LawnDart21

Oops. here it is

Right back at ya! (great pic Sebazz)

Will do! The sky was filled with birds that day.......... "EFS" Tom

"Watch the birdie!" LOL "Eat-Fuck-Skydive" Tom

Thank you! (How to get a free ride on an Otter for Christmas? dress up like an elf..............) "I live to EFS" Tom

Let's also not forget to mention that for better or for worse, skydiving is a very ego-intensive sport. We push limits most people couldn't fathom up there, so we (all of us to some extent) have a little "skygod" in us. With that said, most people in general don't like being told their wrong, add the skydiving mentality to that, and of course there is gonna be conflict. To be honest, I like the arguements a bit though, because sometimes they really get to the heart of some issues without the candy coating. Everyone here (myself included) tends to post "politically correct" threads at first, and it's only when things heat up that the gloves come off and the important messages/information come out. That's my .02 on the topic. "I live to EFS" Tom

Re: Nathan, nope, Mirage didn't charge me for the changes. Basically I had ordered two identical rigs, one in Oct 2000, it was an M5, (the smallest main I coulld fit in it safely was a 170). I was downsizing canopies, so I ordered the same container with the same measurements in April 2001, this time I ordered an M1. (I figured I could still use the M5 for CReW.......) Anyways, the lift web stabilizer on the M1 is smaller on the M1 then on the M5, so that was the start of the problem. They also made the leg straps too small (circumfrence), which is a basic measurement. So, basically they ended up screwing up the whole rig, size wise. Nothing was made to the measurements. So, that, and the fact that I bought two rigs from them in seven months, they really took care of me. They took care of all the alterations, and the rig fits great now. I assume you emailed Bill in sales. He's who I worked with. He treated me great throughout the ordeal, they overnighted my rig to me so I wouldn;t miss Quincy. The rig arrived 30 minutes before I left for the airport. Sorry to hear you had a problem with them. "I live to EFS" Tom ps- who's Kevin?

I love my gear, I have a kickass Mirage G3 M1 that fits like a glove, I have a cypres that I assume works..........LOL, I have a reserve that I KNOW works at 150mph......and my brand new Vengence 120 (aside from putting it in the bag) kicks ass. Now what I hate: I ordered my kick ass Mirage like a week before they came out with the Unysis design..... DAMN!!! It also took two send backs to Mirage to get it o fit right. I ordered two identical rigs from them inside of 8 months, sending the same paperwork for both and they came back two totally different sizes......Other than that, nothing to complain about. "I live to EFS" Tom

Just kidding!! The skies will always be waiting for you.

Sorry to hear that. Can I borrow your gear?

I agree with you MarshMan, that assigning different pull altitudes is key to a successful breakoff. You made a great point that break off altitudes aren't always followed though. That brings up another great point, seeing that a smooth break off is vital to everyone's well being, it is essential that you only try these dives with people that you can be confident will still to the dive plan. If there is aquestion of someone's ability or air awareness at break off then, they simply should not be on the dive. Problem solved! "I live to EFS" Tom

"I still recommend a nice barrel roll after 2-3 sec of tracking though" Just an observation, I used to jump with a freeflyer that used to make the exact same recommendation to other jumpers, he had 300 jumps at the time, so he was considered relatively experienced by newer jumpers. On a jump last season, he did his barrell roll after 2-3 seconds of tracking and when he went belly again after the barrell roll, he proceded to tear another jumper's Crossfire 129 into two seperate canopies as he fell through the jumpers open main, right through the center cell. By the grace of God, they both lived, but he's no longer making the recommendation to barrell roll after tracking. I was on this jump with them, and witnessed the collision while under canopy. The scariest thing I have ever seen. Everyone has a different opinion of barell rolling, just make sure your air is clean below you when you do it, because this jumper swears up and down that he had no one under him when he barrell rolled. To each their own I say, everyone has there own preference, I just wanted to throw that out on the board as a point/counter point. "I live to EFS" Tom

Self Diagnosis Issue #1: Boredom Issue #2: Boredom Issue #3: Repetitiveness "I live to EFS" Tom

From what I was told, one of these jumpers climb up using the camera step handle and then helped pull up the rest of the group. Once on top, they dove off one by one.

I was at a DZ bonfire in Florida recently (location withheld to protect the innocent......LOL) and was told a story of a few jumpers who had climbed up on top of an Otter on jump run and left from the top of the plane. Anyone else ever heard of or witnessed that type of exit? How many FAA regulations does that violate? "I Live to EFS"

LMAO Too funny.

Have you been talking to my ex wife again? Jeez, I thought she was done bad mouthing me........LOL "I live to EFS" Tom

Your making fun of me. Your all laughing at me. I can't help the fact that I fall up instead of down. I don't know why I even bother posting on this forum. I came here looking for support, and mock me. My right shoe is now untied too. "I live to EFS" Tom

Yes, annoying threads go away, but annoying people tend to stick around and keep creating new threads. I'm such a cynic. I'm also a dyslexic diveskyer. When I get out of the plane, I fall up instead of down. People laugh at me when that happens. I am serious. "I live to EFS" Tom

Screw it, let's just all start posting unrelated information on this forum, I mean hey, it's a public forum, right? Here I'll start: At this very moment, my left shoe is untied. Aren't you all so much betetr off for e having shared that with you? Okay, who's next? "I live to EFS" Tom

Aw, jeez, here we go again........ha ha ha LOL! I think if it's a pre-license ISP coached dive, then yes, the coach should get a paid slot and $10. The coaches rating cost a few dollars (not alot, but a few) to get, so a couple of dollars for making the jump is acceptable I think. As for freeefly coaching, I think it's necessary evil. I got coached by Max Cohn last year and it was like $35 plus his slot I think. It was expensive, but I learned more in 2 jumps with him then I could have learned n 10 on my own, so I think it was worth it. Besides, these Air Dolphin rated freefly coaches have spent thousands of dollars to get as good as they are, and it only seems fair that they get compensated for their efforts. As for basic coached dives with a newly license jumper doing RW dives with a coach, I think as long as the coach has something to offer, and has some credentials, (like was on a 4 way team or had like 4 hours or freefall, something experience specific) I would deam it an acceptable expense to pay a ciach to do that. I'm personally not into that, I do coached RW fun jumps for free paying my own slots with newly A-licensed jumpers out of personal choice. I think alot of proir post issues came up about the relative experience level of the coaches taking up newbies, and my opinion is that if the DZO okays the person to coach, then they are okay in miy mind. "I live to EFS" Tom

I thought about announcing my decision to do a tandem jump. Then I decided not to announce it. Then I did a tandem jump. Then I announced it. I'm such a contradiction. I may have to take a leave of abscence from jumping too. Then again I may not. Either way, I might tell you and then again I might not. What a headache.......... "I live to EFS" Tom

"I think alot of you need to reread your SIMS" Thanks for the tip Fred. LMAO

The only words of caution I have for helmets is this: The one common denominator I have noticed on most skydiving helmets (full face helmets excluded of course) is that they have a single point release on them. Whether it's a chin strap or a ratchet chin cup, skydiving helemts are designed to be "easy off". If you are going to go outside of the sport and use, say a snowboard helmet (which I've seen used and used with good results), I would just use that guideline. Ask yourself "Can I get this helmet off quickly in an emergency?" If you can answer yes, it's probably a decent helmet. Keep in mind too, especially for camera helmets, that if your suspension lines get tangled inyour helmet, the lines will be tugging backwards as the canopy tries to deploy, creating a huge amount of stress on the release point of the helmet. The chin strap that unsnaps easily without any pressure will be harder to remove if there is upward pressure from the helmet trying to follow the lines off your back. Just my .02 Hope it helps! "I live to EFS" Tom

As a skysurfer, freeflier & videographer, I can personally argue that there are more scenarios that I might encounter that I would not want an RSL versus the few times that I might actually want it, so I elected to not have an RSL on my rig. The simplest explanation solution I can offer is "as a general rule, if you are asking whether or not you need an RSL, you probably do need one." I don't say that at all as a flame, just an honest observation. People jumping without an RSL do so by choice, and if your not ready to make a choice, it's probably better you have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Eventaully you'll get the jump numbers in and your experience level (and your confidence level too) will grow and you'll be able to make a well informed (based on personal experiences) decisions on whether to jump with one or not. Not having one certainly provides a higher degree of control for the jumper, as you are in control of the reserve deployment seperately from the cutaway, the flip side though, is that now you have twice as much work to do in an emergency. I'd say talk with as many expeirenced jumpers at your DZ as you can, they'll certainly have good info for you. "I live to EFS" Tom