AndyMan

I'm a pussy that doesn't work on Racers. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

There are 3 keys to freefall stability: ARCH. LEGS. RELAX. Say to it yourself as you dirt-dive, board the plane, exit, and fall. ARCH, LEGS, RELAX. ARCH: Arch your body by flexing your pelvis down. Elbows at 90 degrees, shoulders straight accross, head pulled up, and 20 degree bend in the knees. Do your best to imitate a badminton birdie by having your core mass be the lowest point, and having your light extremities be the highest point.0 LEGS: Gentle pressure on your legs to avoid backsliding. How much pressure? Practice at home by laying on the ground and putting your legs on the sofa. Add just enough leg pressure to pull your pelvis off the floor. RELAX: Relax your mind, and relax your body. Relax your mind in the plane by visualizing, steady breathing, and keeping calm. Relax your body in freefall by feeling the wind on your hands and arms, allowing the wind to mold your arch position. Don't ever fight the wind. Keep your body movements small and simple. Relax and enjoy the sensation of freefall. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I've seen it done a handful of times using big water noodles for canopy direction. It requires a day with very light winds, and a spot that's closer to the DZ than hearing students might get. You want to make sure the student will not have any trouble finding the DZ on his own. Use an interpreter for the FJC, hand signs in freefall, and some kind of paddles for turns and flaring. Another challenge to think about is where to place yourself in the landing area so that the student can see you no matter what phase of his pattern he's flying. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Absolutely amazing footage. Thanks for posting that. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The last time I saw a very old Mirage (i think it was called an M3), I checked with the manufacturer. Their recommendation was to use the latest G3 manual. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

These are all easy questions that the USPA can be tasked with answering - just as they have answered on every other regulation that they've imposed. Using these questions as objections to the simple proposal of rules can only be described two ways : Obstinate and unhelpful. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I disagree. I don't see strong opposition at all, except among a few libertarian types, plus a few others who would be affected. This type of opposition did not halt any of the other BSR's, so I see no reason why it should halt this one. Certainly opinions should be listened to, but a vocal minority should not stop progressive change. I'm sure the USPA has enough smart people to come up with a reasonable limit that's far more comprehensive than an arbitrary cutoff. Brian Germain's chart is a great starting point. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's absolutely amazing to me that the USPA has completely failed to act on this. It represents an abject failure to look out for the best interests of the sport, and the association. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Pretty lame. I found some footage from the older model that is far from impressive, I am not holding my breath. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Allegedly this camera is coming out next week - does anyone else have some feedback on it? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The one key piece of advice I can offer, is to take advice only from your instructors, and not from a packer unless he's also a rigger, and certainly not from some forum on the internet. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm not really sure what you want us to say..? You certainly aren't the first person to receive a package in a broken or wet box, and to be completely honest I don't understand why you care about the condition of the BOX. Open the package, inspect it, and if there's any issues with the container itself then take that up with the company that sent it to you. As for paying tax, yup - gotta pay tax on imported goods. Again, not really sure what you're looking for. Some people avoid tax by having the goods shipped to a US address, but it sounds like it's too late to play this card. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Can you two just go ahead have the make-up sex? The sexual tension here is killing us! Get a room already! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

A simple rule: Try once, Try twice, Go To Plan 'B'. The sounds like you did this exactly. To spend any more time trying to figure out what was wrong with your main would have been poor judgment. Attempts to rig mid-air have killed numerous skydivers. Good job, you had a plan and you stuck with it. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The often wished for contraption has gotten a step closer to reality: MIT gurus produce self-folding fiberglass "paper" airplane and boat. http://gizmodo.com/5575298/watch-self+folding-origami-take-all-the-fun-out-of-miniature-paper-boats Neat! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Should be a really good event! Good times! __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Daisy-chain the lines? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Thanks, that was my suspicion, and my recommendation was that it never be jumped again. I certainly did not put my seal on it. It was a 5 cell Swift, not the Swift Plus. (i have a swift plus and like it) I had been told it was a Swift Plus when it was handed to me. The first sign that something was 'off' was when I saw the connector links, the lines were sewn together without finger-trap. I've only seen that on round canopies before. As for the suggestion that any good rigger would refuse to pack it, well - it's been packed 4 times in the last few years, by a handful of different riggers in 3 states, all of which have generally good reputations. __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I've just had the pleasure of finding one of these old Swifts affected by the recall - and of course the work has not been performed. I made a telephone call into Airborne Systems (what became of ParaFlite, from what I understand) to inquire if they still service these canopies, and they do not. Are there any other options for this canopy other than to turn it into a car cover? Do I have any obligations to mark the canopy as unairworthy? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

They're generic with a hand printed name. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

CSC gives a plastic credit-card sized certificate, pocket-sized makes it a great tool for bragging to friends. They also get a coupon for a cheap beer at the first bar down the road on the way home. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

There is SO little value in being obtuse. How many skydivers die every year because they're afraid to cut away line twists? Generally I find the opposite is true - people are more than happy to get rid of a malfunction. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

You're presuming an awful lot here. Skydive Chicago's AFP program requires two teaching tandems before going to a single jump-master AFF jumps. The total cost of the program is comparable to the standard method because of the savings from the single-jump master. I don't work at Skydive Chicago, but I do work sometimes at CSC where they recomend tandems but do not require them. With certainty I can say that jumpers who do a tandem first have a much easier time with the first few jumps and they most definitely do have a higher pass rate. A great example, just a few weeks ago we had an AFF student so full of his own bravado that he insisted on doing his first jump AFF despite recommendations. He ended up riding the plane down an emotional wreck, and sure wasted a lot of money on that jump. He would have saved a lot of money had he done a tandem first. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The point of the training is to teach you something - something that I think you've noticed, but haven't figured out yet. You can land down-wind, in 5, 10, 20, or even 30 MPH. As long as you flare at the normal height, and keep your legs infront of you, or do a PLF and roll with it - as long as you do this, you'll get up, and dust yourself off, and walk away, just like you did. That's the point of the training. It's an important lesson to learn, and it's not intuitive, and it doesn't come naturally. Many skydivers never figure this out. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's possible - helping teach the non-specific parts of a first-jump course is a requirement for the coach rating. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.