GLIDEANGLE

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Everything posted by GLIDEANGLE

  1. GLIDEANGLE
    Spectra & Vectran too The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  2. GLIDEANGLE
    I just got an email from Skydive Temple announcing a "White trash boogie" this weekend....flying a PAC! They are located in Salado... Just north of Austin on I35. Right in your backyard! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  3. GLIDEANGLE
    Howdy! You have lots of good options in Texas. However, often geography is the prime determinant of where folks do most of their jumps. My home is Skydive Dallas... very hospitable "Howdy!" DZ with 2 turbine aircraft and free load organizers every weekend. Skydive Temple is a charming place that sometimes has turbines (typically in winter). Great people and lots of Shiner. If you like CReW... this is the place for you! Skydive Spaceland has LOTS of turbine aircraft and great facilities (site of the 2009 USPA nationals). Skydive 35 (near Hillsboro) is mostly tandems. I haven't yet been to San Marcos or Skydive Houston. The essential questions is... "How far are you willing to drive?" The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  4. GLIDEANGLE
    All the above is good stuff. My observation is that the coldest part of a winter jump for me is floating outside the aircraft. Being a sorta big guy, I get to do that a lot... I never notice the cold in freefall. Sometimes the canopy ride can be a bit chilly. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  5. GLIDEANGLE
    Psycho packing has two advantages: 1. Easier to control while bagging. 2. The name "psycho packing" scares people and increases your cool value. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  6. GLIDEANGLE
    "facing" means just what it says... the direction that the person's face is pointed. With a correctly rigged canopy if I pull the right toggle the canopy turns that way AND my face turns that way. With a backwards canopy, if I pull the canopies right toggle (on my left side), the canopy turns to its right and I am now facing toward the LEFT of the canopys previous path. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  7. GLIDEANGLE
    Smile, breathe, relax. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  8. GLIDEANGLE
    1. There are different levels/kinds of gear checks: -Full student check (pretty obvious when done.) -Pin check (might be just main pin & handle, might be main pin/handle and reserve pin) That can be quickly done depending on space available and seating arrangement. -Self check of threes (you might not even notice that being done.) Three buckles, three ring & RSL, three handles. 2. I find that pin checks are contagious. When someone asks for one they often inspire others to do the same. 3. I have a friend who broke his neck due to a premature main deployment while in a sit, and another whose reserve fired in the plane (door closed, all good) ... that makes me real sensitive to pin checks. 4. Never be afraid to ask for a pin check! Odd pin check story: I once had a pilot tell me to kneel next to him so that he could give me a pin check (I was the only jumper on that load). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  9. GLIDEANGLE
    Add a Pilot to your list of canopies to demo. The jumpers who fly them seem to LOVE them. http://www.flyaerodyne.com The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  10. GLIDEANGLE
    USPA reccomendations for currency are that jumpers get recurrency training and do a supervised jump if their last jump was more than: A lic. 60 days B lic. 90 days C / D lic. 180 days The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  11. GLIDEANGLE
    Could this be due to the inherent differences between 9 cell and 7 cell canopies? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  12. GLIDEANGLE
    Not free but a very good investment: The Skydiving Survival Series This is a set of five videos: BREAK-AWAY FLY LIKE A PRO GROUND RUSH PACK LIKE A PRO TROUBLE FREE ZERO P One of many sources: http://www.paragear.com/templates/parachutes.asp?group=461&level=1 Item: V90350 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  13. GLIDEANGLE
    Belly flying is alive and well! At the 2010 USPA National championships there were 93 teams competing in the various belly flying events, and there were 22 teams competing in the various freeflying events (VFS, Freeflying & freestyle). The manifest girl is stunningly clueless. Here is a relevant joke: Q: What is the difference between a skydiving whore and a skydiving slut? A: A skydiving whore will only jump with those who pay him/her. A skydiving slut will jump with anyone! Being a skydiving slut is a good thing! Come visit Skydive Dallas and the belly flyers will keep you VERY busy!!!!!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  14. GLIDEANGLE
    My most recent jump (7weeks ago) was an AFF-I jump where I dislocated my foot due to a stupid landing error. I was in NO condition to be on the radio as I was squirming around on the grass. That said, I hate the radio. I know that I am alone in that feeling. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  15. GLIDEANGLE
    Curious, not argumentative: What about Precision products with "no clamps" directive from manufacturer? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  16. GLIDEANGLE

    new alti

    GLIDEANGLE replied to nzdan's topic in Gear and Rigging

    I also am a fan of N3 (but I have no experience with the Visio2). In addition to the above, I have found Alti-2's customer service to be excellent! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  17. GLIDEANGLE
    If you have the time, money, and interest to travel cross-country for AFF, I would suggest that you find an instructor who offers TUNNEL AFF. By that I mean taking you into the vertical wind tunnel to develop basic skills before your first AFF jump. If this is done right, your first jump can be an advanced level AFF jump (such as a modified L5). I suspect that many DZs with a tunnel on-site or nearby offer this. I know that Skydive University @ Deland uses the Orlando tunnel for Tunnel AFF. See video of their Tunnel AFF students in freefall here: http://www.skydiveu.com/tunnel.php Good luck, Blue Skies! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  18. GLIDEANGLE
    31 jumps and you don't know about rear riser turns? Ouch! Turns can be made with either front or rear risers. Landing flare can done with rear risers. Rear riser turns with brakes stowed are an important tool for avoiding collisions immediately after canopy deployment and inflation. Rear riser turns are relatively safe and easy to learn by yourself. Front riser turns and landing on rear risers have both technique and safety issues that are best explained by an instructor or coach face-to-face. These topics are discussed in the SIM. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  19. GLIDEANGLE
    Agreed... but given the messages from USPA... Why risk delaying processing of the license application by sending it with pilot or rigger initials? There is lots of contradiction and strangeness between the two cards and the messages coming from USPA. For example why are items marked for riggers or pilots on the 4 page card, but not on the 2 page card? Clearly there is a disconnect between what the forms say and what HQ is publishing. I have this fantasy that maybe this will be fixed with the 2011-12 SIM and IRM. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  20. GLIDEANGLE
    1. Good Luck!
  21. GLIDEANGLE
    1. Forget gear until you are well on your way to your license. Cart is before horse here. 2. Due to the many bad things that can happen during 19 ystorage storage, this rig is a wild card until it is inspected by a rigger! Exposure to sunlight or acid can cause sufficient damage to make repair uneconomic. 3. Assuming that the rig is safe, you will find that part of the reason it is such a bargain is that the canopies are made of a porous material which ages fairly quickly with use. Thus, this main has a relatively short lifespan compared to canopies made with zero porosity fabric. This fabric issue is NOT a problem on the reserve. 4. Does the rig have a reserve static line? You will probably want that. It MAY be possible to retro-fit one on the rig if it lacks one now.... More expense. Blue Skies! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  22. GLIDEANGLE
    My DZ doesn't issue the proficieny card until the student is finished with AFF. Until then, the student is on a tightly programmed path and the card is unnecessary. Not only unnecessary, it would likely be a distraction from the AFF tasks. Upon completion of AFF the student gets a briefing on how to use the card. The most recent direction from USPA regarding who can sign A-license cards: The four-page A-License Progression Cards may be signed by a current USPA Coach (limited to just a few items), Instructor, Examiner, S&TA or board member. The two-page A-License Proficiency Cards may be signed by a current USPA Instructor or higher. USPA Professional 09 Sep 2010 Note that neither rigger nor pilot is mentioned. Make your life easy, get an instructor to mark off ALL the items, that will prevent your license app from bouncing when submitted to USPA. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  23. GLIDEANGLE
    200 Jumps.... however: The most demanding part of being an effective coach is NOT air skills... it is ground skills. Being able and willing to do a really through ground prep before and an equally good debrief are the essence of the coach's tasks. Yes, a coach needs to be able to fly into position with a student who may be all over the sky. But beyond that the coach is primarily a target and an observer. That said, I didn't even think about becoming a coach until I had over 200 jumps. Even so... my first few coach jumps were a challenge. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  24. GLIDEANGLE
    Bravo Wendy! If hers is half as funny as yours.... it will be great fun to read. I hope that new jumpers take encouragement from both of your stories. Struggle as a student isn't uncommon or any kind of indicator of where a jumper can end up in this sport. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!
  25. GLIDEANGLE
    Instead of using the online version, download the PDF version and use the Adobe Reader search function (Ctrl+F). Works like a champ! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!