Scoby

I'm curious about how I should progress on rental gear before purchasing. I've decided that I'd like a 190 for my first canopy, which is just under 1:1 for me. I am currently jumping PD260s. I should complete the requirements for my A license tomorrow, so I'll finally get to go to other DZs. My dropzone rents by the jump instead of the day, so it's expensive. I'm going to take a canopy class right away and then spend some time at DZs that rent by the day so I can get my experience level up without breaking the bank. How should I go about transitioning from 260 F111 to 190 ZP? Should I go straight to a big ZP chute and then downsize? Or jump F111 canopies until I get to 190, then switch? Should I stick to square, or is semi-elliptical OK? How many jumps should I do on each size, or should I just jump until I'm comfortable? I've seen billvons canopy control recommendations and they look good, but I'd like a ballpark figure. Sorry, I know I have a lot of questions. It's not that I'm in a hurry to downsize. Once I get my first canopy, I won't be downsizing for a long, long time. I just want to have my own gear, in as short a timeframe as possible.

Well, that $462 in 2002 dollars. That still is less than a container by itself today. However, I imagine that a modern system is a lot more expensive to design and produce than that 1968 system. Also, product liability probably figures into the cost. Cars, for example, cost much more in adjusted dollars now thaqn they did in 1968, but they are vastly better and more complicated product. Sometimes, it truly is worth the extra money. I wouldn't jump a 1968 rig, even if it only cost $462.

That's funny...I'm trying to gain weight, so I'm taking into account future weight gain in my search for a canopy.

PLFing probably saved me a sprained ankle or worse when I was having trouble timing my flare and did it about 10 feet too high. One time, I landed downwind when the wind changed direction abruptly. I decided to pull my legs up and slide in on my butt. It looked ungraceful, but another student landing moments later tried to stand his landing and tumbled. He ended up with lots of cuts, scrapes and bruises, while I just had a dust-covered butt.

Well, for what it's worth, your previous posts on the subject have made me reconsider what to get. My plan was originally to purchase a 170 (I weigh about 155lbs), but I've now decided to get a 190 instead. I've also decided to take the canopy class at Perris based on the posts of various people on this forum. So your message is getting through to some people, at least.

I saw this thread just as I finished a can of Red Bull. So, I guess, the answer is yes. But only because there is a fridge full of it here at work. I like the buzz, but I don't think it is worth $2 a can for sugar and caffeine. I think one of the energy drink companies would make a killing if they marketed an equivalent drink at $1 a can. You *know* it only costs a nickel to produce anyway, so they'd easily make up for it in volume.

It's funny how my desire for a new motorcycle went out the window when I realized it was competing for the money I'd spend on a new rig. Now I'm thinking I can go on riding my ancient FZR for a few more years!

I'd be riding my motorcycle, snowboarding, hiking, playing video games, taking recreational chemicals...

That smoke smell is so aggravating. My car smelled fresh from new until I got a girlfriend who smoked. Within weeks, it was unpleasant, even when I was in the car by myself. I banned smoking in my car, but it doesn't smell as nice as it used to. I will never again allow smoking in any car I own...and when I move into my new house, I'm going to ban smoking there as well. Luckily, my roommate quit a few weeks ago, so he'll be down for not allowing it either.

I've been pondering getting an aquarium for my living room. My only concern is getting hardy enough species that they can cope with my sporadic maintenence habits. I had goldfish that thrived on neglect (two of them lived to 15 years), but I suspect that the pretty tropical ones don't like that sort of treatment. Now that you've put the idea into my head, I'm going to look into this... I have too many pets already, though...

One of the regulars at my DZ is a professional piercer. Of course, the first thing I asked was whether he'd pierced any butts. He said, "No, that's where I draw the line." Then I asked about the taint (y'know, it taint the ass and it taint the balls). He was like, "Uh, no." I guess if you can stick a needle through it, someone has done it.

Quote Next time some f*cked up kid brings a gun to school and starts shooting everybody up, let's make sure no one openly prays to God for help, it might offend a "non-believer".... I wonder how many "non-believers" in the twin towers suddenly found God when they knew death was moments away...... I wonder who a "non-believer" prays to when their child has been kidnapped or is laying in I.C.U...... I know there is one God and I can't wait to go home and be with him. I'm still gonna pull though..... I've always found this kind of attitude a bit strange. If praying to god would make him intervene on your behalf, how come he doesn't seem to do it very often? A few days ago, a church group bus slammed into a pole, killing a number of people. One of the survivors said, "I knew god was with me and helped me survive." I can't help but think, "And he wasn't with the girl sitting behind you who didn't?" A non-believer doesn't pray to anything when they are in a bind, because that would be irrational, given the fact that they are non-believers. It's perfectly fine having your own beliefs, but the smug attitude that some people have that atheists somehow convert when they are facing their doom is ridiculous.

Having worked in the porn business, I would be remiss if I did not know what a fluffer is... It might be more amusing to find out who knows about feltching...

This is, sadly, quite true. The reason for this is that it's really hard to pass in Forumla One, so lead changes usually occur due to pit strategy. The mistake in the current formula is that aerodynamic grip is favored over mechanical grip. Basically, the wings are too big and the tyres are too small. Because of the turbulent air behind the cars, it is impossible for a chasing driver to get too close, which makes passing extremely difficult. This desperately needs to be addressed. The best racing these days can be found in motorcycles.

I agree that NASCAR is a sport. It isn't a very good sport, though. I love auto racing, but NASCAR is definitely the pro-wrestling of auto racing. One of the best aspects of racing is that it improves the breed. World Superbike leads directly to better sportsbikes. World Rally leads directly to better street cars. Motocross leads directly to better dirtbikes. Even Formula One, with no basis on real cars, develops technologies that ultimately improve road cars. "Stock" cars are ancient technology that never improves. It's just a bunch of rednecks driving in a circle. At least when they go to a road course, it's slightly interesting. But if you put a NASCAR driver in a real racecar on a real racecourse versus actual racers, he'd be slaughtered. It's not racing, it's a soap opera. Ugh.

Wow, that's some nearsightedness! I don't meet too many people whose vision is worse than mine. I have pretty severe starring/haloing when I wear glasses, but my contacts eliminate them. I see very well at night (corrected), and I don't want to mess with that. I really want LASIK to be the answer. I'd love to deal with it now and not have to think about my vision for 20 years (and correction for middle-aged farsightedness is in the offing). I'm still a bit wary of it, though. I'd be more willing to pull the trigger if there weren't alternatives in the near-term. I'd love to not have to worry about losing a contact at a critical moment, though!

I've been seriously considering LASIK for a long time. My vision is truly awful, at 7.5 and 6 diopters correction. The complication rate, however, is disquieting. There are a few options to myopics. I've had it with glasses, as I have zero peripheral vision. There are 30-day night and day contacts (put them in, wear them for 30 days without taking them out, then disinfect and reinsert). I've worn extended wear contacts night and day before and it's not a bad solution. LASIK is a tad scary, as the changes are permanent and complications can happen. Even "perfect" LASIK patients can end up with night glare and halos. There are Intacs, which are a removeable insert that reshapes the cornea. I'd be all for it, but my vision is too poor for their limited correction. What I'm excited about is intraocular lens inserts. In a couple of years, they should be commercially available. They are small lenses inserted into the eye and can correct severe vision problems. They are reversible, which is comforting, if somehow they screw it up. I think I can live with contacts until then...

For what it's worth, at my last house, both of my roommates sported tattoos and mohawks (er, oh yeah, so does my current roommate), but none of them would jump out of a plane. However, the moms and dads at my DZ do, so who's more hardcore? Oh, I did see a few "extreme" types at Perris when I went there, but still not that many.

I think one of the more surprising things about skydivers in general is that they're not the green-haired, Mountain Dew-swilling, multi-pierced XXX-treme crazies that one would expect. I mean, there's a few, but generally, the folks at my DZ look like...well, someone's parents. I can't expect my friend's mom to look chic, so I can't expect it of my fellow skydivers either. Anyway, when I leave for the DZ, it's in the early morning, generally wearing stuff I don't mind getting sweating and dusty and sporting a few day's stubble. I look a lot more presentable when I go out, I swear. It's just not that important when jumping out of planes. That said, the spandex is largely uncalled for. Some (OK, most) people just aren't supposed to wear it.

It is pretty secure (it buckles and is snug on my head) and is rather light. I'm going to see how it works out. I don't want to get something like a Mindwarp until I can try it on in a shop, anyway. Thanks!

On a slightly different subject, is it OK to use a non-skydiving helmet for skydiving? Specifically, I have a Boeri snowboarding helmet that I'd like to use until I get a Mindwarp. Are major cons? If not, I'm gonna bring it next time and see how it goes.

While not the same thing, on my second AFF, my canopy opened in a turn and it looked pretty ugly overhead. I pondered the red pillow and nearly went for it, before deciding to release the brakes. The canopy stopped turning, and flaring for a few seconds inflated the end cells. It flew just fine after that. I certainly was encouraged that I was able to sort out the problem, but I certainly wish it happened a little later on! I want to get a good sense for which problems I should work through and which ones I should cut away from right away.

OK, I understand now. I am still unclear as to whether it's an elliptical only problem. Is there any possibility of this happening on large or square canopy? Is it hard to cut away from this malfunction? I remember reading an incident report that aid the person was trying to cut, but couldn't, though the risers released easily on the ground. Is that due to poor gear design or something else? Thanks!

Hello all. My name is Alistair, and I'm a newbie. Actually, I've been reading posts for a few months, but I've only just started to actually write. Basically, if I didn't come here to read about jumping out of planes, I'd bore everyone I know talking nonstop about it. And I really like getting answers to the questions that I forget to ask the instructors at my DZ. I'm sure that this sport is going to ruin my life.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does this only apply to high-performance ellipticals? If so, at what point should one change their emergency procedures from "kick out" to "cutaway"? First elliptical? A certain wingloading? I'm a little confused, as my jumpmasters told me that linetwists wouldn't be a problem unless I was jumping a small canopy. I've had line twists twice, which I kicked out of easily. Or is "spinning" the operative word? How can I tell the difference between "normal" and "spinning" line twists? Bear with me, I still don't know a lot!