rmarshall234

As they say...there are no stupid questions. I would put whatever is on your mind out there to be dealt with. The instructor will give you feed back if he/she feels something is inappropriate. It sounds like frequency of jumps / currency might become an issue with the distance between the two of you. The sooner you can get through the student program (within reason) the better the learning curve will be. Good luck and have fun!

Amen. It's dangerous out here. Sorry for your loss..

Clearly, someone I would have liked and admired. Ride-on brother..

Is it a requirement to have jumped both canopies in it? If so.... A Handbury Container with Tapewells, a shortlined Para Commander, and a 24 foot Navy Conical with a four line release. (Also my first rig). Not much controllability under that Navy Conical, but I still managed to avoid a sea of grape stakes surrounding Pope Valley and thus earned a glass of "Proprietors Reserve" and a ride back in a tractor from Farmer Bob.

Jay is a class-act. And, very unassuming. We are fortunate to have him take such an active role in shaping the future of skydiving, and it's a big deal to meet such a fine role model. The man exudes character.

Amen, brother.

I understand Buzz, and all, gave Dave his proper send-off. Wish I could have been there. I never expected Dave to change and he never asked me to. I'll always remember him for that. RIP brother, you deserve it..

anyone know if Howard ever went by the alias of Ogden? looks/sounds like a character i may have met one time and owe a debt of gratitude towards..

Excellent. Thanks to all, for taking the time to help out. Sorry JW, it's the back model. RM

One of my customers has a brand new, still in the box, 2003 National 425 he is interested in selling and asked me what it might be worth. Anyone care to help out and give your estimation? I won't see it to do an inspection until this weekend, but wanted to get a jump on things. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Robert Marshall

Tall Paul. What a fine man. RIP.. You take care, Michael

Sweeet. Rock on...

Excellent.

Set aside the way it looks for a moment and lets talk functionality/safety. Unless I've been away too long...or it was done to make for a clearer picture..you need to add some slack to the bridle above the pin. That looks like a perfect opportunity for a pilot chute in tow.

I taught the Flight-1 Essential Skills class at Elsinore for about a year and most of the students were afraid to stall the canopy (as are most fixed wing pilots) and only did so because it was part of the curriculum and was going to be debriefed afterwards. If not part of the class, I suspect most students will miss that learning opportunity. Also, the newest jumpers progressed much faster than the experienced jumpers. Conversely, the people with the most jumps were hardest to reach. The contrast was striking and I believe it is because the newbies were more willing to trust the instruction - as opposed to their own instincts - and had not yet developed bad habits. Good luck. There is a tremendous need for this and the sooner a jumper receives the instruction the better.

>>After 20 odd years of Judo, it's pretty difficult for me to turn off that training and do a PLF instead. I can assure you the parachute harness doesn't restrain you anything like enough to stop you doing a martial arts type fall. ---------------------------------------------------------- Excellent. Then your falling skills on a tatami or elsewhere, exceed my own. Can you speak to your experience landing a parachute (such as a round or malfunctioned square) where the vertical trajectory is much greater than the forward speed? I guess the visual I was trying to convey is more like what we see from a lawn dart, than the typical landing we all experience these days.

Having engaged in both activities for awhile, I'd say the difference is that with GA you have a greater level of control over your own safety. Yeah, there are midairs but they are extremely rare. Thinking back to the "close calls" I've had skydiving through the years, most were when someone else almost took me out. Sometimes the jump ship pilot, other times another skydiver. It all comes back to weighing the risk vs the fun.

>>I wanted to know how much is to get a license I went through Simon Wade's rigger school in Boulder City in 2006 and here is a list of my expenses: Course: $1400 Practical Test: $200 Written Test: $90 Seal press: $75 There are cheaper ways to do it (which I'll leave to others to address) but it was a great experience and I learned a ton. If you can find an experienced rigger to mentor you that will be invaluable as well. Amy Von Novak took me under her wing and was, and continues to be a tremendous help. It will take awhile to recoup that investment but the education is invaluable and being able to maintain your own gear is the best. You can ask-around in your area to see what the prevailing price is for a repacks and other services. Good luck.

I am a pilot and a rigger and would say this: If you are going to rig part time you won't make money at it but your *payment will be in job satisfaction. The same kind of satisfaction that comes with being a pilot and being the bottom-line individual responsible for the safe outcome of a flight. Every time. As in obtaining a pilots license, you'll enjoy the quest and the challenge, and you will meet some interesting people along the way. You'll also develop some really good relationships. I'd say go for it, besides, we need more multifacetted professionals in the sport.

Excellent! Very nice work by all involved. Thanks for reporting this, Tom. I agree, the ground support at Perris rocks! I had a cut-away and landed about a mile to the south once......the otter circled overhead to check on me, Tim arrived in the truck before I had even collected my stuff, and Stuee was on the radio to make sure all was good. They really watch out for you there.

>>the principles of how to protect your body in a fall remain the same and apply to parachuting or something like gymnastics or martial arts. Not true and here is why: Unlike every other fall students have experienced in their life, in this case they will be "suspended" and therefore restrained. Dissipating your energy must come from the feet "upward" in a coordinated fashion while the canopy slowly releases its hold on you. The "natural" tendency is to lead with your shoulder and that is simply not possible in a PLF. This distinction needs to be made very clear to students when teaching them PLFs.

>Are PLF's necessary anymore? From personal experience I'd say yes. Especially when you screw up. Example #1, 30th jump: I hook-turned a Paracommander in 20 knot winds to avoid power lines. Although it was a round canopy, the lateral speed was greater than the vertical speed and a PLF saved my ass. I was bruised from ankle to shoulder on my right side and had knocked myself out, but didn’t break any bones. I learned a lot of lessons on that day…..and have believed in PLF’s ever since. Example #2, 430th jump: I elected to land my 7 cell Pegasus when the outboard C&D lines hung up on the poker chip of the stabilizer. It seemed like an okay decision at the time, since I could control it with opposite toggle. The canopy ride seemed all fully short though, with the last 200 ft of the descent almost entirely vertical and fast. A PLF saved me again, more lessons learned…. “Learn from the mistakes of others, you can’t live long enough to make them all yourself” Willy and Ethyl

Difficulty in doing your Rubiks cube in ff may best be explained by the effects of hypoxia. If you ever get a chance, attend a session in a hyperbaric chamber, one will learn the effects of hypoxia in a controlled environment. One of the experiments is to have you *attempt* simple math problems such as 3 plus 4. Also, one of the first things to "go" is your color vision - at altitudes as low as 5,000 ft msl.

This is an important subject to discuss. Let’s not mistake a poor attitude and weak safety practices for complacency though. The inability to realize one can learn from 1st jump students and seasoned veterans alike speaks to attitude. Complacency is the relaxing of one’s norms brought about by becoming too comfortable in a dangerous environment. The sense that “things have always worked out fine so they should this time too”. Examples such as: • The pilot, that fails to do a control check because the previous thousand checks have all been positive and as a result, nearly kills everyone onboard. • The Rigger, who does a cursory tool count on his 4th pack job of the day and leaves a molar strap in place. • The air show pilots that collide and parish while passing within feet of one-another performing their “usual” act. • The camera man, who takes care of all the less important steps before releasing his brakes while flying back towards the DZ. • And, the AFF Instructor that fails to cut-away a blown Stiletto because the situation seems manageable and “not too much different” than what unfolds on a regular basis. Good people with good attitudes and safety practices, but becoming too comfortable and letting their guard down. Complacency preys upon experienced people who are very current. The problem is: The unusual becomes the usual and one looses sight of the fact that what we do is dangerous as hell and a little bit crazy.

AWESOME! I haven't digested it all yet but what a nice piece of work. Also, kudos for having the guts to do what needs to be done. Thank you.