SkymonkeyONE

I will agree with Dan on this one. The "feel" will not be altered (in my opinion) on such a lightly loaded canopy. If his canopy were "snapping" him on opening, it would fix that, but he would not get much more benefit out of it at that wingload. The difference between the stock and competiton models really becomes evident at wingloads at 2.0 and higher. The H-mod at about the same level. Anyway, this is all for naught anyway, as I believe the original poster brought up the matter because he was being pushed in the "smaller is cooler" direction by the uppity freeflyers on his DZ. Chuck

Will, you are more than qualified as far as jump numbers goes to recieve your first flight training, at least in the USA. I know you just spent your load in Sweden, but aren't you still planning a trip to the USA here shortly? Bring your monkey ass on over to Raeford and lets mix it up. Chuck

The "Angry Beez" (from CSS) were formerly known as "Raeford Express" when they trained here. Before that, they were "Morning Wood". It must be noted that team member Todd Hoover made an incredible comeback after a horrific canopy collapse at the CSS Easter Boogie this year. A picture of that accident can be found in Parachutist from a couple of months ago. Chuck

You know, I don't think I have ever seen a reserve with more than two rides on it on the used market. Hell, my wife paid $300 for a PD126R with no jumps on it and only eight pack jobs. I would never pay more than $600 for a reserve. Chuck

Dan has been monetarily and physically tied up with the heavy-drop testing. As far as myself and Eric, we have both been otherwise occupied. Me with work, then my 20 year HS reunion during the PSN. I feel like shit only making one meet this year, but there is seriously nothing that I could do about it. Chuck

The video "Fly like a Pro" has some good educational value. As far as which video to buy to watch the greatest variety of techniques, yes, last years PSN video "Dirt, Water, Dirt" is what you want. Chuck

By all accounts, the SkyRay has a much flatter glide. Problem is, they are terribly expensive at this point and ungainly. I have seen photos of a dude jumping one out the side door of an Otter, but I think that is nuts; I wouldn't want to even think about it unless it was off a tailgate. As far as BASE goes, I would love to see what an accomplished flyer could do off of one of the cliffs in Norway. Chuck

Outstanding. Welcome to the flock! Chuck

Right and wrong is very subjective. Right for me is dead wrong for some people. I jump VERY loose brakes, but because I am a "slider", it does not matter that I don't fully shut down my canopy at the end of a surf. People who don't slide would hate my brake setup. Chuck

I gave up being "dead serious" over a decade ago and now am in it solely for personal satisfaction as far as relative work goes. I have always instructed and given back to the new faces in hopes of keeping the dropzone busy, fun, and safe. Around here, it's very common to see world champions jumping with young club jumpers on their days off just for shits and grins.

Brandon, this is something that varies from person to person and canopy to canopy. The bottom line here is that your canopy should not buck at all when you are in front risers and still have your toggles in your hands. If you don't riser-dive, then this is only critical if your tail is distorted in full glide. This is all covered extensively in the swoop forum. SM-1

Nice pics. I see Arlo in the front row in the first pic, plus lots of Raefordites in the last pic standing around the Knights.

Arlo is a cool chick.

0:16:0 It was nice at Raeford this weekend, but the pace was slow due to so many people being at nationals.

Today? Not a damn thing; I drank a LOT of Crown Royal last night and paid for it this morning.

You Chicago yankees better take good care of Tony Thacker (the meet director and Raeford DZO/SkyKat owner)! He drinks three kinds of beer: cold, free, other peoples. Just checked OmniSkore again and found that GK Gold was still kicking that ass. Outstanding. Chuck

Nice website, Richard! I am far from a yuppie, but I have owned three Corvettes (85, 96, and the first 97 C5 sold in the state of North Carolina). Chuck

My question to the original poster is this: how many jumps did you have when you bought your Cobalt? Also: how many jumps do you have on the main now? If you just bought that main very recently, then you ought to just hang onto it for a while and get to where you absolutely rule it. Parachutes are not cheap, and the containers they go into are not either. Just a guess, but I bet you would probably have to get a smaller container if you go down two sizes to the 105. Are you ready to spill that amount of cash? As for the question of whether or not I think you would be able to get away with jumping the 105 at the wingload you are talking about: I don't think you would have any problems, assuming you don't just go up and start throwing 270's right away. There are plenty of "intermediate" jumpers around here jumping Cobalts at around 1.2 or 1.3, but they don't show their asses because we don't let them. Personally, I would just keep your current main and work on your canopy skills until there is nothing else to get out of it, then consider trading down to a smaller size. Rushing to downsize just for the sake of vanity is not the hot ticket. Chuck Blue D-12501 Team Atair Swoop

Outstanding shots. The first one is cover quality.

Outstanding dig, my brother! Anyway, that was a cream and SAURKRAUT pie and the stink never quite got out of that old jumpsuit. NICE! Chuckie

I still wear a frap hat for demo jumps and occasionally for "work" tandems. While, no, they don't give much protection from impact, they will generally keep you from getting torn open on something. Chuck

TROLL! My guess is that someone has unsuspectingly logged onto Craig's machine. Just a guess. Chuck

It's about 90 miles from here, but there are some people that live in Fayetteville who drive all the way out there to work, and some who go that far just to fun jump. The end of the runway drops off into the intracoastal waterway and the barrier island is just on the other side of that. I have not been there, but by all accounts it is a pleasant place to skydive. I think it's weekend-only, but I may be wrong. I think they have a website: www.skydivecoastalcarolinas.com, so check it out. Chuck

I knew Lew was gonna be out there, but I didn't hear Trevor say he was going when I saw him the prior weekend. Anyone want to see video of Trevor funnelling someone's 3000th skydive? I have it here at Raeford. Chuck

Brandon, I just want to know if you and Laura wore your hats or not. Chuckie