cbain

Okay, I've been getting terrible heartburn for a few months now. I think it started in October. It's almost every single day. Nothing I take seems to be working. I max out on Tums almost everyday! I have a doctor's appointment (with a gastrointerologist) on the 15th, that's the soonest I could get in. I'm so not wanting to get an Upper GI done. I only get it during the day, like after breakfast or lunch. Never after dinner it seems and it doesn't bother me when I lay down like most people say acid reflux does. I had a yogurt for breakfast this morning, which is supposed to be good for heartburn, and I'm still sitting here with my chest on fire! Anybody have any suggestions until I get to the doc on the 15th? Christina

Nothing! Nothing this week. Not a single pound or even a half pound. And I tried really hard this week! I didn't have a single beer all week! And I didn't partake in any of the King Cake floating around the office this week. And I was on that damn exercise bike for at least 45 minutes everyday! I want to see progress! Christina

Thank you for the welcome. I can't wait for it to get warm again so I can start using the pool. I think that'll help me lose weight too because I love being in the water and swimming. It's very energizing and I feel great afterwards. Not like having to get on that damn excercise bike that's soooo boring and hurts my butt. It's always been hardest for me to maintain after I lose weight. So this time I've been trying to do it slowly and make permanent changes. I'm tired of the yo-yo game. It's much more important to me this time that I find a way to stick to it for the long run not just loose the weight and go back to the "norm" and put it all back on again.

Yes'm, you most certainly can! Did you have a goal in mind, or just wanting to keep track of what you're losing? My goal is 150lb. Maybe these weekly check-ins will help keep me motivated through-out the week! Christina

Hey, I know I'm late but can I join? I started Jan. 04 at 200lb was down to 180lb by Obtober 04 but then I moved and the weather and then the holidays, sigh. I know excuses, excuses. So I ended up starting '05 back at 200lb. I've been working out on my excerise bike about 4-5 times a week for about 3 weeks now and have lost about 3lb. I'm not sure though because my scale doesn't seem to be working right. I'll step on it and get one weight, wait 30 seconds, get on a again and have gained (or lost) up to 3 pounds! I guess I need a new scale. I have no will power when it comes to beer. Christina

Go into a store or call the cancellation line like already suggested. I had been with sprint for about 4 years and was up on my service plan. I went into a store and asked what they could do for me or I would consider leaving. The gave me all kinds of "freebies" for signing another 2 year agreement. I got 2 phones for $20 each (reg. $120). I got free activation on both phones, free $50 service coupon for each phone, 2 free accesories (earbud and car charger ~$30 ea.) My minutes starting at 7 for no additional. Threaten them with leaving and then tell them what they have to do to get you to sign another agreement and if it's reasonable they will do it. Comparision shop too, if you see an offer at another company you like, take it to Sprint and they will most likely match it, that is if you want to stay with them. Good luck, Christina

Thank you for posting the letter. I think it was very well written. I wonder if we made it a petition and got 100's or 1000's of signatures at DZ's all over to support it if USPA would take more notice? Basically start a lobbying group, like the lobbyists in Washington to get legislature passed. I keep referring back to our government because I guess I see USPA like the governing body of skydiving. Christina

That's good and it's good that Hooknswoop said that canopy coaching was part of his proposal for each lisence too but I didn't know that before now. Maybe part of the resistance is because nobody know's what we're talking about for sure. We've seen Brian Germains chart and we've seen bits and pieces of others. But maybe all of the ideas needs to be put into one proposal. Then everyone can make comments suggestions etc on that and we can get that proposal in the best form possible incorporating input from all sources. Even though this has been talked about and debated for years there doesn't appear to be any consistancy even between those that are recommending the BSR. I also saw a post were someone said that everyone with less experience should just sit down and shut up and let the more experienced people figure it out because they know more. While I agree that wisdom comes with experience and I do listen to those in the sport and with more jumps than me. But that's like scolding a child for asking questions just because they don't understand. It is very difficult raising a "child" in skydiving and there are some that are always going to "rebel." But patience and explaining things fully in terms they understand may help (or you kick 'em out of the house when they turn 16/18/etc). Yes, a child has to live by the rules of the parents but part of growing up is questioning those rules as well. Can a BSR be passed something like a proposition does for laws? In other words a proposition is written in the best form and then it's put up to the population for a vote. Isn't that the way self governing societies do it? (I'm asking because I honestly don't know how something becomes a BSR.) Or is it up to just the governing body to decide themselves and nobody else gets a say? Christina

But if there aren't enough "qualified" canopy coaches out there, then who has the skills to judge who should test out of the WL BSR? Maybe a canopy coach rating is needed before implementing the BSR (with or without the additional required training I was talking about). Christina

And had the BSR been in place when they started, maybe with a better CC foundation and learning process, they wouldn't have died under a good canopy. The point is, the BSR will affect everyone that starts skydiving after it is in place in a positive way. There is no down side to better education and training and keeping jumpers from flying too small canopies. Derek I agree better education and training may have prevented the incidents in question. But under the current proposal being debated wouldn't education and training only be required if someone wanted to exceed the WL restriction? So Joe Crater could scim along the BSR going from 1.1 to 1.2 to 1.3 and so on and then at x00 jumps suddenly no more restriction and goes to 2.0. But he still never recieved any additional training or education to prepare him for that. I'm not sure how to correct this flaw but how about this: At my job I have to show that I'm willing to continously keep learning by taking courses or reading books, etc. How about a required canopy control course prior to getting the next lisence level B, C or D? Maybe that could be used with a BSR following lisence levels. So they couldn't move up to a higher WL by just getting the next lisence but they'd have to take a course too. I know that there are accuracy requirements and such for each lisence but maybe that's not enough. I know people would complain about having to spend money on coaching but in order to progress they would have to be willing to shell it out and show they are willing to keep learning. Then that way even if they are right below the BSR requirement then the coaches could still see them and evauluate them and it might make a difference. Because the current proposal doesn't require training unless you want to exceed the BSR. I'm not exceeding the BSR but I took a canopy course this year because I felt I needed it. This would get training to everyone no matter their WL. Christina

I have a serious question about a concern I've thought of reading over all these wonderful posts. For example, a person is over the WL BSR and they take a course or a test and the S&TA or the canopy coach approve them to jump at a higher WL than the recommendation. Then the next week they decide to pull a 270 and swoop the pond because now they've "proven" themselves. They screw up and die. How do you keep the S&TA or CC from being blamed, sued, punished, etc because they said it was "ok"? I am concerned that the testing out option or the course option would never be effective because the S&TA's, DZO's and the CC's would be afraid of the possible repurcussians to themselves if they approve some one to jump over the recommendations. So even though it would be in the rules that you could test it would never actually happen. And how are the S&TA's, DZO's and CC's going to be trained to know when a person really is ready (or not) to go to a higher WL? Will there be some sort of certification process and rating, or will it have to be mandated by the FAA like riggers are due to the extra liability these folks would be taking on? And who will pay for their training to make these judgement calls? I'm not against a WL BSR, actually I really hope it helps. But like some other people have pointed out, there are going to be side effects and issues that can't even be forseen yet and I don't think all the forseeable ones have even been dealt with yet. Implenting new policy in any area (not just skydiving) is a very bumpy process with a lot of pitfalls. It's also going to cost a lot of money to implement and that will get passed on to us and not just those that want to test out. Everybody already complains about USPA dues what if dues double to cover the cost of implementing this policy? I'd like to see the USPA take this seriously and tell us how much is it going to cost to implement and what the legal ramifications would be. Maybe start it at just a couple of DZ's first, like pilot program, and see what happens there before widespread implementation. Christina

The key word in all of this is OLD. The new racer 2k3 no longer has any of the previously mentioned shortcomings. I challenge anyone to show me any manufacturers rig that hasn't had a riser cover come open in the field. Bottom line is no one can because it happens all the time. If you haven't actualy flown a 2k3 you have absolutely no baisis to make a decission or comment on how suitable it is for any type of skydiving. But don't take my word for it, go out and demo one for yourself, you won't be disappointed. I've never had a flap (any) come open on my 2K3. Can't say that for my Javelin Odessey I used to have though. The risers and the main flap both would routinely open on my Javelin when freeflying starting when there was only 100-200 jumps on the rig. Christina

I agree that the MLW is going to rise off the shoulders some under canopy. On the flip side though when I was just fitted for my custom gear I was told that it shouldn't rise up more than an inch or two. When I saw this picture I just figured it was set up that way intentional to get the "cool" shot. It really depends on what it does to the placement of your handles under canopy, which unfortunately is really difficult to see in this particular picture. If she can still reach handles if the canopy were to be in a violent malfunction that may distort the harness then it's not an issue. While some people are very conservative on here about canopy downsizing, well rigpacker and I (he's my husband by the way) have started paying closer attention to proper fitting harnesses ever since I had an issue with cutting away because I couldn't reach the handle on a too large harness. It's nothing personal about flayangel2 or deuce, just a question for our own education. Christina

I am not a rigger! But I am 5'0" and I used to own (and jump) a Javelin with a 17" main lift web. I put almost 400 jumps on that rig without realizing the consequences until something went wrong and I couldn't reach my cutaway handle! I took it to a master rigger to look at and with the amount that it needed shortened he recommended sending to the manufacturer for a whole new harness. I thought that was too expensive to be worth it so I sold that rig and used the money towards getting custom fit gear. Just my personal experience but like I said I'm not a rigger so none of this may apply to your situation. Good luck. Christina

I think what you're asking about is failure rates of AAD's versus failure rates of reserve canopies. I don't know if any statistics on the two actually exist but in my limited experience I've heard of failures of AAD's more frequently than failures of reserves. To compare to a more common situation, birth control, which does have statistical information available. The predicted failure rate of condoms is something

I made it out to Skydive N'awlins yesterday for the first time. Despite the somewhat windy conditions they got up two cessna loads. I did a hop n' pop to check out the scenery. Nice view of the lake with downtown New Orleans in the background. I was pretty impressed for this dropzone being open only a few weeks. Right now they said they only have people there on days when students or tandems are scheduled (but that also includes weekdays as well as the weekends) so if you want to fun jump be sure to call ahead. The airport is good sized with lots of areas to land in although there aren't very many good outs if you miss the airport. Being less than 10 minutes away from my house I really hope this DZ sticks around and grows. This summer pool parties will be at my house! Yahoo! Christina

The first couple jumps on the rig the riser covers were very stiff still. The opening force of the canopy was not enough to force the risers through the riser covers. I jump a Firebolt that opens very very softly which may have contributed to this. This casued no problems with the canopy opening or anything I simply reached up and yanked on the risers to pull them through the covers. After the second jump I sat on the ground and bent the covers back and forth a lot to break them in some and haven't had it happen since. The riser protection on the new 2K3 is awesome. I don't worry about the riser covers opening anytime in freefall or on the ground or in the plane. Christina

Getting back to the orginal questions. I sold my Javelin and bought a 2K3. I love my new Racer. I have to say that Jumpshack has some of the best cusomer service out there. I'm very hard to fit and Nancy spent hours making sure they got it right. I like the pin protection on a Racer better. I like the comfort of a Racer. I can dump at altitude and be comfortable for the whole ride. I also have to agree that the 2K3 is extremely freefly friendly. On my Javelin the riser covers and main closing flap would come open on a regular basis. The first couple jumps on the 2K3 the riser covers didn't even come open on opening until they were broken in a little. On the rigger part of it. My husband is my rigger and he used to work at Jumpshack. He prefers packing Racers to other rigs, less tools required, and he can make them look great. He also has mentioned to me that Jumpshack offers free riggers training so there's no excuse for a rigger to not know how to pack a Racer. And the last point is cost. Racers are probably one of the most affordable rigs on the market to get custom made, especially the Shadow Racer 2K3, which is what I got with a couple of personalized options (like the design on the poptop just cost extra for the embroidery). Now for the canopy. Before settling on the Stilleto I would recommend demoing the Firebolt from Jumpshack as well. I jump a 164. It's also an ellipitcal canopy like the stilleto but has better opening charecteristics in my opinion. I also like the flare on the Firebolt due to the double brake lines there's a lot of bottom end flare. I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with the Stilletto it's just like other people have mentioned, it's an older design and there are better (as in newer technology) canopies available now. Just my 2 cents, take it with a grain of salt I suppose. Christina

I live in Slidell!! Yahoo! I will so be out there this weekend. Hopefully a few more people show up and we can make some fun jumps too. Oh, I also have a few people I work with that have been wanting to jump so I'll pass on your phone number and website. If they say Christina sent 'em, that's me. Blue Skies, Christina

I have 400+ jumps and am at a 1.25ish wingloading. So I'm below the maximum. I jump a Firebolt 164 which is elliptical and they make them all the way up to Tandem sizes. With my currency what it's been lately (~70 jumps a year) I wouldn't want to be jumping anything more loaded than that. I'm actually really suprised that there's no point deduction or something for currency included. Christina

I've heard of and worked with Six Sigma Black Belts. Both where I used to work at Dow Chemical and where I work now at Lockheed Martin. I'm a Material Science Engineer but most of the time I just tell people that I'm trying to fix the foam on the external tank for the space shuttle. There are a lot of smart skydivers with college degrees that are going to know what six sigma black belts are. Just because we jump out of airplanes it doesn't mean we aren't smart enough to understand what a Six Sigma Black Belt does if you're willing to take the time and explain it. Christina

Just looked in my logbook and it's almost 2 months since my last jump. I've been working 7 days a week for a while now and haven't been able to get off. Today I finally fanagle a day off and then wake up to find the forecast has changed to almost complete cloud cover! I know some places will continue to jump when it's real cloudy and rely on GPS for spotting but it always makes me nervous when I can't see the ground to spot. I have a relatively new canopy am two months uncurrent and don't want to have to land in someone's back yard because the spot was off. Not to mention the effect Thanksgiving has had on wingloading! Arrghh, so I'm debating on whether staying uncurrent is any better though because it may be a while before I can get another day off work. So do you jump through clouds, why or why not? Christina

I'd just like to mention that if you haven't thought of it a Racer 2K3 is also a good, comfortable and affordable rig and Jumpshack has pretty good customer service and turn around time. The only issue with Racer's is finding a rigger willing and capable of packing it but that's why I married my rigger, he likes Racers too. I've owned a Javelin Odessey, Vector 1, and currently jump a Racer 2K3. I love my Racer but it was also the only one custom built for me. I also agree with everyone else that any new container on the market is good. Good luck. Christina

I took the essential sckills course in August at Deland (we got married out of the skyvan and then it was my husband's and mine honeymoon and wedding present to ourselves) and I have had more confidence under my canopy than ever. My landings have improved greatly and I feel like I understand my canopy now instead of being afriad of it. I plan on returning at some point to take the next course as well. Christina

I took the beginner course in August and I have had more confidence under my canopy than ever. My landings have improved greatly and I feel like I understand my canopy now instead of being afriad of it. I plan on returning at some point to take the next course as well. (For info only - I'm jumping a Firebolt 164 at about 1.2) Christina