yobnoc

I get really confused when you post this "Patriots in control" saying, and here's why. I served in the US Navy for 5 years, my wife for 6, and both of us are vehemently opposed to Trump's policies (rather, lack thereof), and were either of us to run for elected office, we would definitely fight tooth and nail to keep the Trump agenda from ever coming to fruition. So...what makes a patriot? I don't think that word means what you think it means. Patriotism is the vigorous love of one's country, which is a quality that I and my wife have, yet I think you're conflating that with blind support of all things nationalistic. It is not. Our country is not a perfect union; we are on the ever-changing path toward a more perfect union. The implication there is that we must continue to change for the better indefinitely. If not for that constant march toward a more perfect union, we'd still have slavery. Women would never have been given the right to vote. Segregation would still be legal. "Witches" could be burned at the stake. You could beat a woman so long as the rod used was no thicker than your thumb. Lynchings would be commonplace, as well as other hate crimes, and go unpunished (still have a long way to go on this one; police brutality toward minorities is much too common). So...what does patriotism mean to you?

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has a 2X, which is what I'd need to try on. Of course every helmet fits differently; I've definitely heard people say certain helmets don't fit their dome. I do like the look of the Tonfly; I'd definitely be open to trying it on. But it would have to be leaps and bounds better for me to spend nearly $600 on it.

Which helmet would you put up against it in terms of design, versatility, and dependability? I mean, there's probably a reason that the military chooses to use it, as well as iFly, and that there are more G3's at any given drop zone than any other helmet.

I just saw this new audible on Chutingstar, and it's a $109 dytter. I'm thinking there has to be a catch. Does anyone have this or know someone who does?

There should be no issue with you buying your own goggles, as long as they are actual skydiving goggles. Also, don't get them with tint. Instructors want to be able to see your eyes. As for the helmet, it's likely that the drop zone won't want you to use your own helmet until you are cleared from having to have a radio (the radios are integral to the helmets at my home dz). As for the jump suit, you'll have to run that by your S&TA, but I don't see a safety reason for them to prohibit you from that. Altimeters, same thing: run it by your S&TA. Don't even think about buying your first rig until you're licensed though, and definitely lean on your instructors and the experienced folks to point you in the right direction with any big purchases (altis, rig, suits & clothing, helmet)

I had 4 Cat D jumps. My instructor pulled for me on my first Cat D at 10 grand. AFF has it's frustrating moments, but try not to let it get to you. You're gonna feel like you just wasted $200 on a jump that doesn't count for anything, but remind yourself that it counts for your learning. I started AFF memorial day weekend 2018, got my A license at 25 jumps on Labor Day, B License about 3 weeks ago, and just hit 100 jumps on Sunday and I still get frustrated when I have a jump that doesn't go the way it was supposed to (which is like, every jump, btw). I'm working on reframing it in my head that there's always something you can take away as a learning experience from any jump as long as you don't die. Welcome!

I wish you luck! Sounds like a bachelor's dream!

It's a very uncomfortable feeling to admit to one's self that they got conned, no matter how big or small the issue. It seems like you have identified several areas where you had inadequate information and in hindsight you recognize those areas and want to do better. The discomfort of looking inward and admitting you may have been wrong about something dissuades a lot of folks from reflecting. I think the quote is from Bertrand Russel, and I've seen variations of it so I'm not sure which is the true quote, but it goes something like: "The problem with the world today is that the stupid are cocksure and the wise are riddled with doubt." I fear we've tipped the scales in this country toward the stupid side. But I'm heartened to see this exchange, even if you'd still make the same decision again, at least now you've identified that some of the reasons you made that decision were somewhat poorly informed. I try to believe as many true things as possible while withholding belief on as many false or unverifiable things as possible. Sometimes I fail, but I always try to let the data lead me rather than the other way around, and I try to identify propaganda and dismiss it no matter where it's coming from.

I purchased my rig through Bryan Cavage. He was extremely helpful throughout the entire process. You can find him on all the facebook buy/sell groups. I'm 6'4 225, so I know full well the difficulties of finding a true "big boy" rig. Highly recommend working with him.

I was listening to Pod Save America the other day, and they brought up a really good point. If Trump shit his fucking pants on live TV, he'd claim it as some sort of victory. The media would obsessively cover it (it would be newsworthy, to be fair), and his base would slap themselves on the back - "HAHA he shit his pants and totally OWNED the LIBS! HAHA Still your president, snowflake cucks! HAHA!" These are abnormal times...

You're right, and I'm not either of those things. The thing that Cookie did right was to engineer such a successful helmet (G3) that they've established themselves as the standard-bearer in the community. So I think the expectation is that this will be the premium helmet to have. Anything less than that, and it's going to hurt their brand going forward. Of course I'll wait until I see some of them at my DZ before I throw a cool $440 at it.

If I switch, I'm going premium - G4 baby

O'Malley is sitting at a pub with his buddy one day. As he starts to get a little liquored up, he elbows his friend, points out the window and says, "You see that road out there? I built that road with me own two hands and me crew. But do they call me O'Malley the road builder?" "No," says the friend. A few more shots and he elbows his friend a little harder and points out the window again. "You see that fookin bridge out there? I built that bridge with me own two hands and me fookin crew. But do they call me O'Malley the bridge builder?" "No," says his friend with a stifled chuckle. Two pints and another couple shots, and O'Malley shoves his buddy again. "You see that fookin castle out there in the distance? I built that fookin castle with me own two hands and me fookin crew! But do they call me O'Malley the fookin CASTLE builder?!?" His friend, visibly holding back his laughter, manages to chortle "No." > > > > > > > > > "Aye," O'Malley says, head hung low. "But yeh fook just one sheep..."

Except whatever the issue and position is of the last person in the room with him

Super helpful...

Has anyone else with a Y Chromosome had issues with the full-face helmets that cover your mouth causing issues with ingrown hairs or acne? I've never had acne as a condition (besides a couple stray zits as a teenager) but since the season started and I have been wearing my new (used) Phantom V, I've been getting either ingrown hairs or deep zits around the area that the padding covers. Am I alone on this?

I'm just really confused here. Is it anti-semitic to disagree with a government's political moves? Is Israel's government beyond any criticism whatsoever? It seems like these days if anyone even raises an eyebrow at Israeli policy or questions what their government is doing, they just get nailed with the "anti-semite" label. What's up with that?

Dude I'm definitely down to learn as much as I can. I love this sport and the people I've met in it. It is funny - and I have to keep reminding myself - that people are going to shit on you just as much (actually probably more because it's the internet) on here as they do at the DZ. Everyone wants to give their opinions, but I'm also part of "everyone." I just have to remind myself from time to time that some people just have that need to pick other people apart, and we have an overabundance of them in skydiving. It's cool; I'm certain that there's not a single one of you who I wouldn't gladly jump out of a plane with and slug down beer afterward. We're all a bunch of assholes.

Ew. That’s a little too monarchy-sounding for this red-blooded American

This is a question best aimed at a coach. Nobody on here is going to be able to give meaningful advice. If the extra speed is giving you pause, maybe go back to a 260 and practice a bit more.

Thanks, Ambassador!

Yeah, first time jumping with that guy. One of the older guys pointed that out to him after we got down. His de-arched body position made the whole round pretty unstable. My understanding of that arm position is that it’s something useful for people who have weakened shoulders, but this isn’t the case for him. Plus, his knees are down. As for the camera, he went down pretty damn far below, which is why he ended up going to his back, to watch for which direction to track off. We all had good separation at opening.

How many times do we have to spot? The door had been open and the light red for about 25sec prior to the start of the video. Good point though, but I assure you, we most definitely did take a few good long looks at the spot!

My 100th jump 9 way round broken up into a 7 way round by a meat missile turned into a great camera shot from below! Christmas in July SiS boogie 2019 at Midwest Freefall in Ray, MI

/sarcasm