PiLFy

Hi, As someone who relied on radios in the not too distant past. My $0.02: Harness-mounted radios sound loud N clear...on the ground. Under canopy, even in light winds aloft, you can't hear them. I used to crane my neck down as close to the radio as I could. I still couldn't hear it. The landing sequence was the only part of the dive you could count on hearing it. I've never tried helmet-mounted units. If the price difference isn't much? Go w/those, instead. The radios @my DZ are on a mudflap. Most of the time, garbled static is all you hear @altitude.

Your missing the entire concept if you need that explained to you. No, I get it, but I don't think you get how others see the big picture. When they're on the way to the site of a rescue, they have to be thinking, "I hope they didn't already buy a card." No, your missing the big picture. The entities involved get paid for the rescue either way, either through the fund or private payment. The cost and reimbursement should be the same regardless. Here is the page that better explains what the Colorado Search and Rescue Fund is all about. http://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/fa/sar/index.html Sorry, but I think you are missing the bigger picture. The State & Fed govt.s steal far more monies than they correctly allocate. Rather than scaling back their thievery, & spending public funds as they should. They're trying to steal more wherever they can. 1) The jumper was never informed of these charges. These charges which were so obvious, that they weren't imposed until three months after the event. He had no opportunity to decline the chargeable service. Nor was he even informed about them. On the basis of that alone. They're null & void. 2) The salaried rescue personnel are being paid to sit around the firehouse, anyway. The actual additional cost was only gas for a few vehicles & a chainsaw. They didn't need to fly a $3million helicopter a few hours up into the Rockies. Your Colorado fund rationale doesn't apply, here. 3) The volunteers, & other hangers on who show up @these things, didn't cost a thing. 4) How many ____s does it take to change a lightbulb? There were far more personnel present than needed. This is an obvious cash grab by some sleazy minion in a Govt. back office. All they're going to get over this. Is a bigger black eye the further they push it.

Hi, What are your special needs? You said the DZ is working w/you on them. All else being equal? I did three AFF jumps in a day. It was great to build on them so quickly. It helped give me a little confidence. It was also kinda draining to me (stress). I don't think more than three would have been a good idea for me (afraid of heights). Other people have done more than twice as many in a day. It's up to you. See how it goes.

I just finished reading through most of this thread. I didn't see a breakdown of the departments involved. How many personnel were "Highly trained," as the article said? How many were volunteers? The highly trained personnel would have been paid the same amount if they had remained @the firehouse, no? They don't charge for other, more mundane rescues. The jumper's alti malfunctioned, & he didn't catch it because he's still new-ish. He wasn't committing any crime. That DZ pays their share of taxes like every other business in that area. Those services are included in them. This wreaks of his being targeted as being part of a fringe group. Plenty of dingbats driving minivans are far more negligent than this jumper was. They never see a bill.

"No normal person would really want their main to malfunction." This reminds me of something I was taught @ a motorcycle roadracing school a long time ago. The highly respected instructor said "If you're gonna race M/Cs. You have to be willing to fall off. You don't have to want to, but you have to be willing. If you're not. A) You'll neither learn a thing, or be any good. & B) You're gonna get hurt." If you jump enough times? You're going to have to chop one sooner or later. It comes w/the territory. OP, a lot of good advice given in this thread. Do whatever you have to do to get over this. Is an intentional cutaway a possibility @your DZ? I saw someone wearing a third chest chute @my DZ last summer. He was trying out a Skyhook setup. Maybe getting it over with would help you? edit: Oops. I forgot you're still a student. Something to think about for after you get your A.

Hi Mike, Thank You for your service & sacrifice. I'm very sorry to read that you're now a chronic pain patient. If I may ask. Have you taken your MRI films to an outside (read: non-VA) Doctor? The neck is a tricky area, but perhaps they could eliminate the impingement w/a followup surgery? As it turned out w/me. The cervical arthritis is the easy part. I had a back injury I didn't know about for a couple of months. My Doctor feels that herniated disks, & a vertebrae that shifted out of alignment, caused my neck to flare-up. Long_story_short, I have to wait for the Spring, & see how it goes... Good Luck w/your neck next jump season.

Hi, You don't say how many jumps you have so far. We're both on the same end of the playing field, though. I'm posting this, as a fellow Newb, in the hope that it will help you. My first few jumps. I was terrified that I might have to cut away. In fact, I was pretty terrified of the whole experience. I could only get in a couple of jumps a weekend. So, I struggled to get even a little comfortable. Then, I was on my fifteenth jump. The weather had been bad for the previous couple of weekends. I just wanted a nice & peaceful plunge to get back into it. Sure enough... A line(s)-over changed that. There I was. Swirling the bowl @about 5K'. I tried pulling on the risers to no avail. It was starting to spin worse. I remember laughing to myself "SOB, I'm gonna have to cut this *****'n thing." The point being I was laughing. Had that happened on one of my first jumps. I think my heart would have literally stopped. I tried one last thing, & that cleared it. A part of me was disappointed that I wouldn't have to chop it. What changed? I was becoming more & more familiar w/the equipment. I was also becoming more confident in myself & the equipment. I too, am trying to do everything extra carefully. So do many people here. As a lot of them have already said: "Poo Happens..." I liked the suggestions for you to practice w/a hanging harness, again. You can go through EPs even without a harness. Muscle memory & EP drills are viable concepts that work. How many times have you seen or read a debrief (military, police, etc...) where "My training kicked in" was said? Practice as much as you need to. If your lucky day comes before you can laugh @it? Your training will kick in.

Since you are newer to the sport: Don't worry about that. Don't take the weights listed as gospel. Early PD numbers on zero p main canopies were very conservative and low. Zero p was new to the sport, but even within a few years, "everyone" was exceeding the numbers. So some canopies have realistic numbers on them, and some have cover-the-company's-ass conservative numbers on them. I'm not arguing w/someone who has >20yrs in the sport. A point of confusion, then. My concern for equipment failure is due to the canopy's age. My understanding of his being in "Expert" territory. Is that the canopy will fly much more aggressively @that wing-loading. Is that not that entire purpose of providing suggested wing loadings?

I didn't. Neither was I. Nor did I do so. I just looked into it further, & see I jumped the gun. W/the number of wise-Butt trolls who frequent this board. I hope you can see the reason for my assumption. I apologize, Andy. (Please don't sue me.)

What's it worth? Considering that Al Gore received 32,000 NEGATIVE votes (courtesy of sloppy voter fraud). I'd say not much. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7926958774822130737# http://www.blackboxvoting.org/

215#s places him in Expert territory. A tall order for someone w/only 40 jumps, no?

In that respect, you're lucky then. Most people need to buy gas to commute & live. How about some compassion for us? If our machines stop driving the economy? Your tractor is going to stop, too... BTW, it's "Hoo_Ah!" (Lt.Colonel Slade, retired)

Suckers, mines red and a lot cheaper Careful how loud you type that, Companero. They might hear you. Your country, along w/the rest of the EU, is in dire trouble. Your neighbor was forced to get into bed w/China over this turmoil. State-subsidized gas is only so until they change their minds about it. http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php?/news/comments/spain_credit_crisis_forces_spaniards_to_move_back_with_parents/

Question: How much of your petrol prices are due to taxes? Do they make that info available to you? Is the VAT included in that price? Simply driving across a state line over here can yield >$0.80 a gallon savings.

I'd taken the definition you added for my handle @face value. I thought it was true. I wasn't aware anyone could simply submit whatever they please on a whim.

Hi. Congratulations on getting your own rig! I'm envious. You might not like to hear this. My Newbie opinion goes w/Gilead on this one. My understanding is the original Sabres are known for harder openings. I've read several complaints to that affect while searching for my first rig. Add to that that your chute is nineteen years old now. Do you really want to exceed the manufacturer's recommendations? You don't say what size canopy. So, I don't know the wingloading. The thing is. Effectively, you're almost as green as I am. This sport seems to be littered w/stories of guys who pushed too far, too soon, & paid the price. On sketchy, almost 20year old equipment? It sounds a bit rash to me. Were the weight limit charts back then the same as now? Were there different limits according to skill level? Worst case scenario? You find a more suitable Main to swap out the Sabre1 for. Paying an extra $1,000-$1500 now, beats laying shattered on the field next Spring. That's a lot more expensive, & possibly life-altering. Sorry, but that's my gut feeling on this. Good Luck, & enjoy whatever you jump next season.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Andy&page=3 "18. Andy 1 thumb up A sneaky baby Kangaroo. Akin to a Joey's bad brother. Oye! Look a' that Andy... andie andey andee andhee andi by PiLFy 12/31/2010." Right back @ya, wiseguy. I didn't expect a cheap shot like this to come from you. I wasn't aware one could add definitions to Urban Dictionary until I looked @their homepage. I bet junior highschool kids have a lot of fun w/it...

Hank, all I can offer on landings is what Pops told you. NEVER, EVER land on your Butt (Ask me how I know...). Your legs are shock absorbers. Use them. As for your vision. Other than presbyopia, have you mentioned any other diagnosis (i.e.: Amblyopia)? I skimmed the posts, but didn't see any. Personally, I'm very myopic, & have astigmatism in one eye. My prescriptions are different for each eye, as well. This is due to structural differences between the two. I don't think the astigmatism is too bad. It isn't corrected w/the brand of contacts I wear. It has never been a problem for me in any other endeavor. W/a "Good" batch of contacts, I have 20/10 vision. This brings me to a question for the more knowledgeable, & more respectful, here. Will mild depth perception issues make landings much harder to master? The coaching I've received so far makes me think the correct sight picture is what makes the difference. That's where I've seen the most improvement in my landings. Thoughts?

The actual outcome does not support your theory. He fired several shots and missed. Which supports my theory 100%. Bag lady would have been toast. So would every board member. Clearly, the guy wasn't right in the head. Remember Virginia Tech? An inexperienced shooter killed 32. This shooter wanted to rant w/power, & make a scene. Were killing his main intent. He would have done so easily. That made me laugh....He had NO CLUE how to shoot a pistol, he made every amature mistake that could be made...he probbaly bought the gun that week... Why did that make you laugh? The VTI shooter wasn't a "Gunny," either. The difference was that kid wanted a body count. So, he took the time to learn how to handle the weapons. The bozo in this vid would have also practiced just as that kid did. He didn't because killing wasn't his main objective. He made no attempt to shoot the bag lady. He wanted a captive audience. He wanted to scare them. It looked to me like he only wanted to take out the one board member he was fixated on. Then, he wasn't going to go back to prison again. One way or the other. I grew up w/guns. I see what you're saying. I simply don't agree w/you on the rest of it.

"pilfy: a mealy texture, as in an over ripe apple or tomato the pilfy tomato was the only sad element of the five guys burger." That's too funny ! I'd no idea. Thanks Andy. I feel better now. Where the H*ll did you hear that?

The actual outcome does not support your theory. He fired several shots and missed. Which supports my theory 100%. Bag lady would have been toast. So would every board member. Clearly, the guy wasn't right in the head. Remember Virginia Tech? An inexperienced shooter killed 32. This shooter wanted to rant w/power, & make a scene. Were killing his main intent. He would have done so easily.

"ex says its coz I'm an idiot but I'd like a more experienced opinion." She doesn't really wonder why she's your "Ex." Does she? I guess you know what PiLFy stands for now, huh?

You really are quite young, aren't you? Every president does this. See my post above. Hi Counselor, No, I'm not (quite) young, anymore. Bush (both of 'em, actually) are both jackwagons, too. I fail to see how congratulating the Super Bowl winners, is the same as playing race politics so blatantly. When I combine this w/his phishing for the female voters on The View. I see a new low point has been reached. If you're in a mood to argue politics w/me. Save your typewritten breath. I feel he's a disgrace. My feelings about him are not going to change.

Another indication that Obamanos is a jackwagon. What business is it of the POTUS? Is he going to follow this up by appearing on The View, yet again? The last time I checked. His (Really, it belongs to everyone who actually fought the civil rights struggles in this country) failed presidency had far more pressing concerns @hand. Can he possibly cheapen the office any more than he already has (rhetorical question...)? Is this his cowardly way of admitting that he can't do anything useful?