ManagingPrime

To the very best of my knowledge the school is open during the boogie as tandems are still going up.

Did Andy ruin the farm for you? That pikey bastard gets all the chicks...

Which is beside the point. Step back from the canvas, and squint. I see the arguments being made... I just don't see the point of them. Is the argument that there are some cases where the "employer" is ethically wrong and additonally causing some harm to the economy as a whole? Ok. I don't see any solutions proposed. I'm assuming some might see a solution in additional laws and regulations or more stringent enforcement of laws already on the books. Fine... As long as that would not interfere with a free work for experience like my own which is quite beneficial to all parties involved.

Its free choice. The individuals making the decision have considered the cost benefit, if they had not they would be to stupid to even have their free services accepted. For the last month I've been working 40+ hours a week in the local rigging loft. This "free" work will shortly result in my riggers ticket. Not only will I have my riggers ticket I will have more experience and all-round gear knowlede than many senior riggers who attended a rigging course to obtain their ticket. I'm happy to be working for "free" as it's given me the oprotunity to make a career change. If it had not been for the oprotunity I would be in some bank office doing corporate schmuck work that I could no longer tolerate.

Thank you for the replies. I knew there had to be some good online resources. Poynters puts me to sleep in some sections, but I think bringing an online test into the mix will help a great deal. Thank you.

Any advice on the best prep materials/web practice tests for the FAA riggers examination?

Just watched this stunt performed a few min ago. About to watch the video to see how it was done.... Very cool!

I'm told that LP is a can't miss summer party and that the jumping is pretty good too. I need a break from the heat... Count me in.

Seriously. You have not made your first jump yet... Put the hook knife out of your mind. Look at the fatalities we've had in this sport this year so far. To my knowledge not one could have been prevented by a hook knife. If you want to focus on safety then drill the landing pattern into your mind. Fly a good safe and predictable landing pattern and you've addressed a good bit of the risk in this sport. Next lesson: keeping your head on a swivel. After your first jump we can discuss beer rules.

I find this thread interesting and my interest is purely academic so please correct me if I'm wrong. What about a mesh slider? It could be a real smacker at terminal or even nearing terminal, but I would think the jumper could dial it in a bit with the pack job from there (nose presentation, rolling, etc.) I agree that the manufacturer would probably have the best answer, but I'm just curious about the slider.

If you're referencing the Eloy Crew video I believe it was Travis Mills given credit for that jump. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUErkd-bD6s

Winds are indeed the issue... I will be checking on this tomorrow. I'm assuming a skateboard will work just as well? I don't know about a round, but I do have access to an old f111 without risers....

Please list all known activities... I'm losing my mind and I don't want to keep spending money in the bar.

You all did an amazing job and I'm proud to have been a witness to it. Can't wait to hear about you all making a new record next year. Congrats!

Tent is the cheapest. In regards to Eloy, the Skyrider Inn is actually the most expensive accomidations around. If you are looking for some "frills" like a kitchen, a bed, TV, etc. I would give a +1 to calling the DZ and asking about rooms for rent.

+1 I would not be to concerned about comparing the two at this point. Everytime I get in the tunnel I'm reminded how much I suck on my belly, but I can still maintain level, turn points, etc. on a jump. My advice would be to just focus on what your instructors are telling you and what your diveflows require for your AFF jumps, have fun and after you get your A head into the tunnel to refine your flying.

Welcome and congrats on the first jump. There are a number of Phoenix locals that are down on the weekends and everyone is very nice and approchable. Next time you are down introduce yourself around at the school, in the hanger, packing mat, square 2, the tunnel, etc. There is a lot of experience at SDAZ and its a great place to get started in skydive.

+1 failblog.org also provides a few min. of entertainment. The last two weeks have been some of the most boring in my work experience.

Think I'm pretty lucky to start developing my consciousness at a DZ that has some pretty amazing S&TA's and a group of highly experienced locals. There are a lot of visitors and there is a concerted effort to keep everyone aware of how to keep it safe. In the very few instances I've seen close calls the skydivers involved talked it out.... In other cases it's simple just to pass on the information shared by the S&TA's when something may not be caught by them. On only one occasion I've said something to other jumpers and it's really just as easy as pointing them to the sign at the loading area. It may just be my ignorance, but I think the S&TA's and local jumpers at my DZ do a great job of keeping it safe. Perhaps the best thing that can be done is to have S&TA's that have a passion for keeping it safe and to nurture a culture that is respectful of the knowledge they have to impart and passing it on. However, in relation to "HP" landings this example might not be the best as it's caped at 90's here. IDK. I'm just going to continue to keep my head on a swivel, listen to others when they are talking about actions that might put others lives in jeopardy and passing it on when given the chance... Seems simple really.

Had to do some googling to get an understanding of the HUPRA system. With the very basic understanding that I have now it seems that it's a much safer option than cutting away and having someone deploy reserve, particuarly when lines are wrapped around the reserve container. Why has such a system nor been developed for civilian operations?

Sooooo to the bonfire it goes. http://www.failgif.com/2011/03/plane-jump-fail.html WTF?! 1. What kind of Mal would this be? 2. What is the procedure for this kind of Mal? 3. How often does this type Mal occur? I wanted to laugh, but then I realized that it looked like a real bad situation.

+1 IMHO a set course is not necessary. If you have a safety driven mindset and you just put yourself "out there" (Hopefully you have organizers at your DZ) you will learn a ton...and the learning never stops.

No offense to the red bull guys, it was a lot of hard work and I for one plan to see the film, but who really thinks this movie will be shown in more than a dozen us theaters? I really don't see it increasing the profile of skydiving... Or red bull for that matter, with the exception of possibly in the skydiving community.

Kind of find it hard to watch any tv anymore... Heaven forbid it's satellite and I end up spending the whole time clicking through channels. However, and I know I'm not the first person to say this, a "real world"/"road rules" of DZ's would be effing awesome. Imagine all the drama. I'm really surprised that the idea has not been shoped to networks yet.

I got a t-shirt and told that I was a bad ass....then I was called a bitch right before passing out. Being a work feels really dirty right now.