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iluvtofly

Fundraiser for Andy Copland!

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On Saturday, May 4th, we are having a fundraiser for Andy Copland at Skydive the Farm. Sunday evening he had a canopy collapse at the Farm and he's in pretty bad shape. His medical bills are piling up quickly, and like a lot of full time skydivers, he does not have insurance.

Even if you are not able to attend the fundraiser itself, a paypal account has been set up for donations. ALL proceeds will go directly to Andy and helping him through the very tough times he has ahead of him. Every little bit helps. All donation info is on the facebook event page that I have linked below. So please, take a moment and help him out.

https://www.facebook.com/events/552494484801780/

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The money I have in my Paypal account (which isn't much is on the way to him)
Although I never met the Pikey I enjoyed reading his posts and his determination against the odds to
be a base jumper, Just remember that all the small amounts that you can afford will add up
to a significant help.

Andy, mend yourself you Pikey TWAT.

Gone fishing

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Thanks for the heads up!!


Since I was in a similar situation a few years back I can feel for him.



What ever I can afford is on it's way!!!

Blues skies Andy



Bry
--------------------------------------------------
Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional!!

D.S.#13(Dudeist Skdiver)

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I assume this is for a different canopy collapse than the one he suffered about a month ago that put him in the hospital then too?



I assume this is the same Andy Copeland who used to post here all the time, shitting all over anyone who made any comments regarding safety or making conservative choices when it comes to things like canopy selection and BASE jumping, right?

So he ends up having two canopy collapses, severe enough to land him in the hospital in the course of one month? Go figure.....

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I assume this is for a different canopy collapse than the one he suffered about a month ago that put him in the hospital then too?



I assume this is the same Andy Copeland who used to post here all the time, shitting all over anyone who made any comments regarding safety or making conservative choices when it comes to things like canopy selecytion and BASE jumping, right?

So he ends up having two canopy collapses, severe enough to land him in the hospital in the course of one month? Go figure.....



Dave, Andy is shit stirrer. My last jump with him about 18 months ago he had circa 700 jumps and was on a 170. My limited experience with Andy is that he loves to get a rise out of people.

I don't know his current jump numbers or canopy type though.
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

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he had circa 700 jumps and was on a 170.

I don't know his current jump numbers or canopy type though



Wanna bet it's something much smaller than a 170?



My point was that he isn't on a cross brace canopy at an inappropriate jump number, like so many people who are injured are. I always expect Andy's injuries to be from Base though.

I like Andy and hope he gets well soon.
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

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No empathy here either. Other than that a fellow human being got hurt, and I wish him well.

There is another, resurrected thread: you can't afford health insurance, you shouldn't be skydiving! Or spending your money on skydiving, or being a dz bum.

To the organizers of the benefit: don't hand the proceeds over to the hospital. Instead reserve those for filing for medical bankruptcy; much better use of the money!!!

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I assume this is the same Andy Copeland who used to post here all the time, shitting all over anyone who made any comments regarding safety or making conservative choices when it comes to things like canopy selection and BASE jumping, right?

So he ends up having two canopy collapses, severe enough to land him in the hospital in the course of one month? Go figure.....

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My point was that he isn't on a cross brace canopy at an inappropriate jump number, like so many people who are injured are



With 700 jumps total, and jumping a 170, how many jumps do you think it would take to get down below 100 sq ft safely? Let's also keep in mind that they don't make anything but HP canopies below 100 sq ft, so it's not like he was a big-boy on with a higher WL on a Spectre or somthing of that sort.

With only 18 months to make the transition from a 170 to a sub-100 HP canopy, I'm not sure there is a 'safe' way to do that. You're either skipping sizes, or shorting yourself on time on each size. Either case is not the preferred method.

That said, just to be clear, I don't have any ill-will towards to guy. I don't even know him personally. I do feel badly to hear that anyone is injured in anyway while jumping.

The reason I'm posting the things I am is to illustrate that there are consequnces to the choices you make as a jumper. Those consequnces become very real very quickly, and sometimes they stay 'real' for a very long time. He's not the first 'big shot' we've had here was 'too cool for school', and he probably won't be the last. At least one of them I can remember is dead, and another is in a wheelchair for the rest of his life (Sangi, who had the balls to come back and tell his tale). Now we have another one who's fate is still to be determined.

The point is that everyone else can see where it get's you, and maybe the guy in the '400 jumps on a Velo' thread will take notice, or maybe not. Hopefully the next guy in line will wise up and end the cycle before it comes around again and takes out another 'big shot' jumper.

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Here is an update from Andy's fiance for those who actually care and aren't here simply to badmouth a fellow skydiver who is also a nice guy:

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Hello everyone! Andy Copland is doing really well!! He has had three surgeries and will probably have to have at least one more. Big thank you to everyone for all of your support through this! Andy has been intubated since Sunday, but they are slowly taking him off of sedation. He is starting to wake up and he looks absolutely amazing!! Thank you to all of our amazing friends for the fundraiser and all of your help and support through this! It means SO much to us!!



If you're in this thread simply to bad mouth my friend, please do so elsewhere. This thread is intended to raise funds and support for someone in need.

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I agree. I hesitated to be the first to put it out there, but I think is the second time in 8 weeks that he's frapped in. He got all busted a few years ago on a base jump, too. Each time he's been uninsured, and I find it somewhat irritating that a fundraiser is being put out there to pay his medical bills. I view it more as a fundraiser as a way of paying for his jumps.

He's a good guy and interpersonally I like him a lot. But the sport warned him twice already and the message of "cover thy ass and get thee coverage" went unheeded. He played with fire again.

If one can afford to skydive one can afford insurance. This sport is as expensive as it is dangerous and a fundraiser for just strikes strikes me as some hardcore enabling.


My wife is hotter than your wife.

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I'm trying to keep my cool with you people. There is another thread for this discussion about whether or not you would contribute. THIS thread is for those who are willing to help others no matter what the conditions. And just to be clear, he was WORKING when both these jumps happened. He doesn't fun jump, he only does working jumps. So this money isn't going to fund more jumping. If you read my update you would see that his condition is pretty severe. So please, take your discussion about whether or not you would help a fellow skydiver and human being to the appropriate thread. Here is a link for those too inept to find it on your own.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4206347;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

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I'm not out to badmouth him. And it doesn't mean I don't care about the guy. I like him.

I just think it's pretty fucked up to spend money on jumping instead of insurance. And it can simply nnot be "obliviousness to the risk" that explains it.

I care about him and it bothers me to see this happen - again. And it bothers me that it is often the case that jumpers are uninsured.[:/]



My wife is hotter than your wife.

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If you're in this thread simply to bad mouth my friend, please do so elsewhere. This thread is intended to raise funds and support for someone in need



I did say that I don't know him personally, and in that regard have nothing against him.

However, he went out of his was to post obnoxious and contrary remarks to my posts when I was tyring to give sound, safe advice to other jumpers. In that regard, I cannot deny (nor ignore) that his choices have put him into a bad spot.

Additionally, to be clear, the bad choices are not those regarding jumping without insurance, they are his equipment choices and the way he chose to use that equipment. There is a lesson to be learned here, and I'm not going to let it pass without pointing that out.

That said, I'll gladly make a donation via the paypal account. I have nothing against the guy personally, and we do have some friends in common, but this is where he gets to stand behind what he said and his attitude about safety and making conservative choices. Unfortunately for him, he came up on the wrong side of that issue.

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