arlo

eric, check with mark (or your rep) at gatorz and get the serial numbers from the radiators you had in stock. at least if someone tries to bring them in for an exchange or whatever, then i'll have something to verify them against. that sucks, dude. i'll keep an eye (and ear) out.... arlo

just suck it up. hope you love it. a

one of the best parts of this idea is that Lisa genuinely gives a shit and it's so not about the money. hell, i know that and lisa and i work for different gear stores. with that being said, i would encourage anyone buying a new canopy to do so from a dealer (such as the drop shop) which offers this sort of incentive. i think that it is a reflection of the attitude of the store owners and employees. if the dealer doesn't give a shit about your safety, then you need to ask yourself if you're being done a disservice by supporting them. you owe it to yourself to stay safe. outstanding, lisa! arlo

i think having a different texture also helps to identify the reserve handle. sounds kinda silly, but being able to differentiate the metal handle from jumpsuit versus differentiating cordura handle from fabric jumpsuit is stacking another card (albeit small) in one's favor. don't know if you wear gloves or not, but just close your eyes and grab both. metal is slick and easy to distinguish. i know that you should look, but you're not always given that luxury of seeing it even when you look. i also like being able to (as you stated) stick my thumb into it because that could be my last attempt. the act of 'grabbing' the pillow may not always include just the pillow. it's possible to grab jumpsuit/clothing as well as the pillow, so while you're trying to get your reserve out, you could be trying to undress yourself at the same time. even if you spend a split-second re-grabbing the pillow, that split-second could cost you dearly. again, sounds small, but another card not stacked against ya. just my opinion... good luck with your choice. :) arlo

you could, but just don't saturate it. maybe a light 'dusting' of the spray. the only company that said 'no' was a canopy manufacturer and their focus is strictly on the canopies. it's really not that big a deal unless you consistently do something to get it dirty. if you wanna really hose it down, wait 'til your next repack and have your rigger do it. i'm sure you'll at least have to pay for the scotchgard. scotchgard is one of those "nice to have" but not "need to have" things. just land on your feet. hope this helps. if not, PM me. :) arlo

if that's the case, then i'd stay at the best western. good input wendy. :) so how the hell are ya anyway? long time no see. ...and bickner? you are one of the few that could get away with saying that....but only because i feel responsible for your affinity for women's lingerie. xoxo

okay, this is the scoop on the hotels around the tunnel. the riande continental plaza sucks. the best western movieland is about a block away and is a decent place to stay. it's also the most expensive of the "do-able" options. i think it runs around $45-ish a night. the motel 6 (which i don't normally stay in) is across the street (still walking distance). it is a new one with indoor access to rooms. i would recommend this for the budget shopper: $30/ngt for up to 4 ppl in a room. seriously, i would normally cringe at the thought of a motel 6, but this one is fine. red horse inn: this is the farthest away of the aforementioned, but it's still walking distance. they have just rennovated this joint, so i haven't been in the rooms to see them. i hear they are fine, but that the beds are hard. seriously. :) that's the only feedback i've gotten on those. if i had the extra money to spend, i'd stay at the best western movieland. if i needed to save a couple bucks, i'd stay at the motel 6. Rosa: call brannon at skyventure and see if there might be someone wanting to share a room. there may be another girl in the camp in the same situation as you. that would be the ideal way to do it. you're only in the hotel to sleep as it is....days are long, but fun. if you need a number for any of these places, just ask or check hotel info hope this helps. :) arlo

i'll be working there (tunnel) on that mon-tues (3rd/4th), so i'll check the schedule and see if anyone from the hills will be there. if so, maybe you can catch a ride with them back to the dz. if not, then a car would be the best bet...if you're going to the hills. VSG: sounds like both of you are in the 2nd airspeed camp that weekend. be prepared for an early morning and long days. bring ibuprofen and a heating pad.

I talked to folks at RWS, Sunpath, and Jumpshack yesterday. All three manufacturers say that it is fine to use scotchgard on the rigs. two of those manufacturers i talked to said to use the scotchgard for outdoors (in the green can). hope this helps... arlo

nope. it's not the same. IMO, that's the one thing that is truly lacking at Deland. the skydiving is outstanding, the caliber of skydiver there is amazing (ALL disciplines: FF, RW, WS, swoopers, etc). it's a shame that there is very little post-sunset mingling going on. z-hills definitely has it for that field...hands down. but then again, how could anyone NOT love hanging out in paul's bar? that's where a good chunk of what you learn about skydiving goes on anyway...over a talking to other skydivers. again, love both dzs, but for the socializing, it's zhills. arlo p.s. sebastian's tiki-bar isn't exactly shabby either.

michigan suits. arlo

hey dave!

Jerry, this is the kind of attitude that is fucking killing people. seriously. you are saying that it is OKAY for someone with 40 jumps to load a canopy at 1.3 to 1?? and that you have 150 jumps? dude, please, if you're gonna give advice, give advice that's good and that won't fucking kill somebody! you may not see anything wrong with what you said, but that's exactly what is killing people. you are absolutely oblivious to what is safe and recommending a higher wingloading to a student is wrong. if in doubt, check PDs website and see for yourself. better yet, call PD and tell them about the advice YOU gave a student and see who agrees with you. if you honestly believe the advice you gave is good, i implore you to talk to some experienced folks at your dz because you are terribly mistaken. sorry so harsh, but motherfuckers are dying left and right and i for one will not stand silently by as the new fledglings are given shit advice. arlo

there are a couple problems. Did you mean that 15 pills were $94 or was that a typo? If you got 30 pills for $94, THEN you'd have a 2-month supply of them for the cost-savings of $28. But if you got 15 pills (total of 1500 mg) for $94, then they cost more per 30-day supply than the $75 50-mg pills (still 1500 mg total). Too, make sure they're not time-released. Some pills are time released and are not splittable. Splitting some time-released pills can be BAD JU-JU!! You end up getting i.e. 12 hrs worth of medicine like right now. On that note, ask your doc. :) a

i don't pay for tunnel time.

i never thought that implication was there. :) i was responding to someone mentioned the addition of shannon's name to the list.

first off, welcome to the sport. :) secondly: you say safety in gear transition is paramount? YOU GO, GIRL!!!! another person using their brain!!!!

you scared me. BWAHAHAHAHA! whack-a-mole hammers crack dem lil skulls. easy. a maybe we should consider a conference call next week. i slay me.

hey brian, my statement about there being a was an outpour of relief that somewhere, someone had enough sense and enough good instructors to encourage something safe for a change. Kudos to your instructors for steering you in the proper direction and kudos to you, brian, for entering this sport in a conservative fashion. Longevity in our sport is a good thing, although a lot of people's actions don't seem to reflect that. dolphins: i put most of my first 400 jumps on one. mostly belly, some sit jumps. it never failed, never gave me any problems and served its purpose. i paid like $600 for a new one and used it to the point it was time to buy another rig (i wanted a javelin). the rig isn't as nice looking IMO as the other rigs...it's quite box-ey, but it it was inexpensive and it got me through the first few hundred jumps. resale value on a dolphin sucks, but i knew that when i bought it. no biggie. i loaned it to a friend after she finished her aff and while she was waiting for her new rig. the dolphin was used for her transition to a 150 and she never had any issues with it either. You'll get ribbed about it, but screw it. It'd be like driving a Pacer or a Gremlin. It will get you from point a to point b generically, but you're not gonna win cool points by the appearance. just remember everyone thinks that the rig they jump is the best rig on the market.

are you familiar with shannon's coaching ability? i can't tell if you think shannon's addition to the list is a good or bad thing. just in case, shannon is literally a world class coach and literally a world class skydiver (20+ point average with PD Blue and was a member of Deland Majik). oh yeah, he swoops pretty well, too. shannon will make an incredible addition to the perris performance plus team. perris is fortunate to have his skills there. based on what i have seen about this program, it is a pretty damn good one. i think this will be an incredibly effective way to train in perris. arlo

there IS A GOD!!!!! Brian, you just made a very important step towards buying gear....knowing a canopy size that is appropriate for your level. with that being said, i'd recommend buying used. there's no reason really to buy new. learn to drive a used car before you buy your new baby. :) used cypres too if you can find one. if not, then buy new. you can always remove it and use it in your next container. this investment is good for 12 yrs. good luck!!

hell yeah! now THAT'S what i'm talkin' about!

BLEVE - boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. it happens when a tank/vessel containing liquid is heated to boiling, then the vapor pressure becomes great enough that it has to go somewhere. it makes a round one out of a square one. actually, it just blows it the hell up. that's why (hypothetically) you should not chunk a full can of anything into a fire. it should always have some gas space (at least half empty) for the explosion to be worth a shit. p.s. whoever came up with the plasmoid thing, that is bad-ass. more things to play with.

tunnelcamp.com (which contracts the members of airspeed) will conduct tunnel camps at the various skyventure tunnels. don't forget that while there may be an RW camp going on at one tunnel, there may be a freefly camp going on at another. a

spiders are spawn of satan.