SkymonkeyONE

"I figure that what the thing is there for! I haven't spent $50 every 120 days just for it to take up space in the container." I pack my own reserve, and yes, I trust it. I also make enough money that I don't care about losing a freebag/pilot chute or handles. Still, that being said, I am going to try and work out SOME malfunctions under SOME mains. My personal hard-deck is around 1000 feet. I have chopped from a CRW wrap at 900 and know that my shit works, so that is plenty high for me, though it is obviously not what I teach my students. Chuck

The guy that used to jump his dog at Barnwell had a harness/sling thing built that held his little dog sideways across his chest. He would sit/freak fly and the dog would hang out and kind of sit on his belly. The one thing that almost always happened, though, was that the dog would shit on opening shock. It happened at least three times that I saw. It wasn't because the little guy was scared; it just had to do with the pressure exerted on his abdomen during opening. The dog loved to skydive. I am not sure if that guy is still jumping or not; I haven't seen him in about 10 years. Chuck

"I funneled two formations today so does that count?" Put a Z in your logbook and move out! LOL! Actually, log it as freeflying. Most of what I see on the DZ resembles a funnel anyway. Gotta love it. Chuck

Actually what it gets us is people who stroll up and think that they are just going to be able to strap on a rig and skydive. "Uh, what do you mean I will be hooked to the plane", or, "why do you have to hang on to me; I want to jump by myself." Just had one of those this past weekend. Funny. chuck

four HUNDRED or four THOUSAND? That is the question. LOL! Or maybe you mean "got down on all fours."

Car trouble! Agh! Let's try ASS trouble! I just had to endure a 1000 mile road trip with a broken coccyx! Unbelievable. Chuck

Nah, I think I will do it the old fashioned way.

Can I?

I can't need too many more

Also all of the above at one time or another. Now, I mostly teach FJC's, do sequential big-way, and swoop. Chuck

An old thread I know, but I had to say that I just got ANOTHER custom mindwarp. This is the one that was supposed to be done prior to the swoop meet in perris: Cobalt blue metalic with neon orange flames. KICK ASS!

Actually, dive loops should only cost you a case of beer. I wouldn't charge you more than that; it's five minutes work. Chuck Swoop Nazi Tamer of Domestic House Cats

That is a VERY naive answer. Contrary to popular beliefs and rantings at big "boutique" dropzones, the SL progression program is still by far the most commonly used method of training skydivers in the world. It is also the most economical way for a small dropzone to keep itself in qualified jumpmasters and Instructors. Safety? You look up the statistics for the past 20 years (since the inception of the AFF program) and see which method has the most fatalities on it's head. Believe me when I tell you I am no "SL nazi." I am not in any way, shape, or form xenophobic. What ratings I do not already possess, I will have by the end of this year. My point is that it is pretty crazy to talk crap about any one training method; especially now, with the advent of the ISP. Chuck

Grogs, don't be put-off by my comments. As long as there are people willing to pay for packers, you are safe in that capacity. Still, concerning jump numbers for ratings: you need exactly zero skydives to get an FAA rigger ticket. You can apprentice under another rigger for free, and get the needed experience to pass the practical test in under a month. Now THAT rating will do a lot for the sport and for your wallet. You just can't have enough riggers around. As for retention, we keep all of them around long enough for us to warrant giving them one joint packing class. That means that we, the instructor and rigger staff, don't get saddled with packing for these kids. We have WAY too many students to be having to pack for them. Chuck

I wouldn't sweat it then. When I switched containers to my new Odyssey, I had a definite hesitation which bugged me pretty bad. I eventually got used to it, but it spooked me for a while.

Not a prob. I normally sleep on the way up.

This is what you new guys are brought up to think. It is absoulute horse-shit that people are sent out into the sport without having the knowledge of how to pack their own goddamn parachute. At our club, and the other one just like it on our DZ, you do not make your first skydive until you are cleared to pack your own main. That means you recieve the packing class, do a couple of hours of "walk-thru, talk-thru", then you complete five supervised pack-jobs. We have a stamp we put in a student's logbook that gets initialed after each successful pack. Do not feel bad about packers. Yes, they make their living from doing that, but it is absolutely not your moral responsibility to pay them to do a job you should be doing yourself. Lazy rich people at big DZ's make it very easy for these people to make money like this. They need to get off their asses and get some RATINGS. I equate packers to the people on the corners in big cities who try and wash your windshield. The ONLY people who actually need these services are the full-time teams who are making 12 or more jumps a day and need to debrief in between jumps. That, and tandem operations at very busy DZ's, but then again, I would never let anyone pack one of my tandems; it is technically against the manufacturers regs unless the packer is an FAA rigger. Plus, I have never packed a malfunction, but every packer I know has packed plenty. It is best to do it yourself..period. And Michelle, while video is nice, it is absolutely not terribly important unless you are a bad student. The DZ will TELL you you need it, but in fact they just really want your money. The caveat there, of course, is if you have a bad jump. The money you save by not spending it on video when you are doing perfectly fine could be spent on the make-up of a bad level. Anyone reading this can feel free to come to Raeford, North Carolina for free packing classes, RW coaching (just pay my lift), or what the hell ever else you need. Really. I don't need the money, I have a good job. Most everyone I know here with ratings just likes to give back to the sport. Chuck

You do not change clothes at a boogie; it's against the rules. You are to get stinky and nasty and that's all there is to it. You wash off underneath a hose pipe when your ass gets to stinking too bad. You can get freebie t-shirts from the gear vendors while you are there. You can rig a little poncho hooch under the plane or hook up with some other campers there. An old army poncho liner is the key to happiness. That and a towel to dry off with after the storm comes. Believe me when I say the storm will come; it always does. Make sure you bring some GOOD aircraft tie-downs. Do not just trust that they will be there. Chuck

The worst thing is that we are going in my wife's Del Sol and the seats don't lay back. The AC compressor is out on Bessie the Volvo, so she doesn't want to go in that much more comfortable car. Ugh! Either way, we are bringing our rigs with us. This injury is not going to keep me from jumping. I will just not be doing any tandems or anything for a while. Chuck

I agree.

I, unfortunately, have to get off work then drive 500 miles to Alabama for a wedding. Remember, I have a broken coccyx. Chuck

There are plenty of people that do this. Watch the movie Travelling 2 and you will see Patric de Gayardon skyfurfing with one on. From experience, a bonehead and some in-the-ear headphones work fine with a walkman. Chuck

My tiny little main? I would have had to chop immediately. A larger demo parachute or something? I would have cut the line with my hook knife and probably landed it. Chuck

Go with what you know and trust. There is no one method that is "best". Personally, I roll-pack square parachutes because I can do it so much faster, but don't let anyone sway you from doing what you like. Chuck

I have never had a problem with a MonkeyFist pilot chute. Make sure it is properly cocked. Also, make sure you have the thing attached properly. They are made here at Raeford by master rigger Eddie Spears. Chuck