Bertt

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Everything posted by Bertt

  1. Bertt
    Five dollars, one change of clothes, and an alarm clock. But that was years ago. Now, I have people who depend on me, so I won't do that again, even though sometimes I'd like to .
  2. Bertt
    One reason reserves are reliable is that they are inspected and packed very carefully. In my opinion, the root cause for bad packing and poor gear inspection is getting in a hurry; throwing everything back together to make the next load. How much would you trust your reserve if the rigger packed it in 10 - 15 minutes while carrying on a conversation and eating a snack? You don't have to outrun the bear.
  3. Bertt
    If you get it wet, you'll need to get it dry. Unless you have a good place to hang it up and let it dry, I would go with the first reply - jump it a few times and see if most of the dust comes off. If that doesn't work for you, get with someone at your dropzone and determine the best place to hang it before you do any washing. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  4. Bertt
    I agree with ripcordkid. Even though the Cypres is pretty well protected in the reserve container, it's better to be sure. Last time I sent a Cypres for a 4 year check, it came back in about 3 weeks. I'd send it to them with an explanation why you're sending it. I'm also wondering if the main was on a floor where it could have suffered some heat damage. You'll really want to do a good inspection of the whole rig. Hope your knee heals quickly. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  5. Bertt
    Altimaster on wrist - no batteries. Protrack in helmet - records jumps and makes noise. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  6. Bertt
    Several people have mentioned this, but I phrase it a little differently. In most activities you can start out slow and gentle. You can ski on the bunny slope before you move to the steeper hills. You can scuba in the shallow end of the pool before you move to the deep end. In skydiving, there is only the deep end. If you're high enough to use a parachute, you're high enough to kill yourself. We sometimes see people in the first jump course who do fine rehearsing the skydive on the ground, but freak out when the adrenaline hits. Even if you start with some tandems and wind tunnel time, it's hard to ease into skydiving.
  7. Bertt
    That rules out the Orlando wind tunnel on this trip - it's about a 6 hour drive from Fort Walton Beach. Maybe you can get to a wind tunnel some other time. They're lots of fun. Anyway, have a good time at the beach. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  8. Bertt
    Hey, I was going to say that! "Get a logbook and fill it up" is not a smart-ass answer. The fact is, skydiving is kind of like riding a bike. Watching someone do it (or reading about it) is no substitute for just doing it. You say you are going to Florida next week. You didn't say what part, but if you can get to the wind tunnel in Orlando, it will be time and money well spent. Good luck in your future endeavors. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  9. Bertt
    If that went for $810 then Dave DeWolf's attic must be worth about a million. No wonder he's always smiling.
  10. Bertt
    So far this only affects airports with airline service, but if it's as big a success as the TSA hopes it will be, I'm sure it will be extended to any piece of flat ground long enough to land an airplane. The one bright note here is that everybody who has anything to do with general aviation (AOPA, CAP, EAA, etc.) is opposing it. Wouldn't hurt for everyone to fire off a letter to their congressman with a general theme of "Do you know what the TSA is doing now? Does a country with so many problems to solve need solutions for which there is no problem?....." You don't have to outrun the bear.
  11. Bertt
    Easy? The guy that owns a dropzone at Clarksville has a website called Skydive Huntsville - no dropzone there; Skydive Jackson - no dropzone there; Skydive Birmingham - no dropzone there; Skydive Montgomery - no dropzone there. I won't list them all, but as you can see, it's really a thorny problem that seems to confuse people looking for a place to make their first jump. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  12. Bertt
    "...a cause worthy of our passion...". How about one website per actual dropzone ? You don't have to outrun the bear.
  13. Bertt
    To make this a little clearer, look at an extreme case. (I hope I'm saying this right - if not, someone please help.) Suppose the wind speed is 90 knots at all altitudes from 3000 - 18,000 feet. Suppose the airplane's airspeed is 90 knots on jump run. That means the airplane doesn't move over the ground. All the skydivers will follow the same path from exit to opening and could open right on top of each other. To make each skydiver or group follow a different path, the airplane needs to move. The slower the airplane moves over the ground, the longer you need between exits to separate the paths of the skydivers. The other extreme case to consider would be a balloon jump where the winds are typically very light and the aircraft hardly moves at all. I'll leave that as an exercise for the class. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  14. Bertt
    Good job. Congratulations. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  15. Bertt
    .....Pictures. That's right - this sort of topic cannot be intelligently discussed without video or at least still pictures. We're not asleep, we're just tired of reminding you ladies what the rules are. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  16. Bertt
    Years ago, I had my wisdom teeth out. A week later, I went to play tennis. I felt fine until the first time I took a hard step and jarred my mouth. That tennis game lasted about a minute and a half. I'd say do a couple of PLF's off the back of a pickup truck or something before you subject yourself to opening shock. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  17. Bertt
    Did those risers change how far down the brake lines pull when the brakes are set? You don't have to outrun the bear.
  18. Bertt
    He came pretty close to dropping a poorly-guided bomb onto Pensacola Naval Air Station or Eglin Air Force Base. Imagine the implications for general aviation if that had happened. Billy's right about him not lasting long in the woods where he disappeared. Several years ago, a man killed his ex-wife and her new husband in view of several witnesses. He ran off and hid in the woods in central Alabama. He was a pulp wooder who had lived in the area all his life. Even though he was facing a capital murder charge, he came out and gave up after a week. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  19. Bertt
    Two words - dacron lines You don't have to outrun the bear.
  20. Bertt
    OK, search function aside, here's an idea. Contact Performance Designs and arrange to demo a Sabre2 , then a Storm. That should help you decide. Stay away from the Stilleto for a while. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  21. Bertt
    FSU has academics ??? Why wasn't I informed about this? You don't have to outrun the bear.
  22. Bertt
    You could go to one of the freshwater springs for the wildlife, or go to Ybor City in Tampa for the night-life. Check NASA's launch schedule to see if there will be any rockets launched from Cape Canaveral while you're there. If not, a visit to Kennedy Space Center is still fun. You don't have to outrun the bear.
  23. Bertt
    I apologize for the thread hijack, but how can you tell if a cat is deaf or it's just ignoring you? You don't have to outrun the bear.
  24. Bertt
    The requirement for a genetic tendency to be passed on is that it does not reduce the chance for reproduction. I would imagine that having the balls to go up to a girl and say "hey, wanna screw" increases the chance for reproduction. That advantage is probably offset by having the balls to say "hey, hold my beer and watch this". You don't have to outrun the bear.
  25. Bertt
    Dacron has one main disadvantage - the lines are thicker. That shows up as greater pack volume and greater air resistance. The pack volume is probably not a show-stopper for most people, but for swoopers on small canopies, the significantly greater air resistance is. Let the debate begin! You don't have to outrun the bear.