mattb

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Everything posted by mattb

  1. I had my first malfuction this weekend and am 99% confident it was the pack job. I packed it and think I know what happened but am not positive. I have 62 jumps but only ~12 pack jobs. Now I am less-confident in my ability to pack. Anybody else pack themselves a mal when they had just started packing? What did you do afterwards? Thanks -mob
  2. Saturday afternoon on my 4th jump of the day I had an uneventful 4-way sit-fly jump. I ended up high (which is rare because I'm a big guy) and decided to dump high because one of the jumpers below me was waving off and I was little too close for comfort. (There was already one collision that morning between a deploying jumper and one in freefall.) Next thing I know I am laying on my back spinning violently. 2 pulls later I foudn out that the system works. Having never got the chance to pull either handle before it feels good to know I can do it when I have to. Beer was bought and all was well in the end but I don't think I'll ever forget that moment. 2 lessons learned - 1) When you need them the handles are much closer to your neck then belly. 2) Hold on to the handles - they aren't cheap. Luckily the main and freebag landed at the end of the runway and were at the hangar before I was. -mob
  3. Skreamer - You said in a post that the jumpmaster almost didn't let you jump and thought about making you ride the plane down. I was wondering - how many dz's have somebody in the plane performing such a role and how does it work? Put 21 bodies in an Otter and how does this jumpmaster check everyone's gear without being in the way? Where I jump we give each other gear checks in the plane and are very careful but I can't picture the logistics of everyone getting an inspection from one person at altitude. -mob
  4. mattb

    good and bad day

    The day started out bad. Lousy weather cancelled my vacation day and I was off to the office instead of the dz. It's got better though - the rain is gone and it is a tad cold but should be nice and clear for jumping the rest of the weekend. Almost 5:00. -mob
  5. Wings containers are built per your body measurements and the reserve size you desire. Main canopy size is the final / least important factor. Not sure exactly how it all works out but you can have any size reserver/main combination. -mob
  6. Cool company - surprised liability fears allow a company skydiving team. The question is - RW or freefly? I'm a Sun Certified Java Architect who has written plenty of servlets and a few serverlets but not looking to relocate. Sorry :( for an odd reason (love) I prefer to live where I can't jump year round. MarkM - you need to search hard if you can't find a production use for Java. Let's start a religion war - soon this will be just like wreck.skydiving! -mob
  7. mattb

    Lift Price

    Why does it cost more for A-licensees? Seems like a scam unless I am unaware of something different in Canada. -mob
  8. mattb

    Lift Price

    A bit expensive and short on altitude. Why only 12.5? -mob
  9. At this point I just feel the need to say something since the thread has gone on this long. something I walk to work, train around the city and hitch a ride to the dz. Gas is supposed to hit $3 a gallon in Chicago this summer and as long as jump prices don't rise again I'll keep on smiling at all the cars stuck in a commute each day. -mob
  10. Pammi, I enjoy the relaxation of a solo dive and not having to plan anything but for skill building it helps to have another person as a point of reference. It's really hard to tell if you are backsliding, etc. if you are the only one around. That being said get goofy - I rather unsuccessfully tried to do jumping jacks on one dive. -mob
  11. mattb

    sabre

    Here's a question on behalf of a friend w/o net access. What are your thoughts on the PD-Sabre? Are hard-openings consistently a problem for new jumpers who are learning to pack? Not a popular canopy where I jump compared to Stilletos, etc. but if I want to buy user gear there are a lot of Sabres out there. Looking for feedback from jumpers who learned to pack / jump on a Sabre. Thanks
  12. This is from my limited understanding - Although a Safire 169 is closer in size to a Sabre/Spectre/Stilleto/PD 150 than a 170 it will pack slightly larger than the 170. I can't explain the physics of it all but have heard this from Icarus reps. -mob
  13. Try reading the fine print of the letter - after enlisting and training in one of the "specialties" you can then apply to transfer to the Golden Knights.
  14. Each canopy manufacturer measures differently. Icarus is actually changing their method to match PDs because the numbers a quite different. It's not only pack volume where a 170 does not always equal a 170. -mob
  15. mattb

    Mirage handle

    Get the pud type handle. I have one on a Wings container. (BOC not pull-out) Low profile = less chance of accidental deployment. Make sure you have a good grasp of the pud - it took me an extra try last weekend to deploy. -mob
  16. Are you really 6 hours from a dz? I remember driving a long ways when i lived in TX but wouldn't have guessed it to be that bad.
  17. great weekend - 8 jumps, finished setting up the trailer and camped at the dz saturday night. first 2 head down jumps / attempts. still trying to figure out this thing called packing. can't wait until next weekend.
  18. mattb

    gear in Houston

    Levin at FlyVertical.com / Spaceland has helped me out multiple times. He even had the patience to explain audible altimeters to my non-skydiving mother! -mob
  19. Tiger, I just got my first rig and am wing loading it about at 1.3. It all depends on what you are comfortable with - I started jumping at 1:1 instead of on older student/gigantic gear so that made for a big difference. Getting used to packing I can give you the tip that I would not want to try to squeeze a 190 into a container made for a 170 or anything of that sort. my 2 cents, -mob
  20. mattb

    ESPN Classic

    Just saw a short segment on ESPN classic from old ABC Wide World of Sports footage not sure if will air again / when but footage included: 1967 Internatational Championships 1970s Nationals 26 Way Star World Record formation (largest RW skydive at the time) Failed world record attempt at a smaller formation. Very interesting to watch - round parachutes, containers that "shoelace" type closings, belly reserves, etc. -mob
  21. mattb

    "Ball Master"

    A flame war on wreck.skydiving? ? ? Never. I don't believe it. ;) -mob
  22. "Do you know how to write object-oriented code?" Yes. Why, is there a dropzone offering jumps for code? -mob
  23. Yooper - I'm with you. Guiness is is great. A cold Newcastle is hard to beat. Harp, Sierra Nevada, Shiner Bock, I can list 100s of good beers but Budweiser is the king of beers. Start the flames.
  24. How about using an already established database as opposed to dz.com? Just an idea. [URL] http://www.skydivenet.com/fatalities/ [URL]
  25. Chad, Thanks - maybe I'll slip by next time I visit my parents. -mob