TheRealOps7

So.... don't do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5wGdhS6kL4 ???

License? Hell, I barely have a learner's permit. Thanks everybody for all of the replies and the multitude of PMs. And a few answers: The seller was asking 500. He has put the rig up on Craigslist in San Antonio Texas. (Be gentle - he knows my phone number. )

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to pass. The guy just keeps sweetening the deal every time I walk away. I suppose there is a reason for this.

There are so many options out there - and some are good deals and some are junk. I sure appreciate the willingness of the forum to give succinct feedback. Here's the deal: Vector container, made to fit my measurements(I have the original order sheet from UPT, and I'm a few pounds lighter and an inch shorter than the guy who ordered it new.) It was built new in 1986. Comes with 5 cell Swift reserve. And comes with the Pursuit 230 canopy (the canopy that we previously decided was not such a good idea for me because of the flare and openings.) I would have to buy a different main canopy. What should I offer? What's fair? Or just pass?

I have an offer to purchase a Pursuit 230 canopy that had been used for demo work and CRW. The canopy is about 20 years old but according to a rigger *that I don't know* is in great shape for its age. It's a 7 cell, 230sqft, packs into 549 cu. in. I'm 6'0, 195lbs, completed AFF jumping a 9 cell, 260 sq ft canopy. I just completed AFF last weekend, I don't want to buy anything that is tricky to fly or has little issues. What do you think? The guy has a price in mind and I want to know if I will die jumping a 7 cell... What's a decent price? And yes, I'm headed to the DZ to ask my instructors... but my wife said I can't go today.

In an effort to make peace with my wife I didn't go skydiving today. No shit, there I was laying on my back under the Jeep in the garage trying to loosen the 4 bolts that hold on the previous owner's homemade ass-tastic gas tank contraption. I got one of them loose. With three still firmly bolted to the frame... the 1/4" thick plate steel gas tank fell on me. But it's cool. I caught it with my chin as I bounced my head off the garage floor. https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/422820_3467975104128_1320243884_n.jpg

What about using your (God given?) skills to perform a task of value to others, and in exchange receive compensation for your efforts that can be used at your discretion. In short, getting a job.

that muffle pillow looks quite similar to the filter pads used in fish tanks... http://www.aquariumguys.com/pure-power-multi-use-foam-pad-20ppi-13in-13in.html

I'm with you. The only new car I have ever bought (2010 VW Jetta Wagon TDI) got hit 4 times in 15 months. The worst was when my Father-in-law, on the day of his mother's funeral, backed (all the way) down the side of it as he left his garage... "It sounded funny but i didn't see it out there in the driveway so I kept going..." Awkward for all of us. After getting the car back from the shop (month 13-15) I sold it and bought a used 2004 Wrangler (and changed jobs so I am no longer driving 50k miles a year, but more like 4k). Some cars are magnets for that crap!

I did two tandems before AFF and I know the harness is very uncomfortable. It pulls you up and back, not just up. I had a bruise on the inside of my thigh that I initially thought was caused by a loose strap 'snatching' up upon the canopy opening but I think it was just the nature of the beast. The container I use in AFF (a reportedly UNcomfortable Vector) is much more comfortable, feels like I am under the canopy - not in front of it, and doesn't leave bruises. But don't jump if you aren't sure you won't Vagal out. It would suck to pay all that money and not get to enjoy the whole experience. Not to mention, getting hurt would be terrible.

How about people who unnecessarily abbreviate typed words. Folks, it's not a telegraph or a classified ad in the newspaper. You are not paying by the letter/word! In work e-mails I especially hate: Thx Thnks Pls BGA If you don't have time to type the vowel in 'thanks' then your gratitude is clearly not sincere. Fuck you for not even faking it well.

Is there a guy in the picture?

Yes, Sparky, that's a good price but my head measures 24.25 inches around. That is off the chart for Benny, even in the XXL size.

I have a 'watermelon head', that's a size 7 and 3/4. The student Benny helmets at the DZ go all the way up to XL but this still squeezes my head pretty bad, it's uncomfortable. I went looking for a helmet and found that Protec makes a helmet that is used in skydiving but it doesn't come in a size to fit my head. Protec does make an "A-Bravo" helmet that comes in sizes up to XXL and is said to fit heads up to 24.24 inches. This is right up where I need to be. The Helmet does not cover the ears and uses a 4 point suspension. Will this A-Bravo helmet (without ANY of the add-ons that could snag or cut) work as a student skydiving helmet? Here's a link: http://www.protechelmet.com/products.asp?cat=14

I did actually take the time to read it all, and a bunch of other posts on mounts. I figured there was no point in asking questions if I hadn't bothered to read what was already out there. What I took away was "distraction coupled with inexperience kills". Do you have any pics or links to the helmets you've seen?

So I started skydiving a month ago and, like many newbies, I thought, "Ooh, this would be cool to video". Luckily I learned about the hazards and the safety recommendations before I asked my AFF instructor if i could - so I saved myself that embarrassment. I'll have a few hundred jumps soon enough - if I'm any good at this - and if I don't then at least it won't be me fiddling with a camera that kills me. But in reading about all of the incidents that have been collected at the top of this page I thought, "Self, why not just mount a GoPro to the top of a helmet and then fair it in with fiberglass? That would reduce line entanglement issues." I'm usually a day late and a dollar short - not to mention too lazy to market my ideas - so i took to the internet and activated my googler thinking if this had been done it would be found on Dropzone.com or at least on Google Images. So I looked for "Faired gopro", "fared gopro", "gopro fairing" "frenched gopro"and "frenched GoPro". I came up with nothing. So has this been done? I like to think I am pretty handy with the fiberglass, etc (i used to build a bunch of model planes and jets) I am wondering if i would be reinventing the wheel? Here's a frenched tail light: http://hotrodders.com/journal_photos/00002439/thumb_10869245732.jpg Am I being overly difficult in thinking about this? Is this a real problem or just an answer that satisfies better than blaming users? [edited for non-photo related content]

You lucked out on that one. Your safety consciousness saved you from getting ripped off for sure. I've got a cashiers check with a big red "COUNTERFEIT" stamp across it from a situation similar to yours.

I just finished the book - I'm totally new to the sport and heard some guys at the DZ talking about it while I was doing a tandem. I picked up the kindle edition for a few bucks. It's really not about skydiving. Or plane wrecking. It's a great book about commitment. Clearly he has positioned himself to use both the fortunate and unfortunate events in his life to motivate others.