mr_music11

I too have only been to 3 diff drop zones.. so I dont know if Im qualified to answer... but, in my limited experience, IMHO... Its been the people. People first and foremost that are safety conciencous (not money hungry! and willing to cut corners just to make a buck and possibly endanger people and thus endanger the sport) The DZ I learned at obviously was about turn n burn.. get as many people in the air as possible... neglect their feelings, desires.. treat the family and friends of the tandem jumpers with disrespect and short answers. Hire TI's that take on the same mindset.. and there you go.. not a very good DZ. Verses.... Have friendly, outgoing, fun loving employee's whos job is to further this beautiful sport by being ambassadors to jumpers and non jumpers alike. AGAIN.... safety is paramount to our sport! and needs to be on the minds of all those at a DZ. After that.. well... number of planes, loads... large open landing areas for multiple skill levels and swoopers. A deli/grill (place to eat).. clean restrooms.. places to throw up a tent or 2... all things that ADD to the pleasantness of a given DZ. No names on the not so good places to jump.. but will tell you quickly that I LOVE Davis,CA/Skydance.. top notch.. great staff.. great place to meet and jump with others. Check out the Great American Boogie June 25>28th @Skydance/see events & places to jump for more info. See ya there! blues/soft landings If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Thanks all for the input/encouragement. No, I dont plan on becoming complacent.. Safetey has been and always will be my priority number one in this sport. Blues and soft landings If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

LMAO... but would'nt the squeeky toy @least make the bouce more bouncy? If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

1st and foremost!!! I am NOT an instructor/coach so, please talk to them as well!! As far as type of eq(manufacturer).. totally up to you With only 11 jumps, you may not have an idea of what you want. I rented my gear all the way thru my A lic progression, jumping as many diff types of harnesses and mains as I could to find out what was comfortable to me. After that.. MY budget (and probably yours too from the $$ shown) Did not allow me to go new (because I was looking for the complete set up.. harness, main, reserve, helmut and altimiter, NEW AAD (gloves and suit optional and I do have them, but what I considered "required" and what is just "wanted" are 2 diff things! ) Used is pretty easy as long as you are patient to wait for the right harness, main etc.... to come along. Took me about 2>3.5 months to piece together my rig. As far as what size.. again, talk to your instructor to see what they might reccomend. Your own gear is obviously the cheaper route in the long run, but don't be over anxious to get something that you might end up turning around and selling for a loss when it comes time to downsize. Theres a lot of used gear out there, buy from someone you know (or friend knows) or from a reputable used gear seller that will have a return policy. Good luck. Blue skies/soft landings If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Allrighteeeeee then..... rust knocked off. Good times. Exit.. stable.. turns on heading.. flip.. back to stable.. Good canopy flight/controll... 2 stand up landings! After a ton of visualization and ground talk.. the jumps went well... Skybytch..thanks for everything... promise my pattern will be better on the next jump!! Until the then.. blues If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Glad that worked out for you/and Im not flaming you for it....however I wouldn't recommend it to the married or those wanting to maintain a strong tie/relationship with those around them. A good/strong marriage/love relationship is based on trust and honost communication. Doing it and dealing with an angry loved one I feel is better than hiding the truth from that person and eroding at the base of that relationship. blues If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Sounds like my wife was not as freaked out as your wife-she knew how much I had wanted to do it and then went out and did some research/went to the DZ to see how gently the parachutes can and do land (compared to her ideas of the big bounce or how hard they would come down) She asked a bunch of questions of a friend of hers that also skydives to get a better understanding of what takes place. She made sure that I do have a life insurance policy. And the rest is history. I still call her after EVERY jump to let her know I am safe (others might complain about having to do this or flame me becuz I do... but its a small price to pay to be able to enjoy the sport) As with ANYTHING in life.. stepping out your front door, climbing into a car, riding an elevator, climbing onto a jet liner. All have risk... its about minimizing that risk. Minimize the risk.. maximize the fun. Good luck.. hope you get to enjoy the blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

...if you are a drama king/queen and only want to stir up a negative vibe, then you're just tainting what I would hope to be a positive/safe/fun filled/learning condusive environment at ANY! DZ. Which is what I would wish for EVERY DZ.... If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

When buying used gear (which I did for my 1st rig, minus the AAD which I bought new ( thought the new aad was worth spending the money on) I followed the advice given here on DZ.com Only purchase from reputable sellers. I got mine all from dealers selling used equipement that had been inspected by their rigger 1st. Finality of keeping the eq was contingent on the rigger @my local DZ to inspect the eq as well upon arrival (I had the gear sent directly to my rigger) All purchases on credit card so that I could dispute those charges (as described in the previous post) Sorry to hear about your experience. Good luck..blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Shut up and go jump. ha ha ha ha ha... thanks for the laugh!! whats funny is that you are echoing the voice in my head too!!! blues If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I have what I consider 2 home DZ's as well. I learned at one DZ . Good people, decent atmosphere. I'd say probably more geared to fun jumpers. Then after getting my license, started exploring more DZ's in the area ( am blessed to have 4/all within a 1.5 hour max travel time) Have found that I frequent one the most. Shocking enough, not becuz of the price of the lift ticket, but because of the atmosphere. Not that I wont return to the other DZ's. But have found that when I do go to one DZ, I talk about my experiences @that DZ.. not necessarily those specific to other DZ's because I have found that there is an attitude difference FROM one DZ to anther and TO one DZ to another. I try deeply to NOT get involved in that banter as I am only there to enjoy fun/safe skydiving (from ANY DZ that I am going to. And isn't that the goal/shouldn't it be the goal of EVERY DZ?) Anyone getting caught up in the drama and not the facts... give it up and stop tainting our sport!! blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Thank you for the info... sad that such adolescent behavior could be coming from one of our own. I hope that whomever made the threat is reading these forums and sees what a neg impact that they have on us, and realizes that such threats don't involve just those at a particular DZ. Saftey is at the core of our sport and needs to remain so. Minimize risk.. maximize the fun.. blue SAFE skies to all If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

1st.. I am a newbie.. so thanks for being gentle!! Just curious... its been about 3 1/2 months since jumping (had to ground my self for a min to determine some medical stuff!) Will be jumping this coming friday and Im a little nervous. I would think this to be normal.. however its causing me to be a bit anxious about getting back into the air. I've been trying to visualize "the jump" a lot. Ive been going over mentally and physically my EP's to be prepared for that which I've been trained...and know that I can do it (after all.. kinda like riding a bike huh? with a little more risk minimize risk.. maximize fun!! ) What do you do to prepare to jump after a time off? If I'm standing next to you getting ready for a load..what would you say to me? Just curious.. lookin' forward to the blue skies again in 3days!!! blues to you too!! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

IMHO/low jump numbers and no cut aways YET! I was taught.. Look @cutaway pull cutaway with 2hands look @ reserve pull reserve with 2hands arch soo.. look and pull with both hands on both handles to avoid the mis sequence... its what I practice b4 each jump If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Wow!... Am I missing something here? What does this guy have to gain from sabotaging ANY aircraft, and in this instance, a craft ferrying skydivers? And now on to my personal note.. that PAC is one that probably/may services Skydance in Davis,CA- WHERE I JUMP-Endangering people I know and respect! *!* YIKES *!* So, umm yeah... catch this nut bag and string him up by the short ones! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

+1 Although I dont need anybody to tell me "how" to be "cool". Good article tho.. just not appropriatly titled. If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I learned at about jump 15 or so... wasn't in the habit of packing for myself tho until I purchased my own rig as the rental rate for gear included the pack job. However, I'd reccomend learning as soon as possible and then practice, practice, practice... I still struggle with my packing @times, but has definatly gotten easier with practice. If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I plan to be there! My first official boogie as a jumper(had gone last year, but was unable to jump! booo ) lookin' forward to it.. should be lots of fun. Love Davis, its a great place! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Thanks for all the posts in this thread with reference to not feeling bad for grouding your self/knowing your limits. I have beat my self up in the past for grounding myself for various reasons. This has resulted in a lower number of jumps than I had originally anticipated and desire. However, even after 3 years and the limited number of jumps that I have, the sky still calls me on a daily basis. This thread reminds me to continue to live the dream of flight. Enjoy even those days that I am not skydiving, the sky will still be there when I AM ready. blue skies If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

yeah..but then the pilot crys funky windsheer If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I have a Triathalon 175/packed into my wings W11 , and its tight! but I get it in there! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I have a wings W11 w/Vigil II - no trouble in fit or functionality. blues If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

I have a tri 175 w/about 530 jumps on it/bought used. PRO pack.. slight roll of the nose to ensure nice n'soft ( got slammed once before when not rolled slightly) Love my tri! If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

Was there.. georgous day even tho it was chilly. Unfortunatly because of a nasty head cold, I wasnt able to jump that day. Enjoyed myself just the same. Thanks Skydance!! I'll be there soon gettin a little attitude altitude! blues If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.