SkymonkeyONE

Personally, I don't care that drinking kills more people than smoking; I care that smoking is disgusting and makes me physically ill and I constantly have to police up other people's butts out of my yard and out in front of my school, even though there are butt cans EVERYWHERE. Totally lame. I LOATH having to pick up cigarette residue. I also can't stand smoke-filled bars. As to the flipping of butts out car windows: I can't think of a single smoker I know who does NOT do that; don't want to dirty up their car, you see? Unbelievable. Like Kramer said, until you have had the pleasure of doing police call down the side of a road anywhere near a stoplight on a military post, then you (as a smoker) don't understand how nasty it can be. Hey, if you can honestly say you don't EVER flip your butts on the ground or out the window, then I applaud you. I don't know a single smoker who can truthfully say that though. Chuck

The S3 takes a lot more strength to fly efficiently, but it's definitely not hard to fly if you have the basic skil set. It's my experience that GTi to S3 is a safe transition. You can definitely "grow into" an S3 once you master the basic skills in one of the two "smaller" suits, you definitely possess the abaility to fly the S3. It then becomes a matter of confidence, as the S3 is a BIG suit. Chuck

His address is in the back of every parachutist magazine.

That was some outstanding chow.

That boy was pimpin MY ho on your dives, so you owe ME like in prison now. Make no mistake. Chuckie

I agree. Nobody can talk faster than my monkey brother, Chris Talbert. Chuckie "pushing the button"

Glen, you are a walking rug, my brother! Chuckie

Check it!! Too much time on your hands!

lol.....

The two suits in question are actually complete hybrids with parts from three different manufacturers. The body is Parasport Italia, the grippers are Merlin, and the collar is Paraclete. Chris Talbert and Kurt Isenbarger are wearing them. Chuck

There are actually several VERY good helmet painters here around Raeford, NC. Erica Brown (I forget her maiden name) does some very custom stuff. She did Katie's and COLbrodie's. Another very popular painter around here is Dalton Jeremiah and his "Aloha Air" series of paintjobs. I could dig their contact info up if you like. PM me if you are interested. Chuck

I have always (23 years skydiving in January) preferred to leave from the V. I am always second out and have never experienced a problem with the number three guy fighting to get around me. Maybe that's a product of my five foot seven frame. If that is a problem, then I would recommend putting your smallest person in the V. That or the thinnest person. I, also, have seen premature deployments off a Cessna, but have never even heard of any of the three nightmares you guys have listed. You would think that if it was going to get ugly, it would have been so back when we were jumping old original Wonderhogs and other rigs with, by today's standards, incredibly bad pin protection. Nowadays, I could hardly imagine a person having this happen to them, but I guess we should "never say never." That said, I am not about to stop getting in the V, nor will I stop teaching it as the preferred method to get a four way team outside a plane with "usable" four-way grips. I will, though, continue to watch my handles and teach others to do the same. Chuck Blue D-12501

Blair, you were here for that.

Ron's remark sounded a lot like a personal attack to me. As moderator of this forum I might have to lock him away for a period of six days and two hours unless he responds to me via PM with a 74 word appology. C. Blue, esq.

Ass , that funky !

No Tevas in the MonkeyBago, Biotch!

Nathan, if you hump Betsy's leg please take pictures.

I have had really good luck with a great variety of sunglasses. I don't wear contacts, so that's not an issue. My litmus test for jumping in sunglasses is "how do they work when I am riding my harley." If I tear excessively on the bike, then they would suck in freefall. My current choice of eyewear is Gatorz "Ice" frames. They work great and I have minimal tearing. They are also incredibly durable and bendable to better fit an individual's face. Before that, I had successful luck with Oakely "Minute" frames, Ray Ban "Predator 9" frames, and Arnette "Raven" frames. Chuck

Exactly. If your canopy has a short usable control range, then moving that short distance down a bit is not going to cause you to not be able to fully flare or "shut down" your canopy. If anything, it brings the stall point down lower on your body and prevents unintentional "bowtieing" at the end of a flare. I have never found that letting the brakes out, on a parachute that needed it to stop it from bucking in front risers, prevented me from being able to fly and land it. Chuck

Don't help inflate his ego....LOL!

No one was safe, not even the head cheese. "Hey, I need a lawyer!" to his answering machine. I got the call back about half hour later...Very entertaining. I must admit that I did not start the DD frenzy. I must also admit that I was far from the funniest person in that posse. Chuck

Hey, Chuck, if you don't find those vouchers she is going to be my date in Eloy. Then we'll see who is keeping her. Hey Lisa, STFU

Very funny, Lisa

I think pretty highly of Katie. Guess I will keep her.

0:15:0 We got lucky and it didn't rain this year.