🚀 go-pugleaf

     Here's some responses to some responses...


> Im glad to see some interest in sky diving on the net. Im kind of new to the 
>sport and I'd like to hear some comments about other DZ's. My "home" zone is
>the San Diego Air Sports Center. The weather is great so we almost never have
>any problem getting altitude.(12,500) This place is kind of small but it is 
>about the only DZ within reasonable distance from San Diego.                
> I saw a posting from Corvallis (I believe). Where is your DZ? Do you have
>much trouble with the weather? I can just see it ""Well, we got altitude now
>where's the f___ing DZ."" 
> How about some comments on gear. My main is a Maverick (Glide Path) and I
>use a Northern Lite container. The cannopy is great but the container is 
>only so-so. I would to hear comments [and or] recomendations on other types.

     Gee, I didn't realize anyone outside of Corvallis had heard of Corvallis!
Anyway, we don't have a DZ in Corvallis, so I do most of my jumping at a DZ in
Sheridan, OR.  It's about a 45 minute drive due North.  It's not big -- we 
have one twin Beech and a couple of C-180's.  Getting enough people together
for a Beech load is a major accomplishment.  And yes, we do experience weather
problems occasionally, but not as often as you might expect.  Sheridan is 
located in a valley on the east side of the Coast Range, and even though
the coast is often cloudy, the clouds break up and dissipate over the Coast
Range, leaving Sheridan sunny a surprising amount of the time.  The summer
months generally provide excellent jumping weather -- temperatures between 75F
and 85F, with occasional gusts into the 90's.  Humidity is typically between
20-40%.  All this adds up to really nice, soft landings most of the time.
Winter months are usually still jumpable, but you gotta watch for mudholes, 
and it's COLD at altitude.  Fortunately, all the planes have jump doors, 
including the Beech.
     The only time I got "stuck" at altitude was when I jumped at a different
DZ south of here.  There were nine of us (an 8-way plus a cameraman) planning
to do a formation load from two Cessna's (a 206 and a 182).  The clouds had
been very threatening all day, but in mid-afternoon a huge hole opened up.
We piled into the planes and headed for altitude, but by the time we got to 
five grand the hole was beginning to shrink.  When we got to 12,500', the
airport was gone.  We circled for a while waiting to see what would happen,
but then the pilots decided to dump us at another airport about three miles
away, which had a barely jumpable hole over it.  Just as we turned onto jump-
run, I noticed a hole opening up over the proper DZ, so I suggested we make
another pass at it.  No go.  Too much gas had been burned already, so out we
went.  The jump was a disaster.  The spotter put us out over the edge of the
hole, so we punched through several chunks of cloud as we skimmed by.  The 
star only built to about 5 or 6, because the last couple of us out of the 
trailing plane could see the star only about half the time.  And I'll be damned
if I'm going to dive through a cloud at 180+ mph toward a star I can't see!
     Concerning gear, I'm not sure what kind of comments you're looking for,
so I'll describe mine.  I recently bought a complete rig, consisting of a
Vector harness/container with two Raven III canopies.  The Ravens are TSO'd
for either Main or Reserve use, so I figured it would be novel to have the
same kind of canopy, no matter which I rode down with.  The Raven has the 
highest glide ratio of any canopy I know of, so if the rider is within the
recommended weight range, it tends to be a little "floaty".  Something to 
consider if CRW is on the agenda, especially with older canopies that have
a higher sink rate.  All told, I like the rig just fine, but the main had a
built-in left turn, so I sent it back to the manufacturer for (free) repair.
The Vector comes in two styles -- "standard" and "narrow".  I had to get the
"standard" width because the Raven III reserve won't fit in a "narrow", even
though the Raven III main does.  The container is slightly wider than I am,
something a certified "skygod" would shudder at, but I guess I don't know
enough to know the difference.  Ok, enough of this.  On to the next response.

==== ==== ====
Response 6    to Note 2   
	brl-sem!jeffh                          12:13 pm  Aug  6, 1985  


>Can anyone on this { doomed? } newsgroup tell me where to find a
>good school for a first jump?  I am in the Baltimore-Philadelphia
>corridor.  I have wanted to try this for a long time, but have only
>recently felt as if I might be able to absorb the financial drain.
>Are there listings of this sort of information?  Where should one
>look for that sort of information?

     Let your fingers do the walking.  Many DZ's advertise in the Yellow 
Pages under such headings as "Skydiving", "Parachute Jump Instruction", "Sport
Parachuting", and "Schools-General Interest".  If (when) you make that first
jump, let us know!!
     Some personal opinions:  Skydiving does not have a reputation for being
an inexpensive sport, so as long as you're committed to spend some money,
spend as much as necessary to do it right!  Don't just look for the "cheapest"
drop zone (DZ), if you have more than one to choose from.  While not absolutely
necessary, nor legally required, I think the following will add to your safety
and enjoyment, if you can find a school that offers any or all:

     AFF -- Accelerated Free Fall program.  All jumps are free fall, no static
            lines as in the "conventional" training method.  The first several
            jumps are made with two instructors who physically hang on to you
            to keep you out of mischief.  But you get to "fly" yourself, and
            you'll learn much faster.

     Squares -- "Square" canopies instead of "Round" ones.  Many DZ's are using
            big, docile "Squares" on their students because they are a hellava
            lot more fun to fly, and safer too, 'cause they land feather-soft.

     AAD -- Automatic Activation Device.  An electro-mechanical device that 
            will activate your reserve in the extremely unlikely event that 
            both your main canopy and your brain take a vacation.

             *
            / \
       |---/---\---|            Ken Scofield    C-9355
       |   Gone    |            Hewlett-Packard PCD
       |  Jumpin'  |            Corvallis, OR
       |-----------|
			{ucbvax!hplabs, harpo, ogcvax}!hp-pcd!kas