SkymonkeyONE

Hardy Har Har! who thought that was funny? I did! Very lame attempt to screw with Chuckie

Tee, you are KILLING me! LOL!

My wife and I will be there along with a ton of others, including my dad and the rest of the Alabama Gang. We all take our RVs. Chuck

[rambling diatribe]It is true that most people do not have sense enough to think about what they might want to be doing "down the road." It amazes me the amount of friends I have that spend exhorbitant amounts of money on graduate and terminal degrees only to find out that they have educated themselves into a corner. "Hey, I have this great Master of Social Work degree and am working in my designated field, but damn, I hate this job and I am only making $22k a year! That does not buy a bunch of skydives." My wife and I are both in the Army, barely work because of our seniority, and pull down a collective $80k. That buys plenty of skydives and we only have Associates degrees. That MSW my buddy has is not going to get her a good paying I.T. job anywhere, BUT a riggers ticket will get you hired on at a canopy manufacturer. There, you can apprentice under a designer and eventually possibly venture out on your own. An aeronautical design degree would be VERY cool to have in that instance, but I believe that you can pick up the necessary skills on your own without actually paying for the entire program. That's just my feelings, though. I could give a shit about the actual degree. That is not going to help me one bit when I retire in less than a year and a half and take over my Dad's DZ. What is important in my situation is having the required ratings in order to do the job (commercial pilots license, rigger ticket, instructional ratings, outgoing personality and good looks (LOL!). What is most important to me, though, is being able to afford to skydive and feed myself. If none of that made any sense, blame the fact that I am all doped up on Percocet. [/rambling diatribe] To the original poster, send a private message to CobaltDan. He is a real-live engineer and parachute designer among other things and could possibly hook you up with the information you need. Chuck

This is how club jumpers get over so much more cheaply: $200- SL FJC (includes USPA membership, goggles, logbook, ALL training, and first weekend's gear rental $12 each- Jumps A thru E (SL and PRCPs), all freefalls up to the 2nd 15-second delay. $17- 2nd 15 second delay $36 each- 2 30-second delays, 3 45-second delays, and the few required "coach jumps" needed for A-license $35- Gear rental for each ENTIRE weekend (or $10 for a weekday). This includes a brand-new Quasar II rig (with Cypres), Michigan jumpsuit, Alti II, Protec or Aviator helmet, and a kitbag to put it all in. Not a bad deal, huh? you decide That kicks ass! Where do I sign up? Nice, but I can do better SL is yucky! I don't care how cheap it is Whuffo you jump outa airplanes? Aircraft? C-182 for everything up to and including 15-second delays, then right into the Super Otter and up to 13,000 feet for everything else. Extra costs that most people get hosed with at other DZ's, like packing classes, RW coaching, etc? Free here. Raeford, North Carolina, USA. Chuck Blue D-12501 SL-I, TM-I King of all Skymonkeys

Quincy. Be there or be square. Chuck

Nice spot. Give that SGT a battlefield promotion for his uncanny ability to encite chaos. Chuck

It is assumed that you will do everything other than work at the pool (either at home or the DZ)

Which is more important? work or loafing at the pool with frosty beer? work! Bob Villa is my hero! I will get around to it after this beer screw work, let's get pissed! too nice to work! let's skydive let's drink beer and do hook-turns from 2k!

Definitely not the hot ticket!

Good recovery after your mess-up. Don't even sweat it. Like everyone else has already stated, it is definitely better to get that first reserve ride out of the way. The most important thing you can do prior to PRCP's and then your first FF is "jumping jacks" with your pelvis against a wall or tree. Putting your hands in the right place over and over again will make the pull sequence second nature to you. Hopefully, your DZ has the PRCP in the same location as the actual ripcord. Chuck Blue D-12501 SL-I, TM-I

Does that mean that you have another DZ close enough to you that it wouldn't be much of a hassle to move there? If not, and you really want to skydive, then you just have to weigh the odds and make your own decision. Unlike one of the other posters, I don't think I have ever been to a DZ that DID NOT lose at least one plane to some sort of accident or incident. Shit happens. Chuck

Technically true, but I will not take off in a 182 with less than 1/4 tank showing on the gauges, especially with students onboard. I am a pilot and I won't fly with less than that either. Chuck

Got it, thanks.

I am from Opelika, AL. Being from the sticks has nothing to do with whether or not you skydive. I was just picking anyway. There are actually very few people that get around to jumping at that age. This, of course, is mostly a money issue. I was lucky enough to be able to start at 17 (over 20 years ago) because by dad is a DZO. Normally, every DZ will have one or two kids aged 16-18 who jump. The people we normally get in your age range are college students out making a tandem with a group of their friends. Very few of them have the cash to stay with it, but come back later in life and take their lessons. My dad's DZ is 12 miles from Auburn University and 3 miles from Tuskeege University. There MIGHT be five up-jumpers there who are in school full-time. Chuck

I am unable to locate this magical "rate" button. I see the ratings, hits, etc., but no "rate" button.

This is not something that is going to stop me from jumping, but hard openings would really suck right now. Anyway, I am glad that I am able to impart some of my wisdom onto you. Chuck

Anyone figure out how to rate the pictures? I have never figured that out. Chuck

Ahem.. Obviously if you somehow end up over pavement or some other non-slidable surface you are going to have to go with something completely different. In that case, you will not drag your feet and will end your swoop with a more pronounced flare at the end. But, to clarify the "foot placement" remark: at the point of my swoop where I am losing enough speed that I am having to use a little more brake input, I put my feet down and in my "landing configuration". For me, this is left foot out in front and right foot right under me and to the rear of the front foot. Toes are up on both feet and my knees stay bent. Imagine yourself sliding down a polished floor in your socks. That is how I slide out my landings. In this configuration it is almost impossible to trip forward and face-plant. Is also very unlikely that you will go down on your ass. Does that clarify it for you? Chuck

The Vengeance dives a lot harder than a Stiletto. The brakes are also down farther in the control range, like most other performance mains. The recovery arc is also much longer, so that means that you must initiate your final turn higher in order to get the best performance out of your landing. If you are hooking at "Stiletto height", then you are obviously having to "dig" your landings. I recommend initiating your final turn at least 100 feet higher and letting that thing build up speed. With increased speed comes greatly increased lift. One thing about the Vengeance, though: with that increased speed only comes a marginally-longer surf than with a Stiletto. It is for that reason that I sold mine after 10 jumps and got my Alpha, then VX, then Cobalts. All dive about the same as the Vengeance, but all surf quite a bit farther in the same size. As far as landing your new main goes, follow the tip I listed above about initiating your final turn higher. If you find yourself having to dig to get "around the corner", then you are still not turning high enough. Digging only shortens your surf. You should barely have to touch your toggles to get around the corner, then you let is fly out and apply little bits of input to stay planed out. Set your feet down when you get down to about 60-60% of your control range, then slowly apply that last bit at the very end. Never run out a landing for any reason; always slide-off excess speed. Good foot placement is key here. Chuck

I kind of enjoy live tissue training. Chuck

Happy birthday. So, what took you so long to start jumping?

I was always fascinated at my apparent popularity anyway. Maybe I should put up a picture of my bruised, hairy ass. That would REALLY rack up the points! But, alas, I just checked and saw that I was back in the lead. What a trip. Chuck

"Well Chuck, wont you be the pretty one!!!! LOL" Judging by my staying power as "king of the mugshot vault" it must be true! Ouch! Don't make me laugh! Chuck

That's pretty odd. She must have gotten knocked all caddy-wompus! Anyway, I am feeling fine, except for when I sit on my ass, LIKE RIGHT NOW! LOL! Chuck