packerboy

Start with April on your 1st finger then continue- you will probably need to use both hands....LOL That just made my day! You forgot to mention that he may even have to remove a boot!! -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Be prepared to sell it in a year when you want to start freeflying. For $500 bucks if you get a year out of it and sell it for $300, it's a fantastic deal. Hell, even if you do 300 jumps on it and throw it out, you've still saved money over renting gear for a season. ... provided it's safe. That's for rigger to decide. Picture looks amzing for a 20 year old rig. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Used to be a decent hike... Now.. 15 min. Sold the trailer because it was more comfortable to sleep in m own bed. Downside is that now I need a sober driver to get me to my bed. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

There has been many many USPA sucks rants lately in these forums, and this is by far the very worst one. Brutal.. what the hell do you want for nothing? -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Fair enough I guess we agree to disagree on this issue. My advice to the OP would be to find someone that would do it for free. Find a friend. Don't waste your money paying a slot for someone to teach you how to track. You don't have to. DanG I apologize if I offended.. wasn't my intention. We live in different worlds I think. Cheers. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I'm sorry, packerboy, but your attitude pises me off a little. MagicGuy did not say "USPA Coach Rating Holder", he said coach. There are a lot of people out there (Coach rating holders or not) who are highly qualified to teach someone skydiving techniques. Many do not hold USPA Instructor Ratings. And then you turn around and say that world champions are different. Hmm, what about national champions? How about world silver medalists? My point is that you do not have to hold a USPA Instructor's rating to be of coaching value. And I like how you listed packer as a skilled position. I appreciate packers and all, I use them all the time, but putting them over Coaches in the pecking order is a little self serving. I agree that it would be great if everyone just gave their time away for free, but this is the real world. I do free, fun, and educational jumps with newbies all the time. If someone wants me to spend significant time and energy teaching them something, I don't see what is wrong with them paying my slot. Paying $23 to be an air pylon is okay every now and again, but don't expect people to spend the whole day doing it. - Dan G If I organized some kind of "pecking order" I apologize.. that was not my intention. I simply listed packing as being a way to earn money and subsidize skydiving as opposed to coaching. I just simply do not agree with paying for someones slot so that they can give you a pointer or two. As far as the world champion/ national / silver medalist thing. Again, I probably did not come across as intended. I also agree that the line can be fuzzy here; but there is a difference between someone who has thousands of jumps and has made it their career "read: career, not part-time job" to be someone who can vastly improve someone elses skills by having elite knowledge of the sport and the physics driving it and charges a fee for a structured educational experience, and someone who has 200 jumps and a coach rating and wants a free ride to altitude. I'm talking about people like Scott Miller, Kate Cooper, Guy Wright etc... It is of my opinion that you as a "student" to this coach are already paying them a far larger fee than a jump ticket towards their experience level of being an educator and bringing them closer to the skill level of instructor. In a perfect world, that coach would come looking for students to jump with THEM, so that they could improve THEIR skills and move on towards being an instructor and getting paid to jump. This "coaching" jump benefits the coach on a professional and financial (in the long run) level as much as it does the student. Perhaps I simply don't understand because I jump only for fun, and not to compete, and I can't comprehend paying someone to be my friend. And perhaps it is because I come from a place where if I want help with something I simply ask for it and world and national champions are more than happy to pay their own slot to go up and teach me. If they are good enough they don't have to be a "in air pylon" all day... just once or twice. And if they are passionate about teaching skydiving, they will have fun doing it. I'm not saying it doesn't take skill to get a coach rating with 200 jumps either, I just don't think it takes enough skill to warrant a free ride. And I understand packers are at the bottom of the pecking order better than most. ;) Not for good reason either IMO. I am (was, I guess) a packer.. you must be a coach?? -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I consider someone a skygod when they won't "waste their money" jumping with someone who can't turn 15 points on a 4 way or dock in a head down. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I want to puke every time I hear that. If you have to pay their slot for them, they aren't your friend. If they want to make money skydiving, they should be an instructor, packer, rigger or vidiot. If they aren't good enough to do those things, they aren't good enough to charge people money to jump with them. I would rather do 50 jumps with "my friends" trying to figure something out before paying someones slot to "coach" me. Windtunnels and world champions however, that's a different story. If I had cash to blow, it would be nice to train RW with Airspeed... This is the coolest tracking video ever! http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=3305&string=tracking%20totale Sorry about the rant... I just feel that although the coach rating is a good thing to have... you should pay your skills forward and become an instructor. I've seen "coaches" sit on the ground for an entire weekend because no one would pay their slots for them. Again... sorry, this just hits a button for me. Cheers, and check out that video... very cool. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I don't think so, but not being able to watch youtube videos at work is going to soon put me off of logging onto DZ.com at work! To the DZ.com staff... we need to be able to imbed videos into posts somehow while keeping the dropzone.com domain in the address bar! Or I need a more internet video friendly job . -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Our first son had almost enough jumps to get his A licence before he was born.

It shouldn't be hard to say that you would at the least wait untill the body is off the dz before putting up another load. That's just respect for the family and friends IMO. If you don't, you truly have become the McDonald's of jumping and are no better than Skyride. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

The good news is now that your shit is scratched up, there is no reason why downwind landings can't be fun like they are supposed to be! -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I have never been around for any such situation fortunately. I'm guessing what would happen at my (182,206) dropzone is that if a load of jumpers manifested after such an incident because they felt they needed to be back in the air, then the DZO would oblige. He definately wouldn't push the issue either way, it would be up to the jumpers. I'm sure some would leave, some might jump, and some would stay and not jump. Chances are that it would shut down for the remainder of the day. Maybe just send up a sunset load or two. Give people a chance to sit down and talk through their emotions before making any decisions. I'm sure nothing would happen at least untill the ambulance left. Sending up loads before the body is removed I believe is very distastefull. Even during a record or WFFC. Even the WFFC can shut down for 20 min. Like I said, fortunately I haven't been around for a fatality. I have been around for a femur/pelvis/near fatality of a very popular regular during an Otter boogie, and things shut down for about an hour or so untill everyone collected their thoughts. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I think this is all a lot of BS. I'm a Canadian and I thought that the sky was falling in from reading some comments online until I read the NPA. None of the issues of regulation will seriously affect skydiving in Canada. If I'm wrong please correct me. http://www.tc.gc.ca/...es/jun00/2000209.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ This is where I'm at. I'll just sit back and see what happens. My MP is pretty much useless in this case anyway since he only votes to break ties in the house (SOH Peter Milliken). If this bill splits the house, the sky really IS falling. Of course you never know whats going to happen with our current clusterf^&k of a federal government. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Reply To -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Were it shutter stutter (effects) then you'd see both propellers appearing to be in perfect sync, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Only if the props are rotating at the exact same RPM. ----------------------------------------------------------- Even they were rotating at different speeds would you not still see the shutter stutter, but the props would be in different positions relative to each other when the frame hits giving you the illusion (which turns out to be true) that they are turning at different speed? Still an illusion, but producing a true interpretation. I'm not sure I made any sense with my runon sentence/question at all. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

We have regular jumper at our DZ who survived a "triple" mal and is still jumping. I can't remember if it was a CRW jump or a work jump. (He is a search and rescue tech in the Canadian Forces). He landed with a ball of shit over his head which included his main and reserve and someone elses main. The precursor to his spectacular feat of survival was a canopy collision. Landed in some trees and busted himself up good, but nothing really permanent. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I guess he has no comment.. Gotta love how fast that reserve came out, damn! Woulda came out even quicker if he had a bigger reserve PC than a Sabre2 150 though.. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I'm not going back to read it again, but I'm sure I remember reading several times the term "Parachute descent from an aircraft in flight" -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Caveat Emptor... Let the buyer beware. Especially don't expect some to be free that is not explicitly explained in the original contract, it's just not going to happen in any business. Again... Why you'd want your rig to come from the store assembled is beyond me. Of course I've seen people buy rigs out of the trunk of a car from a rigger they don't know and then get on a plane. Then later get pissed off at their own rigger (who now happens to be a master rigger helping to design systems for PD) because something has gone wrong with the rig. Unbelievable. Do people not think before they throw a rig on that their life is dependent on the person who put it together? -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

That is what I was trying to get at. He was also one of the first DZ's in Canada (if not the first, I don't know for sure) to ditch I.A.D. which rumor is he invented, and go to solely tandems for first jumps. Definately one of the first to offer tandems. It sounded like someone was saying he was pissed off that this Flanagan guy was opposing regulation, which is the reason he left CSPA. BTW, there is a CSPA club running at Skydive Gananoque.... so you can come jump no matter what your affiliation is. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I would have stuck around to find out. Perhaps the other packer showed him the wrong way the first time. How was the brake set wrong? You say in flight rigging? If you were in the air with the thing for 3500 ft and you still don't know what he did wrong, then maybe you are the one who needs a packing lesson. I'm not sure I would trust you with on the ground rigging. What did you learn? Don't trust the packer? Land in the soft grass when you have a questionably landable canopy? I'm not really sure that I follow the logic of you learning anything. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Okay. I just sent a lengthy e-mail to my local Member of Parliament. I started by reminding him of how I helped vote him into office and asked him to oppose NPA 99 148. Do you have a copy of said letter that I could manipulate slightly and send to my MP? I'm not very well spoken in such matters and any letter that I compose would not have great effect. Btw, my MP is Peter Milliken, the Speaker of the House, and votes only to break ties. So technically it could be really important, but I doubt that such a miniscule issue will divide the house 50/50 as such. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

If I order new gear, I would rather it came unassembled. That makes it alot easier for myself or my rigger to have a good look at each piece and make sure everything is OK. I prefer not to trust some nameless face at some factory with my life. There have been instances where gear has been delivered assembled improperly. It would be the owners own stupid fault if it got jumped like that. The majority of all parts to that system are manufactured by different companies. Why would there NOT be a charge to assemble? They could tack that onto the regular price of EVERY rig, but not everyone wants them assembled by some gear shop. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I would have been hooped. It's the only place I can skydive really. It wouldn't be the first time I gave money to someone that pissed me off because I'm addicted to their service and won't be the last either. I pay taxes and fill my car with gas too, despite knowing that I don't like where the money is going. It's the honest answer. -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Yes, it's a curse. It's alot cheaper to not know! -------------------------------------------------- In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. ~ Thomas Jefferson