SPAWNmaster

Most people jump with whatever feels comfortable. Personally I jump in vans because they look awesome when I'm decked out, and they are soooo comfy. Some people will recommend boots and the like in case you have to land in less-then-smooth terrain. I have landed out in funky situations and think you should ask yourself: "would I be satisfied landing into tallgrass w/ rocks and angled terrain in these shoes?"

well for starters you could get the IRM, start working on your coach rating card and then go take the course, get the rating etc. From there, you can keep jumping and working towards the other ratings.

agreed. i have a few non skydiver friends who are very savvy on freefall mechanics (freeflying, tracking, human flight, etc) as well as deployment and gear stuff just from hanging out with me. especially with kids you may find them more receptive to the idea of human flight...tunnel videos or videos of freefly group jumps might help...just a couple of ideas. anyways have fun!

i ordered a jumpsuit like last month and got it within 2 weeks. liam was super cool about customer service so i can't imagine why you're having this experience!

howie!!!! send him my regards and im glad hes getting better.

if you are not having *consistently* hard openings, then it is a packing issue. you mentioned you had 50 other jumps on that container/canopy and they were fine so it's safe to say it was something you did/didn't do in the packing process. ive had a slammer on my very docile triathlon 160. although i was sure i had my slider all the way up the lines, i'm pretty sure it came down just a quarter inch when i was trashing it into the dbag. this was a rushed jump and that's what makes sense in retrospect. your 2 hard ones could be something like this as well...its hard to say. as for your long openings, saffire2's are known to snivel. try not rolling or tucking the nose and see if that shortens the snivel a bit.

really? i thought it was barometric pressure... but regardless, balloons climb mad fast...took about 6/7 minutes with 5 people up to 4500ft on my balloon jump.

yes but also bear in mind the wait times for the manufacturing process. i waited till A license to get my gear...I don't regret it because i had a vast amount more knowledge and comprehension than when i was AFF...HOWEVER I was renting gear for 14+ weeks which came out very expensive. if she's ordering new, by the time she gets the rig she'll have downsized to what she needs/wants to be at already. I also second stuntbabex's opinion that she should be talking to her instructor(s) about it.

fluro green marbling = awesome tie-dye! i think it compliments the rig the container harness is custom made to my measurements and is considered a W12 i believe (still need to write down my s/n's and details before SkyFest). the main I have is a 160 Triathlon and I also have a 172 Amigo reserve. there is plenty of space to downsize. I am currently packing with my d-bag lines down rather than towards the bottom. If i downsize I can just place the d-bag the "regular" way. and if i downsize even more I can just shorten up the closing loop as needed. when i sent them the order I was jumping a 189 saffire 2, but I had purchased the triathlon already and was working towards jumping it. on the order form I specified the 160 for my main so they could design with that in mind. manufacturers know that we downsize relatively quickly in our first couple of hundred jumps so it's taken into account with the design.

I can also recommend a Deepseed. I got a one piece from them and it is absolutely phenomenally made. Flies great, sick quality and looks way cool. Here's the design (no pics sorry): http://djandrewgarcia.com/personal/myffsuit.jpg customer support was awesome too and I would surely recommend it for everything you are trying to do. also they are fairly priced too in my opinion costing as low as ~170 in US dollars.

Finally got my wings yesterdayyyyy!!!!! I'm ecstatic about it. Unpacked and repacked a few times, checked it over...walked around the house in it for a while haha. It's my first rig, and custom at that. Super happy. About 14 weeks wait total but it was worth. It feels very comfy and I can't wait to jump it next week. Got some of the following bells 'n whistles: 3d spacer foam articulated harness rsl partial tie-dye kill-line zp pc hook knife on mudflap Hope you guys like the design! Not sure how the attachment thing works so here are a few links if the images don't attach right: http://djandrewgarcia.com/personal/rig/1.JPEG http://djandrewgarcia.com/personal/rig/2.JPEG http://djandrewgarcia.com/personal/rig/3.JPEG

Hey guys! Not to whine or beg but... I actually can no longer drive down as planned and so I booked a last minute flight. I will be flying in to Charlotte airport on June 1st and wondered if anyone would be awesome enough to give me a lift. Not only do you get the pleasure of meeting yours truly, but I'll make it worth your time one way or another.

you should run a search. this topic has been debated many many many times before and there are a variety of opinions! everyone has their personal recommendation. why don't you also talk to people at the DZ. they've seen how you fly and can probably make more personalized recommendation

i think i'll just do a water jump if the opportunity presents itself. (skyfest, perhaps???)

OK. thanks for the reply. the reason for the confusion is that in the SIM it just specifies a briefing by an instructor on what to do in a water landing situation but doesn't actually specify actually landing in water nor parameters for such a jump. a little vague. but thanks for the clarification

agreed...good job. i expect and hope to be level headed like you and react the same to save myself when a situation comes up for me.

I've heard that as well.. It is my understanding that it's not very popular these days...considered a very solitary sport...hard to learn, even harder to master and considered one of the most dangerous disciplines in skydiving. But what do I know.

i'm telling you, that shade tarp is on-heading every slider-down jump i do

anyone?

What does ACME mean? ACME = [A] [C]ompany that [M]akes [E]verything

congrats man! that's something I aspire to. not just for the letter or the privileges but for the experience that it stands for.

1) is there/will there be wireless interwebz at the dropzone? 2) are there places to eat nearby?

I think I'll share some advice with you as well. I have not been in the sport very long and do not claim to be an expert on this matter by any means, however I was once in your position recently. Do your best to educate yourself on the pros and cons of having an AAD (use the search on DZ.com) and be comfortable with your decision. There are plenty of people who jump without one just as there are plenty of people who jump with one, this should not be a factor in your decision. I noticed you mention about buying a rig vs. renting. While that's a completely separate issue I see how you're tying that in to the whole AAD issue. It's my opinion that you shouldn't feel added comfort in the sport because of an electrical device that may fail. Rather you should feel satisfied in your decision to use that device in your overall risk-benefit scheme. As far as renting you may find it to be mad expensive. Renting sport gear from your local "pro shop" (as we have at the ranch) can cost you about $100 a day ON TOP of your jump tickets and other expenses if you plan on making multiple jumps per day (which you will after student status). My regret is not having ordered my rig earlier. During the 13 week wait for the rig I've had to rent and putting in 6-8 jumps a day every other weekend...well you do the math. it's way expensive to rent and the AAD discussion shouldn't be a big factor in when to buy your rig. also, take advantage of the numerous articles written on this website and on the interwebs.

Simple. I can't afford one at the moment.

yes, also glad you are ok and did what you had to do to save yourself. anyways could it be that you got spanked so hard because of the length of your brake lines. if you had to fly at "quarter brakes" with wraps just to fly at full flight, then couldn't it be as if the reserve opened without brakes set? just wondering...