SkymonkeyONE

The line forms behind me.

OK here are your options; Crestview is shut down: Elberta, AL is the closest Turbine. The DZ is called Emerald Coast Skydiving and M.D. Evans owns it now. Very cool. Skydive Headland is right north of Dothan, AL. Some of the Crestview guys go there now. It is a cessna DZ owned and operated by a couple of guys that used to work for my dad at Skydive Opelika. A tad farther west and on the otherside of Mobile Bay is Skydive Gold Coast in Moss Point, Mississippi. Another very nice turbine DZ. South and east will get you to all the big Florida DZ's, but they are still a good drive away. Chuck

[can't get them in the US.... Not true actually. The enterprising skydiver who really wants PdeF stuff doesn't have any problem getting it. Every single "micro" sized rig on display at the PIA this year had the Techno 90-something reserve. I think it is a 95 or a 97. It was made perfectly clear to my buddies there that if they wanted one (or anything else PdeF actually) they could get it for them. I really wasn't interested, but I know people who bought that reserve. That being said, if people wanted the Ninja here, then they could certainly get it. I would just like to see one. Chuck

Absolutely. Larger ZP pilot chutes have WAY more "snatch" force than is neccessary to open a small eliptical. Too big and your main is going to open much faster than if you jumped a correctly-sized PC. Some mains can really be tamed by using F-111 PC's. Others, like my tiny Cobalts, get along with a very-small ZP model. Chuck

Here's a couple for you. *Note: must be executed with a flawless southern accent. 1. You sure are pretty, Girl (pronounced "purdy") 2. (after a few cocktails and a bit of friendly banter) You wanna wrassle? Finally, not a pick-up line, but a quote that I always use. It was told to me by my dad, Buddy Blue D-597 on my 13th birthday: "Boy, every one you turn down is one you missed, and the WORST I ever had was wonderful. That applies to most things in life." Just lovely. Chuck

I don't have any problem jumping out on my main at 1000 feet, so long as it isn't my very-snivelly 75. I have cut away from a crew wrap at 900 feet before, but it was either that or frap in. I have made "several" jumps from 500 feet too. Chuck

Someone was asking about that main earlier in the year. One guy thought they were talking about the yet-to-be produced Brian Germain Big Air Sportz canopy that, I guess, is going to be called the same thing. I can tell you with authority that there has not been one jumped on the competition swooping circuit yet, nor have I heard of any fellow competitor having ever seen one in person. The last time I checked the PdF website, there was no mention of the parachute. Personally, I would love to see another tri-brace on the market; especially one that outclasses the Icarus and PD products currently available. Chuck

And Skydive Opelika in Alabama.

hee hee hee......OK, DOGPILE ON APRIL!!

Do a trick!

In this forum, you will not get the benefit of recieving answers from the experienced riggers and Instructors who generally ONLY read the gear and rigging, and safety and training forums. Believe me, there are plenty of very experienced people who read and respond to questions there, that have absolutely no desire to sift through the general fluff of this forum. So, that being said, you are just better off placing it correctly, unless you want the opinions of some of the novices that regularly post in this forum who will, right or wrong, tell you what they think. Yes, there are plenty of very experienced skydivers who also read the talkback forum (like me) who will help you out regardless of where you post it. I , for one, would rather answer it in that other forum so that if sometime in the future somebody else comes along and is looking for a technical answer to a similar question, they will easilly be able to find it in the place they would first think to look; namely, the gear and rigging forum. My answer to your question: if you want to try and jump your main with the slider partially collapsed, then go for it. I have fucked up and jumped my main with the slider completely killed. It kicked my ass, but I walked away from it. If you have the centerline type of kill-line of the type common on the old Vipers, Spaces, and Alphas (the line pulls through a plastic push-button friction adapter), then you would be able to partially kill the slider. The main is definitely going to open faster as their is less air resistance, but to what degree, I don't know. Chuck D-12501

do a trick, April! Show me what ya got! LOL! Talk to you monkeys tomorrow, Chuck

Ahh. This all makes me yearn for my first "square" rig: an original Wonderhog with a "black rainbow" Pegasus and a National Phantom 24. Very groovy back in the day; which is to say 1981/82. Chuck

I wonder if he has all his teeth? I am always happy to hear that my friends are getting laid. Clay, what's your problem?

Agreed. I have met him several times and seen him plenty of times in KW.

That is perfect. My first roomate in the army 19.5 years ago let them put his name on his official records wrong; Webre instead of Weber. He spent five years trying to fix it before he just gave up and took it as his "real" name. Chuck

Actually, it doesn't have anything to do with how small the DZ is, nor does Michelle have many jumps or experience. Heath is in SL progression unless I am mistaken and is probably at the 15 SD level by the sound of it. Where I teach, we jump with our students from the 2nd 15 SD until course completion. Still, if a student is having bad problems at a lower level and has to make several repeat dives due to instability, we will normally take them on a level IV from full altitude to fix their problem. If that works, then we plug them back into standard progression so as to better allow them to complete their A-card in a timely manner. Also to Heath: If you are flipping over, then you are probably flying with your knees too close together (and probably low)and your hands in too close. Relaxation is critical, but body position is also very key. Chuck D-12501

I am having the same problems with my "reply to message". It always wants me to save it, although I am pretty sure it is sending anyway. I have been talking back and forth with Ann and she seems to be getting my messages, though from my end it never acts like it sent. Chuck

Dave, that is pretty wacked! I like it. Go Fast and Take Chances, and For God's Sake Wear a Pumpkin! Chuck

My ass is fine, thank you very much. It actually only hurt for three weeks, amazingly. If that main was ever chowed in a pond and left to dry in the sun, then there is a good chance it is out of trim. I can't believe my 75 still even flies! LOL! Getting a line trim chart is a great idea and checking the whole thing out won't take a half an hour unless you are dragging ass. Chuck Blue

All you do is replace the lower control lines with longer ones. I simply will not jump a main with tight control lines anymore. The last one I did (my wife's Stiletto 120 into a demo) stalled violently on landing and I broke my cocyx. If I cant grab my dive loops with my toggles still over my hands and pull them down to my chest without deflecting the tail, then they are too tight. If I had that parachute you are jumping, I would sew some new lower contol lines for it. It would only take me about 20 minutes. Then I would get them set right and call the dealer/manufacturer and tell them what was wrong and what you did to fix it. Chuck I have no idea why there is such disparity in same-type canopies in different sizes, but the fact remains that there is. Some sizes of certain mains come with very loose control lines, just the way I like; others are so tight that you can't touch a riser without the main porpoising.

a few re-worded movie quotes for your enjoyment: "this CASA is deceased...it is an expired CASA...it is no longer with us.." -monte python version "We got prop off the left, prop on the right, and you're the only bird in town!...." Jimmy Buffet version (sung to the tune of "fins") Just bored, Chuck

I was just venting, Will. And yes, I know that businessmen the world over will continue to do everything in their power to make a buck. I was really just referring to general National identity and ideology. The major point I was trying to make in that lengthy diatribe was that I don't think the American government ought to be subsidizing the rest of the world, "free" or otherwise. As for charging exhorbitant interest rates on international loans: if a country isn't going to make an effort to repay a loan anyway, why should they give a shit what number is on the dotted line? Just my opinion, but based on all that I have actually seen in my travels; not just what some geek spouted out in a humanities class at the local university. I hate the political machine and it grieves me when I get sent to places where I know nothing anyone does is going to change a thing. You think that has anything to do with military indoctrination? Oh hell no. All of the international aid workers that I encounter say the same thing, as do the majority of missionaries. I am a pretty callous guy, but it really pains those guys to see it. I can hope for world peace all I want, but it isn't going to happen in my lifetime, I can promise you that. That being said, I just think our money would be better spent at home, on projects like some other countries have: free healthcare for all, better education opportunities for the less fortunate (free trade-schools, etc.) You are right Ramon, this is boring, but I didn't start the rant. I did get suckered into spouting off, though, didn't I? LOL! I am one of the slobs that is probably going to have to react to this latest shit, though. In the meantime, I think I will just sit here at my desk and post away to more jump-related threads and have another cup of coffee. Fuck, I am so ready to retire. Chuck

I have jumped it out of a Cessna 182, a twin Bonanza, a twin otter, a Casa 212, a CH-54 SkyCrane, a UH-60 Blackhawk, and a Caribou. The toughest exit was probably the Twin Bonanza because it's a narrow door and had a 4-inch lip you had to clear. It was fairly low in the back, too, but the door opening wrapped over the top of the plane a bit. What would I really not like, especially if I was as tall as you? Probably a Caravan or a C-206/207/210 with a back door. A King Air would suck as bad as a Twin Bo since the door is so narrow, assuming you are planning on leaving face first. Narrow side doors suck because you cant angle the tip of the board to the rear too much and sometimes you get blown over on your side on exit. Short doors suck because you cant pop up on exit if you are "diving" out. The good thing about caravans and Kings though, which kind of redeems them in some ways, is that you can back out the door, stand straight up and grab the top floater bar, then kind of slide backwards pivoting your chest into the wind on exit while falling backwards and presenting the bottom of the board to the relative wind. Make sure, of course, that you don't present much of the tail of the board to the wind while you are working your way out, as it might catch air and drag your ass out (not cool). Ramps are obviously the easiest and Otters are very easy due to the huge door. Chuck

Hit THIS link to get to all of the forum threads relating to Cobalts. You can narrow it down further by adding specific terms to the "search" box in the upper right of this page. Chuck