VectorBoy

How about just making sure the elastic of the opening on the standard pouch is tight enough not to let the PC through without it being extracted by hand? Shouldn't that be enough?

I'm spoiled rotten, I was just at Skydive San Diego on a Saturday, I wasn't used to being at such a tame facility, I now can picture what you mean! Quote Too bad about your trip to San Diego But I've had the exact same thing happen at perris on several occasions, not often but it can happen. Take care of the one time tandems, students and families. Be incouraging, friendly and answer their families questions. Its a shame when a DZ turns into a tandem mill and neglects the fun jumpers but all DZs need them. I've talked to many DZOs small and big who are sick of dealing with skydiver egos. Its easier to deal with walk on walk off tandems. The couple of times I jumped at San Diego I had a blast. Both the staff and the jumpers were great. My only regret was not having enough sunlight to do some FF jumps with the freak fliers as we were busy rockin in wingsuits down over the lake, can't wait to go back. I hope I help guests have as much fun when they visit us. You don't want to get in the mindset of just jumping at one DZ. Get use to flying your body and canopy as many places with as many other people as you can. It will make you a better, safer skydiver.

I always tease the freefliers, but they know I'm just kidding. Experienced freefliers and experienced belly-fliers generally don't call each others discipline boring unless it is good-natured taunting. But since you mentioned it... I am referred to as Mr. Expert. Don't worry, I used to do head down all the time before I got stable. You'll figure it out. Yes didn't we see some head down on that muff bro initiation jump you took us on or was that just me? Hey at least I didn't loose my Muff!

QuoteI see a LOT of this with my teenage daughter. There is always someone who is being left out for some reason or another. Thankfully my daughter is not one of those left out because as a parent it is difficult to sit back and watch your child go through that. That said I try to encourage my daughter to include even those not in "the gang" at times...not all the times but sometimes. Quote Wow Lisa thats awesome! Will you raise my daughters too?

Hey this sounds like the very popular " regular guy look" nothing to be ashamed of at all.

Ack I'm possesed!

On the car wire his brake lights to the horn.

Just disable your Java script in your preferences. It will stop em.

The Socal are is very PD, Icarus dominated. Probably followed by aerodyne. The new aerodyne is gaining in popularity. Demos in stock at local gearstores reflect same. We have tons of stillettos in use and they have been around for a while. They seem to be the ol' standard, the used market reflects this also. The new hot property seems to be the X-fire, around here. But you never know what is function and what is FAD. Some jumpers that I respect away from the mob like theirs. The Cobalt suffers out west due to "bad press", If I talk to someone who actually flys one the results are actually good. The Space, impulse etc have only good things said about them. Mostly in recollection as there aren't many around anymore and not too many were produced. Positive conversation about the cobalt usually stems from someone having had Attair's earlier products. A lot of bad press is second hand of course and some of it by people ( get this ) that have NEVER jumped it! So the motto is DEMO! DEMO! DEMO! don't let some one else pick what you are spending your money on.

The balloon WS jumps have alluded me thus far but on one Helo jump I was in the door opposite the direction I needed to fly so I just did a lazy back flip off the skid, by the time I had flight velocity I was belly to earth. If you are not facing the direction you need to go in your suit this may be an option. Another option instead of an entire back flip would be to step off facing the balloon without stepping to far back, standing straight up you will, once clearing gondola, start to fall face forward and into the correct flight attitude. As far as "kicking" hard off the balloon, its working against you unless you are trying to do a bunch of tight flips quick. It is not That Dangerous, it has more to do with the skill and comfort level of the pilot. This goes for helicopter pilots too. Some are comfortable having an uneven load rock the ship on exit, see the mass exits on world record balloon jumps as an extreme example. Others want staged exits symmetrically on either side while the balloon is in a descending state only. Some helo pilots don't care if you have a massive one sided exit with hangers as long as you don't scrtch the paint job ( secure those seat belts behind you), others only want one jumper at a time and no kicking off or rocking the pendulum. If your balloon pilot is mostly use to taking wuffos, who stand absolutely still in the gondola, on champaigne flights at 2k or less and looks at delivering skydivers as a dirty job as fill in, you can guess what kind of confort level this individual will bring. If your helo pilot normaly flys traffic watch as opposed to doing movie work or has Combat time you can tell how "extreme" an exit will be allowed.

We are not worthy , we are not worthy!

Is Derek unhappy on his home DZ or any DZ?

What is all this bitching about politics at the DZ? I really don't get it. I see more politics on this Website than I do at Perris or any other dropzone is Southern California. I would be very interested to hear what your concerns are, what are people fighting over? scott We do see a lot more here than in person on the DZ. But we see a lot more of everything on this website the good the bad and the unusual. Although as it has been explained to me the smaller the DZ the worst the issues, Even Perris has politics and issues Scott. Typically behind the scenes mostly by those employed directly or even indirectly in some way like who gets the promotion, etc. DZ staff and other providers of services not on the DZ can also be effected. Sometimes it can manifest itself in who would be allowed on a Demo jump that has nothing to do with the DZ. Sometimes it could effect who will not be invited to a world record big way. Being a long time professional skydiver takes a focus just like that of being a professional in all other business endeavors, its still work and there will be issues. Sticking around for all of the parties can be educational but can also lead to a bunch of social problems, god help you if this could effect your employment status. As fun jumper you can isolate yourself from most of this, if you make your living there then its hard to escape it.

For me it was; politics, attitudes, egos, lack of aircraft maintenance, and a generally poor safety attitude. I looked at the effort I was putting into it and the return I was getting out of it and all the hassels and decided to hang it up. So far no regrets. Derek Sorry to hear this Derek. Politics, attitudes and egos you can isolate yourself from these things and decide not to play along. Assuming you don't HAVE to work in this environment. You can still jump and not play those games. As far unsafe jumpers and aircraft , if it is truelly that bad you don't feel safe in the air and on the DZ, then nobody can blame you.

I would be affraid of getting on the buffalo..... The fear would be that they drop us on a fire!

QuoteThe scariest ride of my life, many, many, years ago, I had to ride down with Mike Mullins due to a gear problem. I was plastered against the windshield in the right seat, and screamed the whole way. We touched down before I even saw any canopies open. Quote Well he was charging good money for this very thing at Rantoul, I even thought about doing it. Don't know if he charges more for screaming though.

Interesting how well the cobalt is doing. Actually I'm not supprised at all about the brake down of the top three since its about what I see in terms of popularity in the real world, on the DZ. I am suprised that the big air products isn't higher on the poll. Most owners love theirs. Maybe numbers in the field have more to do with this. Still I don't see the army of darkness against the cobalt that some threads seem to bring out.

At Perris we had a 15 -way all wingsuit load in the skyvan. A percentage of the flockers were visitors. It is really hard to tell who has wingsuits as its seldom ones primary form of play, other guys are dusting off their old classics out of the closet now that the flock is growing and they have others to fly with. I do know who most of the regulars are.

This has been asked before. You could always land out..... at a sex farm.

Why isn't desert eagle on your list? Then I could help you out. Gee, there was one laying around here somewhere. Where did it get to?

[I got 10 bucks says LD and Mouth win! Not if I can talk the power pixie BB into being my aero jockey!

Phree the reason that the beech and the DC-3 didn't get a bunch of loads was that the price was higher for those two craft by 8 dollars. Kirlin had to make x dollars per load above the aircraft cost. Once he agreed to lower the price to the same as any other aircraft interest increased but not enough people knew this. remember that the arizona and carolina boyz are cruzin tent city with pretty girls in big carts as taxis and have greeters yelling 2 minutes for the next load on the PA, regardless if that was really true ( sometimes that was a ten minute 2 minutes ). They had tents, couches and water standing by. The pilots flying the polished craft had NONE of this. Kirlin just had to promiss all these craft were available at his event , and he did, once you got there getting business was up to you. A brake came to the douglas and beech when some of the load organisers had the offer of their own planes for their 30- ways and such. I personaly can't see the dollars and cents behind the DC-9 but the canasters are not fools, somewhere somehow there is money to be made. Whether its at the boogies on all three continents or big way camps from higher altitude on a monthly basis. Maybe even in doing some "movie work" I dunno. Now if we could just talk someone into leaseing a C-17! Its tailgate is bigger than the C-130, it can fly slower and from what my friends on the inside are telling me it would hold All of the people that have wingsuits on its ramp. Major freakin tight flock!

Oh no, You are not going to like zero "g" either. A young visitor to our DZ got all worked up on a sunset load when she heard there was boobies for more altitude. " No extra alti " the pilot said center would not allow. Same girls said "Zero g it then" ! This visiting jumper got so worked up the minute before that I thought she was going to puke. It was really no big deal. And in the end she felt silly for getting all worked up. You will get used to more and more as exposure to this kind of stuff increases, soon you will be the requestor of the hyjinx. But a word of advise... until you do get use to it stay off the pink skyvan.

You cannot blame the slink, this happened before with rapid links. If you take excess line and store it in the end loop of your riser while your canopy lines and link ( any kind) are not under tension from being suspended under your canopy, you have the risk that the link ( any kind) will act as a vise and clamp anything that is between it and the loop of the riser when it does go under tension. This is a very bad place to store anything ( of any kind ) unless you want it clamped down or possibly sliced in two. Loosing altitude awareness is also bad but its got nothing to do with this post.

Its a big list but try anybody who can hang in on a very aggressive flock that starts in a head down then progresses to a fast angled 45 degree track : Flyboyz, alaska John, Omar, Olav, Rook, all of the instructers in the body flight schools. All of the top freeflyers and some very lucky amatuers that got to participate in things like the space games, etc, etc.