kmills0705

This post comes as a surprise to me as you are an instructor. A student with 11 jumps at 235 pounds (255 or so with gear) should not have a wing loading more than 1:1. IN fact PD would recommend a 260 for an intermediate level jump at this wing loading. Jump it a few times and down size to 210? Holy crap and we wonder why people die unnecessarily in this sport. To the OP: Talk to knowledgeable instructors in person. If the instructors at your dz are asses get to know some instructors elsewhere who can help and guide you. Please don't get advice from people you know nothing about and know nothing about you/your skills or your abilities. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I am going to give that a try!!! Will let you know how it works out for me. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Nope. I am not attracted to assholes either... and if a guy treats me like crap he is out on his ass! Hasta Lavista Baby! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Yummy! Looks awesome. I am definitely going to try this. Yeah, girls love guys who can cook (and clean)! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Insomnia sucks!!!!! It's an every night thing for me. :( Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Congrats and welcome! The weather is just started to get nice here in the mid-west (I am in Indiana) so you should get to jump more regularly. I have never been out to Vegas, but I think a lot of DZ's around there are tandem only. I am sure others will give you some good advice. You also might ask on the places to jump forums. Good luck! It's a blast! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Nope. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Black Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Even if you get insurance at this point it probably won't cover the removal of the hardware because it is now considered a pre-existing condition. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Awesome Ryan! I am glad you got it. Here is my experiences. I bought a used Reflex for next to nothing on eBay. I had been jumping a big ass Javelin that was huge. So I try it on - without canopies and it fit like a glove. I was soooo excited. Brought it to my rigger - had him put in reserve and main and it was way too freaking small :( I then had to have the rigger put everything back in my Javelin. That was pricey! I think you will be good. You want it to be big - need room for your stuff! Is Dick assembling it for you? If you ever need immediate rigger work my boyfriend is a Master Rigger (man that saves me some cash come repack time!!!) Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

The 5th of July for me! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Hmmmm... I have been having problems with FB too... I will update Firefox and see if that helps! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Thank you, thank you, thank you for pointing this out. I am in no way saying one is better over the other. We NEED options in this sport because there are so many variances in people, programs, drop zones, etc. I have been a long time avid lurker of this forum and have recently begun to throw in my 2 cents here and there. What has struck me as odd time and time again is when a newbie (who hasn't even jumped yet or perhaps made a tandem) is not able to jump because of funds. I never saw anyone say "hey you know there is this static line program out there offered at smaller dz's and it might be something to consider" And NB I am not doubting you have a good program. I just don't think it is the "norm". I have seen AFF students set "free" after 8 jumps. Then they either get coaching or just do some unsupervised solo's until they have enough jumps to get their A license. Some even seem like little lost puppies. I WILL say that I believe it is up to the student to seek advice, seek more experienced jumpers to help them continue through their progression. Again, I never intended to make this a "which is better" discussion - I just wish it were presented more to those entering into the sport without the knowledge to KNOW they could go to a smaller Cessna DZ and start jumping today! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I just have to say making a blanket statement that "my students are better than yours" just seems humorous to me. Some students are just better and have more natural ability than others. Not every person learns the same and at the same level. I would gather there are varying levels of achievement from all disciplines from all drop zones. The canopy control part is due to the fact that a s/l student has 3 or 4 jumps to every AFF jump. And the first 5 focus solely on canopy control without having an overload of information. I am not in a debate over which program is better. Like everything in our sport there are two many factors involved and there is never a single answer to any question (other than "it depends"). What if someone had the passion to jump but couldn't afford 2-3K up front. Should they not pursue it or pursue it at a slower/less expensive rate that they can afford. Perhaps he/she won't be a super flyer at 25 jumps (who the hell is?) but he/she is pursuing their passion. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

We have a S/L Instructor course going on this weekend so I am going to help out/evaluate/be a test dummy AND hopefully get some jumps in. But right now it looks like rain here in Indiana. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

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Yeah - I totally agree with you Bill. I am not sure I would have continued without s/l as an option. I guess all I am saying is for those of you out there who struggle to get in the sport because of financial reasons go seek out a smaller drop zone that offers static line. There are other options out there. Not much is said about static line. We are a community of varying experiences and I really just wonder why "AFF is the only option". Because it isn't. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Awwwww -thank you! And if the container I bought was black and white (which I would have loved) I wouldn't have had to sell my purple Alti 2 to buy the blue one that matched!!!!!! (yeah I can't believe I admitted that either!) Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

You know I was talking to my boyfriend about this topic this afternoon. He is an I/E in all three disciplines. The answer really comes down to the turbine. You can't drop static lines from a turbine (safely or economically speaking). Well, I will still promote the static line program for those who have it available. It is a good solid program and there are those of us instructors who are still eager to share our knowledge and passion for the sport. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Ok, ok..... it was ordered as silver!!!! I like matchy matchy so that's my story and I am sticking to it!!! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Thanks for looking up the stats. I wonder though if that is a true representation though. I looked up Skydive Greensburg - my old DZ I used to teach the S/L FJC at. They are listed here as: Aircraft: Super Otter, Grand Caravan, Cessna 206 Training: AFF, S/L, Tandem AAD: Not Required Hook Turns: Allowed USPA Membership: Required They no longer do static line. As their website states: Tandem Skydive: Reg. Price: $239.00 - Sale Price: $189.00 Accelerated Freefall Skydive: Reg. Price: $339.00 - Sale Price: $289.00 Video of your jump: Reg. Price: $89.00 - Sale Price: $79.00 But they are now a bigger turbine DZ and gone are the days of static line. I just think it shouldn't be overlooked as a cheaper - perhaps better option for those who can't throw 3K into AFF. Maybe I am a little biased as this program made an awesome skydiver out of me AND I am an instructor too!!! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

We do static line at Richmond (as well as AFF) and it is still popular here in the Midwest. I just read a lot on dz.com and wonder why the hell aren't these people choosing to go the slower/cheaper route. Well at the big turbine drop zones they don't offer it anymore for reasons that have all been mentioned here. Greensburg, IN no longer offers static line (where I started jumping via static line progression). I have mixed feelings on some of the replies. I am a static line Instructor and have put out approximately 150 static line student. I have seen clean prcp's and have seen many students successfully complete the progression program. I personally think it is a great program - less demanding on the students and gets you to A license regardless. Repeating a level isn't so costly. Keep the replies coming! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

I match and I like to for the most part but as you trade out pieces it isn't possible. I recently bought a container/reserve off dz.com that was royal blue with silver and white piping (Javelin less than 75 jumps on it). I needed a main and decided to custom order a Pilot. I got all royal blue with two silver cells and one white cell. I then happened to see a used jumpsuit on here that was royal blue with black grippers. I bought it so now for the most part I do match.... and I don't see my getting a new container or canopy in the next several years. Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

So as I am reading through some of the recent posts about the recession and students on AFF trying to find the money to get through AFF program I wonder "Why is static line a dying discipline"? With USPA's ISP (Integrated Student Progression) program designed to get skydivers to A license holder in the same number of jumps I wonder why AFF seems to be the only option these days. I got my A license with investing less than $800. I went through the static line progression program back in 1997. After the FJC I paid $30 per jump. After looking at some of the smaller 182 drop zone's here in Indiana I see that on average the Static Line FJC is roughly $160 with subsequent jumps averaging $50.00. That gets a student to the same exact point as the AFF program at a much lower cost. And a student does not have to put down a huge chunk of change at once. Logically I would think a student is more likely to come make 2 or 3 jumps in a weekend (and spend more time at the dz ) for $150 than making a single AFF jump for $200 or more. So I sit here wondering why it is offered less and less these days? Is it because gone are the days of little 182 dz's and a turbine is no longer a "special" weekend. Tell me your thoughts. Why would you recommend AFF over static line? Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I

Hey Ryan - fast is good! Your not falling too fast - everyone else is falling too slow! Seriously, I have a tight suit which lets me fall with the big boys. I think if the weather holds out I will be at Franklin this Thursday afternoon - come on out and we can do some RW! Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I