Deuce

That's great news! You're lucky to have Chapparal cycle supply right up the road from you in San Bernadino, I think. I pass it on the way too and from Perris. They will have every single freaking thing you need. A set of new radial tires is the best thing, and the first thing you can get. The difference between bias ply and radials, regardless of the performance of the motorcycle is night and day.

We've got a lot of 300D's on our DZ and lots of different Wide angle lenses. I've got the Canon 20 and the Sigma 14 aspherical. Boyfalldown has the new Tokina 17 (?) The only reason I could think of not to buy the Zenitar is that is doesn't autofocus and can't auto-aperature. If you are good at setting your lens up like "the old days" (manual focus and aperature) I am stunned at what a great bargain it is. And very compact and light compared to the Canon, Sigma, or Tokina. It seems kind of odd to put a manual lens on a camera with such great automated features, but if it's skydiving specific, it seems like a terrific bargain. Great shots Mathias.

We haven't met, and clearly you don't know me. I am a newly minted AFF-I and Tandem instructor specifically so I can pass on what good habits I have and encourage new jumpers to learn from what mistakes I have made. I teach ground school almost every week. I'm giving plenty. It's expected from my peer group. I am doing exactly what you suggest. I am laying a guilt trip on the folks that allow a critical incident to occur and then say "I knew that was going to happen". If a jumper is allowed to jump on the word of one experienced jumper, then a group of skydivers should do an intervention with the DZM/O. I have recieved some very nice PM's regarding this post, one from one of the best DZM's ever. Your grouchy little critique does not sting.

I want any woman jumper to step up and affirm or deny this. One thing we don't see much of in this sport is idiot women canopy pilots. News flash: the guys will jump at the dropzones where the girls are. Asking a new jumper to your DZ " How many jumps do you have and what is your canopy and wingloading?" Does not make a DZO, DZM, or gear store manager a freaking NAZI! God bless her. GravityGear's Bonnie immediately offered a young idiot an appropriately sized demo canopy when our DZM said he couldn't jump what he brung. That is not being a canopy nazi. It's love. Or maybe it's the selfish desire not to hear a sucking chest wound, or smell the insides of another person mingled with freshly churned dirt. In my old profession I saw a lot of broken, blown-up people. I don't want to start associating my new love with that hot copper smell. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you don't want to. Not you, so much, Dom, I just recommended you as an advisor to a newbie who is from your DZ. It's for the DZ's. Don't let these knuckleheads jump. If your DZ wants to put you on the fast track to seeing the insides of another person, go to the competition who will keep things on the smarter side of this very dangerous sport. Safe skydivers buy more tickets, and Tandems and AFF first jump students go where people simply don't die as much.

I do know that, Kev. I like that about this sport. And for the ones that don't, somebody has to be a cop. And Skydivers simply hate that whole notion. I talked with Jack about that quite a bit this past Mem Day Boogie at Perris. When they don't listen, it's not enough to say they were warned. They have to be prevented from jumping at your dropzone. Let them go jump at the shitty "Anything-goes" dropzone near anywhere. It's not about the FAA or the USPA. It's about us. Vote with your feet. If a DZ wants me to buy a block of tickets I want to know that they aren't letting me jump with a known future critical injury.

Derek, (hooknswoop) I think now, right now, that I understand why you have quit the sport. The exchanges (http://dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=1125536;page=1;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;) have made the light go on. There are a lot of dropzone politics involved in who is doing what with whom. I do think that the practice is bullshit. We have lucky, favored, lowtime

This should make you feel better...

Too late! The fair Alana was my graduation tandem. Why any skydiver would volunteer still baffles me. It's like "Free skydive?! Hell yes I'll go!" and then they are in the plane without a rig wondering "uh......" It was fun though, while it lasted. Now on to people barfing on me! Wheeeeeeee!

Mathias, you have a point. I downsized from a Spectre 170 to a Spectre 150 at 400 jumps. After one successful jump I nearly tib-fibbed both my legs on the second one. I've never attempted to swoop the pond and I'm well aware of my clumsiness in general. But nobody had told me not to do it. When Connie, Vic, Bonnie, Marty, et al. make a suggestion, I usually take it. When I am in doubt, I go to my mentor and take that advice. I have never done something that my mentor specifically advised me not to do. I dug my divots by making a 90 degree front riser turn too low. After the fact, people asked me "what were you thinking" and the answer was that the decreased front riser pressure was lots of fun until I saw the ground rushing up. I broke my ankle in Perris because I got cut off in the pattern and then stepped in a hole landing after a flat turn. I know it's hard in my case to decide whether I'm more tough than stupid, or vice versa, but I waited 200 jumps before doing camera, 400 jumps before downsizing one size on the same canopy type, and 900 jumps before directly taking on the safety of new jumpers. All on the advice of folks I respect. When a guy like JP makes a suggestion, and I don't get it, I'll talk with my mentor about it and incorporate it or decide not to based on knowledge. If I'm too stupid to listen, and intend on risking my life and the lives of other jumpes, I do think the DZ should deny my jumping priviledge until I smarten up. PS. Whatever Swedish curse you put on me worked. After putting that mess on your windshield Sunday, when I got home my dog killed a skunk in my backyard. Edit. I just figured out you were talking to SoCal JP, but I was low time and aggressive too. I just answered my own earlier question: stupider.

I never realized you had a problem, Iwan. One day at a time, one day at a time...

Found it.

Ah. Nathan! Howdy!

OK. I need to understand this: Why was he allowed to board the plane? Did anybody say "Hey, Manifestor, you know that knucklehead has 300 jumps and is jumping with lead to get his swoop on and is loaded at 2:1? Did manifest say "Yeah, we know. Darwin, and all that, you know." Or did nobody tell manifest about this accident waiting to happen, and did all those who knew tell themselves "Darwin and all that, you know". I, speaking for myself, don't want the FAA or the USPA to set wingloading limits. I want DZM's and O's to do that. I prefer for it to not have to get to them, as I am not reticent to express my opinions to newbies. But if they don't listen, I tell on them. And I want the manager's and owners to protect these chowderheads from themselves. We have a crazy-brave guy named McBain who we won't let jump the canopies he is all hot to swoop with. Remember his name. Because there are other dropzones that will let him jump whatever he wants. I'm hoping he only tib-fib's his way into wisdom. I like Perris a lot. It is the first DZ I jumped at other than Byron, and I have tons of great friends there. I'm hoping your friend just slipped through the cracks, JP. It would really bug me if management knew they had a 300 jump wonder on a plane wearing 20 pounds of lead, loaded at 2:1.

Yes you will! Fresh new avatars for all!

I was either doing video or giving away free rides to cute women in harnesses strapped tightly to my torso.... What was I saying? Oh. That it was great to get a call from drunk friends well before the West Coast Y'all beer light was even on.

I am tentatively staying with the Skreamer on my return leg, and he's talking liver damage party time. My liver should be stunned into nonfunction by the Finns by then, so party on. Who's up for some skydiving the 2nd through the 5th of August somewhere near London?

Is that a picture of you silly biotches calling me and doing a shot? You owed me one, you know.

Nope. Two new ratings and a trip to Europe have me digging for seat change.

I need to get a copy of that, Chickie! Keep it with your stuff so I can copy it next time I see you! And thanks.

Timmea! Yes, buy from the local gear dealers! And Bonnie is a great measurer, regardless of the suit or rig you are buying! People, if you get measured by a qualified gear dealer, like Bonnie at Gravity Gear, or at Square One, your shit should fit without aftermarket modifications. There's a lot of used, great, gear out there, and my buds at GG, SQ1, and SkyBiotch will not sacrifice your safety and comfort to profit. Skydiving is usually unique in that way. "Hey, Biotch! Why does this rig lift so high when it's cranked down so hard?" "Cause you are not a fat biotch!" Says Bonnie, Dom, JP (SoCal), and Bitch.

OK. This is a woman I know, a little bit. What kind of puppies are being created and scattered about? Bonnie is a German Shephard kind of chick, and after researching the kinds of puppies popular in Sweden, it's the German Shepard or this doggie. Save the doggies. Get Matthias a regular route.

Andrea, I will never forget being compared to white on rye by you. I had heard white on rice before, but the rye thing was uniquely Floridian. XO

Yeah. Look at Ankie, a very small woman in a teenie tiny rig. (A Wings rig I might add) and how it fits her. Her husband, Colon Berry, wouldn't let her get all busted up jumping silly, crappy fitting stuff. Ankie's rig is still the smallest rig I have ever seen. I think this is Colon and Ankie jumping, but I'm not completely sure. Articulated rigs should fit. I have two articulated Wings rigs I'm selling, and I've let a few people jump them. Regardless of whether it's a Wings or an Infinity (Buy from Dom!) the freaking rig should fit, without the silly band on the hip straps. Test jump the system, find out it's the most comfortable thing you have ever jumped, and buy it. But stuff that requires a retrofit, that you plan on doing several hundred jumps on, is stupid. For some folks in remote locations that can't jump lots of for sale gear, the belly band might be viable. But when you want to jump comfortably and safe, for hundreds of jumps, get a good rig from a reputable dealer who knows how to measure you. I will be available in Sweden during the Herc boogie for that service, whatever rig you are interested in. In the sauna.

Dude. I loved that post. Very sceptical. Like a true Jesuit. Billvon has to be a Jesuit. My Personal Jesuit was Father Edward Kominski. It was great. His nameplate on his door said Fr. Ed Kominski, so we all called him "Fred". I was invited to a full scholarship at Notre Dame on the "Priest Plan" it was really attractive to me , bit more attractive was getting laid, and getting married. Preferably in reverse order, but unlikely in the 80's. So, I got laid and got married and provided some children to the church who are amazingly unlikely to become nuns.

It's still the greepeace/ACLU in you. You're rebelling against The Man. The Man being your profs. Yeah, I think so. It's so cool to disagree with your profs and be the guy with the Glock .45.