davelepka

That's a fair point. How about this - "Lets get more hetero guys or lesbians on the DZ to help that chick tuck her shirt in" It already sounds better to me.

Lets be hetero-sexual out there. That looks like a cute chick in the green T-shirt. Nobody stepped up and offered to help tuck her shirt under her legstraps?

I know a guy who still does this. He's got a rubber band hanging from the attachment point of an inboard C line. This is on a Spectre, no less. The catch is that this guy is old, jumps a loaded FTP, and isn't shy about cranking out the jumps, so the extra insurance from the rubber band makes sense.

Anyone interested in going to the 2008 Nationals in Eloy? We need one more inside flyer to complete our VRW team. We're looking to do about 60 or 70 team training jumps, split up between four training weekends and a few days in Eloy before the competition. The exact dates will be determined once we have the team together, and we see what works for everyone. The majority of our training will be done in Ohio, so we're looking for someone within a few states in any direction. The team will cover your travel costs, meals, and provide you with a place to stay for training weekends. All jumps, travel to nationals, and related costs at nationals are your responsibility. The existing team consists of the members of Lunacy, the 2007 Intermediate Freefly gold medal winners, and myself on video. You've all seen the VRW videos from the 2007 Nationals, so you know the level of flying required to compete. You don't need to match the guys from Mandrin, but being able to dock on any axis is a must. Send me an e-mail at davelepka@hotmail.com if you're interested. Feel free to pass my e-mail along to anyone else you can think of who might be interested.

So is your rigger, which is why they won't pack your rig with an AAD that's not legal. It does suck, but thems the rules.

One of the best preventative measures is to tend to the whole slider, not just at the stops. Reaching into the center of the slider and making sure that it's pushed down (in a pro-pack) into the canopy. This will help to prevent any build up of pressure above the slider. I see many people pack, and they push the slider to the stops, and maybe concern themselves with the front edge and its placement relative to the nose, while ignoring the rest of the slider. It's stupid.

What exactly makes you think you're qualified to be jumping at 1.56 with 60 jumps? What would make you think that somebody else would enable you to do that? Even if you come to your senses, and look to rent a rig with a more reasonable wingloading (1.0 ~ 1.2), you may have a problem finding one with a harness to fit a guy who weighs 275 lbs. Do you really weigh 275, or did you do the math wrong coming up with your 1.56 wingloading on a 190? Most gear in the US is only rated to 250 lbs. Even if you could find a harness to fit, they may not rent you one for the sake of exceeding the design limits. This might have been something to look into BEFORE buying a plane ticket.

it's got nothing to do with where you jump, it's got everything to do with the fact that you don't have enough experience to be safe you can die in south africa just like you can die anywhere else. get your attitude in check about skydiving and safety, or you'll prove my point.

your ci forgot to mention you also need another 150 jumps

Dude, if I'm going to end up dead or crippled, I'm swiping one of the new tandem canopies.

Would that be wrong?

A handful of Potato Skins will leave you with powdered cheese all over your fingers. A strippers boobs, when handled properly, will leave you with blow all over your fingers. Take your pick.

The only training you need is toilet training. Just get one, and we'll figure it out. How hard can it be? You're flying with an open parachute, what could go wrong?

In this order - Aviate Navigate Communicate

I am. And actors/models. Their income is dis-proportionate to their contribution to society. Meanwhile, research scientists make an average salary. On top of it all, they let the success go to their heads, and they think they can solve the worlds problems. No, you can sing, or catch a ball, or pretend. That's it. I don't give a fuck who you're voting for. The posterchild - Oprah. Who should be rich and revered? Jonas Saulk, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, just to name a few. Why are they all dead? Where's my list of living people doing good work? I don't have one because they live on in obscurity while Britany Spears recieves 24/7 coverage of her every stupid move.

Wang-dang sweet poon-tang, you nailed it. I'll let out a big 'waaah' for all the musicians who can no longer make MILLIONS of dollars. Ditto for all the other player in the music biz. How about just making a living, like the rest of us? People in the US make more money than 99% of the rest of the world. Mainstream music artists make more than 99% of the people in the US. Excuse me if I don't feel for them, and their upcoming reduction in their standard of living. My biggest regret is that this all couldn't have happened 10 years ago, so Britany Spears could be in her righful place, a double-wide trailer converted to a strip club in the hills of Alabama.

Whoever you are, you're out of your mind. Not to mention that guy had already agreed he was off base with his original idea, and another poster clued us in that in paragliding, cross bracing goes into almost every wing, not just top-of-the-line HP wings. Even without that, you need to put your thinking cap back on with regrards to HP canopies.

Try thinking along the lines of having multiple batteries, and always starting each jump with a fresh one. Having your battery kick out on you in the middle of a paid video jump is the definition of unprofessional. Same goes for your video camera. Some guys will brag about how many jumps they can squeeze out of a battery, but all their doing is risking the customers footage by being lazy.

Good point. It's less than that, but still a lot.

That's funny as hell. That's not a riser strike, that's you head-butting your riser after it cleared your helmet. That's what happens when you shoot video on a solo. I also liked watching you feel up your camera after the fact to see what was and wasn't still there. I can't count the number of times I've taken 'inventory' of my cameras after opening.

Maybe re-word that to say "It's better to leave early or late, just not at the same time". I've always found a good angle for opening shots to be down low and in front, looking up at them. Of course you need to be far enough down to be out of range of the trap door. When you're in that slot, you put the student in the foreground of the shot, with the canopy opening in the background.

They look good for the most part. On the exit shots of the TM wearing an orange top, you're in a bad slot. Anytime you can see the top of the tandem rig, your in the wrong place. The shots where you can see the bright green drouge sticking out of the pouch, that's a good place to be. My guess on the 'bad' exits is that you were a hair late on your exit, and left the step at the same time the tandem left the door. You know that you need to get off the step before the tandem leaves, so what you need to do is realize that you've missed it, and let them go by you. You want to get it right, so you try to rush off the step, but once you missed you exit slot, it's gone for good, and you need to hang on, and follow them off. If the TM goes for a quick drouge pull, or anything comes out of the rig at that point, you won't be happy. Also, two of the deployment shots are bad news. The one with the bag halfway up, and the one where you're above the canopy as it opens. Always be on level or lower then the tandem on opening. If the canopy slams open, you're in a position where you can have a collision. This happened a year or two ago in the US, and I think the TM was killed. Never ever be above them in any way near pull time. Otherwise the shots look good.

I hear you about the cropping and photoshopping. I understand that it's a part of photography. I used to work at a photo shop, and developed my own film from the weekend, and made my own prints. The reason I shoot the way I do is that I'm no longer interested in anything but freefall work. I don't want to edit or mess around with images on my computer. I want to jump, and take video/pictures. The challenge for me is to get it right the first time. Some shots are hard to get, so it may take multiple jumps, or even a whole season before I can take what I see in my mind, and make it happen on screen. It all adds up to more jumping, which is why I'm at the DZ in the first place. If I was shooting a record, or a big way, then by all means I would undershoot to ensure that I got the job done, but usually I have the luxury shooting on my own terms so I do. In truth, the differences I see from frame to frame are things that most jumpers never even see. Many times people will like the footage I shoot, while I look at it unimpressed with what I did. For my money, being able to get it right the first time is all part of the quality of an image. It's something I can be proud of. If I was trying to compete with Mike or Norm in a photo contest, it would take me 20 jumps to come up with something half as good as what they got with one jump, and proper corrections. But that's the whole point, I'd rather do 20 jumps than one, and rather not spend anytime screwing around in 'post production'. And really, I think being half as good as those guys is a huge accomplishment.

Nothing you'll ever do will wash away the stench of pig slop and chicken shit. You'll always be the son of a Carolina pig farmer. Now squeal like a pig.

Sell it, and buy a used Pilot 190 with a few hundred jumps on it. You'll clear a few hundred bucks, and it will be MUCH easier to pack. Spend the money on making more jumps. Or beer.