stratostar

FYI-It would be very easy to light the drouge to do a night RW load with a tandem, also if done on the right full moon it would be easy to see it without being lighted. So I guess you don't consider it a skydive for the pax during the daytime too..... Both require the act of jumping out of AC... Having been on a load with a TDM @ night I would very much say it was a night jump for both the TI & pax and should be logged as such, I also see no reason said logged jump could not be used to meet the D license requirement of a group night jump. Did you ever fly your AC at night with an instructor and then log those flights as "night flight", same thing. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

You can also do AFF with these guys FYI http://www.airindianaskydivingcenter.com They are moving closer to Lafayette this year to new digs in Delphi In. Good group of people there. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=203352256361157&set=a.142006912495692.24087.139399876089729&theater I heard they had been working one but Bill quit drinking and won't go to the bar anymore after the hookers and blow ordeal..... you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

1. do you know how much one of these cost already? A: a lot that is why you only see military using them and very few civilian dz's 2, have you ever used one to train FJC students? A; I have trained a few thousand FJC students in one and it works pretty damn good, better then holding up some still photos and asking what would do? 3. A sphere screen would be needed as it works now. For a parachute sim it's pretty damn good, would be better is if the graphic s were more like a PS3 game, but being able to lok up and check canopy or look over your shoulder and the like are good training tools. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

You would have to have a 360 degree screen and one above and below, the goggles are used to see where your looking. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Then who would they have to go drinking and chasing hookers with@ PIA. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

It work..... if you need it. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

And how many of those companies your talking about are in the USA and have to comply with the FAA rules of following the MFG's requirements? And Pilfish, all of those companies that you list how many make it a requirement to buy only a complete rig for them with the canopies they say you can choose from to use in their system sport of tandem? Strong tandem is the only one I see. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Now you just need something to strap that baby on and go jump with it.... I'm thinking mark 1 pc in a stylemaster. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Ted says the same thing and it all sounds good, however how is that any different then a vector sport rig I buy and place a xyz main in it and then bounce. These same companies sell rigs without mains of there own product lines all the damn time, there is no real reason the same couldn't done in the tandem world IMHO. Maybe they all need to stop selling sport rigs with out their approved product line of mains, if you buy a system from them it's a complete system 100% or no sale. It's like having Cessna say your only allowed to use firestone tires and hartzell props on our airplanes... no one can use goodyear tires or McCauley props on our airplanes because we didn't make or test them so we have no control over the MFG process. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Agreed. The other problem is the threat of pulling your MFG rating for using any other main then a strong or UPT. There are a lot of "test jumps" that have been done already in the field by non approved "test jumpers", I think is been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no compatibility issues by using the correct size main for the container, just like a sport rig. Then there is there the politics side of the coin where some asshole will drop a dime on you for jumping non approved canopy to try to get your rating pulled. IMHO this more about those companies sales numbers of there own products then is is about safety. After all now we see FCI, P.Aero, Jumpshack, Icarus in the market place, we know people are using them... Last time I checked, FCI & P.Aero or Icarus didn't make or sell their own line of tandem rigs.... must be all sold over seas or to the military. I asked Strong why they had not done any test jumps on the P.aero mains instead of a blanket statement that their not approved, their answer was that George Galloway hadn't sent them any canopies for testing. Then I called George and asked him why he had not taken the time to send Strong any canopies to test.... George busted up laughing and said that is BS and that he personally handed Ted a canopy @ PIA almost five years ago or so for them to test, he also said it's all BS that they are trying to keep other mains out of systems that are proven safe. I called back to Strong and called them on the not been sent mains for testing, then the reply was well we want the MFG to do their own testing and produce a manual on how to use their product in our system, it has to be detailed, like packing, line trim etc. and then we'll do the testing to make sure we feel it meets our standards. The whole thing is bull shit! It's dose not help matters that we see a tandem death such as the one in the eastern block country where the gear was jumped by a non rated TI, the gear was not maintained and it had a HOP 330 in it. Had the rig been maintained the ripcord housing would not have caused a total, had the TI had his head out of his ass and done a gear check he would have seen the problem. Strong likes to claim the use of the HOP 330 was to small for the container because it was yanked out the side of the open side flaps because it was too small. I won't dispute that as fact, I believe the company would have enough research to know if a canopy is too small for a container or not. However with that said, I don't believe this type of accident is justified to say no other MFG's properly sized mains can't be safety used in our system. There are a number of reasons I can think of why a TI might like to have what ever canopy of choice, such as maybe a guy who owns his own gear needs to replace a main and money is tight, he finds a nice used P. aero 365 for 1500 bucks, and a new strong set 366 is 3600.00, their both the same size for the most part and miles apart in price. I've known a lot of people who use other canopies in vector tandems over the years and no one seemed to make much of a stink about it @ UPT, then again I'm not rated for UPT, maybe they have made a big stink about it? The only one I see making a big stink about it is Strong, maybe that will change now with the new strong system, but I highly doubt it will. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

im·pos·tor or im·pos·ter (m-pstr) n. One who engages in deception under an assumed name or identity. Their on to your game man..... you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Must happen a lot... you landed right by the windsock. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Yep and you can have for a low price too, make a bunch of money on the boogies hauling skydivers......LOL http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1943-Lockheed-Lodestar-Aircraft-/290542256545?pt=Motors_Aircraft&hash=item43a5ab01a1 you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

http://cgi.ebay.com/Very-rare-modern-high-performance-parachute-knife-/230594333695?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b07e4bff Act fast this very rare knife has a new lower price, comes fancy red strap and snap, adding to the value. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Ventura B-34 Lexington / B-37 PV Ventura / Harpoon AKA Lodestar better known in skydiving as a lodestall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Ventura you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

A few places have been using these, Skydive Warren County in Ohio has had one for student training for the last 8 to 10 years or so. It's a good training tool. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Ron: The problem with all these low time hotshots is: You can't tell a fool their a fool.... but you can keep on trying, if you like. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

As much as I would like to credit for that.... it's not my handy work..... But it's making the rounds on faceboook. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

I got a rod's rebel with a MK1 PC and it cost me a Trek road racing 10 speed in trade, 1983 started jumping on my second jump. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3y_7y2TxVU Enjoy you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Not sure if that is true of not, but I do know an asshat who wanted to be Mr. Video king hotshot, so he kept bugging everyone and wanted help learning the ropes and all that, so we got the pilot to throw on the green light 5 miles out and let the stupid fuck climb out to the rear step on a twin otter and then shut the door on him. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Not my fault your writing style sucks ass and you leave out key info, your posts implies other wise and if you don't want hear others points of view then make clear what really happened and not post shit that would lead people to believe your review of the video was done in such a manner and then start cryin about people not having all the facts. And FYI, I think wearing a go pro or any hand cam on your hand for aff is pretty fucking stupid, but to each their own, have a good day. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

Not very professional of you to review this in public with your student and expose them to the out loud comments from experienced skydivers. Had you reviewed this and provided the positive feed back and instruction with an additional comment as to how other skydivers will react when viewing the jump video, your student would 1.Be educated on the subject & 2. he would know what to expect and how to react to others reactions. 3. you most likely wouldn't be wondering if he is coming back or not. Sometimes instructors are a dz's own worst enemy by doing such things. debrief is to be conducted in private first :the walk and talk. ie. as in walk away from everyone else. you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo