webracer

I am ordering a new Micron, a big change from the Mirage/Javelin stuff I have been loyal to. I even considered the skyhook. I believe in it, especially for low-time jumpers. I don't forsee the need for me personally, and that is my managed risk. If the price for that option wasn't so high though, I probably would have gotten it. It ultimately adds over 10% to the container cost. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I agree. Mullins wants it both ways. If you don't like the system, work toward the changes it needs to be better. I feel his position is very poor. He chooses to be on the board of a group he won't subscribe to. Does he feel better than us? If Mullins cared about USPA, he would be a member. I am sorry for those who learned at his DZ, and were not really aware of the consequences of his decision. Now they are looking to achieve ratings and feeling the consequences. As for Mullins, I think he should not be re-elected. The whining should stop. WTS is not a group member, so no course without additional course fees. Tough shit! Pay up, or go somewhere that supports our organization. The USPA is not perfect (far from it), but we have the power to make it better. Mullins' decisions with regard to group membership undermine the purpose of the USPA. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I think I have a premiere 6.0 tutorial back in my office (in a stack of cds) . It was a pretty good tutorial, and taught lots. If you're interested, let me know. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

Other than the advice already offered (If you tell us what kind of canopy that may yield better advice). Give a light tug on the rear risers to help inflate the canopy. Not too much mind you, or you may be in for a very "snappy" inflation. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

When you graduate and get your own gear, the situation will be much better. Until then, make sure the leg padding (if applicable), is oriented properly (if it's really bad, I have seen people using slide-over pads to put over the original tired legpads). After that, tighten the cheststrap first (good and snug, but not so tight you lose your arch), and then the legstraps (again, as tight as you can get them without losing your arch). You should be walking funny to the plane, BUT, you will have a much better opening experience, as the rig will not move around on your back during opening. It'll be even better if it is a couple weeks before your next jump so your bruises heal. I had the same phenomenon when I was a student. I got them again when I went base jumping this year, but come to find out, it was from climbing over the railing 20 times in 4 days, not from legstraps. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I use small rubberbands exclusively for all stows, but I do jump smaller canopies. I also replace all the rubberbands when one breaks or every 25-30 jumps or so (one weekend). Rubberband integrity is cheap insurance for good, consistent openings. If you jump larger canopies, I would use the larger ones for the locking stows (grommets). Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

That would be awesome, but alot of thought would have to go into it to make it as safe as possible. That said, I think bridge day is already on thin ice politically, and we should be glad to have it. I don't think they'll let something like a trebuchet on the bridge. Nice thought though. I would want to see a ginea pig ( or another BASE jumper) do it before I did it. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I have done hybrids with that rig. The chest strap will not budge in the friction adapter (buckle). Have someone pull you around a bit in the hanger and see. It is much more likely to have a premature reserve deployment from pulling on the chest strap (If your reserve ripcord doesn't have adequate slack), than the cheststrap coming undone. Be very carefull, as pulling hard on the cheststrap can extend (uncompress) the reserve ripcord housing enough to pull the pin. I want at least 2" of slack. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

1st post 3/5/2001. Had 12 jumps at the time. Now have 800 jumps. Got AFFI 7/2002 on 400th jump 3.2 hours tunneltime (Airspeed camp x2 times) Got Senior Rigger 2/2003 First BASE jump 5/2003 Now have 29 BASE jumps Hope to have >100 by the end or 2004. Probably get Tandem (Sigma) this year to help out. Still funjumping, can't see ever working other than to help out when the DZ is swamped. Goal for next year: 500 jump season Building a house on the DZ. Travel alot, so plan to BASE and Skydive in many countries/states. Plan to live a long, long life! Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

Leave it alone, it is not designed to sewback. It will not go through the buckle. I have one and there is no way it will slip. I bet my life on it everytime I jump that rig. It is just fine. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

They're having one by Scott Miller this weekend at SkydiveChicago. Call 815.433.0000 for info, or email betsy@para-concepts. A bit of a drive for you, and if you don't have your A license yet, you may or may not be able to jump (if you completed AFF, probably you can). I think the course is $185, which includes 5 video'd hop n pops and the classroom portion. Just the classroom portion is $55 or so. Probably worth the drive. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

AFP is quite a more comprehensive program than AFF. The new Integrated Student Program that USPA has been developing is closely mimicking AFP, which has existed for years. AFP divides up some of the more task-intensive AFF jumps to better work on each skill. AFP also includes comprehensive canopy control training. AFP includes sitfly exits, backflying, and more advanced manuevers, and builds on itself as you progress. If you finish AFP in 20 jumps, you will have completed all the requirements of an A license (prior to 9/30/2003). It is common for students to repeat one or two levels, most finish with 21-25 jumps. I instruct AFP part time, and have done AFF as well. I feel that in general, an AFP graduate A license holder has twice the skills as an AFF graduate A license holder. I went through AFF myself. I wish I would have gone through AFP. If I do recurrency or coach jumps with an AFP grad, I pretty much know what to expect. If it is an AFF grad, anything could happen (and does). AFP is better. Of course, I am talking of Skydive Chicago's AFP, there are others using the acronym that are doing things a bit differently. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I think you are correct. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

you are basically correct on all assumptions. Some bullets will take lenses, but special models custom for them (probably quite pricey). They do break the digital chain. They do not have image stabilization, but I don't feel that is really necessary for skydiving. Your body is solid enough to get good images. There are small selfcontained cameras that are light and small, and will have less impact on your neck, and no bulk on your belly. Look into IP series cameras. The quality is not that of MiniDV, but is more than adequate for skydiving. Editing obstacles are also being quickly overcome for this new (microMV) format. Good luck, Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

propacking is the standard, and canopies open even better. Prices are up though not by alot. For gear use the gear reviews, that is very subjective. Go to your old or nearest dropzone, get the vibes and talk to the staff about getting back in. We can't help much here until you get in the air. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I am a fun jumper. I have an AFF rating, but only work when the DZ is swamped (my choice). I have a career that requires travel, lots of it. I am often out of town (or the country) for a month at a time. Sometimes I jump out of town, sometimes not. When I am home, I will make 20-30 jumps in a weekend. I get on few organized loads, maybe 10-15%, Mostly this season I did freefly, and just went to the plane to find someone in the boarding area. I did lots of one-on-one with sub-100-jump newbies this year. I am not out to get on all the prestigious loads, I get to jump with a huge variety of folks, and HAVE FUN! Total for the season so far...285. In winter I will travel to jump/tunneltrain. I am a fun jumper! Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

Had to say no until I jumped at AZULDOVENTO in Campinas, Brasil last weekend. Pros:Top people, loaned me gear, great atmosphere, lots of folks spoke English, Great plane (skyvan). Cons:Gear not what I'm used to, expensive jumps, military shower in the morning. My experience is that whereever you are in the world, skydivers are skydivers. The dz atmospheres are similar to what you've seen at home. The parties are always great. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

You can't comfortably walk out on a rooftop or bridge without a rig on. It's no longer difficult to get up at 4am. You can consistently ignore the fact that packing sucks. You keep having cypres fires without groundrush. You take your base rig everywhere, and leave the skydiving rig at home. The DZO is tired of you trying to talk him into a 600' pass in the cessna. When the DZ has the flour bomb comp. on the overcast day, you "fall" out. . Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

Sounds like a miscommunication issue to me. The seller is offering a refund, send it back. This stuff happens sometimes, especially of the sale is done through email. Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

In my M1, with a 143 reserve and cypres, I have had: Samurai 136 (new, you know how they pack) Samurai 120 (new) Jedei 120 (easy to pack, 500 jumps) VX 114 (new) The samurai 136 packs closer to a 150, as does the VX114 The samurai 120 packs like a 135, or similar to the 129 you'd like to put in it. I would put a non airlocked 120 in it, but nothing smaller. in short, your 129 is a good match for the container. If you want to go smaller, you may not have much luck. Troy Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I originally bought a Merlin RW suit with many options, including bigger grippers and appropriate cordura. I made about 300 jumps with that suit, 1.5 hours in the tunnel, and still use it as a backup and it is in perfect condition. Based on that performance, the following season I ordered a comp RW suit, the best they offer. It was about $350 or so, but worth every penny. I put at least 200 on that suit that season and 100 this season, and another 1.5 hours in the tunnel. It is still PERFECT. Of course, the worst landing has been a slide on one side, so one gripper is a bit dirty on one side. The knee pads are so good I do not wear extra pads in the tunnel. Three seasons, two suits, around 600+ jumps and 3+ hours in the tunnel, and both suits are in top condition, the newer comp suit (definitely worth the extra money), still gets "new" comments. They hold up to frequent washings, frequent flying, and look great. Only con, move the pocket up 3" on the leg, it is too close to the knee. I'll be ordering another new suit for next season, it'll be a Merling RW comp. suit.

Didn't that nearly land you in the slammer? Troy Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

You know how sticker shock works, it only remains on your mind until you're having fun with your new toy (or adventure) I am going to see if it fits into my schedule/budget. I wanted to go to KL, but since they require 100, I'll have to wait on that, so that'll free up some cash. I am not a purist, I just want to get good at it, pick my sites, and jump the big time sites that make the papers (beautiful places). Baffin is on my list! Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

That's quite a bit more cash than I had guessed, I was thinking around $5500. Is that $8250 canadian? hehe... I will still consider it, it is quite an adventure, and I'll save $200 on food for the week I'm gone. I read you want 50 jumps for this, I only have 29 at the moment, but am going to moab in Feb to do at least another 20. Maybe a few more inbetween now and then, gonna get my new rig this week! Troy Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.

I agree, setting up the profile for two rigs would be better, lots of folks have a pair at least, I know mine are quite different. Keep up the good work sangiro! Troy I am now free to exercise my downward mobility.