wolfriverjoe

Short answer: No. Many (most?) DZs don't have a full service loft/gear shop. In a lot of cases, ordering online is really the only option. There's also a lot of small, part-time dealers who do a great job, have great prices and great service. The biggies (ParaGear, Square 1, Chutingstar) do a pretty good job serving the market. But, if you have a store/loft on your DZ, it's a good idea to support it. It may cost a little bit more, but keeping them going is going to cost you less in the long run. There are exceptions to this of course. But I'd give my local store a chance to price match if I was making a major purchase (new rig or similar). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Me personally? Nothing more at all. As a matter of fact, that was my little slice of heaven for almost 10 years. My own key to the hangar so I could go up during the week and "just breathe." But the "turbine babies" are spoiled. They want to be to 14k in a short time. They want more than a 4-way. And 5 or 6 people arent' enough to keep a place going. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Nope. Not even the people who wrote them can answer that. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yes, and a lot of states now have a "Castle Doctrine" that removes the requirement to retreat in one's own home. Many of these are recent changes to the laws. Some of the states even go as far as including the car as a place where retreat isn't required. And the SYG extends that to anywhere someone has a legal right to be. That takes it a step too far, IMO, given some of the cases where SYG has been used. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Answers to your questions - Yes, yes and yes. Another con: Comfort. An overstuffed reserve is going to feel like a brick on your back. A properly fitting one is going to be a lot more comfortable. Another: Appearance. Unless the rigger is very skilled and careful, an overstuffed reserve looks like crap. Kinda like a fat guy in tight pants. Pros: None that I can think of. You don't mention specifics on size or brand, but some containers can be made with a larger reserve. For example, billvon lists a 109 main and a 143 reserve (and it's not an optimum). So you may be able to get your choices for canopies without compromising fit. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Not really. This isn't like black guys using the "N" word on each other. The "C" word is considered offensive by many (most?) women, no matter who says it. Didn't BillyVance start it? And note the change in the post title. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Not necessarily. Laws vary from state to state. Although you are correct in reading the links the previous poster had. Westchester County New York, where the newspaper published a list of all registered gun owners, does have a requirement to retreat, even in your own home. Wisconsin used to have the duty to retreat in its law, with no exception for being in your own home. That was recently changed with the passage of the "Castle Doctrine," which removes the duty to retreat and establishes forcible entry into an occupied dwelling as "intent to inflict injury or death" on the occupants. The self defense laws in the US are not the same in every state. The circumstances that allow use of deady force vary widely from state to state. The wise person makes sure he understands those laws clearly before the need for self defense arises. It's actually one of the better arguments against carry permit reciprocity. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The risk is a lot, lot lower. Among other reasons, an instructor has to sign off the student for solo flight. They aren't going to do that unless they are confident you are able. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Turbines, big landing area with lots of outs (and a UPS guy), good staff that has rules in place that are enforced, good food, good camping, other options for recreation, well epuipped loft/gear store, good regular crowd, on-site tunnel. If you put a tunnel at Skydive Chicago, that would be pretty close to perfect for me. Oh, and make the water in the showerhouse not stinky. This isn't to say that SDC is the only place like this, it's just the only one I have personal experience with. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

.......................................................................................... The majority of guns - used in drug gang related shootings in Canada and Mexico - were smuggled in from the USA. When a small-time dope dealer - from Campbell River - brags to me that he can get any rocket-launcher or machine-gun ... Then that "small time dope dealer" is either full of shit, or the guns aren't coming from legally bought sources in the US. There's no legal source in the US for rocket launchers or machine guns. (there is a way to get full auto in the US, but those guns are very highly regulated and very, very valuable) I don't know about Canada, but the "majority of the guns used in drug gang related shootings in Mexico" don't come from the US, they come from the Mexican army. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Wow. 3rd forum. IBTL. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Point #6 - It already happened. They put roundabouts everywhere. And they either made them too small to get a truck (lorry) through, or they put a stripey thing down the middle to make the cars think that they can get through next to a truck (lorry). And you forgot that "math" will now be pluralised to "maths." (note the proper "-ise" ending) "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yeah, I always kind of wanted one, but knowing that the "Crush Zone" was me was a deal breaker. And most of the sixties era vans were the same. Ironically, so was the eighties Toyota van. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Yeah, right! Quantum tunneling makes perfect sense. Someone (Neils Bohr?) once said that if you think you understand Quantum Mechanics, then you really don't have any clue. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The problem is that those who wish to institute these bans usually appeal to emotion, not logic. The speeches made on the floor of congress back in 94 were short on fact (and even shorter on facts that were correct) and long on emotion. Flash hiders don't hide the flash from anyone except the shooter (and it just reduces it some) Bayonet lugs? How many homocides were committed by using a bayonet on the end of a rifle? The assertions that a pistol grip allows a shooter to "spray bullets more easily" is pathetic (it allows the shooter to keep the rifle against the shoulder with less stress on the wrist). To repeat: The banners are appealing to emotion, not logic. Logic doesn't seem to matter to them. If it did, they'd go after pistols, which are used in most homocides, not "scary looking" military rifles, which are used in very few, but very high-profile number of shootings. Feinstein didn't even try to bring up any sort of AWB until she had everyone up in arms, and emotional over the Sandy Hook tragedy. And (addressing previous posts of yours) the difference between "clip" and "magazine" is technical, usually only jumped on by those who wish to demonstrate that they are right and knowledgable. And the problem with banning anything over 10 rounds is that most rifles (and pistols too) have detachable mags. There isn't any difference between an AR that takes a 10 round mag and one that takes a 30 (or even a 100 round Beta drum mag). There are a bazillion mags out there. Banning future production or sale won't do much execpt jack the price up. Incidentally, Brownells (a major parts catalog dealer) reported selling 3 1/2 years worth of AR mags in the past couple of weeks, according to one of the network news shows. And any rifle that takes a detachable mag (not just the military style) can take a mag that holds a bunch of ammo. Most hunting rifles come with 5 round mags, because a lot of states have limits for hunting, but many of those rifles have larger capacity mags available. And even back in 94, Clinton delayed signing the original AWB for a few days, which allowed manufacturers to produce a few hundred thousand more mags before the ban took effect. And they were never unavailable (well, except for a few exotic pistols, like the H&K squeeze-cocker), they just got expensive. You could still obtain, for example, a standard capacity Glock mag, it just cost $100, not $30. I remember a couple of dealers offering free mag replacements to police departments. It seemed like a "nice, responsible" gesture, until someone realized that the new mags were "Law enforcement only" and the old ones could be sold to anyone. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The bigger boogies are great for checking out gear. There are usually a bunch of manufacturer's reps out there trying to sell stuff. You can usually demo canopies, containers, even helmets (the Skysystems dude would let you demo a helmet if you let him hold your Driver's License as collateral). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Nice way to miss the point. And the way to make mine. Trying to keep them out is ultimately futile. Being in Chicago you are aware of the history of banning alcohol. Chicago was the center of the booze trade during prohibition because of Canadian whiskey. A solution to the gun problem would also require a solution to the black market issue. They've been trying to solve the black market issue since Hammurabi fixed prices and wages. It's a lot harder to smuggle something into a country than across a city boundary. Not impossible, but some chance of being caught instead of zero chance of being caught. Somehow, I think it's easier to get heroin, cocaine or methamphetamines in Chicago than it is to get guns (I know a lot of meth is "home grown", but more and more is coming from Mexico). And it isn't "trivially easy" to go to a suburb to buy a gun, Professor. Illinois has a Firearms Owner ID card (FOID). Issued by the state. Without it, no FFL gun store is going to sell a gun. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

A couple of thoughts over a couple of days - #1 Who do you think we are? Miss Manners? You do realize that you are asking SKYDIVERS a question about etiquette that doesn't involve beer? #2 I should chastize you for forgetting to put "boobies" as a poll choice. It's mandatory here in the BF. But you posted your actual boobies at about the same time, so I'm not going to really complain. (Thanks for the pic, it was very much appreciated) Seriously, do what ever feels right to you. But keep in mind, actions have consequences. And I would advise against lying about it. I've always figured if an action requires telling a lie if asked about it, then it probably isn't something I should be doing in the first place. And also, it will be a very good "nice and honorable guy" repellent. I've always looked at the left hand, and any ring that is clearly a wedding band or engagement ring (and your is) is a shiny. sparkly STOP sign. I don't chase after married women. If I saw that on your left hand, I wouldn't flirt with you or ask you out. So the only guys who will ask you out if you are wearing it are the ones too stupid to notice it or too sleazy to care. The problem with selling it is that you won't get much for it unless you have a friend or family in the business. Jewelry stores and pawn shops are only paying about 10 cents on the dollar for diamonds lately. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Well the original AWB also banned new manufacture and sale of any magazine that held more than 10 rounds. Lots and lots of concealable pistols hold more than 10 rounds. Although, an interesting consequence of the law was really small pistols that held (surprise, surprise) 10 rounds. The "Baby Glocks" are the most obvious example. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

The trust has been broken. Maybe it can be repaired, maybe it can't. But before you ask if it can be repaired, do both of you want to try to repair it? Because it will take a lot of work. And unless both of you are willing to do the work, it won't happen. And it may not be possible to rebuild the trust. That depends on a list of things beyond willingness, the top one on that list is the understanding of hurt that Nataly mentioned. It's not an easy decision. Good luck to you. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

This one? http://www.dropzone.com/news/Gear/Best_POV_Action_Camera_Shootout_6_Challengers_Reviewed_854.html "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Does that apply to cut-away canopies too? No, but it does apply to high female skydivers who land in my backyard... "Hi, I'm here to retrieve my hot female skydiver who landed in your backyard." "I found her on my property so I get to keep her!" Ya know, I think somebody in your household would insist that you return her... Because it's the right thing to do, of course. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

I don't know. I just had a situation where my reserve closing loop was still mostly intact, but had a little fraying on it. I wasn't willing to use it for real, so I decided to answer the "what if I do this...?" question. It seemed to work fine, even with the side flaps closed over the top and bottom ones. NOTE: This is not something I would even consider taking up into the air. It was done on the ground. (just for those who only read some of a post and then react with an "YOU'RE GOING TO KILL SOMEONE DOING THAT!!!") "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Ok my $0.02. Worth exactly what you paid for it. Disclaimer: I have an Infinity and like it very much. I have jumped a Javelin that belongs to a friend several times. Both are good rigs. I don't have any preference for packing, either main or reserve. I had a bit of difficulty with Sunpath customer service on the one occasion I e-mailed them. It took them longer to get back to me than it took me to find an alternate source of the info I needed. But that's a sample size of one. Velocity c/s has been great, and I've used it several times. The sales rep for Velocity was fabulous. Gail isn't there anymore, but I'd guess whoever it is now is the same. She spent a good half hour to 45 minutes showing me the rig, and answering my questions. She showed me the measurement page and pointed out where mistakes are most likely to happen (and also really emphasized not trying to do it alone). They called with a couple questions on my color choices, and kept me informed of the progress when it was being made (got order, confirmed order, start construction, finished and shipping out). Personally I prefer a fully enclosed reserve pilot chute. Others have different opinions. I've played around a little with a reserve closing loop that I didn't want to re-use, and closed it out of sequence a couple different ways. The RPC launched fine no matter what I did. I like the riser protection, main pin protection, and reserve pin protection. Those flaps aren't opening up by accident, yet open fine when needed. I chose a new Infinity, but I like the Javelin too. The choice is mostly preferrences, you'll probably be happy with either one, as long as it's sized correctly (harness, main and reserve). "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

Thanks for the input, Brian. Has anyone done any strength testing of the stretched lines? Has anyone taken lines that were stretched several times before replacement and then pulled them until they broke to see if there is any significant loss of strength? I really can't see doing this to a material without losing some of the strength, but I'd like to know if it's enough to cause concern. "There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo