SkymonkeyONE

We here at Raeford have PD Navigator student mains. We keep them in sizes 200,220,240, 260, and we have/had a 280 we could use. We routinely put out 170 pound guys under 240's. We have also put out a few people that size under the 220's, but you must realize that we are at nearly sea level (240 feet?), use good radios, and have a really nice, flat landing area. When I put together my own AFF-student-training rig it will probably have a 240 in it.

QuoteI started to use the cameye after a couple of "camera mal's". The main reason being that I have trouble seeing the red light through the plastic on bright days. What it does mean though is that I can turn the camera on and off under canopy without doing gymnastics and I can conserve battery / tape on long work days. Quote I still must be missing something here. Are you saying that you have a CamEye on your glove in a position where you can activate it with your left hand? Not reach across and hit the button with your right hand? I can see that as working, sort of, but the only place I can imagine it being mounted so you could do that would be on the "index finger side" of the glove near the big knuckle. If that's where you have it, then I could see endless posibilities where a student or you, yourself could hit the button and knock your camera back on standby. If you are saying it's somewhere else and that you do, in fact, have to reach across and hit the button with your right hand, then You are doing just as much "gymnastics" as I am. Once again, I only put my camera back in the glove after hooking up the passenger and when I do finally put in in there, it's already on "standbye". All I have to do is reach around the passenger with my right hand and hit my record button. I can see my red light just fine in my Rob Warner-built glove. To each his own. So long as we get the video, eh? I would like to see a pic of your setup, on your wrist. Chuck

Mine doesn't shake either, but I can see where one might if you put a camera in there that was not designed for the glove (too small a camera). Mine was purpose-built for my PC-109. I really do like the neoprene WayCool gloves too though.

Actually, you have it sort of backwards. MANY US colleges require/required a swim test in order to graduate. There was just a big stink about it in USA Today. It was sort of a right of passage that one school was dropping, not because they thought it was not worthy, but because the administration of the test to so many students was very labor intensive. edited to add that every soldier in the army, at least on Fort Bragg, is required to participate in drownproofing. It's really no big deal. Chuck

BWAHAHAHAHA! Is that right?

Nope, I traded my FXR for the bagger. You do know that the frame on a bagger (road glide and electra glide) and Road King is the same as the FXR right? The only difference is the length of the neck to accomodate the "backwards" triple-trees on the baggers. The frames are identical except for that and the length of the swingarm. Chuck

Exactly.

Any rubber-mounted Harley rides exponentially better than solid-mounted bikes. Bikes like all but the newest sporties and all but the twin-cam Softail derivatives. I have never ridden an Evo Softail (of any type) that didn't ride like shit compared to my FXR or bagger. The newest softies with 88-B twin cams don't vibrate nearly as much, but they still ride like crap compared to anything with real shocks on it. Chuck

It appears you have not read the FAQ on the main page. Start HERE

I have just been around a long time and, more importantly, I get bored easilly. If you stagnate in one discipline you will definitely get burned out and quit the sport. Keep mixing it up when you get good at one thing though and you will stay entertained and with us. It's that simple. I think it's great that there are young jumpers who aspire to such disciplines as skysurfing and speed skydiving! Chuck edited to fix typo

Like John just said, this is a general skydiving discussions forum. It's for questions and notices related to the act of actually jumping out of an airplane or something else skydiving related which does not fit in the other topical forums. It really does take up a lot of our time policing these forums and we get diddly-squat for it in return. Without moderation forums go to shit in record time. We choose not have anarchy on the forums. This happens just because people are either too lazy to post anywhere but this forum, or they feel their petty contribution will get lost in Bonfire. Think before you post, please. Put your post in it's proper forum. Also, some of you have been making it a habit of responding with "one liners" in these topical forums; please stop it. If you must post-whore, then either respond with something of actual worth, or simply type away, mindlessly responding to each and every thread in Bonfire. I promise you I don't much care what you do in that forum, so long as you abide by what few rules we have in place there. Sincerely, your overworked, but unpaid moderator, C. Blue, esq.

I would like to make a donation to the "fiesta fund" since I can't be there. No, Jim, I will not PayPal it to you! Perhaps I should create an endowment just for Joe as I am sure he will be setting the standard in at least one regard. I could name it "the Joe Bennet memorial boogie till you fall flat on your face" award. Brilliant! I also believe there should be an award for the hardest pond strike that does not cause critical injury. Joe could be the philanthropist who donates that prize. Love and kisses, Chuckie

LOL, at least I was part-way right! Kate Cooper already PM'd me and told me the same thing (about emigrating to Australia).

I am going to PM him and bug the shit out of him right now.

Actually, I believe most people out there doing hand cam might still be using .3 lenses since it's not been that long that .25's have been available. I get great video with a .3 in my opinion, but I would still prefer a .25 Maybe I will buy one just for shits and grins since I have the money. Chuck

We are running into the same thing as you describe with our PAC. While it's a fantastic airplane, the door is simply too low for some tall TM's to do an "Otter style" poise with grace. I can still get away with it with all but the tallest passengers. With larger people up front, I slide down and off the straddle benches, then sit on the floor and let them dangle in front of me. I push off with my left heel while pulling forward and out with my right arm (off the inside floater bar). Hey, whatever works, right? Most of the other guys just sort of scoot down onto the floor and roll sideways out of the plane. Chuck

Unless I am terribly mistaken, he went in skydiving. Unless I am also terribly mistaken, he used to be on the Red Devils. Pete Reynolds, right?

Oh don't worry, you will find PLENTY of folks at Raeford (or Parkton) who will gladly assist you with your beer drinking. Note: we drink cheap beer at both dropzones. Don't waste your money on green bottles, bro. I leave for Savannah Friday morning for the weekend.

I agree with Carrie. I learned to swim when I was very young, but not nearly as young as my niece and nephew. They could both jump off the diving board and swim to the bottom of the deep end and fetch a toy when they were three years old in my dad's pool.

Absolutely. Several times after some pretty major purchases. Oddly, I have experienced MORE seller's remorse though.

Why should you get your privileges back?

Simply tell the truth. That you are burned out and don't have time for it right now.

Yes, tell Big E. all about it! I bet you a dollar he doesn't go though.

Neither of us here use a CamEye at all as we both feel it's simply not needed in a glove. I first do my "setup" shots with the camera out of the glove. I do the rigging with the camera sitting on a table facing us. I do the "walk to the plane interview" holding the camera in my hand. I do the "in plane" interview the same way; holding the camera. I don't put it in the glove till after hooking up. I turn it on and hit record the last time as I am sliding to the door. I video the entire time after that until after I land and fast forward past some of the canopy ride while I have a still displayed on the linear edit board. It's amazingly simple stuff. I seriously cannot see why you would want a CamEye on your glove. That would mean, in my case, having to plug in the LANC as you were putting the camera in the glove. That is a waste of time in my opinion when I can more-quickly just slide the thing in there on "standbye" just prior to moving to the door and hit "record" and check for my light as I am sliding down the bench. You guys using the CamEye must be carrying the entire glove around in your hand when you do the ground stuff and in-plane interviews. Chuck Chuck

I dive my exits out of what few C-182's I have to jump these days, but almost always poise out of Otters and the PAC. I will either dive out or step straight off and do a rear layout off of a tailgate.