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Last October, we ran a “Rant” on skydivers buying used gear from out of state or online. Just last month we had some used gear come into the loft that demonstrated the need for a second opinion before buying used gear. Many skydivers try to dump their old, used gear on unsuspecting AFF graduates who then have to pay hundreds of dollars to get the gear updated for today’s skydiving and even after that, it may not fit right. The recent young jumper who brought used gear to our loft had to spend more than $300 to get the AAD updated, repair numerous items on the worn out rig and have the reserve repacked ... and it still is not a “freefly friendly” rig. Every month or so our loft has a new jumper come through who wants to find the “best deal” on a rig. They usually are interested in finding used equipment either online, through classified ads in skydiving magazines or purchasing from any of a number of larger skydiving gear companies that are out of state. From the start I believe this is a bad choice. Most DZs have used gear available from local jumpers, and local riggers know a lot about the condition and history of the rig, AAD and its parachutes. Gear bought online or out of state usually carries little or no information on the history, how the rig was taken care of or the number of jumps. Purchasing a rig on the DZ also allows the customer to try it on for fit and comfort. Finding a rig online that fits well can be difficult. Most jumpers end up sacrificing a good fit for a low price. Lastly, by the time a jumper pays for the “best deal” used rig, including shipping, rigger inspections and necessary upgrades or repairs, the jumper could have bought an inexpensive new rig for the same price. There are many brands with different prices available from your local DZ that can be custom fit for you. Contact your local DZ for more info. Chuting Star Rigging Loft will give a second opinion on any skydiving gear you are considering.

There was a great turnout for the first Georgia Skydiving League meet of the year hosted by Atlanta Skydiving Center in Cedartown. Seven teams competed in two divisions of 4-way formation skydiving. Nemesis placed first in the open division with a 14.2 average over six rounds, followed by Mr. Pink with an 11.0 average and Skydive Monroe in third, skydiving at an 8.8 average. In the intermediate division, Apogee took home the gold with a 7.0 average, followed by last year’s GSL champion 5 Minute Call with a 5.8 average. GT Inviscid finished third with a 2.8 average and Delusional placed fourth with a 2.0 average. Competitors jumped out of Atlanta Skydiving Center’s Super Twin Otter and a few indulged in the drop zone’s new swoop pond toward the end of the day. Chuting Star Rigging Loft had its 61st save courtesy of Jeff Wills on 5 Minute Call. Wills’ main was locked in the deployment bag when lines got wrapped around a stow. Wills cutaway the main and deployed his reserve. Besides first, second and third place medals in both divisions, free wind tunnel time was awarded to the top teams determined by handicapped scoring as per the National Skydiving League and the Skyventure wind tunnel. Nemesis and GT Inviscid were each awarded a free 10-minute block of wind tunnel time by Skyventure. Congratulations to the top teams in both divisions whose hard work has paid off with great scores on the board. Robert Chromy served as judge and also helped the teams with engineering, exit techniques, block moves and gave general 4-way advice. Chromy explained all his judging decisions to the competitors. For more details on this meet, visit the GSL web site at www.gaskyleague.com or the NSL web site at www.skyleague.com. The next GSL meet is May 18 at Skydive Monroe. And don’t forget, Mr. Pink offers free coaching at ASC to 4-way teams seven days a week. Go Compete!