teason

I find the Sigma way too big for our narrow body 182. I just got 3 more Racers Tandems last winter and I can't imagine trying to climb out with anything bigger.(our pilot is 6'4" and all legs!) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Can you blame us? Call my motorcycle crap and I'll get pissed. Call my girlfriend ugly and I'll get pissed. Call my gear junk(imply you wouldn't let your friends jump one), gee, I wonder how I'll react,especially when I sweated over a sewing machine building it! How can you be shocked? Throw in the fact that I get people with 50 jumps who know less than I do about Racers telling me it's crap based on shit that usually not true! It never ceases to amaze me when someone calls my gear crap and is suprised when I disagree! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Some years ago there was a triple fatality in volving a camera man who tried to save a tandem. You have no friends below 2500'. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

A large factor in the loading of the rings is the side loading caused by the risers twising together. if you take a 3 ring and twist is you'll see a loading on the loop. That means you don't have to have an extremely aggressive spin to catastrophically increase the pull force required to move the cable, more of a combination of a twist and a spin. The force on the cable and the force required to move the cable are not equal although there is a relationship. Other factors include but are not limited to; properties of the cable(non lubed lolon, teflon etc.)and the point of kink and cable suck through. An interesting note is that a cable that would require more pull force is less likely to kink and get sucked through the gromment. For example, in tests, lubed lolon sucks through at about 70lbs while nonlubed sucks through at about 90lbs. I haven't tested strong cutaway cables yet, maybe worthwhile. There is no perfect system and this is the flaw in the three ring. The demands of a doing a Tandem with 180lbs of flailing terror strapped to you just makes it worse. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

You bet, my Racer Tandem is about 38 - 40 lbs (my scale sucks) It's also abou the size of a large student rig. Makes it possible to climb out of our narrow body 182 with a pilot whose 6'4" and all legs with a 6'10" passenger and yes, that's with a 400 square foot main. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I think the small Tandem canopy market is not for higher performance landings. The smaller canopies allow smaller TMs a better flare and a loading that penetrates into the wind the way a tandem should. I have several sets of gear at my DZ and I have 4 different types of mains. Quite often, I'm the only TM so I look at my Tandems and pick the rig that is best suited to thier weight and the wind conditions.(I have canopies for bigboys and canopies for small girls in winds) You are absolutely righ that the higher a loading = a higher performance mal but that doesn't mean that a 5'2" female TM weighing 120lbs taking a 5' 2" 120lbs student should be jumping a 500 square foot canopy (Jumped one, that's alot of fabric to pull). The smaller Tandem canopies are no different than using different sizes of main for FJs and AFF students. You don't need to put 290 Mantas on the little ones. Perhaps lowering the max recommended weight limits on the smaller canopies would be a solution. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Sorry for snapping but ya gotta admit it's hard for Racer owners, we have to hear so much crap! It's a real sore spot. I'm tired of arguing the other side. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Why does this shit always become a go damn pissing match!? Yeah, we get it, you think they suck and they're hard to pack. We think they're great and they're easy to pack. Done! Now, move the fuck on! I'm getting sick of this bullshit hi-jacking threads! I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Mid day is perfect for a day like today, the warmer, the better! My Tandem and I still froze at 11500 (it was minus 10c!) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The easiest to repack ..... if you know how Mwa ha ha ha! We're gonna turn this into one of those thread. Seriously, If you can say they are rigger unfriendly like it's fact, then I can claim it's the most rigger freindly like it's fact. Probably the most frustrating thing about having a Racer is having people talking shit about them. Racers are a good system. If you know how to pack them they are the easiest. But then again, I built my 2k3 and my Tandem, what would I know. By the way, my elite has 4 reserve flaps while my 2k3 has a fith that makes up the top of the shield. I think getting rid of the first bottom flap would put too much strain on the shield, but you'd have to ask Tim Web about that one. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

There is only one i existence AFAIK. This AAD was made for Jumpshack in the early days of the unit, origionally a tandem model but it has been changed to a standard. 2pins were never really produced. The way the AAD was designed, the cost of a 2pin was double the cost of a 1pin. The unit was not cost effective and there for never actually manufactured. The 2pin in question is just as reliable as the 1pin Astra (say what you will). Tell Cory I said Hi. Tim I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Ooooh, I tied you! oh wait, my tandems don't count do they I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Jacko jumped less safe than he could've. not so much a conclusion as a fact. What I attempted to assert is that it doesn't matter what anyone has posted, it doesn't change the fact, I'll repeat that word for you; fact, that jacko jumped less safe than he could've. I really thought that was clear in the context of the post but I guess I was wrong. Let me boil it down again. First, Jacko consciously made the choice to jump less safe than he could have, with a student attached to him for the sake of fancy flying. Your desire to equivocate and obfuscate the facts does not change that, no matter how you load the wording. Secondly, the point of posting an opposing view is usually done to sway the opinion of those listening (or reading). The approach you are taking here is not having the desired effect. Your snide shot about the power of this forum contradicts one of your earlier comments about the thread in relation to Jacko loosing his rating. ......Ah crap, now I'm being pulled in. One more time chief. As simple as I can. Jacko exercised poor judgment. That judgment carried consequence. Posting here is having the opposite effect I you are trying to defend your friend. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Geez, all this time I thought Victoria's secret was that she was a whore! Well, maybe that wasn't that much of a secret I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Here's what I got chief. Loose lats are less safe than tight. Jacko prefered to jump with loose lats so that he could do the fancy stuff. Conclusion Jacko lowered his degree of safety for the sake of some fancy flying. That is poor judgement. This has nothing to do with how good a skydiver he is, whether or not he's hurt/killed anyone or if he sends his mother flowers on her birthday! He jumped less safe than he could've. It was a concious effort. He jumped less safe ... with a student ... than he could've. I'll type it again. He jumped less safe than he could've. Actions have consequences. Now, I don't give two shits about other people who have done worse and gotten away with it. I don't give two shits about how great a skydiver he is. I don't give two shits about what someone on DZ.com said. I don't give two shits about a letter sent by the USPA. I don't give two shits about the belief that it's a witch hunt. When people feel hard done by they often look for someone or something to blame. Congatulations, you found DZ.com and Jan. Quit blaming posters Quit twisting words. Here is the thrust! JACKO EXERCISED POOR JUDGEMENT. JACKO'S ACTIONS HAD CONSEQUENCES. There it's been said. As plainly as I know how. The punishment may or may not fit the crime but you ain't swaying anyone over to your side the way you're going about it. Instead of attacking Jan, maybe you could've spoken to her and learned the best way to appeal. But you didn't. And all you've done is strengthen people's resolve against Jacko. That's really not fair to him. You're doing him more harm than good here. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Synovitis is the sweeling of the synovial membrane which produce synovial fluid. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Well, I'm not a doctor but I did stay at a holiday in. basically a tear in the knee cartilage. The piece of torn cartilage flips back and gums up the joint. Causes the knee to lock. Very common cartilage injury. you banged the back of your leg just above the knee and made a divot. You kinda have a bone bruise. Your knee is swollen. I believe this may be cyst on the point where the ACL is attched to the back of the femur. ***disclaimer*** I'm not a doctor, I just havea majorlly f*****d knee myself. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Some students just leave if something doesn't go right on the jump and they have a bad experience. Don't know if that's what happened here though. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Hmm, confront is a very confontational word and implies that you think the instructor fucked up. Just about every student I've seen land downwind has gone left when they were told right and vice versa. (I've yet to see the instructor forget his lefts and rights down low) I've had very irrate people yell at me and accuse me of turning them downwind. Luckily, we video tape all our first jump students with radio commands coming over the tape. After we show them, they usually give a red faced apology (either that or start blaming the radio itself!) You can't survive in skydiving without taking personal resposability for your mistakes. Getting overwelmed at landing time is very common. There is no shame in confusing left from right. At that point, the radio controller has to decide if there if sufficient alt to turn them around and they may be too low for a 180. A 7 mph downwind landing is not a bad option with a full flare (did she get her toggles all the way down? the bottom half is generally where the drag is.) with a half flare she may have still turf surfed even when faced into the wind. As for fiiting the harness, it's common for the main lift web to be stretched to accomidate larger upper bodies. Unfortunately, this causes the student to eat the radio. The MLW should be adjusted for height, not girth.(and that's a pet peeve of mine) A handy tip for doing up the chest strap for your wife would be to grab the shoulder straps and push together and forward. This will allow the instructor to do up the chest strap without having to resort to lengthening the MLW. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Well, you see the Earth generates ley lines lines that produce 3 terrawatts of etheric magnetism that can interfer with RF transmisions. Either that or that fucked up, looked down and got overwelmed. Naw, easier to blame the radio. We video tape all FJC landings. They always blame the instructor first ("he forgot to tell me to flare") until they see the video and hear him clearly say flare (we get the camera person to cary a radio as well). At that point, it must be the radio Necer mind that you can see the student's head bent down at the neck! Video actully protects you if a student blames the radio controller.... ...and they often do. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Who the hell's gonna lend me a couple million, I can't make a 182 profitable! And that's kinda the point. Besides, if you are only coming to DZ because it's cheap or free, you're way too dollar focused. By the way, how did you make the leap from "treating people fairly, not comprimising safety for a buck and creating a DZ to be proud of" to "giving away free jumps from an otter"? Just incase you missed the point, here it is more plainly. I took offense to a generalization. I tried to put forward the point of view of the DZO who doesn't whore his/her morals for money. I also put forward the what I feel is the positive attitude for being in the sport and how foolish it is to be in this business for money and how harmful that attitude is for the sport. Finally, I tried to demonstrate that you can own a DZ and be pissed on by people who you pay more than you pay yourself. Some of us make a real sacrifice to provide a place for people to jump. It was just a contrary view to the "DZOs are the fat cats raking in the cash on the backs of poor starving instructor whose safety they disregard." point of view. I was a poor starving instructor for 7 years and a poorer starving DZO for 5. I had no illusion that I would make millions but I didn't intend on running a charity. All I wanted was to be able to make $30,000 per year, buy a house and start a family. (I lost my home, my family and even my dog do to the financial strain) I never thought I'd lose everything while being thought of as a money hungry bastard (and I have been told that I am). I've really sacrificed everything. I thought I'd at least get something worth more than money. I thought I'd get respect for my efforts. All I get is disdain. By the way, try reading an economics book called "Small is beautiful" (I think it's by Paul Berger) You may find it enligthening. Skydiving should be more than "how big's the plane" and "how much are the jumps". Maybe I just have a different view coming from a small market with weekend instructors. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

How else can you tell you're at 10000'? There are different level of stench. 1.) The good natured slight stink where everyone laughs. 2.) The not so funny, breathe into your frappe hat type 3.) The offensive type where the pilot cracks the window 4.) The type that causes gags and dry heaves. (At that point the offender should see a doctor and the person in front should consider cleaning his gear). 5.) The type the inspires he rest of the load to physically eject the offender (who should consider seeing a vet) I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Do you mean to imply that I personally comprimise safety for money!?! Do you know how many times I've grounded student load for winds and taken flak for being overly cautious? Do you know how many times I've discussed whether or not to send up loads with my instructors and given them the decision? Do you know how many times I've called booked tandems and told them not to come out because of weather? (and I'm not talking about prepays) I get yelled at by students and criticized by up jumpers for being way to cautious. And I have never ever criticized an instructor for a safety issue but rather backed them every time even when the DZ loses money because of it. That's what hurts. Knowing that inspite of what I do I'm considered a money grubby DZO who'll send up his grandmother in a huricane to make money on a load. By the way, I spent three years as an instructor and made $1200 per month working the same hours you did an addition 4 working for strictly jump credit (once had 30 jump tickets I was too busy instructing to use) and for the last 5 years, I've had my own DZ and made even less. I understand the concept of being underpaid in skydiving. (That's why it's important to find the job rewarding in other ways.) If I was paid an instructor wage, I would have been paid an extra $7500 this year for Tandems, FJC, IAD, reserve packs and regular packs. Instead I make less and do the DZO stuff on top. DZs like mine pay as much as we are able to. When we can't afford to pay or staff, we take the pay cut so that the instructors maintain thier wages. I pay myself last.(not a wise thing in business but this ain't a business) How is our DZ not paying enough when the instructors make more from students than the DZ does? That's the truth. That's why it hurts to be considered to be a money hungry leach. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Wow Derek, that hurts. I wish I could get instructor retension but I can't. When an Instructor doesn't show, I suffer because I have to pick up the slack. I've had days where I've taught the FJC and done 5-6 tandems at the same time. It results in poor instruction. It's hard to teach a class and gear up a tandem student at the same time. Last week I asked an instructor to teach the FJC for me because I was way too under staffed and he said yes. The next morning when he showed up, he saw me struggling and decided to tell me he wanted and $50 for the FJC or he'd walk and I'd have to teach it. I've had to deal with this BS alot this year. I had three IAD instructors strike because the wanted to jump highly loaded elliptical canopies that they wern't ready for. When I said no (because of concern for their safety)they walked. So I had to do extra work as did the other instructor who were left. We all suffered. I have instructors who make more money than I do and they want more even though we pay more than any other DZ in canada that I know of. If you want to know what kills enthusiasm for the sport it's trying turning the DZ into a money machine. DZOs aren't the only one who are focused on the almighty dollar it's also some instructors. That's what kills the enthusiasm. I didn't start a DZ because I thought I'd be able to make money and do free jumps. I started a DZ because I loved teaching new jumpers. The feeling I get when I help someone find the strength to conquer a fear is amazing. To me Skydiving is not about making money, it's about doing what you love. Anyone (DZOs or instructors) who is trying to make skydiving a lucrative career is hurting the sport and probably should leave. I really don't understand that type of thinking but one thing I do understand is that it is infectious and destroys the bond people have with the sport. Focusing on money is poison to the sport. I just spent $25000 on hanger rennos (well ... borrowed, I ain't got that type of cash). The rennos do not bring in more customers. The rennos do not increase the price of jumps and rennos do not increase profit. What the rennos do is create a DZ that I can be proud of. The create areas that invite skydivers to socialize. They create a comfortable area in the spring and fall where they can relax and build the bonds between each other that are so important for skydiving. I think about how much debt I'm in because of these rennos but then I hear Skydivers having a good time and staying after hours and I know it's worth it. I don't know if I can do this forever, having work dumped on me, being treated like money grubbing garbage and living on other peoples charity because I can't afford a place of my own with all I put in the DZ but when I start treating the DZ like my road to riches that's when I better get the fuck out. That's when I'll start hurting the sport. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.