cavscout73

As another poster stated, i had the same thought process doing a tandem seemed more like going to an amusement park than becoming a skydiver, So i took the AFF approach ,did really well on everything but stability on exit, switched to static line and got tjrough just fine. I doubt i would have seen it through if i had started with the tandem. My young opinion would mirror a few others, dont buy any gear yet. And use your tandem money for some tunnel time.. regardless what you choose. Your in for a great but expensive adventure . And each jump just gets better!! Just my .02

I am getting ready to get a canopy control course at our dropzone soon, I know Germaine and flight 1 run them , is there currently any other options to look into ?? trying to do all my homework here...

I am an alti field support guy, i was talking with matt at alti 2 on the windows 7 issue, according to the factory win 7 32bit should work fine, but nmu is not compatible with the 64 bit OS. If you can get it to go using compatibility mode that is cool and post your results if not you should have an alti 2 AFS there at Raeford to help you out.

And there you have part of the solution to the larger problem. If more jumpers would take the time and dedicate jumps to practice basic, essential CC safety skills, there would more jumpers ready to handle the unexpected. Thank you , now take that a step further. Yes dz's have bottom lines to look at , and the system does need a lot of fixing . Maybe my initial thought was a little fairy tale but what is to stop guys like pops or others who have years of experience and thousands of jumps , setting aside a little time at the dz to put stuff together, i highly doubt if one of you were to go to the S&TA and say hey why dont we do "whatever the topic may be" can ya put it on the calender?? Im here to make this a safer sport for everyone and i have so and so rating ... An hour in the class room, or watching some landings. How about people step up to the damn plate and help the situation. If its such a concern " which i do believe it is" why dont our experienced jumpers step up and try helping out.... Now maybe you are and that would rock , but those are the changes needed to fix the issues we have. If i see pops ( just using you as an experienced name) say hey saturday morning i am taking 2 hours to work with anyone who wishes to practice rear riser landings or whatever it may be. I would be the first to say yeah that sounds good .. lets do it, now will you completely turn things around in one weekend ?? No but over time just think how many jumpers will benefit and how much they can pass on. That is where the real change will come from. It will come from us , not some governing body that says you better do this or else... Seriously its not that hard .. no matter how change comes about it will be slow. But start from the ground up and you will get a better response in the long run. Again just more of my rambling but my opinions come from many more crazy sports than just skydiving and regulation is not always the answer... Just my .23 cents

I would agree with that. We, as instructors, coaches and mentors, could do a lot more towards helping the youngsters along. Well, it may be that you are incorrectly applying a generalization across the board here. Yes, there are cases, too many IMO, of people getting ratings by barely meeting the existing requirements as they stand. How many of them are posting in DZ.com I have no idea but I'm reluctant to apply that generalization to those in here although I'm sure that there are some here that do fall into the category. On the one hand, many of us have taken a more realistic view and are capable of realistic self-evaluation to determine readiness for advanced ratings and responsibilities. On the other hand, even those who DO fall into that generalization and are now calling for more strict rules and/or regulations aren't necessarily hypocrites. People DO come to new realizations and DO change their opinions, even men, and DO support more stringent requirements. So, bottom line, it's tough to call "hypocrite" without knowing the mindset of the poster that calls for raising the bar. But, yes, in the big scheme of things, I'm sure you are correct in some cases. *** Yes it is a big generalization and you may be right also. IMO what i see a lot of on here is at least on face value a lot of double standards. Now i very well may be wrong and really hope i am. but i am still a firm believer in stop with adding new rules. A good start would be to better train jumpers on the standards already in place. There are so many ways to improve what is already there without imposing new rules. Dz's hold a short clinic during the weekend pick different topics , anything from spotting to cc and everything in between , just speaking from my experience and what i see at our dz is any time us newer guys have an opportunity to lesrn something new in any aspect of the sport , there are always quite a few that are right there ready to learn. now if that could bcome a regularly organized thing at our dz's, we would have smarter safer jumpers out there without having to put in new rules. Challenge the dropzones to make it a safer sport through knowledge not regulation.

If you cant fly a basic pattern by 25 jumps then to me that seems like a failure not only on the student but also on the instructors or coaches. And 25 is the minimum jumps to get that license. Provided you meet all the criteria. Would i have wanted to do the A license in a week ? Hell no thats just way too much info crammed in a very short time. But one thing that boggles me on this site is the experienced jumpers always saying you shouldnt get this licence or that rating at whatever the standard is at now , but think about when you were getting that license or rating did you keep yourself from getting it because you thought the standard was too low? I highly doubt that is true most times. It seems to me that there are a ton of double standards around here.

We were just discussing cc at our dz a few weeks back . Our s&TA and dzo has put more of a focus on cc for students . Not to mention its really cool to see jumpers at any given day planning their jumps not only on what 4way, track dive etc. But also hey why dont we work on canopy stuff. Flat turns ,crosswind down wind, rear riser landings and so on . We dont do it because of some rule that says you must but because we are able to make learning fun. Any aspect of canopy whether its maneuvers or wingloading etc. Putting more rules in place will not do much in the long run , it really comes down to each dzo and s&ta finding ways to build better skydivers. rules tend to piss people off and they find ways around them , but if you can make learning fun and challenging for the jumper it will go a long way.

[url] Go to the dz learn all you can get to know the other jumpers, I started aff in september 2010 didnt get my licence til early the next summer but i think all the ground time made all the difference . other posts were very right , skydiving goes so far beyond the jump. It took a lot of weather days to learn a ton and build a lot of friendships that i can never replace....

This is the mindset that worries me about people. It's the mindset that leads to major trouble. pops thats why I went on to finish the statement up with "but hopefully you"said Jumper" can at least take a little bit out of what everyone says, weed out the days of our lives drama which amuses the shit out of me on this site. see what people are saying and take something away from it." I dont think it matters what part of life or sport, people will always make their own decisions good or bad but hopefully they take what more experienced people say and take something out of it to aid in what ultimately comes down to their decision. yes it may be a dangerous mindset but I would say its just how a good majority of the world thinks. maybe I am wrong about people but i really doubt it. so what can you do besides give some guidance or input and hope they take something away from it that can help them make better choices.

I'm not sure, but if you're suggesting that this whole thing is a ruse put on by working camera flyers to increase their own job security, I'll say that you're not the first hot-to-trot newbie to suggest that, and that it remains one of the most laughable suggestions I've come across. There are a good number of threads these days about guys who want to 'cutaway' and work at the DZ, but they all seem to have about 100 jumps and no ratings. What I exaplined to all of them is that good jobs at the DZ are not just there for the taking. You need to be a skilled, experienced worker to show up at a DZ and expect to work. As an unrated, unskilled, newbie jumper, you're not going to get shit for a job, because that's not the way the DZ works. You need to hang out, spend money jumping, and become one of the 'locals'. Once they know you, and you start expressing an interest in working, you might get tossed some overflow work, where you can cut your teeth. After doing this for awhile, you become a skilled, experienced worker, and can go out and get a full-time slot being paid to jump. The point is that I shoot video, and you couldn't take my job no matter how hard you tried. I put in many years of hard work, effort and determination to get where I am, and I continue to try just as hard to maintain my skills and the quality of the product I produce. Not to mention, I have no idea where you jump, and I have no idea where any of you DZ.commers jump. I don't see how any of you would be a threat to my job. It's a rediculous notion. The bottom line is that the better that skydiving is in general, the better it is for me. The safer jumpers are across the board, the better off we all are. Less acidents, less funerals, less lawsuits, fewer DZs closing, fewer manufacturers failing, etc, etc, etc. It's all fun and games until it's not, then it get's very, very bad, and it only takes one 'mistake' to get there. Let me get 'old school' on your ass - do what you want, but realize your playing a dangerous game, and stand to take yourself (or someone else) out of the game for good. I've seen 100 guys just like you come and go, some of them by choice, some of them by ambulance never to return. Maybe they're not dead, but they'll never walk again (or sleep without pain meds for a decade). You want to take your chances? Fine, keep your trap shut about it, and do your best not to take anyone down with you if you fall. I would suggest you take another path, and realize that the reason I can say these things about what I did jumping 15 years ago, and the 100s of newbies I've seen come and go is because I've made it this far, and it wasn't because I tip-toed through life. I'm a jumper, like you, but I've managed to stay just on the 'upright' side of the line, where others have spent some more time in the 'horizontal' orientation. If you can snap yourself out of your 'awesomeness' long enough to see that, and figure out what it means, you'll see that I'm only here to help, and that I might be a good dude to listen to. I'm not your dad, your boss, or your high school principal, I'm a skydiver like you. I'm on your side, so drop the defences and use your brain for making your choices, not your dick. Dave I must say that as a newer jumper myself," it is responses like these that stand out to me, It isnt the typical bashing"or what seems to be a bashing" but its a no nonsense way of putting out very good points. Do I have my opinions and differences yep sure do, just as anyone will whether they have 50 jumps or 5000. we are all going to make the choices we make regardless of what people say but hopefully you"said Jumper" can at least take a little bit out of what everyone says, weed out the days of our lives drama which amuses the shit out of me on this site. see what people are saying and take something away from it. bottom line of all that rambling(hopefully it made a little sense ), is I think if more of the experienced guys and gals out there took this approach. these threads would be a lot more useful. even if less entertaining.. and just for a funny on cutting away.. I am watching it as I type!!!

OK according to the whole skydiving world I am probably wrong, but I just watched my vids from the past 27 jumps and my openings were good all the way up til I got the new rig with the cordura BOC. which I quickly figured out I cant pull like I did with the spandex PC , and I think I have it figured out.. "hopefully" i think I am compensating for the stronger throw by putting a hip into it a bit and pulling a bit out of symetrical .. all of the openings are a 180 to the left and if I am throwing my hip to the right and pushing myself left in the process.. does that make sense? I only have 8 jumps on the new wings .. By God I think I figured me out!!

well he is probably just as nervous as you are and No we guys wont usually admit that, but if have the vibe that he is interested , just go for it !!! worst case.. he says no, its not like he will press harrassment charges on you, again guys are most times just as shy and most wont admit it.. you will probably get further by making that first move, honestly I think guys are more scared to make that first real move, its easy in a bar, outside of that most guys are plain chicken!!

yes I am and I have double checked it on the last 5 pack jobs this weekend !!! It has really been pissing me off !!

Flirting led to 2 marriages and a current girlfriend of two years.. no clue how it happened or what i did or didnt do!! but glad the lastest one worked, Outside of that it was buying herdrinks and having a nice harley. which got me nowhere in the long run !!!! well it got an empty wallet a couple STD tests and a worn out back seat...LOL hell If your a woman your a woman I dont think you really have to flirt too much, just be yourself and it will all work out..if your a guy you either get lucky or spend a bunch in drinks and stupid lines!!!

if I could get rid of my 180 on every psycho pro I pack. i would be happy, pro pack whips me psycho pro, great except for the 180 I give myself!!

maybe its not the right spot but what do you do when you decide to sell a rig. 1) been inspected on reserve intervals 2)prior to selling you have a third party rigger check it out for airworthyness. 3 buyer gets the rig then gets his rigger to say its unairworthy?? well if its a paypal sale you are out of luck and selling shit all over again! my question is here.. is it different standards, different opinions on whats good or is it the fact that the person inspecting had something to sell himself and thought that saying bad rig better send it back and buy mine instead?? I am still learning this sport only been in it a couple years and havent sold much but whats the general thoughts out there?

You guys rock with the military discounts! thank you for all you do for the "public servants of the world" I got mine a few months back and its been completely freakin amazing except for the fact that I didnt realize how lazy my pulls were until I got the cordura BOC. WOW!! gotta be real deliberate on them but, its actually a good thing ! thanks again beautiful looks, design and fit!! our DZ is seeing a wings frenzy these days, I would say a third of our rigs are Wings.. which does bring up a new problem.. with all the new Wings rigs, mine isnt the sexiest any more!! great job Guys!! love the rig

Spent the past couple days jumping and working with the pack , I got it dialed to at least decent and on heading, psycho pro. With separating the 4 flakes on each side , rolling them in nice big center and the slidef nice and big , if that discription makes sense.. And as far as careful , I am being very conssrvative under 2000 with it , nice easy patterns and nothing more than minor adjustments on final ... I know its not recommended canopy but , I am really loving it , it flys gentle when I want it and up high I can be agressive with it.. Its just really allowed me to realize its potential ( or mine) I honestly wouldnt trade it for anything at this stage in the game....

Last fall I ordered my gir friend a pair of freefly pants for christmas, was supposed to be there around dec 1 , they finally arrived sometime in january, they fit her well and look great also they are holding up with no real wear or fading so far , my complaints were communication , no answer anytime I called until they just showed up in the mail, kinda blew a cnristmas present but she just ended up with an extra in january

Yes I did dig in on my canopy choice, which is aggressive for my jump numbers, but will take every precaution to continue to fly it safely, including canopy course, other jumpers advice on how to fly this as safely as possible.. And for those that gave the pack advise I will give it a shot and see if it helps the openings

Cobalts are tough to dial-in. I did about a season psyco packing it and then went back to pro pack. Best thing I've found is after you push in the nose, go back to the slider and requarter. When you push in the nose it tends to take the front of the slider and fold it in with the canopy. If you are still getting slammed you might have a slider problem. Wrong size (too small) or wrong configuration (too square). Best thing I like about the Cobalt is the fabric. The non-slip coating makes it so easy to pack. Other than that, I'd probably switch it out for a Rage (or a Pilot at your experience level). do you just push the nose or would rolling it help along with re checking the slider??

Answers you will get in these forums often goes beyond the point (answer) you are looking for. When those with more experience go beyond that answer, in particular, your canopy choice are not bashing anything. People concerned for your well being are pointing out the fact that you have made an aggressive canopy choice for your experience level and don't want to read about you in the incident forum sometime down the road. Another poster here gave you some great advice. Get a competent canopy coach. You mentioned Brian Germain. If you honestly believe this is a wise choice then give him a call and get his opinion on it. Be safe and have fun. It may not be my wisest choice or it may be, I for sure dont want to read abot me or have someone else read about me on an incident post, It is the canopy I have and wrong or right I will seek all and any advice on how to safely fly it, I fully understand it is aggressive for my experience level, but I dont believe in any way it cant be done and done safely if its done conservatively , I am under a 1:1 ratio I just re weighed myself and since last updated I am at 142 with about 20 in gear puts me at 162-165 .. I doubt I will find many on here to say its a wise choice in canopy, but if the concerns are there go beyond "dont fly that" give advice on how to safely do so .. I take risks everyday, many years in the military, mountain climbing , white water kayaking etc. I do everything with complete knowledge there are risks involved and that shit can go wrong and has in the past. i rarely take the conservative route and believe that that is why I have succeeded in any sport I have ever put myself into ... every one on here may be correct about the canopy choice but all I can ask is rather than saying Dont do it.. try if you are going to here is the best approach. like previous posters have said " get a canopy coach" that is more in line with reality than telling any extreme type sports person Not to do it !! I m not saying you are wrong at all and you have way more jumps which probably means you are way more right than me.. so give advice on what I can do to better myself with the choices I have made..

My basics are covered lines are in the middle slider nice and open, cells nicely flaked, I just cant seen to grasp what im missing I have even had people who do the modified psycho pr watch and they cant find what im missing as far as canopy, I am looking for the next canopy course I can get my butt into I want to learn and have some really good canopy coaches at my dz but I know there are courses like Germains that I would love to attend

I am in no way the best and I do have concerns with this canopy but in my opinion , it just makes me more aware of treating it aggressively, I in no way want to be another bad statistic.. when ever the prior owner packed it , the openings were the nice two stage that the manufacturer stated, but even if I do everything the same I cant get them. thats why i posted I have felt beautiful openings and ones that rocked the shit out of me ,and the ones that rock me are packed by me

I did not start this post to debate whether I should or shouldnt be jumping this canopy, It was meant as a way to get better openings..... now are my jump numbers low ? they sure are !!!! have I put 20 + on it in every wind condition Indiana can give me Yep !!! have I sought advice by my instructors, mentors and the DZ S&TA sure have. I fly this very very conservatively below 2000 I have no concern with it as long as I remember its a faster and smaller canopy, I am in no way looking to be a swooper or anything like that in any near future.. I am willing to accept any and all advice but I dont want a canopy bash when that is not the point of the thread... and honestly thank you for the concerns but this is what I jump and in no way plan to change it