Cornholio

I have to agree with you. It scares the shit out of me too to think about doing atandem now (after just 24 jumps.) I would hate to be on the plane without my own rig on my back. I think once we got strapped together, then I would feel more comfortable. Just along for the free ride without doing anyhing would be a trip! __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

This thread was started because of something else that I read in another thread. Someone was talking about learning more information on the different rigger ratings and it made me wonder how you people picked your rigger. It also made me think that if I knew my rigger didn't pack mains very often, I would not have much faith in him to pack my main or my reserve. How did you choose your rigger ? Or do you have more than one ? At my DZ, there are at least 5 people that I know of that are riggers. One of them one is our S&TA guy, the other is a tandem JM/AFF instructor, another is a cameraman/AFF instructor, another is a full-time packer 3 or 4 days a week, etc.... I chose my packer because of a few reasons... 1. He packs all day!! I want someone that I know packs mains and reserves all the time and is quite experienced in packing. 2. He's easy to talk to. If I ever have a question about ANYTHING concerning my gear or just questions in general, he answers them politely, friendly and in detail - without making me or him feel rushed. 3. He is a little cheaper than the others - even one person that has his own packing business at the DZ. 4. Experience.... this guy has been in the sport for a long time. 5. He cares. He packed my reserve on my rig when I first got it. A week or two later he noticed that the pop-up was showing through the fabric. It was not showing per se, but it was bulging a bit through the fabric. He immediately repacked it for me, on his own suggestion. There was nothing wrong with the pack job - it just didn't "look pretty" LOL __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Why did the chicken cross the road? [subliminal] yes....you really want to jump .... just do it[/subliminal] To get to the other side...duh... __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Why don't you have a company host it? I have mine hosted on powweb.com and they charge 7.77/month. Plus they have a forum that has the ability to ask questions and get immediate replies just like the dz.com forum. You get 200MB of space with 16GB download/month + e-mail and a bunch of other cool options. - Matt __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Yup, I saw it this morning too. My buddy is the manager at a Century theatre and I was talking to him before the 11:45 show. He told me that there were 200 open seats for the 10:30 show, so my friend and I were let in to see that one. I have to admit, Lucas did indeed redeem himself. It was quite a pleasure to watch and I am eagerly awaiting Episode 3. Ahh...one of the joys of being unemployed - being able to watch movies in the middle of the day. __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

I remember perfectly what happened that day in 1989- I was in my entry way in my house when it started. (Of course they try and teach you that the safest place is inside, but they can kiss my ass. I am not going to be inside when my roof comes crashing in. I would rather be ouside in the open and watch the house fall down than be inside.) So anyways, when it started, I ran outside and stopped on the sidewalk. My neighbor at the time also ran outside and we both just stared at each other and started laughing. It was quite thrilling and exciting. Afterwards it was pretty cool the way the neighbors got together and supported one another. We lived in a condo at the time, other people were outside talking to other people. The power was out, but a few of us had portable radios so we were huddled together trying to figure out what happened. Cell phones were not big at the time, but the portable phone was going around. People were scared to go back into their homes in fear of afteshocks that would bring down the house. The fear set in aftewards wondering if there was going to be a bigger one. But I too would rather be in an earthquake than a hurricane or tornado or flooding. It's only once a lifetime that a big one comes and knocks down buildings and kills people in any certain area. However with other disasters, it could happen several times a year and the results are usually more devestating than a small roller. I also remember the weather that day. Now in late summer when it gets that way, I always think " This feels like earthquake weather" The wind is calm, the sky is kinda dreary, and it's quiet...very quiet.. The birds stop chirping, but the dogs start going crazy. Yesterday, my roommate told me that my dog was startled and started pacing back and forth a few seconds before the earthquake. She is my earthquake-detector...LOL __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Anybody else in the Bay Area feel this one at 10PM ? It centered in Gilroy -about a 5.2. I was at the Giants game at the time, and felt a little rolling motion. I asked my buddy if he felt anyting and he said someone was just jumping up and down that was moving the stands... I said "uh, no... that was an earthquake, dumbass." BTW - I love earthquakes. As long as my house is not collapsed afterwards, I think they are pretty cool. - Matt __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Yeah, it's too bad that we missed each other by .... 24 hours!! heh, I was there on Sunday, not on Saturday. When I come back from my trip to the east coast (CSS) I will definitely plan on coming down to Monterey to jump with ya! Especially now since I got my A License!! I did run into wcviper on Sunday though. That was cool to see another dz.comer there. I'm still waiting to find out how he did on his AFF levels. - Matt __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Sorry to hear that the weather was so bad in many areas. It was beautiful in Byron today with calm to mild winds and 75 degrees. My totals for the weekend: 0:5:1 I did a few new things today, such as riser turns and braking/diving. I also completed all my skills on my Profficiency Card and got my A License stamp!! WoooooHooooo!! Just in time for CSS next week. L8 - Matt __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

One of the questions on my FJC "test" was that very question: Who is responsible for pulling my chute" Answer: ME I know of a couple instructors at my DZ that have chased down students and risked their lives in doing so. I am not an AFFI, but I wil always remember that I, and I alone, am responsible for pulling my chute - not my instructor, coach, Cypres, or RSL.... just ME. __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Was it skydiving relate ? Either way - sorry to hear that.. Blue ones... __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

The other "cock" thread reminded me of this pic. Enjoy!! __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Can we bring a rig and do a hop-n-pop after the deed is done? Do we get a discount since we didn't come down with the airplane ? __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Those are all really good answers, but there is an easier - automated way. Download the program called IrfanView. You can probably find it on download.com or tucows.com. It is a small shareware utility that will do a batch conversion. So it will take all your pictures and shink them down, or rename them, or change the color depth.... it's what I use for the pics on my web page. __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

I had some questions about this too. I am going back east in a few weeks, although I am not taking my rig, but I am sure I will the next time. What about putting the rig in something. Someone mentioned walking through security with a t-shirt, rig, etc... Was the rig in a carry-on suitcase or was it slung overy your shoulder ? Would you pack your rig in a suitcase and have it checked ? What if they wanted to open it ?? Would you ask them to pay for your repacking fee ?? I got lots of questions on this topic... __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

[tease] I get to jump again on friday... I get to jump again on friday....[/tease] __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

My turn... 1:1:1 I did my first hop-n-pop today from 3500'. That was an experience. Almost everything went wrong... I was second out (cessna 206) and when I let go of the strut, I reached for my pud and did a front roll. I pulled the PC and since I was on my back, it got wrapped on my hand once or twice around. I noticed it, arched, and let it flow off my hand back into the airstream. snivel...snivel...snivel...ok...open at 2600' Then coming in for landing, I totally misread the wind markers and landed downwind. I misread them by 180 degrees!! Don't know what I was thinking about, but I noticed two other wind flags in the landing area around 100 feet, but I was already set up for landing...PLF..roll..roll...roll... I must say tho, my canopy sure as hell flares much better downwind... it must be the forward speed. I flared on time ( for a normal landing) , but since I was downwind, it was considered early and I popped up after flaring, then prepared for a PLF. Only one today... there was lots of cloud cover, hence the reason for the hop-n-pop. Next Friday, I get packing lessons!! Wooo!! __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

that is exactly what I was going to say. Those guys in RED die every time. It never hit me until years later when watching the re-runs. __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

I read about this too, here in the Mercury News in the Bay Area. Blue Skies! __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Damn it... Now I feel like such a bozo. < Honest, I really really did see the movie...um 10 years or so ago... > I knew something didn't sound right with that quote. Thx for clearing that up, Dave. __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Yup, I'm the same way - Flat is the way to go. I have my posts set to 100/page. I also try to reply to the person that posed the question or topic, but sometimes I just stick my reply onto the last post... like in the weekend numbers thread. What I hate is when doing searches and the searches come back in threaded format. Any way to change that to flat by default ? ? Sangiro...anyone...Ferris....Ferris... __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

ummm...yeah, It is my home DZ. Actually it's the only DZ I have been to yet. Once I get my A, I'll travel around a bit. I was there on Sat and on Sun. __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

1:4:7 Damn, I don't even drink and I owe a LOT of beer... 1. First jump on my "new" used gear 2. First RW jump - did two of them and didn't funnel the exit. The first time I had no idea what "base" meant, so my partner and I kept trying to match each other's fall rate...up...down...up...down...up..down...give up, track and pull. 3. First Barrel roll...those scared the crap out of me, but now it's a piece of cake. 4. First intentional PLF - it has to be done for A license,and besides - I flared too high on a no wind day...DO'H!! And I mean intentional, cause usually when I flare too high or too late I come sliding in on my ass. 5. First Track with arms by side. Before they taught us in AFF to track ( or what they call forward movement) by just bringing our elbows in, but still have palms to earth for stability. The one I did was arms back by my side with palms up to sky...Whooo that was fun. I stayed stable during that one too. 6. First Coach dive. During the last jump today, I had a coach check out my maneuvers and help with passing freefall maneuvers on my A Lic. prof. card. 7. First and last ( I hope) Live water training for my B License.. That was fun. Jumping into the Delta with my shorts on and having a parachute thrown over my head. Actually, it was quite easy, but it was very very very cold. I almost forgot to breathe. I'm sure there's another first in there, but that's all I can remember now. Unfortunately, I only landed on my feet once on my "new" canopy. I blame it on me flaring too late on the first two jumps (butt slides) and no wind on Sunday. Oh.. I also got my roommate to do a tandem today... although I don't think he caught the bug as much as I did. But at least he knows what the rush is and why I talk about it all the time. And the helicopter rides looked like fun. Hopefully when I get my A, I will do it. - Matt __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

Coming tomorrow.... BE THERE... I will be, so look for me... pics are here... www.almgren.net - Late __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.

LOL... good one.. But you still have the word "fucking" after a noun. I think in your case, "fucking" is used as an adjective ( i.e. fucking noun) and an adverb (i.e. absofuckingloutely). __________________________________________ If first you don't succeed....skydiving is not for you.