money with my ratings or just fucking off skydiving . What I AM, though, is the very-senior guy that will absolutely give the packing class to my students. It's my job and I like it. Chuck Blue D-12501 AFF/SL/TM-I, PRO, BMCI

cost is zero dollars and it lasts as long as it takes to get the person properly trained to safely pack his own rig.

Actually, if he does it like it's supposed to be done, then the camera angle will be fine. So long as the two entrance gates align and the two exit gates align, the camera angle will be fine. The course is setup so that the fixed distance is measured on the centerline of the course. The markers are setup afterward with a long line or tape from the focal point. Like this: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . --------------------------------------> o . . . . . . . . . "o" = dummy gate strictly for setup x (camera focal point) You can have a "dummy" line-up gate straight across from the first "timed" gate as reference just to make it an easier sight reference for setup, but the timed gates are the ones that line straight up with the camera. If you are using that electric horn system, then you would also then line the sensors up with the actual markers which the camera is filming. Ultimately, though, if the camera system is just redundant to the electronic system, then it doesn't matter if the sensor system is setup perpendicular and the camera system is setup as I represented above so long as both measure the full timed distance. Chuck

Which, by the way, is totally acceptable with my Racer.