AndyMan

Not so good this week. It's complicated by the fact that we bought a new scale that reads 1.5 higher than the old one I'm up 3 to 230, but half of that is due to the new scale. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I think you meant to say: _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's dificult to restow a toggle in flight. Tension on the brake line closes the cats eye loop you're trying to stick the toggle through. Given limited time to fix a problem before landing. . . choose wisely. Given the scenario as described, if I had to land with one stuck toggle I would take a wrap of the break line. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm sorry. I really didn't intend this to turn into a "my rig is better than yours" one. Clearly the Micron is a very good rig. I'm done now. If I ever find myself in the vacinity of deLand, RWS is certainly on my list of places to visit. I'm told I tend to be far less annoying in person. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Never mind the fact that the first moment we met, I instantly had you "hold my camera helmet, so I can fix put this Stiletto sticker on it". So in the first few moments she found out a: I jump camera, b: I jump a high performance canopy. I pulled two SkyGod manuevers at once! Ding! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Since when is 10 year old gear "modern" ?!?!? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

When was the last time you saw a reserve flap open on a modern rig? The only open reserve flaps I've ever seen had been closed with velcro. As for the bottom foldback stopping the pin from moving, first I'd like to hear an example of that happening. Secondly, just because the flap doesn't move doesn't mean the pin doesn't move. I'd be more impressed with the Vector 3 if they had some sort of protection from main risers and connector links tearing off the reserve pack tray. I have seen rigs of several manufacturers with pack tray damage from errant risers during main deployment. Current models may have this, I'm not sure. Their manuals online don't appear to mention it, though. Main risers damaging the pack tray is an actual concern, vs the theoretical one above. Not that I'm dissing the Vector. Clearly it's a good rig - just not worth a $500 premium without the skyhook IMHO. Neither is the Javelin for that matter, but that's a different thread. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Have you seen an Icon up close? The Skyhook is certainly a big advantage of the Vector 3, but I've seen both up close and I can't see any other advantage the Vector has over an Icon - unless you like overpaying, that is. I can assure you, the Icon is also "well thought out". A harness resize only requires removing one panel on the backpad, for example. As for my liking it only because I bought one, you have your causality mixed. I also own a Javelin and last year I helped my wife pick out a new Mirage. I do not wax so vociferously in their favor. Also, I am not sponsored by anyone. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Out of curiosity, what color is your fiance's rig, and what color is yours? Possible that it's showing up on yours because you've got darker colors? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Not if he's looking for innexpensive! _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I would take a serious look at why you think a Mirage is so much better than an Infinity. There are many options in the Container market. Explore them. In addition to Infinity, also be sure to check out Icons and Wings. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Cut it close to the toggle and it's still stowed. You might have made it easier to get it free, or you may have done nothing at all. In this case, I'd ask how much time are you planning to spend trying to fix it? I supose my only point was simple - the answer that many people are giving - landing with a stuck toggle - is a lot more complicated than people are admitting. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

So a street price with 25%off will be 1641.75 With options that'll hit $2000 easily. base: 2189 25% discount: 1641.75 hip rings 200 freefly pud 35 logo + embroidery 85 deluxe backpad 75 freefly mod 10 rws logo embroidery 25 total without skyhook 2071.75 Competition is a wonderful thing. Aerodyne's Icon is 1,799 with most options included. Street price is 1,529. Articulated Wings is 1,480.00 with most options included. Street price is $1,110 Apart from the Skyhook, I'd challenge anyone to show how a Vector-3 is "better" than an Icon. Is the priveldge of paying even more for a skyhook really worth $500? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I'm curious of you've ever landed on rear risers with one or both brakes at half...? It would seem to be much more complicated than simply landing in rears. The way I see it, even though I can easily land in rears, I'm not so sure about landing in rears with one or both brakes stowed, so the choice becomes cutting the brake line with a hook knife and landing rears, or chopping and landing my reserve. Chopping lets me get repacked in a few hours, cutting the brake line and landing my main means my main is out a few days at least for repairs. Given the situation described, I'd chop. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I agree, but I think you've got it backwards. Breads, pastas, and potatoes are simple carbs - since they're usually made from refined flours which end up being chemically very similar to table sugar. Vegies, fruit, and whole grains are usually complex carbs, full of vitamins, fiber, and protein. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The Constitution says the public has a right to carry military arms. Thus, the constitution says the public has the right to carry tactical nuclear weapons. The constitution says nothing about hunting weapons. Interesting, isn't it? _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

It's clear that you don't know much about it. The South Beach Diet is designed to reduce heart disease, and the weight loss is really just a side effect. I don't care how much you exercise, if you eat the typical american diet you will have a probelm with heart disease unless somthing else gets to you first. The science behind saturated fat and refined sugars is simple. Avoiding the excesses of the American diet will improve your health, no matter how much you exercise. I recommend the hardcover. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The South Beach Diet is a great way to get healthy. Sticking to the diet will first lower your cholesterol, then help fight any signs of adult onset diabetes, and lastly it will help you lose weight. If you were to take the recommendations of most nutritionists, package it up into a a book - you'd have the South Beach Diet. It teaches a new lifestyle of avoiding overly refined sugars and grains, teaching us to eat more veggies, whole grains, lean meats and unsaturated fats. It is exceedingly difficult to find something wrong with it. I don't know anything about the frozen dinners. My version of the book actually ridicules the concept of frozen dinners. When my version was printed the author was against them. In the book he teaches that people take responsibility for what they eat, preparing them with with fresh ingredients from natural sources. I don't see how frozen dinners fit that mould. I don't know if they've changed any of this in more recent versions.... I hope not. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I am Mace Windu. Badass jedi. Mace Windu 69% Yoda 67% Anakin Skywalker 58% General Grievous 58% Darth Vader 56% Clone Trooper 53% Chewbacca 44% Obi Wan Kenobi 39% R2-D2 36% C-3PO 33% Emperor Palpatine 33% Padme Amidala 19% _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

HTML http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=090005198005b0f5&print=yes and PDF http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/PTT_Parachuting_102003.pdf I carry the PDF version since it looks more official. You can find it by searching on USPA.ORG for "TSA". _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

That explains part of the problem, then. I've moved, and now live accross the street at a different address. USPS mail gets forwarded but UPS and Fedex doesn't. See you this weekend, and maybe I'll have a beer or 4 for you too. Apologies about the rant. In case anyone else is reading, Yes - I do LOVE my Icon. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

Ooops. My bad. Edited. __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

I love my Icon. I think it's the most advanced design of the containers on the market. The mini-force rings are interesting, but not the chief point. The design excells in many areas, such as the ease of harness resizing when you sell it or get fat, nice beefy cuttaway handles that are the easiest to grab and feel of any I've seen, the best hard riser housing design I've seen, and countless other smart enhancements. I have one stiff criticism, which is that Aubrey is completely dropping the ball on post-sale service. Despite 4 emails reminding him, he's consistently "forgotten" to drop a simple replacement part in the mail, leaving me one very unhappy customer. Aerodyne in North America needs to do some serious thinking about customer support if they want people to recomend their gear. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

The deHavillan Twin Otter, DHC-6 remains the gold standard of skydiving aircraft. With PT6-27 or -34 engines, it's nearly as fast as a PAC 750XL. It has excellent short field take-off performance and is designed for unimproved runways (read: grass). The big wing and high tail give it stability in flight and unmatched stall-characteristics. Disadvantage of an Otter compared to a PAC: It's Slightly slower. With -27 or -34 engines, it can take off, drop jumpers, and return to pick up the next load in under 20 minutes. They can also be quite expensive. Advantages of an Otter compared to a PAC: 1) Stall characteristics. No matter how many floaters you put outside on the camera step, it's nearly impossible for the jumpers to stall the aircraft. Any stall is the pilots fault, not the jumpers. 2) Strong, High tail. A premature opening by a floater will most likely pass under the tail. If the canopy does entangle the tail, the tail is strong enough to support the load. I know of two incidents where jumpers have struck the tail of otters giving only superficial damage. I know of two others where prematures have resulted in a conscious and alive jumper hanging from the tail, being able to cuttaway and land his reserve. 3) Large capacity. Rated to 12,500 pounds gross weight. That means 23 jumpers + fuel, with room to spare. 4) Higher ceiling. Quarters aren't cramped. Lots of room for a vidiot with a tall helmet to kneel infront of the door. You asked about a Porter. Porters are smaller than a PAC, and also slower, more dificult to fly because of the tail wheel, and definately more cramped. Porters are common because they're innexpensive. Other people have suggested a King Air. King Airs are turbines, and with the right engines can be very fast. Mike Mullins King Air cycles in under 10 minutes, with a 7 minute ride to altitude. Disadvantages of the King Air are the low weak tail, retractable landing gear, small door, not-so-great stall characteristics and cramped quarters. King Airs can be cheap because they've been in production for ever. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

They should be kicking themselves for not testing it. Mirage, Aerodyne, and now PD have all had websites go "live" this year with major functionality issues. I'm amazed these companies play so fast with their image. _Am __ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.