SkymonkeyONE

There was an extensive write-up in Parachutist on the bail-out system right after the testing was done. The pole telecopically extends out the side of the orbiter on the port side and curves down. The China Lake guys tested all that stuff if my memory is correct. Anyway, it was a good article. Chuck

I wouldn't really have much use for a "sport" main as big as 90 square feet, but I guess it might be good as a more docile wingsuit main than what I normally jump. Keeping sizes to that small of a range doesn't make much sense to me. Chuck

Jess, you are KILLING me! I checked out the rigs with the cut-in laterals at PIA and really liked the design. Very smacky-booty. Chuck

Fayetteville is 90 miles from Myrtle Beach using the route I take. It is the same distance to Carolina Beach and Wilmington (Wrightsville Beach). There is an Amtrak station in Fayetteville, 20 miles from Raeford. There is a bus station about a mile from the Amtrak station. Chuck

PST (formerly PPPB) "speed" events are carves that start through 12 foot blades. No, you can't qualify straight to pro anymore. Chuck

Nope, I never paid a dime to apprentice. I have "trained" under three different riggers; one the local DPRE. The way I see it is that the rigger is getting the benefit of an extra set of hands in his loft. When I was active in the military club, the great majority of the rigs were, and still are, packed by apprentices. There was a lot to keep up with and a fair variety of equipment, so it was a great learning experience. There was also a ton of scrap material and retired rigs laying around to sew on which was nice. I really need to get off my ass and take my practical now that I am running the school. I was an idiot for not getting the ticket when I was doing it all the time. Chuck

I like Peter's response because that truly IS our job as AFF instructors, yet at the same time I am totally for audibles. I agree that having one set down at the hard deck is a good idea. I wouldn't get into setting the device or anything, just train the student to perform an action should they hear that alarm. I, for some time now, have advocated that a good three-tone audible is the very first purchase a fledgeling skydiver should make once he or she is committed to the sport. Chuck

I am alive and well, sitting here minding the shop. I have my newest monkey (which Katie sent me) attached to the side of my desk; it's very stylish. I actually got to talk to Little Miss on the phone yesterday; that was nice. Chuckie

You da monkey!

Good job, monkey lip! You are muchy smarts! One thing I failed to do prior to sending you that suit was remove the patch on the sleeve. You wouldn't want to be perpetrating. Chuckie

Dana and I used to work in the same unit. When he lost his legs, went to Walter Reed, then came back to recover. Shortly later, I was with him the very first time he walked into a crowded bar without the aid of any crutches, cane etc. It was Hugmuggers in Fayetteville and he drove us there in his F-350 truck. It was pretty funny seeing the looks on peoples faces. You absolutely could not tell that he didn't have any legs until he hiked up his Levis. Talk about stories, I have some crazy stories about some of the shit we used to get into. Chuck

The last post assumes the original poster wanted to jump BIG flags. Actually, what the majority of DoD and general demonstration teams use are "standard" size flags rigged either onto flag lines and packed into a pocket on the bottom skin of the parachute then pulled down; or flag bags which are worn like a butt-pack (fanny pack), then pulled out and hooked at the top to a rapide link on your riser (or weighted and suspended below you). Either way, there are problems associated with flags. One must be ESPECIALLY skilled at flag rigging if they are going to use a flag line (like the Golden Knights demo team, etc.). Likewise, when suspending a flag below you, deployed from a flag bag, you risk hanging the flag (and line, weights, etc) up on obstacles as you come in on final. You also risk ridicule should you allow a set of colors to touch the ground. As previously stated: get with a competent PRO rated demonstration jumper and have him (or her) mentor you. You ought to have someone on your DZ with a PRO card. If not, contact USPA and see about getting a copy of their entire list. Chuck Blue PRO USASOC Parachute Team

3:6:0 3 is the number of retirement parties I have had in my honor in the past week and a half. Saturday was cold, overcast and sucky at Raeford, but I still had a fine time. Sunday was beautiful and business was aplenty. I did four fun jumps and managed to score a couple of fun jumps this weekend, but spent a lot of time packing tandems, so I was plenty worn out by the end of the day. I am having a pretty good time in my new capacity as school manager, but the book keeping is going to take a bit of time to sort out. Chuck

Negative, Marc. The Howard (Howard Adams) mod does not move any lines back at all. Atairs interpretation and imbellishment of that mod is just significantly different that they are not hosing Howard. My old 75 was modified by Joe Bennett at Skydive Monroe for $150. At any rate, the mod is quite simple and yes, one could put it on a Stilleto or a Safire, though if you main already opens softly you might experience excessive snivel and have to move your opening altitude up. Chuck

I would say that nowadays the best rule of thumb is to use five-foot blades or some other similarly tall reference as your guide. We have been using that as a standard reference on tour now since June 2001, so I think it's fair to say that this is how everyone should judge distance in comparison to others. Chuck

I wonder how it is that some of you come up with these off the wall links. Does not dropzone.com take up enough of your free time? Aggie Dave definitely comes up with some doozies! At any rate, the steroid boy in the link has gotten way out of hand! Ugh. I am not sure that dude could even wipe his own ass. Chuck

You KNOW I told you guys in person that I loved the newly redesigned, non-"penis" looking MindWarp! It was a great fix. Speaking of your booth: me and Steve were hanging out a couple of nights ago. Chuckie

The worst example of this I ever witnessed was back around 1990 at Raeford when GK 8-way guy J.C. Coffman used to do this. Also very much in vogue back then was swooping over the trees and kicking pine cones prior to landing. Anyway, old J.C. let go of his toggles, snapped a 180 front riser hook, then reached back for his toggles but missed them because he became fixated on his too-close proximity to the trees! He PILED into the trees and clothes-lined himself on a big branch about 25 feet up! It knocked his ass clean out. My vidiot, Rixter Neely, scampered straight up the tree like a squirrel and went to J.C.'s aid. J.C. woke up, shook his head, then saw Rixter-mon standing on the limb in front of him; he was visibly shaken. When we discerned that he was OK, we got him down and berated him for his stupid technique. To the best of my knowledge, he immediately let his brakes out and ceased the "toggle dropping." Chuck

Just thought I would throw this in as the talk has turned to Sabres: If you have a smacker and are tired of doing voodoo tricks to make it open easier, why don't you just send it down and get an H-mod done to it? I can PROMISE you that mod will not only cure your neck problems, but it will also give it better diving and swooping characteristics. $150 is a small price to pay in my opinion. The mod works on any main that has a "standard" nose. Chuck

Bill, the stainless piece that Rob was talking about sits in a pocket and works as sort of a cam. This cam action does one of two different things, depending on which end of it is lifted higher. If the "riser" end of the RSL pulls up higher, the cam stays attached and pulls the pin and hauls the bag out of the container. If the reserve is fired manually, the bridle lifts the cam from the other side and it rotates to disconnect itself from the riser RSL. To my recollection, that is exactly how Bill described it to me at his booth at PIA. At any rate, it was a convincing argument and we at Raeford are going to immediately retrofit them onto all our Sigmas and possibly our student rigs at some later date. Bill is great to talk to. Last I saw him he was sucking face with a pretty girl right outside the sports bar in the Adams Mark, soon after returning from a RWS dinner. NICE! Another thing I forgot to mention was that I saw Rob Warner's "hand mount" PC-type camera thingie. You known, the kind like those Aussies are using. Beezie Shaw was telling me about how he and Chris Martin were going to start using them at their DZ. Rob then walked up and showed me the think. Unfortunately for me, I failed to put two and two together and didn't make out that this was "RiggerRob". Neither did I have my skymonkey hat on, so it was a missed "dropzone.commer meeting" so to say. Sorry, Rob! . Anyway, the hand mount thing looked nice and might be something I may obtain to try out, seeing as how my neck can't take a video helmet anymore. Chuck

Hell, Don, we haven't finished the last beer you brought! Actually, that's only because I forgot where I stored it until just this moment. Since it's my day off, I might just have to break into manifest and have some cockatillios! Chuck

Hey Lund, your DZO's were cool folks. I liked meeting them at PIA. As to your response to the first post: what's the problem? This is talkback. Chuckie

I (as a BM-I with a lot of flights) am not going to take anyone on a first flight with less than the stated minimums (200 jumps within 18 months) unless they REALLY show me something on a non-wingsuit eval dive. I feel that the odd opening possiblilties make it that anyone who has not had to deal with a great amount of opening situations common to high jump-numbers can not be cut out of a less-experienced argument. There is a LOT that can go wrong in a wingsuit, I can promise you that. If you don't have your shit together you can find yourself in a world of hurt in a hurry. Chuck

My dog, Billy Bob, is most definitely the coolest dropzone pooch in existence. Chuck

Nathan, I have heard a rumor that not only do YOU have pink eye, but that you also gave it to the entire GK 8-way team? I bet Raff wants to MURDER you.... SM-1