GLIDEANGLE

Lee: Your modesty is admirable. However, it is misplaced. Your knowledge is remarkable and your work beautiful. In my opinon of me and many of my friends... You are in an entirely different league than most senior riggers! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I guess you didn't follow the link I offered. Skydive university jumps at Deland and uses the tunnel in Orlando. You have what you want, where you want it. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

It isn't an either/or question. Below is a link to a program that combines both tunnel and freefall into their AFF program. The videos on the page linked below show some mighty impressive student preformance on the first freefall jump. If my son or wife wanted to do AFF I would probably send them to this program @ Skydive University. http://www.skydiveu.com/tunnel.php I seem to recollect that Skydive Arizona and Skydive Perris Valley both have programs that blend tunnel and freefall in AFF too. I suspect that there other DZs that do this too. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I don't know if I can describe it effectively.... For turns and side slides: Knee down and out, ankle IN, toes pointed..... sort of a "frog leg" positon. ZOOM!!!! Fun stuff. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I don't know about this turning power stuff... I think they mostly look cool. Yes, booties are the bomb. In time you will be amazed at what you can do with booties. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This should be helpful to you: http://www.uspa.org/BecomeaSkydiver/ChooseaMethod/tabid/65/Default.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

A landing... of some sort! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Farting on the plane! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

1. Lucky you that your parents are alive to ask. 2. Is you rig a toy or a tool? Big difference. 3. So much depends on the circumstances.... Some parents might be eager for you to ask. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

There was text on that ad? I never noticed. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Friday-Sunday 0:19:0 18 AFF jumps, one fun RW jump. (Friday = 2 jumps, Saturday=9, Sunday = 8) It was hotter than the hinges of hell. Every time I got in the plane I thought it couldn't get more hot & miserable, and the next load was always worse. The relief when we got the door open @ 1500ft was almost orgasmic! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

A round main.

Likely cheaper to replace damaged leg strap on an articulated rig. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

When I am just having a lazy day at the DZ I pack for myself. However when I have a tight schedule or a long series of jumps, I will use a packer. I have learned that when team training (especially in summer), that using a packer helps me preserve my energy so that my performance in late afternoon jumps is better. When I am teaching (AFFI), I truly don't have time to pack. If I have 20 minutes to get the last student de-briefed and the next one geared up, I need a packer. Any free time between instructional jumps is devoted to hydration and trying to sneak into the airconditionong for a moment. Of course, I am spoiled to have really good packers to choose from. Most of my preferred packers are also rated riggers. What I think you will find is motivating many (but not all) of those who use packers is the desire to make MANY jumps per day. As I understand it, the number of jumps most folks are making in a day at busy turbine DZs is much greater than several decades ago. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I doubt that your recurrency jump will be a clear and pull. Expect a jump that looks a lot more like an A-license check jump. Critical tasks will probably include: Do you keep yourself stable in freefall? Do you recover stability after deliberately going back to earth? Do you demonstrate altitude awareness? Do you deploy your main on time, while maintaining stability? Do you fly a safe pattern under canopy? Do you land safely? What is a "JM"? (They are no more in USPA.) this is a good start for your ground review: http://www.uspa.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Safety_Day_Check_List.pdf The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

UPDATE: I got a letter from USPA this week. They have decided to resume selling 4-stack patches! YEA!!!!!!!! Thank you, USPA!!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Suggest you contact BIGUN on this site. He knows a lot about how to get big folks into the sky safely. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

My dog and I camp or sleep in my truck in all seasons @ Skydive Dallas. It will be hotter than the hinges of Hell in Aug @ Skydive Dallas. Sleeping in a tent will likely be a miserable experience which will result in sleep deprivation and lousy performance the next day. There is a motel nearby in Trenton (SE of the DZ) which I have used when my wife visited the DZ overnight for Ernie's legendary annual party! Regarding RV hookups--- I don't believe that there any open slots. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

One side benefit of hip articulation is that makes leg strap replacement less costly. Only the leg strap must be replaced, rather than the entire main lift web (from top of reserve risers to bottom of leg straps). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

As others have said, it is too early for a rig. If you are desperate to buy something, an altimeter is a reasonable first step. Check w/ your instructors about what slits they allow for students. Goggles are a great first purchase too. Again, check w/ instructors first (they may not allow tinted lenses on students). The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I hope that you are right. However, a major difference between skydiving and bungee jumping (and possibly diving) is that letting go is just the beginning of the tasks. There is a long list of cognitive and psychomotor tasks to be accomplished while plunging toward the earth. Sometimes those who are most brash and self-assured on the ground are those who brain lock most completely in freefall. Good Luck and Blue skies. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Do the interactive quizzes here: http://www.uspa.org/SIM/Read/Section4/tabid/166/Default.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

You must be kidding! From my observation, landing related injuries seem far more common in AFF students than Tandem students. in my observation, obstacle landings seem far more common for AFF students than tandem students. Things I have seen or have reliable first person reports about: --Very hard landing into side of building. AFF yes; Tandem no --Riding a spinning mal to impact w/o attempt to cut away. AFF yes; Tandem no. --Landing in power lines. AFF yes; Tandem no. I wish I had quick access to hard facts on this question. However, both logic and my observations lead me to be confident that tandem is safer than AFF. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

AFF is designed to be suitable for students who have done a tandem (or two) AND for students who have NEVER done a tandem. Save up your pennies and start AFF! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Sinuses not equillibrating? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!