TheMarshMan1

I've never even had the slightest problem with my Z1....but then again..I'm not exactly a superstar freeflyer (yet)....

You could always mount them to the outside of your helmet (I wouldnt, but some do). I have a pro-dytter inside of my Z1 and it doesnt really bother me...

Hey everyone....I just wanted to say thanks so much for all the support/advice here. I'm not sure whether my parents will ever come around or not, but I'm sure as hell NOT going to let it get in the way of my skydiving. I guess we'll just keep the kinda "dont-ask-dont-tell" policy that we've had. On the bright side (something I forgot to mention), my grandparents are more than supportive and cant wait to watch me, and so are two of my uncles that are very close to me (one even has a couple SL jumps)- so I guess I shouldnt gripe too much. So anyways....thanks again everyone, and have a wonderful New Year!!!

Congrats!!! (and watch out for busses...) -Marshall

"Who? Your parents, skydivers or hells angels...." LOL...my parents...

"...bring a few of your best skydiving buddies home for dinner one evening..." hehe, not a bad idea. But its a rare occasion that I eat dinner with them myself...

Hey guys. I'm sure this has been brought up before, but just a quick rant anyways.... My parents are probably the most unsupportive parents in the world when it comes to skydiving. I mean, I've been doing it long enough now for them to realize that it wasnt just a passing fad. I plan on someday hopefully making skydiving as much of my career as possible- maybe as an instructor, videographer, rigger, who knows- hell I'm only 19. They know absolutely NOTHING about the sport, and yet they refuse to hear about it. They say they dont care if i do it, but refuse to contribute in any way whatsoever. What bothers me most is this: They know I'm never ever going to give this up, and yet they continue to fight it. I've never been really close to either of my parents, but this is making things even worse between us. Why cant they at least just pretend to be supportive? I mean, I've tried everything: tried to get them to visit a DZ, didnt work. showed them some pics of me doing it, didnt work. showed them a couple video clips, didnt work. Tried to explain to them some of the basics of the sport, didnt work. Its not because of the money- I work my ass off to be able to buy gear and jumps. So, am I missing something here? What else can I do? I just dont want this to completely destroy what little relationship I have with them. Oh well....any advice would be wonderful, and sorry for the rant... Blue skies, Marshall

Oh...and the website is www.jumpbubble.com but for some reason it doesnt seem to be working tonight.

I got one from Freedom Means Choice a few months ago, and I like it. It isnt as flashy as some freefly suits, but for the price I think its great. BUT.... I have to give the biggest props to JumpBubble (located in DeLand, FL)- she makes some sweeeeeet suits. Also...she wont make two suits exactly alike- so you know your getting something unique. You tell her the colors you want and a rough idea of the design, and she comes up with something I garuntee will not disappoint you. I would highly recommend one from them.... -Marshall

Coal

hehe....Clay has some work to do to top that one...

Sure there is. Once you get used to it, its simple. At least, I've never had any problems. With the visor open, hold the front of the helmet with your left hand and your thumb on the inside, and put the helmet almost on the back of your head first, then just pull down with your left hand. This probably makes no sense to you, but its the way I do it, and I've never had any problems. Oh, and as soon as I got mine I did a little modification- removed all the stock velcro (which was sticking out around the jaw area, like you said) and put all new in. As for jumping with glasses- must be mine is a little small, my glasses dont fit under it. Overall, I absolutely love the helmet, despite the few minor things... -Marshall

"Is it hard taking those pictures from an airplane?" LOL...my mom asked me that just the other day. -Yeah ma, and when the wings rip off, I get to jump out too!!!-

Oh yeah, and I think there were two tandems on that jump. With some russian guys, if I remember right....

Hmm...didnt know that. Well, i guess Bill can claim the first freefall jump onto it then....

I dunno, I personally wouldnt want to piss one off. I'm reasonably sure one of those could outrun me.

Hmm...dont know. Not on the jump Bill was describing to me....maybe another north pole jump?

"Danm......you get robbed of the ground rush!!!" LOL, not necessarily- the polar bears get bigger and bigger and bigger.......

"...2 degrees per thousand feet..." Thats in Celcius by the way, it'd be about 3.5 degrees F. About a month ago I got to spend some time with Bill Booth of Relative Workshop, and he told us the story and showed us the pictures of his jump into the North Pole. If I remember right, he was one of the first to do it. All that snow and ice- talk about lack of depth perception...

Just out of curiosity- what type of training and how long does it take to get your Sr. Rigger's rating?

Have you ever had to race to get a cutaway canopy before the locals do? I've heard some of those neighborhoods like to catch canopies when they come down. I havent seen this myself, but several different people have told me they've seen cars waiting downwind with their trunks open on busy days. I'm not sure exactly which neighborhoods, but I'm guessing its the ones to the northeast of those baseball diamonds. Anyways, glad your insurance worked out OK and you are able to get new stuff. Thats awesome. Blue skies, Marshall

"What if I'm in an F15 and I go vertical?" No offense, and feel free to correct me if you think I'm out of line, but I think thats carrying it a bit too far. The aerodynamics of a fighter jet and the aerodynamics of a cessna are two different things. Obviously, theres no way you can compare the aerodynamics of a canopy to an F-15, but you CAN somewhat compare them to the wing of a Cessna, like Paul has. "if lift is defined as opposing weight" yes, that is how lift is defined, however weight always acts "straight down". Meaning, no matter what the angle of the wing, the weight is not perpendicular to it, but rather perpendicular to the ground i guess you'd say. That said, if an F-15 was climbing vertically, the wings WOULD be producing lift. What the hell else would produce lift? Not the engines, they produce THRUST, remember?. Anyways, I think this is going off on so big of a tangent that its getting rather confusing. As a pilot and ground instructor (soon to be CFI), I completely agree with what Paul has said. Lets not get too far off topic. Just my $.02 -Marshall

"...and if dudes under 18 can jump there..." That might be a tough one....I dont know of any in Florida, but I could very easily be wrong. Theres a lot of people on here who have been in FL a whole lot longer than me, I'm sure they'll be more help. If I hear of any, I'll let you know....send me a PM if you happen to be going by DeLand, maybe we can meet up... Good luck, Marshall

"...after my shit got ripped off at Deland..." Yeah man, sorry to hear that...I was out there the other day and heard someone talking about stuff getting ripped off. That really sucks- did it happen to just you or were there others?

I'm in New York right now for the holidays, but I'll be back in FL on Jan. 4th. I havent really strayed far from DeLand yet, but I probably will later in Jan. after I get my rig. It'd be cool to meet some of you... Peace, Marshall