lowhook

Writing your transition just verified what everyone probably would have concluded. BTW, since you like stickies, here is another on for you: http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf I believe in there somewhere it says that you have no business on a full elliptical at this point. I'll drop it now and wait for you over on SoFPiDaRF Facebook group.

This is not bashing you on canopy control. It is just a general observation that your attitude has you headed straight to a wheelchair controlled by a sippy straw. I think you will skip right past the femur part. I think trying to keep someone alive is a positive thing. You can't even get it to open. Just wait until your are flying it into the ground.

Waching hubris kill someone in this sport is never funny. But you seem to have things covered pretty well.

The Valkyrie is much more forgiving than the Katana, especially at higher wingloadings. Luckily with your progression you will be there in 10-20 jumps. So all should be AOK!

Does anyone know if they are still made? I have one and want another. I know there are other brands out there but my LEADBELLY was perfect.

The toggle did not come off the line. What I wrote was that the lower control line came apart from the upper control line. Some line sets like Velo have a single line from the toggle to the cascade. Others have a separate upper and lower control line. The lower in this case is roughly 24 inches long. You can tie knots around the toggle finger trapped loop all day long and it will do nothing for what I described.

This happened to a friend of a friend at another DZ. He sent his Icarus canopy to a local rigger to have it relined. He jumped it 5 times without event. On the 6th jump he went to pop the toggles after opening and the right lower control line came right off. He had a toggle in his hand connected to a lower control line that was floating in the breeze. I am guessing it was finger trapped but never bar tacked. It could have been worse. It could have come off during a swoop.

John, I am sure you do not have any of those problems because everyone can see you with your baggie suit and you will not steer into anyone under your paracommander and your can hear everything through your frap hat. Sure do miss those good old days.

Todd Hawkins, National champion, world meet medalist, member of Arizona Airspeed and Perris Fury as well as Sector Captain for the upcoming Dubai 500-Way World Record will be coaching a 16-way+ camp at Chicagoland Skydiving Center on Aug 13-14. This is an invitational event. If you are interested please contact Brian Darnell (contact info in the link below). Invites will go out to all interested AND qualified jumpers. Referrals are also welcome. It is not your jump numbers but your skill and attitude that will prevail. Todd will design the dives, jump with us and perform debriefing. http://www.skydivecsc.com/zone/calendar_detail.php?event_id=1438

Tom, You said: "we should have a begginers class evidently..." Well there was one in 1998. They called it Recreation Class and the dive draw was limited to randoms. USPA being the brainiacs they are did not really create a new class as they then got rid of the advanced class and just called intermediate class advanced! So medals for advanced in 1998 would have an asterisk next to them if this were baseball. When this happened competitors complained that beginners should not be at Nationals and Recreation Class went away... You can never make everyone happy. Brian

G=guest (a non-US citizen on the team. They can complete but cannot take medals.

Thanks Bill

USPA should be ashamed of themselves. If they had something that would provide the updates that USPANationals.com did then ok, spend my dues on a cease and desist. But they offer nothing, Omniskore is a joke and the Skydive Chicago site offers nothing but a few team pictures. Way to go USPA!!! Way to generate buzz!

I think it is a money maker for the USPA and some dropzones. Ask yourself if you would want to be coached by someone with your current experience?

What kind of a loaner are you? Mortgage, banking, car? I know some a few skydiving CPA's so a loaner should fit right in.