Aviatrr

Just tell people you have around 1,000 jumps.. They'll only jump with ya once - but at least they'll jump with ya.. Mike

I don't know about a Tempo - but with a Precision Raven or a PD Reserve, you can jump it "as a main".. Call the company and ask 'em for a demo.. I've done this with PD reserves, but not with the Raven series.. Mike

On a pull-out, just reach back and grab the pud prior to exit.. If it moves easily, it's not properly secured.. Mike

I have never heard of anybody using something like that on a sport rig.. I can't see any benefit, but I can see at least one drawback.. My closing loop is quite tight.. With a cable, I could end up with a kink in it, causing a hard or impossible pull.. I'm interested in hearing why people use this.. Mike

I think this is the case at most DZ's.. Everytime I get on the ground, I pay attention to who is landing and who I see in the packing area.. I think that most people do the same.. Not long ago, I did a solo jump at a dz I frequent.. I wanted to be first out since everybody else was pulling at 3.5k or higher, and I was pulling at around 2.5k.. Everybody was cool with that, so I went out first.. When I landed, a friend of mine was there on her lunch hour, and wanted to go to lunch.. She didn't have long, so was in a bit of a hurry.. I dropped my rig in the corner of the packing hangar, and we headed out.. About 20 minutes later, my cell phone rings....it's manifest wanting to know where I was.. When several people noticed that I was nowhere to be found, they asked manifest if they saw me.. They looked up my info, which has my cell phone number on it, and called to see if I answered.. I then realized that I was on my way out of the DZ before half the load was on the ground.. I was definitely glad to hear somebody was watching out for me, though.. Mike

Just to clarify.. The Raven-M is made in 181 - and I don't think they refer to them as the Micro-Raven.. At least, it used to be that the Micro-Raven series was 150 and smaller.. PD makes reserves in 160, 176, and 193 in that same area.. Mike

Who's Tim? Name doesn't ring a bell.. Oh, I'm sure I could think of something else between now and then.. Mike

Everyplace in Florida is an alligator farm.. They're all over the place.. Mike

Remember - very experienced and very smart don't go hand in hand.. Anytime I hook a main up to risers, I always check the lines.. Everytime I pack - I run the lines(from the 3 ring) to make sure there is no step through.. Everybody makes mistakes - I'd rather catch it packing then at 2.5k just after I deploy - and end up with a wildly spinning mal.. The guy that chastized you - USPA official or not - is a bozo.. Mike

Well, as you can see, there are many different opinions and reasons why people use what they do.. I currently have a BOC throw out - but after having a PC in tow, I started looking into the pull out system.. I jumped a friends rig with a pull out, and liked it.. Yes, it is a little more work - but I feel it's worth it for the added security.. Pull out is not for everybody.. One of the big things that is always pointed out when talking about pull out is a floating handle.. Well, think of it this way.. If your handle floats on a pull out, what could happen if the same occurs(meaning your hackey 'floats') on a BOC throw out? Your pilot chute could get out into the wind.. I sure as hell don't want to have a deployment while I'm doing 200+ head down.. If you secure your pull out handle properly, a floating handle shouldn't occur.. Pull outs are few and far between.. BOC throw outs are very common.. Many people don't "like" the pull out system because they don't understand it.. I guess that makes those of us that like and/or jump pull out smarter than the rest.. Mike

I still have a Hornet 190, and I have never had to roll the nose or tail.. It opens consistently in 400-500ft.. It opens quickly, but not hard.. I psycho-pack it because that's the only way I can get a 190 into a container sized for a 150.. Mike

Reserves are built to FAA TSO 23 standards.. The TSO requires the reserve pass certain drop tests with specified weights/speeds.. Plus, you have to consider the fact that reserves are not subject to many deployments - unlike mains.. Mike

It definitely is.. Yea, I jumped there back in '96 while.. I went to school from '94 to '96 in Tulsa, and Cushing was really the only DZ within an hour.. There were a couple others - but they were not places I wanted to jump.. Hell, I even busted my leg out there at OSC.. Made a low front riser turn(which Mikey always bitched about), canopy started to plane out, and I brought the toggles down to around my shoulder.. One of the toggles came off in my hand - the steering line broke about 18in. above the toggle.. Grabbed the rear risers, too little, too late.. Reached for the ground with my left leg straight out.......WHACK! Got up, dusted myself off, gathered my canopy, started walking in....and fell over when I put weight on my left leg.. WTF?! I babied it on the way into the hangar.. I didn't think it was broken.. I drove home, packed it in ice, drank lots of beer, and went to bed.. Woke up the next morning, and it hurt like hell still...and looked even worse.. Went to the Urgent Care.. Turned out I broke my ankle and fractured my tibia.. That was the end of my skydiving for a few years....then I moved in next to a DZ.. I just HAD to start jumping again to fit in with the neighbors!

Space Center is a cool place.. We have a great group of regular jumpers and great staff.. It's a much more laid back atmosphere than Deland.. It's kinda like a small town as opposed to a big city - people just aren't in too much of a hurry, and everybody knows everybody.. The only problem with Space Center is that landing outs are somewhat limited.. Your decision altitude needs to be higher than most places because of the limited outs.. The main landing areas are huge, though.. Let me know if you're gonna come visit - I'll watch for ya if I'm there that weekend.. Mike

I had what I suspect was line dump once.. Two of the ribs separated from the top skin of the canopy, and one line broke.. The canopy was controllable, and landed fine.. I didn't know about the torn ribs until well after landing.. I had bruises all over the place, and the pain was what I would call severe.. I couldn't see straight for a good 2-3 minutes - my vision was wavy and blurry.. Mike

Ok...who's gonna bring the raft? We've gotta do a raft dive.. And maybe a Shamu dive.. I've done a 3 way Shamu.....let's try to beat that record..

Don't worry - I'll still be on student status during the boogie.. Mike

So far there seems to be at least 15 dz.commers planning to attend.. 3 of us from Deland area(possibly 4 - weid said he MAY go).. I'm sure we can scare up some more.. How are you planning on getting there, Andrea? I'll definitely drive up.. Marc, you planning on driving yourself or riding with me? Mike

Hey, Slappie.. A friend of mine may be coming out to Atlanta for the boogie that weekend, and she said she found a fare of $71 each way on Airtran.. If she finds anything better, I'll let ya know.. Mike

You're right - it is recommended that the main and reserve be similar sizes.. Tell me this - do you want to have a reserve loaded at 1.5? Not me.. I've landed one at 1.5 - NOT FUN.. I was lucky I had a large, clear landing area.. What happens when I go down to a 120 main? How about a 105? Sub 100? Do you think it would be safe for me to jump a PD106 reserve, just so that it is a similar size to the main, when I am about 210lbs out the door? Here's how I see it.. The chance of a reserve ride is much higher than the chance of 2 out.. Chances are I will have many rides on this reserve, and probably never see 2 out.. I don't pull low - so I'm not in CYPRES fire territory.. If I get too low, I'll go straight to the reserve.. If I'm low, and in a bad spot, I don't want a small reserve loaded at 1.5+....I'd much rather have my large reserve loaded at 1.0.. Each person has to make their own decision on this matter - but that's the reasoning behind mine.. Mike

That one I am very familiar with.. I used to fly into Walla Walla hauling cargo.. Start in Seattle(Boeing Field), go to a little airport in Pasco, then on to Walla Walla.. Cool place, I must say.. Spent several hours there each day.. I liked it.. Mike

If you go on a posting binge, you could hit 1000 within a couple hours.. Skreamer probably wouldn't even be online at the time to see it, so he wouldn't be able to beat ya.. Go for it.. Only none of that fluff posting crap....it all has to be meaningfull! Now who actually thinks something is gonna happen when you hit 1000? Nothing happens at 100 or 500....why 1000? Sangiro probably made it something like 1010.....so that when somebody hits 1000 they are disappointed when nothing changes, but then are suprised when they hit 1010.. Mike

When I got back into the sport after a few years off, I went ahead and bought new.. There are a couple things to keep in mind, though.. I bought a container that would allow me to downsize when I was ready.. I initially bought a Hornet 190 and Tempo 210, and put 'em in a Talon2 container.. They are both a tight fit, but work.. The container(a Talon2 size T5) is actually sized for a 150main/150 reserve combo.. The Tempo 210 packs about the same as a PD160R, so it fits - but it's kinda tight.. The Hornet 190 packs very small for a 190 - it packs about the same as a Sabre 170, and just a bit larger than a Stilleto 150.. I have downsized in that same container from a Hornet 190, Sabre 170, Spectre 150, finally now to a Crossfire 139.. My container will safely hold a Crossfire 129(maybe even a 119 - haven't ever tried that), and even an Extreme VX99.. A friend of mine borrowed my rig and used his VX99 in it for about 50 jumps.. It was a bit loose, but not so loose it was unsafe.. This container will allow me to downsize quite a bit more, and go to much higher performance mains, and still keep my nice, big reserve.. The moral of the story? Buy a container that will allow you to downsize as much as possible(which may mean it'll be hard to pack that larger canopy in it) over time.. The second thing to think about is the reserve.. Don't go for a small reserve just because that's all that will fit in the container you want.. If that's the case - go with a bigger container.. My current reserve is loaded about 1:1.. My main is about 1.5:1.. I have landed a PD143R at a 1.5 loading, and it scared the shit out of me.. I handled it fine in a nice big landing area on the DZ - but if I had been low with a bad spot, the outcome could've been much different.. I will not go to a small reserve just so that "the container looks better" or "that's all that will fit".. Highly loaded mains are one thing, highly loaded reserves are another.. If you can find all this in a used rig, in good shape, at a decent price - go for it! If not, don't be afraid to buy new.. Just get EXACTLY what you want if you buy new.. Mike

That usually works, but not always.. When it doesn't, I make sure to explain my reasoning to everybody in the plane...then the whole plane usually pressures that person into securing their helmet.. Mike

Just kinda curious where other people mount the indicator for their Cam Eye II.. I don't have a ring sight, so I can't mount it there.. Right now I just have it hanging down in front of my left eye, I turn the camera on, see the red light, then tuck the indicator up into the helmet.. Then I pull it out under canopy and leave it in front of my left eye so I can see it.. I don't want anything solid(like a ring sight) on the helmet, but I've been thinking about something like lightweight plastic or metal that would bend/break fairly easily if a line caught on it, but would hold up to the speeds of stand/head down.. Anybody have any ideas? Mike