GLIDEANGLE

TRY Skydiving a few times before you pick this fight. If you find that you really want to continue jumping, you have lots of options: 1. Demonstrate by your actions that you care about being a safe skydiver. Several ways to do that are: -study skydiving deeply -get more coaching and training than the minimum required. -Buy and jump conservative equipment (RSL, AAD, docile - large canopy, helmet, shoes, etc) 2. Try to get her to jump (just get her to observe at DZ first. 3. Remember that actions speak louder than words. 4. Make a careful assessment of which is more important to you, her or jumping. Remember that there is no hurry here. You might find it helpful to cut a deal between you two about the above for a specific number of jumps before you make a decision. Good luck. Relationship stuff can be very hard (especially if you are getting laid regularly)! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

When you call the rigger ask about both time and cost. There may be a charge for assembly too! I don't usually tip but if he has you jumping by noon, that certianly might warrant it. Of course, I do adhere to the post reserve ride "bonus" liquor rule! I know that if I made prior arrangements, and there were no problems revealed during the inspection, our master rigger would almost certianly have me on a load before lunch. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

This link seems to address your question directly: http://www.bpa.org.uk/training/training-overseas The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I am guessing that furniture paint remover and a wire brush aren't an option. (just kidding!!) The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I have several friends who LOVE their Pilot canopies. I have demo'ed one and was very impressed. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Even if you like getting exercise by walking back after landing out, there is a very good reason to have a cell phone. A cell phone is valuable to call manifest and tell them that you are alive and well. During nationals at Spaceland last year I had a teammate land out. He made a navigational error on the ground and walked away from the DZ. He was "missing" for 45 minutes. We had seen him under a good canopy at ~1000ft AGL, but no one had seen him land. We had no idea if he was hurt or merely lost. A cell phone could have made a huge difference in the distress level experienced in manifest and by his teammates, even if he didn't want a ride. I carry my phone often, especially on full altitude hop and pops. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Since most cutaways are probably due to rapidly spining mals…an intentional cutaway isn't going to be like most mals either! The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

My skydiving accomplishment of which I most proud is my NIGHT SCR. It was REALLY cool. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

The answer will be driven by your interests: CReW? Classic Accuracy? RW (terminal speed deployment)? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

For a general explination you can also google the FAA PARACHUTE RIGGER MANUAL. There is a chapter near the beginning which gives a global overview of a parachute rig. The remainder of that manual is rather technical and no fun to read. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I wrote to a Facebook friend that I was REALLY missing jumping (due to WX). Her reply was: “What is it that you miss? The adrenaline - the sense of freedom?” I figure that many of you have gotten similar questions, so I am sharing my answer below. Here is what I wrote: My first answer was going to be "BOTH", but it is much more complicated than that. I miss the sense of: -Camaraderie on the airplane; -Anticipation when the pilot says “two minutes”; -Focus as the pilot says “door”; -Energy as the “exit” light turns green; -Intensity like nothing else as I release the plane and accelerate to terminal speed; -Connection as we build formations with no words said… watching for a smile and a twinkle in the eye to tell me what is going on in the mind of my clone; -"Flow" when we get it right and the formations are smoothly forming and transitioning; -Urgency as we break the formation and track away from each other; -Curiosity as I deploy my main canopy… “Will it work?”; -Release as I see a good canopy overhead; -Peace as I fly my canopy over the terrain; -Analytic satisfaction as I solve the three dimensional puzzle of approach and landing ; -Triumph as I land my canopy standing up on the target! My friend replied: ”Thanks for the insight.“ My wife replied: “You forgot the beer dear!” The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Flipping exits may be fun solo, but if you want to play with others, you are going to want to fly a stable exit so that you stay close. That way we don't spend 1/2 the freefall trying to correct for a lousy exit. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

What kind of jumping do you do? Belly or freefly? The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Excellent!!! You will be great as front float on a Caravan or Otter. [After you are licensed you may find yourself hanging onto the outside of the airplane at the front of the door to block some of the wind that others will fight as they climb into position. Often the smaller folks are glad to have a big guy along for this reason. It is NOT a big deal... I am merely teasing a bit.] The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

While your rig is @ the riggers... have him wash the harness/container. That might help with the smell and remove any soot that will rub off on your jumpsuit or other jumpers in the plane. The cost isn't much if you do it at the time of an inspection and repack. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

As stated above, it won't affect your flight at all. To answer your first question..."What are they?": Typically "CReW lines" would mean that the center A lines are NOT cascaded, are made of larger diameter line, and often are colored red. I have a Spectre 210 with this mod which I have put hundreds of RW jumps on... without any issues whatsoever. However, by having this mod I can do simple informal CReW more easily. Of course, serious CReW typically involves a number of changes: retracting pilot chute, tail pocket deployment (no d-bag). In the most extreme cases, CReW rigs can look like they were packed by a blind, one-armed rigger. I love my Spectre. See this thread for more info about the Spectre: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3772857#3772857 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[reply The gear is only tested to 254 lbs (US standard, but it's used all over). That includes the weight of the gear. 220 lbs is as high as you can go with standard gear. Not true any longer. The current TSOC-23d allows testing to higher limits. One specific example is the Aerodyne Icon Harness/container and Smart Reserve. Both are rated to a maximum suspended weight of 300lbs. However, the reserve has a lower student reccommended weight limit due to wing loading / performance concerns. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I agree with the above comments. Packing is required, jumping your own pack job it is not required by USPA. Some DZs informally require/expect you to jump your own pack job. Jumping your own pack job is a good confidence builder! Assuming that you get your A license while your DZ is shut down for winter... BEWARE when the weather improves and your DZ is open again and you have your brand-new license in hand. You will probably be eager to jump as soon as possible. However, your skills will likely have gotten "rusty" during the winter. Be sure to take advantage of Safety Day and all other opportunities to get your knowledge and skills refreshed before you jump. Hopefully, your DZ adheres to the USPA guidelines regarding currency and re-currency training. Paying for re-currency training and a supervised re-currency jump is a bargain... compared to the cost of injury or death. Congrats on completing all but the packing requirement... stay safe. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

relevant thread http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1382263#1382263 search is your friend The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

Before you attempt that, consider that the container is part of the TSO'ed system. I suspect that there are many, many riggers who would not consider the container airworthy any longer if dyed by anyone other than the manufacturer. These riggers would consider it unairworthy because they cannot be confident that the home dyeing method did not weaken or damage the material. I suspect that most would consider this an ALTERATION, which can only be done by a master rigger or the manufacturer. Your best bet is to discuss this with the manufacturer. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

99079 + 500 = 99579 202 + 0 = 202 99579 / 202 = 493 The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

There is a reason that at my DZ we call the first load the "wind dummy load". The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

See this for an example of one way to mis-route a RSL: [url]http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3226891#3226891[/URL] The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

I love my Spectre @ 1.2:1! Positives • Soft openings (leaving nose hanging free when PRO packing over the shoulder) • Docile behavior- it behaves well when I don't • I can easily do informal CReW with it. • Floats nearly forever in deep brakes • Hard to accidently stall with toggles (@ factory brake settings). When I want a toggle stall…behaves well (no line twists). Negatives • Because I am a dummy, it took me a long time to learn to stand up my landigs with this canopy. Historically, folks have noted that all 7 cell canopies require more skill to flare well. • Unlike others in this thread, I usually have >1000 foot openings. Thus, sometimes I land out simply because my canopy puts me in the saddle lower than other folks. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

DO NOT BUY A RIG NOW! Buying a rig now is: Unneccessary: Skydiving schools provide gear in the cost of instruction. Unwise: You may discover that you don't like skydiving. Unhelpful: Your gear needs will evolve rather quickly as a student. The gear that is right for you now probably won't be what you need after 25 jumps. The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!