SkymonkeyONE

Yep, the newest Sigma passenger harnesses keep you in a more "seated" position under canopy, especially after the side straps are undone/loosened. It's sort of like sitting in a playground swing. If it's still tight on them, I have them scoot the straps farther under their thighs. Some "heavier" people, though, will still have their circulation cut off by the legstraps; others will sag pretty far under you in the harness making it hard to get your feet under theirs. Chuck "just a monkey on the back of big passengers"

We absolutely do NOT need any trolls in the "specified" forums. As for specific jumpsuits, there is another thread almost exactly the same as this one either in this or the RW forum. My comp suit preference for the past six years has been the Michigan, but I was a Tony Suit Pit Special user before that. I also have two Paraclete suits that kick ass. Chuck

Slappie, That was a righteous link, dude. I was especially happy to see that it had a "for firewalls" option, which I immediately used. Thanks to you I am now happily droning along to the hard trance channel.

Is Dan Feess working there or at Hutchinson?

February 10th, 1981. Elmore field, Wetumpka, Alabama. Army surplus harness, belly wart reserve, 28 foot 7-TU. I was 17. Chuck

Yes, I am talking about the "sitting in my cubicle" part of the workday.

You may want to go to the POPS website and see if they are listed. I haven't been to the site, so I can't say for sure what degree of records it maintains, but it's worth a look. Chuck

It's according to what I am doing. If I am doing AFF, I check it about five times. Tandems, I usually check it twice. On both of those, I have my Pro Dytter set at the critical altitudes for the skydive. (6000 lock-on for AFF cat A, AFF wave-off/start pull sequence altitude, AFF minimum pull altitude.) On an RW jump I check it twice: once when my internal clock runs out, and once after my Dytter goes off and I am tracking away waiting to pull. Chuck

Do you mean "JACKET", Dave? Do you mean "DUE to", Dave? You muchy funny, G.I. Carlos Azul Maestro del Mundo

Open whatever pic you like in whatever photo editor you have on your computer. Crop the portion of the picture you REALLY like, cutting out all the other stuff around the key subject. Resize the cropped picture down to the usable size (65x85 I think). Save the pic as a JPG and hit save. Most programs will then ask you what degree of resolution you would like; you adjust that with a sliding bar on my program. Save the newly adjusted pic and see how small the file is. If it's still too big, resave it and adjust down the resolution until it's small enough. Ta-Da! Chuck

Yep, that was a nice diversion in my workday. Hooty Hoo! Chuck

Yep, I have my $900 Gentex sitting around too. I still use it in the tunnel when I am working with students and on MFF jumps, but I generally wear it mostly in the winter on my bike. That and my evil Vorlon mask (Scott motocross goggles with rock shield) make for warm, dry, and quiet road trips when it's nasty out. Actually, there are three or four of us in town that ride with them in the winter. I have never been hassled by the MP's or the regular cops with it on. Chuck

There is no A license exam anymore... There most certainly IS an A-license exam (verbal) as well as much more required documented training to get checked off on the card. As for the USPA A-license: when your card is all filled out and signed by the various instructors who trained you, it is then simply stamped with a $9.00 gadget that all schools are required to have. The card, then, is your license and is supposed to be accepted at any USPA dropzone. No need to pay the cash unless you want the number. If you skip the payment, you must still possess a stamped A-license card, then take the B-test (plus meet all those requirements) to get the B. At Raeford, we have a funny new ceremony where we stamp the card, then stamp the forehead of the new license holder. Some of them walk around all night with the stamp on their head as they drink their beer. NICE! Chuck

Hell, when Icarus sent me my VX-74 several years ago, it didn't have any side labels sewn on at all; they forgot. I said something about it and they sent me two side labels and said they would pay to have them sewn on. I was like: "yeah right. Tear open the end of a small VX just to sew on some advertising?". Needless to say, I didn't do it.

Nice pics. Looks like yall had a good time. Chuck

First of all, you should do what you were taught by your instructor. That being said, I will tell you how I instruct my students on turns: -first, it's best to learn the simplest method first. I have my students keep their backs in a straight line and not mess with their legs or feet at all. To turn, I have them look in the direction they want to turn, drop the elbow and forearm on that side while raising the elbow and forearm on the other side the same distance. It only takes a very-little movement to get going around. How I get students to remember which direction they will turn is two-fold. First, you should ALWAYS look where you are going. Second, when you look that way, your elbow and arm are blocking your view, so LOWER it out of the way. The best way to get the coordinated up and down effort of your arms is to lay a broom handle over your shoulders behind your neck with your wrists draped over it while you are laying on a creeper. You then practice the drill. When you drop the arm of the direction you wish to turn, the other arm will be levered up by the stick. Do not yaw right or left; keep your back in a straight line and don't move your legs. Later, after you get through the program, you can start experimenting with leg turns. Chuck Blue D-12501 AFF-I, Tandem-I, SL-I

Yeah. I could care less about side labels; the diamonds identify it immediately. If the labels bug you, just pick them off. I think I may just do that. Chuck

At Raeford, we pay ten bucks to pack a tandem and five for solo gear.

BWAHAHAHA! Good One! Actually, it just took me quite a while to notice that Brandon was pointing to his very-stylish Skymonkey hat.

2:10:1 or with the "alternate" first number: 4:10:1 The alternate first number and the last number came from my last AFF jump Saturday afternoon. You see, I was main-side on a jump (with video) and neglected to put a radio on this Cat A (old level I) jumper. My reserve side (technically equally at fault) realized the mistake just as the plane pulled the front wheel off the ground on takeoff. Needless to say, we rode all the way up, then all the way down without jumping. We absolutely will not jump primary students without a radio, so I sucked it up and gave up four jump tickets (thus the first number) for the plane ride. That was the first time ever as an instructor (for well over a decade) that I missed an equipment gig, so of course I also bought a case of beer. Best to set a good example and take blame when it's a clear fuck up. Besides that, it was a pretty nice weekend, but opressively hot. We had the POPS nationals at Raeford this weekend. No heat casualties that I saw, but DAMN, it was hot. Chuck

I own two BirdMan suits: a GTi and a SkyFlyer. I made my first jumps on a GTi and didn't have any problem whatsoever learning and honing my skills with it. It's a bit more tiring on the arms than a classic, but overall I don't find it any harder to fly. That being said, I would even recommend it as a first suit for experienced skydivers. Pull sequence needs to be a tad cleaner in a GTi, but "smooth" skydivers will probably want to skip the Classic and move straight to this suit. Do not make the mistake of trying a SkyFlyer before you have experience with either a GTi or a Classic; the SkyFlyer can be quite squirrelly or "loose" when you are pushing it and is harder to tame. With a GTi, you will have no problems whatsoever flying with people in Classics and even most people in a SkyFlyer. True, the very experienced SkyFlyer pilot will be able to smoke you, but in flocking we all adjust to a happy medium anyway, so it's all good. Chuck Blue, BM-I

2500 feet with the engine still running? I would have launched the formation If I didn't think I would get gas all over my gear (assuming a starbord wing leak). Chuck

Bill is exactly correct. While making 10 jumps a day five days a week will give you a ton of experience in whatever skill you are trying to master, it will not replace the common sense one gets after being on a dropzone for many years. While there are plenty of "kids" out there nowadays with more jumps than me, I regularly see them pile in on days that I absolutely refuse to jump (due to squirelly conditions). At my dropzone, people pay attention when I scratch from a load or just don't manifest. While it's fun to chase numbers (when you can afford it or are getting paid to jump), it's just not worth getting hurt over when the weather is shitty. Chuck

Hey Brandon, I just noticed your forum pic with your hat on; very stylish. SM-1

You may very well be happier with a Spectre than an original Sabre, but I just have to ask whether or not you have tried the Sabre 2 or a Hornet? Personally, I don't think a Spectre has nearly the bottom end of the Sabre 2, so you may want to go that route instead if flare power is what you are looking for. Chuck