GLIDEANGLE

0:6:0 Humps: Jumps: 2 H&P canopy proximity flights 3 RW including Thad's SCR 1 H&P into an "alternate LZ". Landed out but that's OK, the cattle were friendly. Beer: I don't owe any but I know several who do… The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I would assume that they don't want folks to place undue faith in the numbers. Even though a "standard" method for measuring canopy volume has been developed… there are a lot of variables out of the manufacturer's control when YOU pack. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

See pg 39 for an answer: http://www.velocityrigs.com/manual/infinity9.pdf as explained in the manual… some slack is desired and specified by the manufacturer. When you are estimating this slack take into account the movement of the RSL ring on the main risers during a normal main deployment. If there is no slack, you could get unintentional reserve deployment. The slack in the RSL is similar to the "excess" reserve ripcord cable which extends beyond the handle. The excess in both cases is to prevent premature activation with the movement of the harness and body. If the above link does not answer your questions, try this: Velocity Sports Equipment P.O. Box 3370 Sunriver, OR 97707 vse@velocityrigs.com (253) 445-8790 - phone (541) 550-7297 - phone (253) 445-8792 - fax M-Th 8:00am - 5:30pm PST The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

There are literally dozens of dz's which meet your criteria. Skydiving is amazing no matter where you do it. If you truly are not geographicly bound, consider a dz with a nearby vertical wind tunnel. This gives you some cool training options that other sites don't have so readily. Suggest that if you haven't jumped at all, that you make a jump locally before committing lots of time and $. Some folks who think they are going to like jumping discover very quickly that they don't like it. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Before you get in the air again, it might be a good idea to spend some time in the training harness seeing what a cross body right handed reserve deployment would feel like (just in case). I would imagine that the geometry of right hand Movement of left side handle has to be correct to keep from generating too much resistance from cable being pulled at an angle from cable housing. I sure would want to work this out on the ground rather than in freefall. I might even pull my reserve with my right hand at the next repack. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

My wife has excessive faith in my AAD. I don't tell her otherwise. This faith makes her worry less, which is good for both of us. I once had a teammate who said "I don't have an AAD. So if I'm ever knocked out in freefall, please pull for me." Kinda unfair to us teammates. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

My DZ generally discourages STUDENTS from attempting more than 3 jumps per day. Student jumps are VERY tiring... if all goes well. If they go badly, one can be all you want for the day. I remember a student jump where I got unstable at pull time, tumbled and deployed unstable...my opening was HARD and I was sore for a couple of days. Besides being sore... I was really emotionally rattled! I needed some time to think over what happened. There was no way I was ready to jump again that day. Tough jumps are not uncommon for students.... poor freefall performance, landing off the DZ, lousy landing. It gets WAY better with time. I think my maximum number of jumps in one day is 8 or 9. I have done 7 many, many times. I have a friend who did over 20 under normal conditions on a single day recently. I know a girl who did 30 under special circumstances recently. If I remember correctly, a jumper I know celebrated his 40th birthday by making 40 jumps in one day. Irelevant, but fun.... the world record for the most jumps in one day is 640!!! Do the math on that! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am seeking programs of instruction which prepare jumpers for the USPA PRO rating. Below are the three that I know of. Do you know of any others? Jim Wallace Skydiving School http://www.jimwallaceskydiving.com/demo.html TEAM FASTRAX PRO CAMP http://www.teamfastrax.org/procamp.aspx Mark Schlatter Skydiving http://markschlatterskydiving.com/DemoAcademics.aspx (I know about this one, but I definitely won’t attend. Which is too bad, since it is local.) Thanks! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

One could argue that you have posed the wrong question. The primary question is: "What type and size canopies?" Note that I didn't say what brand (That is the same "assholes and opinions" as above). However there are specific types and sizes that are clearly suitable, and some that are clearly unsuitable. Do some searches here and I am confident that you will get more info than you can digest. Most important is that you be wary of anything we write here. Consult your instructors for some initial guidance. [GREEN]BUY USED[/GREEN] Blue Skies!!! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

These aren't exactly what you are speaking of… but damned close: see both the LED & LCD versions: http://www.l-and-b.dk/access_opt.html The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

See here for a relevant recent discussion: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3806667#3806667 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I bet it would be hard to recruit experienced jumpers if you didn't offer them chicken handles! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

See the story linked below. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2896015;page=unread#unread Note how the tradition of walking around giving beverages to folks on the occasion of my A license help set the stage for the great day that followed. The beverage tradition provides a structure for social bonding AND for the old dogs to help folks debrief after significant events. Of course, there is an element of "hazing" in this tradition for some "beer fines", such a landing on the runway. What beverage you bring is less important than the relationships you build. Heck, if you wanted to, you could probably substitue food and get the same effect. A platter of BBQ here in TX would go a long ways toward making social connections. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

See if these are a help: Risk overview http://www.uspa.org/AboutSkydiving/RiskOverview/tabid/63/Default.aspx[/URL] FAQ [url]http://www.uspa.org/AboutSkydiving/FrequentlyAskedQuestions/tabid/57/Default.aspx Choosing a method http://www.uspa.org/BecomeaSkydiver/ChooseaMethod/tabid/65/Default.aspx The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

"Time in sport" I have watched several lenghty threads here which discuss the value of "time in sport" as a criterion for various instructional ratings. I still don't understand. Let's compare two jumpers: FAST FREDDIE makes ten jumps every weekend for a year. At the end of the year he has >500 jumps. SLOW SAM makes ten jumps on every third weekend. At the end if three years he has >500 jumps. Folks who favor "time in sport" would say that SLOW SAM is better prepared that FAST FREDDIE. My question is: What is happening on those extra 14 days between SLOW SAM's jumping weekends that makes him better prepared for an instructional rating than FAST FREDDIE? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Appearently you missed my first reply. So... Let's try again: Smile, Breathe, Relax!!! Regardless of how useless you think my advice is now… I am confident that someday you will look back on this and realize that this is one of the key elements of success in this sport. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Smile, Breathe, Relax. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is a novel approach: Tell the operators of the "comfy" DZ your story. It is entirely possible they they may have wiggle room in those prices. I would take a friendly approach rather than confrontational (remember that you are builing a long term relationship). I would probably say something like: "I really like jumping here. Y'all treat me well And I am fond of the student rig. However, y'all are simply too expensive compared to xyz dropzone. is there a way we could work something out?" key to this approach working is to ensure that you are having this discussion with the person who can make this decision. No matter how this works out… welcome to the sky! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Vibe: tough to say since the crowd I was with will be different than your crowd. Thurs afternoon they got 3 or 4 loads up if my count is right. Fri morning they got 3 or 4 loads up by noon. Lots people camping on beach. (don't know how many were jumpers.) The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I just got home from this event. I left there about noon Friday 19 MAR 2010. -- NO helo -- NO beach landings (approval pending). -- landing area is an open field near beach, which is bordered by TALL electric power poles/lines on one side (west side). -- jumpship is twin otter -- packing area is outdoors in sun and wind. There is a tiny shaded area. -- packer IS available -- weather forecast lousy for next couple of days. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am a belly flyer, but I know that there is a lot of freefly activity at my home, Skydive Dallas. [URL]www.skydivedallas.com[/URL] The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is a tale of me learning to jump w/ the up jumpers immediately after getting my license: [URL]http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2896015;#2896015[/URL] The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Yours is a very common situation. I agree with the above. Ask your instructors who is newbie friendly; and who you should avoid. Knowing who to avoid can be just as valuable as knowing who to seek out. We are all grown ups. If we don't want to jump with you we just need to not jump with you. However, the vast majority of jumpers I know welcome jumping with new jumpers. If you want your skills to stay static, jump with folks @ your skill level. If you want to get better; jump w/ folks who are better than you. If you are ever in Texas, come visit us at Skydive Dallas. We will hook you up with load organizers who will take really good care of you! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Here is an upcoming example (next week): [URL]http://www.skydiveatlas.com/upjumpers.php[/URL] The LZ is the beach. Landing accuracy matters (C lic). Given the prevailing wind direction, the exit point will likely often be over the gulf of mexico… water landing training required (B lic). Someone smart once said "Boogies are where good skydivers go to die." Festival atmosphere can be dangerous. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Fabric source: Performance Textiles, Inc. I believe that their product which is the modern version of "F-111" is called Exacta-Chute The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!