AndyMan

My other Z1 helmet isn't very durable, so I don't know why the Evo would be... My favorite skydiving helmet is my Pro-Tec, followed by my Bonehead. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I put 500 jumps or so on a Stiletto, loaded at around 1.5 - I never had any problem at all with the flare. In fact, I loved the flare. I could pop it up at the end if I wanted to. The flare was my favorite aspect of the Stiletto. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Not only am I 35, but I'm also half deaf and I can hear that just fine. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

A jedei is a particularly tough canopy to describe. The biggest problem in describing them is that literally, each one is different. The canopy evolved over its life, with Brian Germain constantly testing new designs and producing them as the canopy was made. The characteristics of each canopy varied wildly as Brian changed the design. I jump one, but I spend more time under my Samurai. I find the Jedei to recover quicker from turns, and is less dive-hungry. It's very quick on the toggles, and has a nice flare. I find my Jedei more like a Stiletto, and my Samurai more like a Katana, if that helps... _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I recomend that students downsize one canopy size at a time, and that they do at least two jumps, and often 3 or 4 jumps on each canopy. That means, after the 260, you should do at least two (maybe 3 or 4) jumps on a 240, then at least two more (maybe 3 or 4) on a 220, then maybe - if you're feeling really good about it, try the 190. Most students take much longer to get to the 190 - some buy a 220 as their first canopy. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm torn. It's been painfully obvious that skydiving governance in Canada has been in a very poor state for years. Political infighting and commercial interests have set competing organizations against each other. I'm really not surprised that the fed's are stepping in, it's predictable when you don't have a strong national organization like the USPA in charge. Skydiving governance in Canada has proven to be a joke. I'm not surprised the government wants it regulated. I'm torn because I know that skydiving under the watchful eye of the DOT will suck greatly, but at the same time the track record has shown the national organizations have been incapable of doing it properly themselves. It's such a shame that the industry hasn't gotten itself in shape long before this happened. _Am (former member, CSPA) __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I think your rigger has given you absolutely terrible advice. I think you should stick with the 170 for a couple hundred jumps, learn to fly the piss out of it and become an awesome canopy pilot, and then downsize. Downsizing from a 170 at your level is just plain dumb. You're putting the cart before the horse. Slow down, stick with the 170 and learn. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I have both, a wrist mount and chest mount. To address your question - as you've noticed most people have changed to wrist mount. This makes a lot of sense to me. I find the wrist mount far more accessible in freefall. I find it far easier to read my wrist altimeter then I do my chest one. I consider the move from chest mount to wrist mount a very positive one. The only reason I wear a chest mount is under canopy. Both when I do CRW and flying aggressive landings (swooping) - it's easier to read the chest mount. If you feel more comfortable with the chest mount - then stick with it. However, I suspect that if you do switch to wrist mount, you'll learn to like it a lot. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

If they shrink it down and try to make it affordable, I think a lot of people would go. They do need to remember that times have changed. People can jump turbine aircraft anywhere, and they don't have to pay top dollar to do so. They won't get 3000, but they'll get enough people to have a fun time. Low registration fees and cheap lift tickets are key. This probably means using local aircraft. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Whenever I told people that I had more malfunctions with my Triathlon then my Stiletto, they never believed me. It's true, though. I don't have either canopy anymore, but I do sure keep in mind the idea commonly accepted perceptions of canopies are often wildly out of line with reality. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm actually quite surprised at your statement. I had thought consensus had changed considerably in the last few years. I'm a camera flyer, and my setups are often big and bulky. Either with or without an RSL, a main entanglement with a camera helmet must be cleared before that main is cutaway. Cutting away a main that's still attached to your helmet is a recipe for an instant broken neck. Jumpers with broken necks can't open reserves themselves. Dealing with the entanglement before cutting away bypasses any issues with a any kind of RSL, and keeps your neck healthy. While I don't have any RSL on either rig right now, a SkyHook is definitely an option for my next rig. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Not only did I find a girl on the DZ, I dated her, proposed to her, and married her. I think we're definitely an odd case though. More often the guys end up losing their turn to someone else. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

What was it that motivated you do build something yourself, rather than buying a FTP ? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I wouldn't say that at all. If it's true for your DZ, I imagine it must be localized. The Chicago region has just had one of it's strongest years since 9/11. The number of students and experienced jumpers jumping is up considerably over last year. I don't see a decline at all. I see the exact opposite around here, actually. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I had more than 200 jumps at the time. I thought I was perfectly safe. In hindsight, I knew a fraction of what I know know and am surprised I didn't get hurt. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

To a large degree, what's good for the operator is good for the jumper. 5 skydivers with an Otter are very unhappy. but those 5 skydivers with a Pac are having a whole lot of fun. Economics affect us all. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The Pac is not the most ideal jumpship by any standards - the ceiling is quite low in the back, there's risk of tail strike, and there's a bump in the floor that makes sitting in the front bench seats not so comfy. That said, it's fast, it turns a lot of loads quickly, and it's one of the least expensive turbines to run. For me, the financing of running it balances out all the negatives, because as a jumper it means my DZO will fire it up when before he'd keep the Otter parked. Chicagoland (CSC) or SkyKnights in Milwaukee may be the closest PAC to South Dakota. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Lost Prairie. Couch Freaks. Summerfest Chicks Rock, Skydive Arizone Holiday Boogie, Z-Hills Holiday Boogie. __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I have a highly loaded Samurai in one rig, and a moderately loaded Triathlon in the other. Obviously, I bought the two rigs for very different purposes. I use the Triathlon for CRW and demo jumps - it matches the color pattern of the demo team. I try to consistently fly the Samurai, unless I'm practicing for a demo or doing CRW. Otherwise, it really only gets pulled out on days where I'm very busy (12-15 jumps a day), and the packers have gotten backed up. On days like this (which are rare), I' had some not-so-good landings - always under the Triathlon. The problem stemmed from when I kept trying to fly it like my Samurai. Switching back and forth got confusing! Now that I have 2 rigs, I realize that having two is largely unnecessary - except in my case, where I need two radically different sized canopies. I did a LOT of jumping last year - 400ish jumps in the mid-west, which is tough considering the short season. I rarely had to use both rigs. If I only had one rig, I could have easily kept up by doing the occasional pack-job myself, or being smarter about picking loads. I dont' recomend people buy two rigs unless they're doing a lot more jumps than 400/year, or they have radically different canopy requirements like I do. I'm really curious why you need two rigs at your current level. It's very expensive, an not an ideal situation if you're using both at the same time. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

None of the above, and all of the above. Above all, time, and jumps. Amazingly, I've noticed I'm better at certain things after taking some time off. Some things get easier over the winter months, for example. Other times, I'll be focusing on one type of flying (RW), and another will get better (freeflying). It's weird. As I've gotten better, there's two constants that are always there: Time and Jumps. Every jump is a learning jump whether you intend it to be or not. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I've known Bram Clement for years. He's honest and ethical, plus a great instructor. He's everything I want in an evaluator. When I decided to go for my rating, going to him was an easy choice. He spends winters in Z-Hills and travels during the summer. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I jump an FTP with a wider plate. Slightly out of date pic here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=45844; 'Nat-Hat silliness here: http://omniskore.com/comp/2007/usnats/fs/307.asp The plate extends about about an inch on each side. Bonehead made it custom at my request. They charged a reasonable amount for the work, but I forget how much. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I don't know you, but just based on what you've written here I'm pretty sure that I could fly circles around you, even though I'm a beer bellied fat-ass. Don't worry so much about others. Worry about being the best that you can be. Worry about improving yourself, not knocking others down. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Last year I almost exclusively shot 4way video with CSC-Rhythm. CSC Rhythm started off with as a weak 'AA' team and set an aggressive goal of a respectable finish at Nationals. They were forced to compete as guests, but otherwise managed secure third place in Advanced. A few of my favorite shots: _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Gatorz work well for skydving, I have a pair that I use most of the time. They are expensive, and there are plenty of glasses that work just as well if not better and are a lot cheaper. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.